markyboy

Pat, I knew the series motors used a 3/8 unc hole but stupidly assumed they'd have changed them since then, . mark.

In a word, yes. Have a look where they're fitted by the vehicle manufacturers. Invariably towards the bottom of the radiator, about 1/3rd up from the bottom usually. If you fit it into the top hose, you aren't allowing the radiator to do it's job. You can fit the switch in the top but it needs setting up carefully. It's simpler to fit it in the bottom hose. Mark.

With regards to the cross member, I don't think it can be bought as a replacement, but a length of suitable box section will do the job just as effectively, if not better as the material will be thicker. As regards the footwells, replacements will involve more work but may be a better job overall. However, both of the above will require welding so you're still in the same predicament regarding finding someone to weld them in for you. Are they rusty enough to warrant replacing/repairing? Do they have actual holes in them? If not, will they clean up and repaint? Mark.

Have you backed the adjuster off on the backplate? That's where I'd start, rotate it all the way to the stop. If the drum is not moving at all it could be rusted onto the flange in the centre. I think there's a threaded hole where you can screw a bolt in to push it off (or am I think of a series motor?). If there is one it should be m10 thread. In the past I have resorted to hitting the back lip of the drum from behind with a soft faced mallet or similar. It's only recommended in an emergency though as you could break the drum if not careful. HTH Mark

Yes, that's correct.

I don't think the water pump is serviceable. Therefore, you will have to replace it. As regards which one to fit, don't fit Br*tpart. Other than that I think £130 seems very expensive, there must be much cheaper good quality alternatives out there. Look for OE supplier quality. Regarding the viscous fan coupling, you probably need to get the correct spanner, there is a 32mm and a 36mm, I think it may be the bigger of the 2 which fits the defender but I couldn't swear to it, . HTH Mark.

^^^^^^ That's where mine go and it works well.

I think you can take the plunger out of the solenoid and refit it. This will eliminate it completely as the cause of the problem. You will then have to stall the engine if it does start though. Mark.

If your car is rolling freely it sounds like the handbrake is correctly adjusted. Correct adjustment procedure is to screw the adjuster in until it's tight and the brake drum is locked, then back the screw off until the drum turns freely. Of course this needs to be done with a rear wheel jacked up, the handbrake off and the car suitably chocked to prevent it rolling. HTH Mark.

I don't think this will work as you will not get fuel through the injector pump using the hand primer. Bleed the filter as already described. Be sure the fuel solenoid is working as described then it should start. To bleed the injectors, (rarely needed on this engine), crack the pipe nuts off then crank the engine. Once fuel starts emanating from the pipe unions, re-tighten the nuts and she should start. HTH Mark.

Take the plastic slotted bushes out of the receiver part of the hinge, which are on the bulkhead, and turn them round, you'll notice the slot is offset. The hinges are welded to the bulkhead, there are no screws offering adjustment. HTH Mark

From what has been said it apears that the cooling systems of the 200Tdi and 300Tdi's differ in this respect. Is that a fair statement? On my 200Tdi, the header tank is merely an expansion tank and does not form part of the "flowing" part of the system. Therefore, it never gets warm. Mark.

The normal way to detect a noisy/worn cv joint is to apply full steering lock and slowly drive round in a circle. Try it in both directions and in both forward and reverse gears. It would normally create a clicking/knocking noise, indicating it is worn. HTH. Mark.

A chamfered edge is normally designed to stop the brakes grabbing, moreso on drums/shoes than discs/pads though. They will also reduce the noise too as the pads will have less of a tendency to vibrate with a chamfered edge. That being said, if the calipers are on the rear of the axle the chamfer should point downwards. HTH. Mark.

Not the amount of volts, no. It does, however, control the amount of amps through the switch. (I think that's probably what you meant?). With a relay in the circuit, the switch will only see the amps required to close the relay, which is quite small in comparison to the amps which will run through a pair of illuminated headlights. I don't know the actual amounts but I'm sure an adult will be along shortly to advise. HTH. Mark.

Most likely culprit is the crankshaft oil seal IMHO. You should be changing it when you do the timing belt anyway, takes seconds to do. Check the seal land on the back of the crankshaft pulley, if it's grooved you will need to repair it or replace the pulley. Alternatively, you can fit the seal in a slightly different position so that the seal lip runs on different part of the land of the pulley. HTH. Mark.

You won't be able to get the gearbox back in. Incidentally, you can align the clutch by eye if you can get your head level witht the flywheel when fitting it, I've doen it countless times. Admittedly not as easy as using an alignment tool but it's possible and is less expensive, . You can also use a socket on the end of an extension, one that will fit into the spigot bearing in the flywheel, then, as Lars L suggests, wrap the extension bar in insulation tape to make it the same diameter as the splines in the driven plate. Simple but effective. Mark.

The shoes shouldn't really wear out. Unless, they're incorrectly adjusted, you use the handbrake to slow/stop the car (why?) or you get the drum filled with water/mud after deep wading.

Matt, Don't know if I've misunderstood, but from what I've read, I don't think the mechanic made an error refitting the propshaft. The CV joint the mechanic referred to is not the UJ which he replaced, they are two different parts. The CV joints (there are 2 of them), live in the front axle and allow the wheels to turn whilst transmitting drive to them. It appears that his diagnosis may have been wrong but that's an easy mistake to make. It appears the diff was the source of the noise you heard when reversing off your drive. A common symptom of a worn CV joint is a clicking/knocking noise when driving with high steering lock applied. That's why he suggested your noise may have been due to a CV joint. Of course I may have misread your post and be talking through a certain part of my anatomy. HTH. Mark.

The big tabs are not generally cut off. They are there to help you get to an area of decent uncorroded metal on your chassis. You normally find that the chassis is corroded behind where the outrigger has been. You can trim/shorten the tabs to suit your needs but most people leave them on. Regarding patching the chassis by the gearbox cross member, a bit more detail as regards just what you are doing would help. Your question is a bit vague, could you be a bit more specific? Just be sure to remove all the corroded metal and patch accordingly with continuous welds. If you remove any of the gearbox cross member bolt holes you should fit crush tubes to the chassis when repairing. Use the search facility in the tech archive section to find articles relating to outrigger replacement. I think it's been covered before. HTH. Mark.

Sounds like a combination of the 2. Blue smoke on the overrun and during gearchanges is usually a sign of worn valve stem seals. Blue smoke/pressure in the crankcase is caused by worn piston rings. HTH Mark.

If you don't know the history of the engine you should definitely do the timing belt. Use a good quality kit, (not Br*tpart). The clutch is also a must do item. For what a new one costs it's not worth taking the risk. Other than that it's just a general lookover, rectify any obvious oil leaks, it's probably worth replacing the fan and PAS belts too. If the waterways look in pretty good shape, ie no rust/corrosion, the core plugs shouldn't need replacing IMHO. With the corrosion inhibitors in modern coolant, core plugs shouldn't need replacing. It's also worth checking the valve clearances (tappets) too. You're already doing the filters and oil. HTH. Mark

I've had something very similar myself after doing a Disco 200Tdi transplant into a Defender 90. The engine in question had been lying on it's side, with the turbo on the bottom, for quite some time prior to installation. On first start up, there was a lot of oil and smoke and the exhaust joints leaked oil in much the same way as you describe. I put it down to oil gathering in the turbo over a period of time whilst the engine was on it's side. Once the engine had been run for a bit the smoke/oil stopped and it's been fine since. HTH Mark.

Yes it will, with a little bit of modification to the Disco radiator frame and to the bottom mountings on the Defender chassis. Check out Les's thread on fitting a Disco 200Tdi into a Defender. The best method is to keep the Disco Radiator and Intercooler assembly along with it's frame from the Disco donor vehicle. There are a couple of brackets on the sides of the Disco radiator assembly frame which you will have to cut off. You will need to unbolt the top panel of the frame and weld in a couple of studs to line up with the Defender top mounting brackets. The lower mounting brackets on the Defender chassis need lowering and re-welding. Check out Les's thread, it gives all the info you need. HTH. MArk.

Surely it depends which way the fan is designed to rotate? I know you can reverse the direction of rotation by changing the negative and positive electrical connections but most fans are designed to run in a particular direction. Is there an arrow on the fan showing direction of rotation? If there is, it is easy to work out whether the fan will suck or blow when it is turning in the correct direction, by looking at the shape of the fan blades. That will then dictate whether you fit the fan in front of or behind the radiator. I'm with Fridge on this one too, electric is better than viscous/mechanical for a variety of reasons. HTH Mark.