axlechorus

2 x Quick questions. - My heater blower has started to develop a rather noisy blowing sound on high. Now I know this could be the heater motor bushes on there way out but it is also very similar to the noise dads 90 was making when the heater intake grill on the left hand side of the bonnett was crusted up with ice so not enough air could be drawn. Therefore I am hoping that mine is caused by the same issue but I cannot find the intake for my heater so please if anyone can arrow a picture of it that would be greater. - I have developed a small power steering leak from the bottom of the box, nothing to major but I want to cure it with one of those additives that you put into the system when its low and stops the leaks. However I am unsure which modern ones work so does anyone have any reccomendations? All the best Ryck

Dear all. I am trying to move this on for my grandad and am really unsure what the value is. The item is a Fairey Capstan winch designed specifically for the original 3.5 V8 Range Rover. It was brought for my grandads 1974 2 door rangey with the idea of using it to get the boat out of the Solent. However neither the winch nor the sizeable length of rope ever made it onto the car and it has remained brand new in the box. Now I know these things are fairly rare for the series but I have not come accross one for the Range Rover and am really wondering what to ask for it as I don't want him to be short changed or to be trying to flog it for what we feel its worth when its actually not worth it. All help gratefully recieved. Ryck

Personnally I would go for OME. Mine has OME front and rear springs with OME front dampers and longer pro comp rears and I am very impressed with it even after the 6 or so years of abuse its had from me and its other owners on the car before. Its just a question of how long u plan to keep the car as OME kits aren't cheap but certainly worth it if you want to keep a vehicle for a few years. Cheers

I don't know if it would as the capstain on the RRC was inboard between the front of the V8 and the front of the car. If you are interested in getting one I do know where a brand new range rover capstan winch is with a considerable length of unused rope as well. All the best Ryck

Just tell her to take it easy if she has a very heavy right foot as it will be putting extra strain through the prop and shaft and the t-box oil will run hotter than normal. In fixing it I would uppgrade to the 4 bolt drive flange that you get on the earlier 200tdi which will get rid of the doughnut for good, they seldom last very long espically pattern and really aren't worth the effort tbh.

Ebay is probably your next best bet. I would expect an indicator to set you back around £20 or so and the bumper probably nearer £80 so around £100 in total. The only thing that may need more attention is any mounts that may be bent/damaged behind the bumper otherwise it will be a bolt off and bolt on operation. As an aside you may depending on your finances and future ideas for your motor use this as an opportunity to upgrade to a heavy duty bumper of some form. There are some nice units around now from around the £250 mark. HTH Ryck

To be honest I am not sure as its not something I have had to take apart (yet) however I would be suprised if something was "broke" but wouldn't be suprised if a grub screw has worked loose meaning that you cannot engage/disengage the lock. I lost high/low selection due to a loose grub screw in the top of the transfer box selector. I would work from the top down and see what you find cleaning and replacing as needed till you find the issue. All the best Ryck

If its in then you should be able to feel it when doing a full left lock or right lock turn at slow speed on tarmac. You should feel the front end push out and feel "lumpy" as their is no difference in speed between the front and rear. Alternatively you can lift up a single wheel and rotate it, with diff lock in this should not be possible with it out it should rotate, remember to chock and have it out of gear to do this. If diff lock is not working then it could be a simple seazed joint in the external mechanism. An adjustment to gain enough movement to engage the lock or perhaps something more sinister that means you need to go into the top of the transfer box. Either way in a defender your access is good with the top and side panels coming out of the centre tunnel for access. HTH Ryck

The Lt85 was if my memory serves me correctly made in the late 80s under the Santana link up of that time and when that died the LT77 was used as a replacement, that being an old box in design. Yes the LT85 is the stronger box than the LT77 but as Steve has mentioned there are better ways which is perhaps why you don't see it done. I would go for an R380 with a cross drilled shaft and a short bell housing that would let you drop it straight in with the existing mounts to the back of your existing motor. However as you are replacing the motor as well in time could you swap the box & motor at the same time and re mount the whole thing. Perhaps lifting a paired motor and gearbox combination from something like an early ML500 or similar? Cheers Ryck

Personnally having looked at the prices for 2nd hand props recently (Splines had gone on my front one). I would get a brand new one (Mine was an allmakes one from devon @ £80 posted) as that way you know its all new and aren't open to a possible failure and associated cost & inconvience as you have no history about the 2nd hand prop. For me there was only the price of a GKN UJ it.

I would see no reason why you could not fit a 300tdi axle and change the drive flange to match the better 200tdi system without the doughnut. My late 200tdi has 24 spline axles originally from the factory and it is common to upgrade to 300tdi axles from the older 10 spline. Cheers Ryck

We needed to recover a bmw today as well to continue on the A44 home, nice to see people out in sensible sports coupes in these weather Also hauled a tesco artic up part of the way up another hill to get him into a side road which proved a gradual process with a single 90 though he seemed more than impressed and thankful which was nice.

I would say either - As people have said Genuine Springs with +1 shocks from OME/Terrafirma which is what we will put onto our 90 once its comes for renewal as the ride is fine for everything and the +1 shocks will just maximise any travel on it. - Go OME, I run OME on my Disco and though I didn't pick up the cost as they where there when I brought then I would but them again at the drop of a hat. The setup is nice and firm on roads with little role yet off road I have more than enough articulation to get the wheels right up into the arches on all corners. Plus unlike other lift kits they last, it must be 5 to 6 years old now and is showing no signs of flag unlike some makes.... Cheers Ryck

Or you could lift the disco brake system from the top down to get the double system on the front. If I am correct a double system was adopted for 300tdi onwards along with larger calipers front and rear. Cheers Ryck

I have to agree that I was fearing the worst when it started considering the recent "leftward" move of countryfile but it was certainly more balanced than expected. I would've liked to have seen more about what legal laning is about and its different attitudes but hey. I think the man from the TRF on there did a very good job and that it certainly did no damage to our cause!

S/O set up, now who do I talk to about getting rid of these adverts!

There was a fair few that where lost due to the scrappage scheme as people could get 2k for another vehicle when it wasn't worth that and was needing/going to need welding work as with all D1's in the next few years. There are two routes into owning a good D1 really, 1st is to pay the pice up front and the other like I have is to get something very cheap and rebuild bits as they go.

Can do, it will spread the load if you lower them just be careful that you are not overheating the tyres as they get to soft and increasing the wear. Personnally I would set out with normal temps and see what happens as you go. Have you got a compressor with you to up them if you find you have lowered them to much?

I would look at bushes as said principally the two front ones from the caster arm to the chassis and also look and see if you have a sticky caliper which could induce a brake bias there. I doubt the issue lies with preload or the suspension in general as this is the same both sides. The anti roll bar will no be missed in a straight line and at 5 inch lift a standard one would seriously limit your downtravel. The difference in pipes wont make any difference if they are both working though with a 5 inch lift I would check they are both upto spec in length and if possible move to braded on the other but as a pressured system both should be carrying the same pressure. HTH Ryck

It depends where the mechanism has failed to how to deal with it. - If its a failure on the outside of the gearbox from the top box to the top of the t-box then it may be a matter of rocking loose with some persuasion and some penetrating oil using access through the transmission tunnel (centre console out/rubber shield drilled out as it should be pop riveted in) - Alternatively it could be a matter that the grub screw within the selector "lump" on the top of the tbox has come loose, This caused me to loose selection of low range after an ever more sloppy selection. To access this we decided to remove the drivers seat and make an access patch that we made a cover for incase we need to go back there. Be aware to check the adjustment of all this before you put it all back together as otherwise its a lot to come back out when it doesn't work. - Finally it could be a seizure inside the t-box, This I suppose you could rock free but I am sure someone will be along with a bit more info in time. Hope this helps. Ryck

Probably the best way to go to ensure that it not a rot box in some sense. Unfortunately even the latest 300s are now 12 years old so unless you find a minter there is going to be issues. Its a matter of taking your time and perhaps widening your search net. Be aware though that 4x4 prices are sky high accross the board at the moment and this cold weather and snow will only continue to reinforce demand through the winter. If your not desperate I personnally would keep an eye out and unless something special comes along wait until the summer and for pices to soften in theory. ta

Traction Trac are indeed a remould of the Trac edge which I still run as a day tyre on my disco and sometimes off road in the summer. They are a very solid tyre and the remould traction trac I have on the back as a spare does look good though I have never used it. Moving away from remoulds it becomes a question of the BFG All Terrain or the General Grabber AT2 which are both very competant All Terrain tyres though you do pay for it. To answer your question about MT or AT on snow an AT is normally better for snow and espically slush and ice due to its greater surface print. Size wise the largest I know will work on a D2 as stock is 245/75 R16 and which gives around 1 inch more under the diffs and fills out the arches nicely. I was out with D2 using that size KL71 muds and it worked very well on a weekend in Wales (May 09) although the sidewalls on the KL71 are relatively soft compared to others. Ultimately I would chose your size and see what tyres you can get for the money. Your car is never going to go everywhere in Stock. So saving a few £ on some tyres may allow you to purchase a steering guard or solid recovery points that will serve you much better in the long run, compared to the extra money on a set of boots. All the Best Ryck

Well that works out well with our plans, I have sent you another PM with more details that I have so lmk. Cheers Ryck

Right give this a try http://www.trailwise.org.uk/gmaps/gmap.htm It works on this PC for me that doesn't have my logins however with the 2km search buffer it will certainly not be the swiftest of processes to discover a days worth of lanes I am currently nailing down plans for an xmas run and will mail you that shortly. Out of curio where in Gloucs are you based and how long do you reckon it would take you to drive from home to the M50/M5 junction? All the best Ryck

I think there is certainly grounds for a facebook based style app where people can get into groups. I use facebook for all my Greenlane organising within both club and privately and for those that are on it it certainly makes things much better with diseminating information to people and communicating within the group. Personnally the one thing that maybe will hamper it is peoples differing ideas about laning and their expectations from that in both the style of lanes chosen, the amount of lanes in a day, accomodation on a trip of more than 1 day etc so there may be a need for that to be explored/noted in the system. All the best Ryck