steve b

Si at Hangar 53 is worth talking to before doing anything, a good straight talking fully immersed ex-MOD Nut Contact no. is on the web and they are on Facethingy Steve

My first thought is 12v backfeed off the alternator ? Try it with the alt. warning light wire off the terminal. Some wiring harness' have a diode in the AWL circuit to stop backfeed. Steve

....there is precedent for this sort of spanner smoke well into the early hours of event day.... Have a good day out all Steve

All the best to you and all your Family and friends too Stephen, it was good to meet you this year albeit too brief Seasonal greetings to all here on this excellent Forum Steve

That is all build alignment, just shimming the BH is not enough, as stated above. If it was mine I'd remove the front wings and while off sort out the terrible fit of the outer/top/front panel then look at the rear body/sill/BH fit. This is the factory gap spec's. Get a parts book to familiarise yourself with how it all goes together and where the adjustments are. ....I've found that it can be necessary to shorten the front end of the bolt tube on the BH foot (to outrigger) fixing point to get the right door gap with replacement chassis. As Eightpot said , it's all about measuring and string (stretched along the body waist fold) to see what is needed. Steve

If it still works ok then I'd say check the HB drum for signs of oil leaks over the next few trips. The leak will be from the rear output oil seal inside the drum. If it's adjusted tight- less than 4 clicks to fully on then back it off a little. If it needs pushing down to fully off then the cable could be sticky. Do make sure the warning light is working - good for any driver. Steve

I assume the hand brake warning light is not working? ....as the description in your first post is Exactly what happens when driven with the HB on.............. The hissing and foul smelling smoke is oil on the HB drum/shoes burning off . Steve

You really need to read your text before posting, predictive text is an unpredictable adversary Can we assume you meant 30psi front ? Steve

What do you have- 88 or 109? Any mods to the set up? Steve

Great pic Benno, Wiring bridge as said above with momentary connection so if you you use a 1/0 switch be ready to flick off. Probably the easiest way to test/check the starter engagement. Steve

Get that bypass rigged on the start key position and that will prove the ign. switch. The starter can just spin and not engage when bridging off the solenoid main live. I hope you will hang about here when fixed and feed us all a few more pic's and tales of your LR activities in such amazing terrain Steve

From all you have said and the testing done it is almost 100% a failed ignition switch. It's a bit of a fiddly temporary rig up but connecting a test button from ignition live to the start wire off the back of the ign. switch would both confirm the full circuit from the ign. switch to the starter and also that the ign. switch start function has failed. Steve

The closed corner and welded steel bug screens are 300 Tdi onwards era from my experience. Steve

The etch gives a properly attached coat to bare aluminium - an ordinary primer will lift/peel on bare ally. I would say 2K is harder than enamel - any thoughts @Eightpot? I'm pretty sure you do more than I do. Paint/bodywork is 98% prep and the right paint and 2% spraying... Steve

Enamel does not need a clear coat , the gloss is the final coat. One point to note is enamel will fade over time. As Mike says above etch prime all bare aluminium spots, then a primer coat and filler if needed followed by primer undercoat ( I use top coat colour for the primer undercoat for a true top coat colour) Steve

This is the door gap settings - same for Defender and Series. The front doors are 865mm wide nominally Steve

Check the ratio of the transfer box - there should be a sticker with it on but the first part of the serial no. stamping will tell you via Ashcroft's site. I would suggest a 1.410:1 (std. Defender) would be correct for those size tyres. Is the kick-down cable fitted and correctly set ? A temporary boost gauge is easy to tee in the boost pipe at the turbo and an oil pressure gauge will show a reasonable indication of boost. Steve

Welcome to the forum. That is very bad fuel use , even for a 2.5 petrol There may be room to improve the set up as it is. Making sure spark plugs and ignition timing are correct and fitting an electronic contact breaker replacement is worth it. Check valve clearances and set the Carb to best emissions . It should be 12-14 l/100km roughly. What sort of mix of surfaces/terrain are you on? Steve

Easy to delete - relay behind dash panel , once removed bridge the two blue/red connections in the socket block. Steve

The FPB shows 531043 dowel stud x4 and 531494 stud x4 (axle set) so 2 of each per side. The larger diameter plain section is the dowel and should be diagonally opposite - the arm should be machined on those two holes for a close fit. The top pin (Railko) plate is held with 4x 237357. Difference in thread size is the change from early BSF to later UNF or possibly Metric - have you checked what thread the NOS parts are? Steve

The swing out stabilisers might prove to be a pain for building related hoe work and the rear hoe itself looks short for the size? The Case with 4 in 1 front and extending rear hoe arm is pretty good all round , 4x4 too. I look after a Hydrema forestry forwarder converted from a 10t dump truck , they seem a tough platform and also appear as mine clearing machines. Steve

As above, earth points are the primary suspect. The bulkhead earth point - either on the sloping face near the clutch pedal box or near the fuel filter on the BH just under the bonnet gutter. I usually add an earth from the BH earth point to the back of the engine to give the best earth return. The T/box earth is often missed when re-fitting the boxes after say a clutch change. Steve

Can you do this test? It will give you the Facts as to just what is going on and will show if the M/C is the culprit or rear cylinders. Steve ...

Free play in the wheel bearings would have been checked at the test. Steve

If the flexi's are rubber and you have the correct pipe clamps it's a worthwhile check - when all 3 are clamped there should be no travel, just the free-play at the top. Rear shoe adjustment check would be my first thing after the above. Steve