TheRecklessEngineer

Always the last connection you check.... An easy fix would be to simply fit a new earth for the gauge - if you tie it into the existing wiring as well, you also beef up anything else that might be using the same earth - like the hazards and blower.

After a struggle with my insurance company, I have managed to find out that they will give me 90 days of fully comp cover and the minimum required to stay road legal beyond 90 days for however long I remain abroad... It was like getting blood out of a stone though...they really didn't want to admit it!

Just got an RAC quote for european breakdown cover for my disco..... wait for it...... £463! Hahahahaha...ill take the risk thanks!

I find a cold chisel in the gap (assuming you have a gap!) frees off the threads slightly.... Otherwise, big vice, heat, and long bit of scaffold tube! I read somewhere that when you refit, fill the tube with old engine oil as this keeps the threads lubricated until the next change....

I'm having trouble finding an insurance company that will cover me whilst out there. Everyone over here seems to have a 30 day maximum limit for being abroad. Are there specialists for overseas insurance? Or should I get a policy with a Greek company?

True, but I may be able to get the company I am working for to fork out some cash to carry stuff out. (Like a 5.7 marinised chevy for one of the ski boats )

Well, im pondering running away. I'm off to NZ shortly to look for jobs - if I get a good offer I'm not coming back!

I can order beer...do I need any more? Very well actually...its thinner than veggy, and combined with the hot climate would work very well

There seems to be plenty of well travelled people on here...so thought I would ask for some advice. It looks like I might be working out in Greece this summer, in Halkidiki. I worked there last year, and could have killed for a car (mostly to be able to drive around after the fires and floods)... So...I'm thinking I might drive my disco out there this year. What do you guys think about the route? Italy and take a ferry? Or Solvenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia etc? Anything I should take with me apart from tools/obvious spares etc? How about insurance...I'm with Adrian Flux at the moment, and covered for 30 days in Europe...are they likely to be able to extend this to a few months? Anyone got an air con system for a 300 disco? Or will the bits from a rangie fit? (minus pump....yes Paul i'm still eyeing up yours...)

Just because the resistance is good with a multimeter doesn't mean the coil is good. The insulation breaks down at high voltages leading to a weak spark (see above). The only way to check a coil is with an HV multimeter or by swapping for known good units.

I had a similar problem with a ski boat (5.7 chevy underneath). All the coil packs checked fine with a multimeter, but only fired on all 8 consistently after swapping in new coil packs. Some sort of HT voltmeter would have been really useful - it took an entire day to figure that out.

A router is a box with a modem and a (small and simple) computer in it. It sits permenantly connected to the internet and your computer(s) then connect to it in order to access the internet. This is more secure because anyone looking at your internet connection will see the router and not your computer - this gives them no idea of what is on the other side and no way to access anything. An RJ45 is the type of socket. The cables come in two flavours - crossover and normal. If you are going to get a router (probably the best option) then don't worry about crossover cables - the router will have several connections on it for multiple computers.

I would guess you have a USB modem for your internet connection... Both computers will need a network card. You can either use two normal network cables and a switch, or you can use a single 'crossover' cable. Simple explanation...in a crossover cable the send and receive wires are crossed over so you can directly connect two computers. Normal network cables are designed to connect a computer to a network - on the other end of the cable will be a hub (or a switch...the same thing in essence) with many other computers also attached to it. The normal network cables do not cross over the send and receive wires as this is carried out by the hub. If you plan on adding a third computer at some point, then use a hub - if not, just use a cross over cable. Once you have them physically connected, open up control panel on the main PC and run 'Network set up wizard'. Follow the prompts - it should also give you instructions on how to setup the other PC.

The shelf life of biodiesel isnt long...about a month I think. Never heard about it being hygroscopic though...

Chav catching! You turn it into an electromagnet to catch chavs (with all their bling). Using fairly basic chemistry you then turn them into petrol....

If that's true fridge, then get a cheap nasty 500W inverter and use a diode bridge to rectify to DC.... Or if you are not too fussed with a bit of fiddling, it should be quite easy to filter the square wave into a vague sine shape with a few extra components.

Hmmm...I wonder if this means there will be an excess of contaminated fuel around. SUs should be able to handle a little silicone

Hmmm...that'd be nice in the front of my disco Might have to keep it standard though...

ooo...brain hurts. I have done several modules on motors, windings and control etc...ill dig out my notes and see if anything comes back!

Just heard that the AA have found traces of silcone in some of the suspect fuel. Would explain all the problems with O2 sensors...

TDi radiators have integral oil coolers...but these are not full width. They do work nicely with a v8 though...I know someone who fitted one and never had problems with overheating.

I always thought they were the same item. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be interchangeable... You should be able to fit the disco radiator reasonably easily...IIRC you need to shorten the bottom mounts, but there is not much more to it than that...

I fixed this the other day on a 200. I made a bit of tube slightly too small to fit over the end of the crankshaft, and a reasonable fit inside the crank pulley. I then welded the fat washer onto the pulley. When refitting, no key used, but as the bolt is done up FT, the tube gets squashed over the end of the crankshaft and ends up jamming the pulley and crankshaft together. It would be an absolute bugger to get off, but should last until the next cam belt change. Mind you...there was nothing left of the keyway in either the pulley or the crankshaft, and a good mm clearence between the two in places. It wasn't uniformly worn fortunately.

Check you are getting fuel pressue...easy check...pull out the cold start injector and crank it over. You should get a spray of petrol for a few seconds. If not, you have an ECU or fuel problem. Personally, my money is on it either being out of fuel, or dirty plugs. If you are 100% sure you have enough fuel in the tank then pull out four plugs and give them a going over with a wire brush. If the plugs are dirty, should be able to get it running on four then take it for a good rag. While you have one plug out check for a good spark as suggested above... The 3.5 flapper arrangement is pretty bullet proof...it is going to something simple.

Saw a really nice Jag in NZ recently...number plate read "WAS HIS"