markyboy

Not exactly. With the wheel off the ground, lock nut and washer removed, tighten the bearing nut reasonably tightly. Then back the nut off about a 1/4 turn or until you can feel some play in the bearing. Then gradually tighten the nut until the play has been removed. Re-fit the lock washer and lock nut, job done. HTH Mark.

Dinky, The binding brakes could certainly cause it although it would depend a bit on how much they were binding. Brake fluid should be changed as a matter of course every couple of years, though most people don't bother, . Brake fluid is hydroscopic (spelling?), in other words it absorbs water and, over a period of time, this leads to deterioration of the fluid, hence the need to change it regularly. As Western says, it's probably worth changing anyway. Keep us posted on how you go on. HTH. Mark.

Someone on here made their own swing away, used ball joints for the pivots and so on. Looked pretty good and didn't cost a lot. Trouble is I can't remember who it was, doh! Do a search and you should find it. Mark.

I'd go for the fluid too, I've experienced the same thing with one of my cars in the past. Did the problem occur after a period of hard braking? If so it points to water in the fluid boiling up. Mark.

I think Del is referring to 200/300Tdi engines, they're not different versions of the 19J. If you want to get more info on conversion kits for Tdi's, either do a search on here or google Steve Parker. He does a range of conversion kits for lots of different applications. Also do a search for Land Rover 200Tdi conversion kits on "Flea Bay", they have some on there that include exhaust, hoses etc. HTH Mark.

Run the engine with the belt fitted, using a long screwdriver, piece of wood or similar device, place it in turn on the water pump housing, alternator body and the belt tensioner. I do not have to tell you to take great care whilst doing this not to get it caught in any moving parts. Whilst the screwdriver or whatever is against each of the 3 items, place it against an ear and if the bearing is worn/noisy the noise will be clearly transmitted through the listening device. This works really well in my experience. I stress that care has to be taken when doing this but it can be achieved with safety if you're careful. HTH, Mark.

Could also be a poor connection on the high beam supply. This should become obvious when measuring the voltage as mentioned above. Mark.

Hi, It should be a straightforward pipe replacement, it's unusual for anything to have gone wrong with the injector. The pipe seat would have to have been damaged somehow, I assume the injectors haven't been out or the pipes removed recently? Have you checked that the pipe is tight? As to whether this is the reason for the loss of power and starting difficulty, it certainly won't be helping but it really depends on how much it's leaking. If it's only a slight weep then IMO you may have other issues as well. Firstly I'd check the injector pipe union on the injector is tight then take it from there. HTH Mark.

I agree with Jon, I've overhauled a number of Defender calipers with success and it's much cheaper than new calipers. Only problem I've encountered is replacing the dust shields/seals, they're a real pig to get in without damaging them. There's a special tool but I'm not sure where to get one or how much they cost. Other than that it's a really straightforward job. Mark.

Don't think it's adviseable to use a fan switch in this position. You'd find that the fan would be running most of the time because this will be one of the hottest points in the cooling system when the thermostat is open. A fan switch normally goes about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the radiator. On retro fits, most people put them in the bottom hose with an adaptor like the one from X Engineering. Regards, Mark.

That's normal and is unrelated to your problem. Mark.

I would recommend the use of a torque wrench for any wheel nuts/bolts though not many people adhere to that principle. Overtightening wheel nuts is almost as bad as undertightening them. If you overtighten the nuts/bolts the threads will stretch and lose their clamping efficiency. Fortunately Land Rover wheel studs are very robust and will withstand quite a lot of abuse but it is possible to overdo things. IIRC, the wheel nut torque is around 85 - 95 lb/ft but I would recommend anyone check the manual for their vehicle. Mark.

Hi, The 2 thick brown wires on your original plug went to the same connection in the alternator, these are the wires which charge the battery. Therefore, I think these 2 need to go to the same connector, which is the B+ if IIRC. The two black boxes are suppressors to prevent radio interference. I think the "spare" terminal you will then be left with is the feed for a tachometer. Have you tried doing a search on here for information. I'm sure there should be something useful on here to help you. Failing that, hopefully someone else with better "electrickery" knowledge will be along shortly to confirm/deny these suggestions. Mark.

I don't think you have a cooling problem, it's more likely to be electrical. The fact that your temperature gauge only goes into the red when the lights are on suggests that the cooling efficiency is OK. I'd start by checking your earth connections, they're the most likely cause IMHO. Check the battery earth and the engine and gearbox earths are clean and tight. I'd also check that the +ve connections on battery starter and alternator are all clean and tight too, best to do these with the battery earth disconnected first though. IIRC coolant does not circulate in the expansion tank all the time, it only comes into operation when the engine is warming up and cooling down. As the coolant warms up and "expands" any excess is pushed into the header/expansion tank. Conversely, as the engine cools and the coolant "contracts", it draws water out of the expansion tank back into the system. That's why the coolant in the expansion tank stays cool. HTH Mark.

Smoky, That looks like an incredibly neat job mate, nice one. Mark.

I suppose it could be a return as Aragorn says. Possibly, when the needle valve closes the fuel still being supplied to the carburettor gets re-routed to the fuel tank via the hose which is blanked off. It depends what type of fuel pump you have I think. IIRC the old SU type fuel pump used to stop running when it "sensed" an increase in fuel pressure. Not all fuel pumps work in that way and they run continually, hence the need for a return. My brother in-law's 2.5 petrol 90 of '86 vintage definitely had a return to the tank. It also had a Webber carb but it wasn't like the one in the picture, his had a separate hose for the return, I think it came off the float chamber somewhere. We've recently converted it to 200 TDi and utilised the fuel tank return for the diesel return. If it is as Aragorn says this could well be the source of the fuel smell you are experiencing. Mark.

Hi Steve, Definitely a second inlet. Are they both open with the hoses removed? Sometimes a single casting is used for different installations but they're quite often blanked off internally. IMHO I reckon you can leave it as it is and it won't be detrimental to the operation of the carb. I can't see why you'd have or need two inlets, other than for routing of the supply hose in an installation that's short of space or something like that. Maybe soemone else knows? HTH Mark.

Are you sure it's not an overflow or a return to the fuel tank? A photo would be a help in diagnosing it. Did the new carb not come with instructions or a diagram? Mark.

1/4" or 6mm I.D. should be OK, I think that's the size that goes to the carb. It certainly sounds like fuel starvation. I'd suggest you try it again now you've cleaned the filter. I think that filter can be replaced but I'm sure someone else would be able to confirm whether that's true or not. Before replacing the fuel lines there are a few other things you could try. First of all try disconnecting the fuel lines from the tank and carburettor and blowing them through with compressed air. You will have to disconnect the fuel filter to do this as it will restrict the air flow. You say you can't get the filter behind the outrigger off, try by-passing it with a short length of hose and a couple of in-line connectors. The fuel pump could also be worn and not delivering enough fuel. Can't help you in terms of flow rate I'm afraid. HTH Mark.

Hi again Adi, 50 miles is certainly enough to attain normal working temperature. The likely reason that the oil level is not going up is because the water is turning to steam/water vapour and passing through the breather system through the cylinders and out into the exhaust. In the small quantities that yours is using this would probably not be noticeable as it exits the exhaust. The white creamy stuff inside your oil filler cap is emulsified oil. Just to make you even more depressed, it could also be a cracked cylinder head/cylinder. I seem to remember the old N/A diesel engine used to be prone to cylinder head cracking, please don't shoot the messenger and I hope it's just the head gasket and nothing more serious. Mark.

Dan, Try replacing the cap first. My experience of this type of plastic cap is that they can be faulty leading to fluid escaping past them, even at normal operating temperatures. Mark.

Assuming you're doing decent mileages when you go out and not just stop/start or short journeys, I think you've found the problem, . Looks like the cylinder head gasket may have gone and water is finding it's way into the lubrication system. Have you left it any longer than one journey before topping up the header tank? If the coolant level keeps going down when you don't top it up it would indicate a leak somewhere. If it drops initially then remains constant it looks like it's just "finding it's level", probably due to a faulty header tank cap, as has already been suggested in this thread. Mark.

The 200 Tdi Disco engine I've just fitted into my defender.

Yeah i suppose I do contradict myself in a way, what I was trying to say was that it has to have an engine to chassis earth otherwise the engine wouldn't be earthed. I think it was fairly obvious what I was trying to say. However, you cannot rely on just having the starter earthing through the casing, it could lead to starting problems. New starters have an earth wire lug on them specifically for that purpose. As is pointed out elsewhere in the thread, the wire in the photo is not the original one and is a bit too small for the job it's intended for. Mark.

Hi Andy, It looks like it's a broken earth wire, which should attach to the chassis. It threw me a bit at first because it's red, generally speaking red is used for battery positive supply. But I can see the supply to the starter attached to the starter solenoid. Pretty sure it's an earth wire, most starter motors have them because, technically, the engine is insulated from the chassis by the engine and gearbox mountings. However, there will also be an earth wire from the engine to the chassis somewhere, this is what's allowing your starter to continue functioning normally. The starter earth is essential though, to avoid starting problems. HTH. Mark.