reb78

Just a quick question, do i need to remove the drag link from the 110 to change the ball joint where it connects with the swivel pin housing or can you just move the arm away from the housing enough to change the ball joint without disconnecting it from the drop arm? It looks like you should be able to manoeuvre the drag link to give enough space for changing the ball joint without dropping it off the vehicle, but i don;t want to strain/damage the drop arm ball joint.

Splitting hairs a little, but the OD raises gearing 28%, the disco box 15%, so the revs will still be lower in 5th (on a 1.4:1 TXB) + OD than in 5th on a diso transfer box. My mums TD5 disco could do with an extra gear in top for motorways, so i'd still opt for the OD on a defender WITH a well serviced engine. I can understand why parts might be a worry for the ODs though (devon 4x4 do seem to have a good stock of everything for the GKNs and can source all of the spares from the states apparently).

Have you spoken directly to Ashcrofts? I did with mine (i'd fitted it myself) and they couldn't have been more helpful to resolve the issue. My reverse gear plunger was faulty. There was no need to do anything with the 3rd gear problem i'd had - the change down into third has improved as the box was run in.

Change the lift pump - that may well improve the top end - it worked on mine and is cheap and easy to try first. I reckon these fail more often than people think and are not considered often as we all think they should last longer than they do (longevity of this part will depend on the quality of the part previously fitted)

I agree with Ralph on both points. Ashcrofts have excellent customer service, are really easy to deal with and will help you find a solution i'm sure. Don't do anything to invalidate the warranty so give them a ring first. Are the oils and levels correct (MTF94 up to the filler plug on level ground)?

Now you've got my mind worrying - i can;t remember if i did use loctite on the allen head screws! I did em up tight though - i couldn't go much tighter than the recommended 40nm as i think i'd have broken the allen attachment on my torque wrench! I'm sure i used loctite or did i?!!

Ok, been under the landy today. The UJs are fine in the column. No play there. Got the girlfriend to wiggle the wheel........ the drop arm on the steering box moved as the wheel was moved - so very little play in the box if any. The drag link moved, and there appeared to be play at the drag link balljoint where it joins the swivel pin - so the pin on the balljoint moved, the ball wiggled in the joint but no movement of the wheel. Think it points to a worn ball joint, so will start by replacing that. Anything else to change at the same time apart from the locknuts? The track rod ball joints appear ok on brief inspection.

Before i bought the GKN I did contact this chap - Tim Payne (i think) http://www.overdrives.co.uk/landr.htm and his overdrives are not in production yet. He is still developing them. He said they would be for sale 1st quarter of this year, but i beleive this has been put back again, so you can't get one of these yet.

What he said^^^^^^^^

I had the same problem when looking around for an OD. I thought Rocky Mountain may be the way to go as they were still in production. Contacted RM - eventually got a reply (2 months after emailing - assuring stock being released soon - none has ever appeared on the rocky mountain spares website AFAIK). The prices in the UK seem massivley higher than those in Canada and the States. I contacted Wise Owl in Canada and they replied fairly quicky to say that stock of DX ODs had been promised for ages, but just never turns up and that i'd be better getting something else! So, on one hand, you have a unit that is not in production anymore that you can get spares for (GKN) or a unit that is supposedly in production that you can't get hold of to buy (so goodness knows if you can get spares even if you can get the actual OD!). I got a GKN from ebay second hand in the end. It has had a few problems, but Devon 4x4 supplied all the parts to sort them out (leaking seals between the tranfer box and the overdrive). I think if they are looked after they seem reliable - Ralph will probably be along soon and tell you his has done 50k without too many problems....... My advice if you get a GKN unit from ebay is change the adapter plate seals before fitting (its annoying to have to take it off to do this shortly after you've fitted it for the sake of ~£15!). Then treat it carefully, change the oil when you service the rest of the vehicle and keep a good eye on the OD oil level. The Rocky mountain units are supposedly stronger than the GKN - can be used in hi and lo ratio and any gear. I only wanted a 6th gear, so its fine that the GKN cant be used at lower speeds/lower gears (under ~30mph) - the torque is too much for the GKN in 1st and 2nd IIRC. Of course a discovery transfer box is the option a lot of others seem to go for so could also be considered, but it does affect all of your hi ratio gears permanently....

can you get some plyers on the square metal part in the centre where the cable joins to it? might be stronger to pull on that rather than lever the casing. Might also help to wiggle one of the outputs/props (front if still attached to the vehicle as yo uoull the drive out as this may line the cogs up better for pulling it out..

I've done a quick search for this and it seems that the steering box on the 110 may need adjustment. Just thought i'd get everyones opinions though. Travelling in the wind yesterday, the 110 waandered more than normal. I thought it was just the wind, but there does seem to be more play in the steering than i would have said was normal. I.e. with nothing running, you can turn the steering wheel a fraction of a turn with no response at the wheels. When you turn the steering wheel far enough to make the wheels react and then back in the opposite direction you have that fraction of a turn again before the wheel react. I haven;t checked anything yet and the bearings could probably do with adjustment, but does this sound like play in the steering box that can be adjusted? Or wear in the steering box that can't be adjusted? Found a link on how to adjust the box using the allen key on the top of the box but this was for a range rover - is it the same method for a 110?

I think they just need looking after. Perhaps more regular oil changes than originally reccomended by GKN, certainly regular checks that the oil level is ok. Mine was recently leaking from the seals on the adapter plate to the the transfer box. Devon 4x4 supplied me with heavy duty seals and all the gaskets. I ahd it off and fixed it and changed the main orange bearing on the adapter plate at the same time. Whilst it was off, i took it to bits completely (with a little advice from Sean on here adn the guys at Devon that deal with the repairs). Once i'd found a sneaky circlip hidden behind the oil pump cam, it came apart really easily and is a fairly simple thing really. Not too much i suppose other than a few 'simple' bearings and oil seals that can go wrong internally. Then there is the solenoid and the speed sensor externally. Devon can currently get all of these parts off the shelf and when i spoke to them, they thought they would be able to for the forseable future.

Is there anything wrong with your engine? Like the others said, they are ok if treated gently and looked after. If yours is ok and does what you need, run it till it dies and in the meantime save up for the tdi. When you do get the first big bill on this engine though, swap it for the tdi - dont make the mistake i made and spend a fortune on it. The tdi was a worthwhile swap but the 19j was fine whilst it was running ok.

Not so handy if you tow and find the original 1.4:1 ratios useful. Also, the ratio is higher in 5th+OD (28% increase on 5th) than 5th (15% increase over 1.4:1 5th) on a 1.2:1 so the overdrive makes for even quieter cruising (and perhaps better fuel economy and less engine wear)

650 seems the going rate for these. The ones on ebay always seem to sit at a low level for a while and then shoot up to 650/700 in the last 10minutes. I was lucky with mine - it was just after xmas so i guess noone wanted to buy, as the one described above and i got it for 500. Was well chuffed!!

Its often recommended that this is a good way to bed brakes in (AFTER they have risen to operating temperature or you;ll warp the discs). My BMW 5 series like most of the E39 BMWs is prone to brake shimmy braking from 60-40. Bedding them in 6 times as above (when new and occasionaly after that) drastically improves this. Bedding in like this causes a good even layer of friction material to build up on the disc that the pad interacts with. Remember to drive around for a bit after doing it to let the brakes cool properly though, so try to pick a time/place when you;ll not get stuck in traffic!

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Got a Delphi one from ebay in the end. Ordered Wed afternoon, arrived Thurs morning. Fitted it today and I can get up above 70 again on a flat! Funny thing is, the old one appeared to work i.e. pump it out of vehicle and it moved diesel around, although didn't seem to suck through the inlet port when i put my thumb over it. I wonder if they fail gradually and thats what this one was doing? Funny thing was, there was no real effect on performance up to about 50, just the top end.

It was the semicircular seals on mine. They should be stuck in with a little liquid gasket but they were loose. This was combined with the fact that i could undo the back rocker cover bolt with my fingers!

MTF

I think this has been covered before yet i can't find it on a search because it brings up all sorts of irrelevant stuff! I want to change the lift pump on my 200tdi. I've heard good things about the original Land Rover ones, bad things about other blue box makes. What does everyone else reccomend? There are some Delphi ones on ebay - i thought these were a good make. Is anything out there better than the land rover ones?

I have a 200tdi 110. It has two silencers and no cat. removing the front silencer is meant to increase power. I assumed perhaps wrongly that the TD5 had two silencers - perhaps the TD5 110 does in which case this is applicable. The TD5 90 sounds like it doesn;t, so removing it is not an option!

The holes will create turbulence and that alone will impede airflow, so removing it will help. I agree the cat will cause more restriction to airflow, so if i had one, thats where i'd start.

I thought removing the middle silencer decreased resitance in the pipe causing a faster flow of air out of the exhaust thus allowing the turbo to spin up more freely???? Hence making the power more available/useable..