David Sparkes

I don't think 10-15 mins at tickover will be enough to charge the battery. The alternator is not running fast enough to give enough output to both run the car AND push a good charge into the battery. If you want to go to the trouble, during this tickover time, monitor the voltage across the battery and the current flowing into the battery. Your battery will be better served if you can leave the car on a suitable battery charger all week. By suitable I mean one that is designed to just sit there and maintain the battery. Names that come to mind, in no order of preference, are some models of Gunson (Gold?), C-Tek, Optimate. Re pricing, check more than one source of supply because some are a lot more expensive than others. Overall, this is a bit of a sticking plaster solution. Your battery is probably tired, and not up to this cold weather. If the car was suffering from electrical interference waking up the security system I'd expect the battery to be flat after 5 days, so I don't think that problem exists. All this presumes you don't have some aftermarket electrical accessory causing additional battery drain. HTH

Search under EPC for the older version, or Microcat for the later version. Obviously the EPC database is not maintained, but if you choose to use it you at least get a starting point for the Part Number, even if you then find it has been superseeded. As you read the threads you will see that which you choose is more personal preference than anything, although if you want prices, current or recent, then you need Microcat. HTH

You are not alone in greasing bolts / nuts. I generally use my general purpose grease in the grease gun, which is high temperature wheel bearing grease with Molybdenum Disulphide (dark grey in colour). For bolts that are very exposed to water spray I use a grease that resists water washout. These are often labelled as suitable for marine rigging screws, or outboard motor down tubes. Many will say 'Copper-slip', but I think the product is now overated (compared to 20 years ago). With the price of copper the amount in the grease has gone down, and the grease is nothing special. I would only use it on bolts / studs that get hot, such as exhaust manifolds, and even then it's more optimism than belief. There probably are 'special compounds' but probably for specific purposes, and at special costs. HTH

Picking up on this, I see you have now tried both heads, and now experience the same 'seizing' problem with both. Can you compare the head-gaskets you have used with the original you took out, or against the 'newer' head (now removed) to see if a water passage way is being blocked? Cheers

What colours are the wires? It could be that both pads (back and base) are wired independently, (but probably only the base has the thermostat) The diagram merely shows a heated seat as a single item, the power wire being blue, the earth black. Do both seats have two cables? "both fit into the socket on the seat base, which I assume one should." Connector C1401 (LH) and 1403 (RH) are shown on the seat base (the car bodywork, not the seat) and are only 2 pin connectors. I cannot think what other electrical device might be fitted on a Defender seat (I've discounted a seat occupancy switch and a powered headrest). For Information ----------------------------- HEATED SEATS DESCRIPTION Introduction Defender is now fitted with heated front seats, which operate when the ignition switch is turned to the 'ignition' position. The seat heat switches are latching switches, and are located on the fascia console. Each switch also contains a tell-tale LED. Both seat heater elements contain a thermostatically controlled switch. When the element temperature reaches 37 ± 3 °C (98 ± 3 °F), the thermostat cuts the supply to the heater elements for that seat. As the temperature of the heater elements falls to 28 ± 3 °C (82 ± 3 °F), the thermostat closes causing the elements to heat up again. ------------------------------- One 20 amp fuse serves both seats.

I googled 'Coolant Pressure tester'. Some results http://www.toolsheduk.com/Q/1268/2/28/Radi...e-Test-Kit.html http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2b11bc1ff5e3e55 http://www.nextag.co.uk/cooling-system-tes...z0--search-html http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/tools/info/3288_vs001.htm http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/s...kit/pid/1588014 http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=28801 http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=109665 Sykes Pickavent used to do this sort of thing as well. Cheers.

My first reaction to this, and it hasn't changed, is that the clutch is dragging when it should be disengaged. Dragging meaning that drive from the flywheel / clutch cover is still being transmitted to the friction plate / input shaft, even when the clutch pedal is against the bulkhead. 'All gears difficult to engage' because the synchro cones are working overtime to match the speeds of the gears. Reverse crunches because there is no synchro (or it's totally ineffective). 'First is a real pig' because one of the gears is stationary, so the synchro has to work even harder. Everything is worse after 25 kms because the oil is a little warmer and thinner, so is not as effective as colder and thicker oil when it comes to driving the synchro cones / gears. This is all basic first principles stuff, and I'm sure the mechanics understand it. If you really get stuck when trying to move away from rest, switch the engine off, engage first or reverse as required, hold the clutch pedal down, then start the engine. The starter may not be too happy, and you may have to engage low box, because the chances are the car will try to start moving as the starter turns the engine over. What I take from the fact that the biting point is 'in the air' rather than close to the bulkhead is that: A/ The mechanics have (Naturally) adjusted the clutch to ensure the pressure plate moves well clear of the driven plate. B/ This aspect of the mechanism is working correctly, but when the drag problem is cured they may have to revisit the adjustment. C/ If the pressure plate wasn't moving clear of the friction plate when you pressed the pedal, due to a hydraulic or fork problem, them the biting point would be very close to the bulkhead. Given that the pressure plate is moving away from the friction plate, I can only think of two reasons why drive is being maintained. D/ The friction plate is very tight on the splines and simply won't move away from the flywheel (Highly unlikely that it's that stiff, and I'd expect the mechanics, if only because they ARE strangers to a Land Rover, to have tried the plate on the splines before assembly). E/ The friction plate is very slightly too large in diameter, and as it moves away from the flywheel it catches on the clutch cover. How to cure? Well, the 'ideal' solution is to release the box and pull it back so you can release the clutch cover and examine it for witness marks etc. Curing whatever fault is found. Clearly, having the engine turning at tickover and the gearbox (vehicle) stationary isn't putting enough force through the driving engagement to make it slip and wear down. **** or bust territory is to get a gear engaged, hold the clutch pedal depressed, hold the vehicle stationary (against a wall or a tree) then gradually increase the speed of the engine, listening for slipping / wearing noises from the clutch area. Whatever is dragging will either rapidly wear and free off, or break. If I'm right, and it's just the outer corner of the friction plate catching the cover, this corner will be chamfered off. If I'm wrong, and the centre is ripped out of the friction plate (say), I'm too far away to hear you swearing :-) Good Luck

First thought, there is 12v power being delivered to the fuel stop solenoid on the rear of the FIP when the ignition is switched off Ask your 'guys' to look at the wiring diagram to see where this is normally fed from, and look for a fault in that area. That power feed may well be from a relay (19?), so it could be a faulty relay, with the contacts welded together, or it could be a fault in the operate circuit of that relay. Alternatively, the FIP is breaking up and debris has got into the stop solenoid, jamming it in the open position. HTH

In post 110 you showed the effects of increasing the fuel delivery. Are you still running that increased fuelling? Whether you are or you aren't, it strikes me that reducing the fuel, even below standard, will help stop you going into the overboost situation. At the moment you are gaining performance which you daren't use, for fear of totalling the engine. Reducing the fuelling will probably enable you to use more of the efficiency gains from the VNT, while not losing performance. If nothing else, bringing down the maximum boost by reducing the fuelling will enable you to get a more complete picture of the effect of your control spring changes across all the rev range. Reducing the fuelling will also take you away from the area of the graph where you noticed surge (or whatever it is). HTH

From the information on RAVE, first the Technical Brochure Diesel Engine Td5 Oil filter The Td5 engine features two oil filters. The primary oil filter is a conventional canister type. The primary oil filter filters all the oil entering the oil gallery and the oil entering the secondary oil filter. The primary filter features a paper element which is used to trap particles as small as 15 microns (0.015 mm) in diameter. But diesel engine produces many particulate impurities smaller than this and these particles are removed efficiently by the secondary centrifugal filter. Therefore, the service life of the primary oil filter canister can be greatly extended. Always refer to the maintenance check sheet for the correct service interval for both the primary and secondary oil filters. The secondary oil filter is a centrifugal oil filter which is housed in a ‘ pot’ located by the exhaust manifold. The pot lid is sealed to the pot by an ‘ O’ ring. This ‘ O’ ring should be replaced when the centre canister is replaced. The oil filter works by the replaceable centre unit spinning very rapidly. The unit has two very fine holes drilled at an obtuse angle so that when oil flows through them under pressure it spins the centre filter unit. The centre of the centrifugal filter can rotate at speeds up to 15,000 rev/min. The inner surface of the spinning canister gets coated in a gel of old engine oil and carbon particles. The centrifugal filter is capable of retaining much finer carbon particles than a traditional canister type oil filter. The oil pressure warning switch is located in the housing under the turbocharger. The oil pressure switch will go to an open circuit state (light off) when the oil pressure rises above 0.5 0.68 Bar . The housing between the two oil filters and the cylinder block incorporates an oil cooler. The oil is passed through the oil cooler via a thermostat in the oil filter housing, which has a 72 °C (160 °F) opening temperature. The oil is then cooled by the cylinder block water jacket. From the Workshop Manual, TD5, Description & Operation. Pressurised oil from the pump is passed through to the cylinder block where it is delivered to the centrifuge filter and full-flow filter via a port in the RH cylinder block which interfaces with a port in the centre gallery of the oil cooler housing. The oil pump contains an oil pressure relief valve which opens to allow oil to be recirculated back around the pump if the oil pressure increases to a high enough level. 10% of the oil flow from the pump is diverted through the centrifuge filter and returned to the sump via the centrifuge filter drain tube. The remaining 90% of the oil passes through the standard full-flow filter to the main oil gallery in the cylinder block. Also Oil filters The Td5 engine features two types of oil filter; the main filter is a standard disposable cartridge-type full-flow oil filter which is augmented with a by-pass centrifuge filter used to filter out particulate matter having a diameter smaller than 15 micron but greater than 3 micron. The LR Maintenance Schedule is in the attached files. Look at Page 2 'It is recommended that' for advice on arduous operating conditions. As the RAVE that comes from is several years out of date, it's entirely possible that intervals specified currently are different, but the principle will be the same. HTH

Personally I'd be looking for a replacement flasher unit sold to cope with trailer lights. IE, will work correctly, independent of the load. I haven't looked yet, so can't point you to something specific. (Towsure?) Neither can I say how this would compare pricewise with the £14.67 Ultraled offering. (Inc VAT, + carriage?). I have just spotted that HIDS4U stock load resistors, http://www.hids4u.co.uk/product.php?produc...t=62&page=1 £4.88 for a kit of 2 (1 vehicle), that should include VAT, but carriage may be extra. HTH

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It would have helped people give you a more informed reply if you had included what car(s) you were thinking of using it on. Reading your previous posts I see you have a Freelander 98 2.0d not td4, so I'll assume that is the prime candidate. First test is how does your car fit in with the mandatory OBD installation? The advert tells us: Legislation was passed in Europe and in the USA so that new vehicles had to conform to the OBD2/EOBD standard from the following dates: Petrol cars in Europe made for sale on or after January 2001 Diesel Cars in Europe made for sale 2004 onwards Petrol cars in the USA made for sale 1996 onwards. So the answer is your car predates the mandatory compatability. Now I think it's a Freelander you are talking about I can bow out. You really need someone who knows the fine detail about the Freelander "98 2.0d not td4" to say what information, if any is presented to the OBD2 port. HTH

I believe the BECM has to swap security codes with the Engine ECU. This means that change either and the replacement has to be instructed to 'learn' the codes of its' partner. If this code transmit / recognise doesn't happen the engine won't start. The learning has to be via Land Rovers Testbook (or replacement), Blackbox Solutions Rovacom (or replacement), or an Autologic. HTH

I'm just passing through, so to speak. The rear overhang on that looks enormous; you could catch it going into a lot of normal camp sites, never mind a more informal 'off-road' site car park. Don't forget that any weight behind the rear axle is trying to lift the front wheels off the ground. Even on normal tarmac roads and in a standard panel van (SWB Fiat Ducato style, internally fitted out as a camper van), I could tell the difference between a full and empty water tank, as it was under the rear doors. These vans have much less overhang. The steering went light any time the rear went down a bump. Especially noticeable during cornering. In short, consider dynamic weight transfer. I'd suggest that LWB wins out over a long overhang, despite the negative influence of LWB on the turning circle. Thus standard length 130" is better than 109 / 110 with long overhang , even if the overall length is the same. Good Luck

Yes. That doesn't mean it's irrepairable, but I know different people have different views on self-repair of Alternators. Some find it easy to source parts and change them, others would rather go to a scrapyard and pick up a 'Ford' unit (or whatever fits). As I say, I'm not intimate with Discos. Cheers

Just had a second thought, it could be an alternator diode / regulator failing. This might explain both the excessive drain, AND the battery failure, as the alternator is putting out enough voltage to switch the light off, but not enough current to handle the electrical load, thus not fully charging the battery. Just disconnecting the power output lead from the alternator will be enough to condemn or clear it. Good Luck

I think 90mA is too much. As a check I've just looked at a Tech Bulletin re the 38A Range Rover. Drain varies with specification, but that '95 bulletin had figures between 21 and 42 mA, and that's for a vehicle with 'too much electrickery', according to some. So yes, do your checks. Is that clock a LR fit, or an extra? I once had a vehicle where a PO had fitted an aftermarket clock and managed to miswire it so it took too much current. I'm not familiar with Disco's - Is there a bulb inside any glove box? Or one triggered by the rear door? HTH

Do I take it you are trying to do this without a Workshop or Electrical manual to hand? If so, mad or 'brave' is indicated :-) Green Oval Downloads, RAVE CD2. http://green-oval.com/joomla/index.php?opt...3&Itemid=29 As it says, extract the files from the Image File, either to a CD, or to a new Folder on your hard drive. (CD for back-up, hard drive for use). Run the RAVE application via the RAVE.exe file you have just placed in your hard drive new folder (or in the root of the CD, if you must). You need to state the year and model pf 38A, as the amplification arrangements varied. I'm not into car audio really, so I'm only covering the basics here. HTH

It depends what 'this' is. If it's the 50mm tow ball, then 16mm is the correct diameter. If it's the Nato hitch, then the drawing shows the holes at 9/16" / ~14mm diameter (and 4" centres). However, many people do use 12 mm, presumably because this give some leeway for 'tolerance' when the holes were made, either in the hitch, or in the metal they are bolting it to. 8 holes, they ALL have to be in the right place if you use a bolt that 'just' fits an individual hole. What diameter are the holes in the slider? HTH

Thankyou Phil, I'd thought of 'conduit' but then couldn't find anything special in my reference books, so convinced myself that they must use BSP, as conduit is pipe, isn't it? Obviously not. Following your lead I've found reference to the BS31 relating to conduit threads, but nothing (yet) on details of Imperial Conduit threads. Modern references seems to be towards either Metric or Pg threads, and on those the 16TPI don't match the 1" OD. Thanks again, I'll pass the message on, although I've been told not to expect any response before the weekend. Cheers Edit; For interest see https://ssl.perfora.net/metricshop.com/tech/thddat11.htm I'm not sure why it's classed as a secure page (https).

The supplied replacements do 'more or less' fit, but not well. So, the ~1" is correct. The replacements are definately 16 TPI, but I can't be absolutely certain that this is correct for the block. The BSP size would be either 5/8", with an OD of 0.902 (unlikely, that's 1/10" undersize), or 3/4", with an OD of 1.041" (41 thou oversize? Perhaps just possible). BUT, both have a pitch of 14 TPI. 1" Whitworth is 8 TPI 1" BSF is 10 TPI 1" UNC is 8 TPI 1" UNF is 12 TPI LRSeries.com have responded to say they think the threads are BSP, adding that the pipes for the arctic heaters screw into these holes 'that's why I thought they were BSP'. Interesting angle, but if true it means the 16 TPI supplied is rubbish. Cheers

The engine isn't in front of me, but I'm told it's a spread bore 1997cc petrol engine, and was built in 1956. One of the core plugs (not sure which) has corroded to the point of leaking. Replacements have been supplied, but the rusty thread in the block needs cleaning. What's the thread? The man selling the plugs said 'some sort of BSP', but the plugs are ~1" OD, and 16 TPI, which doesn't marry into any table of BSP threads that I can find. LRSeries.com list these plugs at http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listi...G-THREADED.html RTC4250 - CORE PLUG THREADED - Applicable Models: Land Rover Series 1,2,2A,3 all models , 4 & 6 cylinder. Various other models apps. Inc TDi Product Description: 1" Threaded core plug. S/S 247127 S/S 518272 Can be used for 210492, requires re thread to 7/8". That last comment implies they know the thread form, but I can't get an answer on the phone right now. Any knowledge here I can tap into? (Groan). Thanks.

What's the mains voltage in Transylvania?