Chicken Drumstick

Found the picture, right hand pressure plate was the new HD one, as you can see it was a lot taller, despite supposedly being the correct one for the engine/vehicle. (200Tdi).

From what you are saying, you can't actually disengage the clutch, ie. if you put it in gear and turn the engine over with your foot on the clutch pedal, it will move the vehicle. Many things could cause this, sadly I don't see any way of doing anything without removing the engine. If you have bled the clutch and the pedal feels ok, it isn't likely to be this. A wrong slave cylinder might cause a problem, as LR sell several different ones. Could be clutch fork, bearing moved or something else. When we rebuilt my brothers 90 we had the same symptoms. We must have had the engine in and out 6 or 7 times. We eventually traced it to being the new pressure plate (HD one from Paddacks, think it was Britpart). It was slightly taller than the other two clutch plates we had laying about, swapping it out for another one solved the problem. Paddocks did eventually refund, but wanted the pressure plate to send back to the manufacturer. Not saying this is what is wrong with yours, but even when you think you are doing all the right things with the right parts, it sometimes doesn't work as should. Was a real head scratcher to try and figure out. Hence taking the engine in and out many times, checking things like the release bearing, was the friction plate in the wrong round and trying many different clutch cylinders.

I agree. I'm really liking everything about the Grenadier, bar the price. But mostly because it is so far beyond my means!! Only other observation, the options list is extensive. Which means you'll end up with all sorts of specs used and likely missing many things you'd have wanted to spec when buying new. So I image buying used will be a right pain in the butt and you'll end up getting a spec you don't really want or missing items you'd love to have got. Personally I have no benefit in it being registered as a commercial vehicle, so not sure if it can still be registered as a car. Price seems to be £60-64k for the spec I'd like. I was going to say a Wrangler would be cheaper, as they where £49-52k not so long ago. Looking at the Jeep website now a 4 door starts at £61k I think in the UK car makers are just greedy f'ers!!!! Where is the £35-38k off roader? In the USA a base model 4 door Wrangler starts at $31k. Ranger Raptor comes in at about £61k on the road inc VAT too. More performance focused than the Grenadier. Would certainly be a toss up if I was able to afford such a vehicle. The new Defender wouldn't get a look in.

Are they really issues? It's not as if you could fold the middle row seats flat in a traditional Defender 110. And logically the only way to achieve it in the Grenadier would be to raise the boot floor, which isn't all that desirable either. Lowering the seats would probably make for very poor ergonomics. MPG wise, they didn't say how many miles they had done, but clearly they did put their foot down a bit and said it was all short town work. A Td5 Disco 2 or p38 diesel Range Rover won't be doing any better with an automatic, but they would be 100 Horse Power down. The new Defender 240 Edition One 110 was only doing 23'ish mpg when I had one on demo.

IIRC One Ton and Wolf are 6.5j

You are probably right about the rims/offset. Not sure if we are talking 90 or 110 either. 255/85 KM3’s on 8j one ton replica rims does rub. And 33.10.50R15’s (slightly wider and shorter) also on 8 j rims also rubs.

255/85 might rub under flex unless you have a lift.

I'd have thought something like this would be a pretty good all rounder. https://tyresdirectuk.co.uk/products/lt235-85r16-120-116q-falken-wildpeak-mt?taxon_id=8 Quite like the look of these too. https://tyresdirectuk.co.uk/products/235-85r16-120-116n-maxxis-bighorn-mt-764-bsw?taxon_id=8

Not sure what part of the country/world you are in. In my experience I’ve found MT’s better than AT’s in deeper and fresh snow. Compacted snow and ice might be different and favour the AT with more sipes. On road. I have some General Grabber X3’s. They are for all intensive purposes just as nice as any AT I’ve used. For an unrefined vehicle a good quality MT should be more than suitable. And in some parts of the World vehicles come with MT’s direct from the factory. That said. I run some Maxxis Wormdrive AT’s on another 90 and my Jimny. Very good on road and better in the mud than expected. But I found them less good in the snow compared to some MT’s I’ve run.

I bought a new rad for my 200Tdi, the oil cooler pipe fitment is slightly different. The current pipes are the beveled connectors at both the engine and rad end. The new rad requires the flat connectors with the o-ring. I've found a set of oil cooler pipes in the shed with o-ring ends, but these don't fit the engine. Anyone know if there are some off the shelf pipes that have the beveled end for the engine and the flat o-ring end at the rad? Or if there are any screw on adapters. Thanks.

Can't really see a Tdi sustaining 85-90mph on 35" tyres. EGT's would be through the roof, even in a cold climate. I'd say you'd want to re-rear for 35's too. As for upgrading, yes you can, when I looked last it was all fairly clear on the Ashcroft site, you just need to know what you have and read all the info, probably easier to read on a proper PC over a phone though. What sort of off roading do you do in Malta? Is it rock crawling, if so, a re-gear would be even more of a must IMO, else you'll be slipping the clitch. I'd be tempted to look at the Ashcroft ATB's over lockers, but depends on use and expectations. Bear in mind, I think most upgraded diff centres use the 24 spline shaft. Ashcroft allows you to upgrade a 10 spline setup to make use of the diff centres. But you are then running a custom setup, so should something break, you won't be able to fix with stock parts. You'd need a spare of the custom shaft.

Toyos seem a good price: https://tyresdirectuk.co.uk/products/255-85r16-119p-toyo-open-country-m-t?taxon_id=8 But as said, I’d treat them more as an aggressive All Terrain than an MT. Sometimes get a Maxxis tyre in this size too. But can’t see any at the mo. I’ve found the 255/85 to be taller than a 285/75. Might need a small lift to ensure they don’t rub. 285 is wide and likely stick out of standard wheel arches. But a few offerings cheaper than the KM3’s https://tyresdirectuk.co.uk/t/tyres?utf8=✓&per_page=&search[tyre_width][]=285&search[tyre_profile][]=75&search[tyre_diameter][]=16#searchResults

Don’t think they are. A site I use specifically says they aren’t a remould.

Not bad on the road. But more of an AT in the mud IMO. Not run the 255’s but the 235’s.

Knew I had something written down somewhere. This is just a list I compiled, so please don’t hold me to it. I believe an L320 RRS would use the same gearbox for a given engine as per the L322.

The BMW engines use a different transfer box and gearbox to the Jag powered ones, the TDV8 I think is same transfer box, but maybe different spec gearbox. Is the blown one 6 or 8 speed?

Thanks. The vehicle is quite custom, it is actually an 88 coiler. The mounts are all setup for the intercooler I had and moving the rad sounds easy, but would require different oil cooler pipes, which would likely entail different water hoses and probably a different cooling fan. If I could find a version of the clone in stock I'd buy it, as it looks like it would fit without needing to mod anything: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313619776666?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11051.m43.l1123&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=51c4cb06d34a4eb981198b41cb0ecd4c&bu=43426604250&osub=-1~1&crd=20230417020454&segname=11051 Not sure I can afford getting one from Allisport at present, hadn't really planned on spending out on a new intercooler. I see a few offerings like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195693883976?hash=item2d9043b248:g:riAAAOSwMmlbT-m6 https://www.airtecmotorsport.com/product/airtec-motorsport-intercooler-upgrade-for-land-rover-200tdi-platform/ Which would be easier to fit over something completely custom, but I'd like to know how much performance I'd be giving up.

For many years I've been running an Allisport front mount intercooler on my 200Tdi. Which has been great, but some bugger has stolen it!!! And I'm in need of a replacement. Allisport still sell the same intercooler, but it is £451............... £451 seems an insane amount of money. Sadly I can't find anything similar currently available. There is what looks like a clone on eBay for £229 which i'd go for. But it is out of stock and the seller doesn't seem to know when they will have it again, they've said 70+ days. Which is no help at all. And I just can't see any other full width offerings. I can find a few of these standard size double thickness ones. Does anyone know of any dyno testing or similar between these and the front mount intercoolers? My Tdi is fairly well juiced up and with other mods. So I'm not really wanting to compromise performance just because some scrote has stolen my intercooler. Any other options anyone can think of?

It’s quite common in the USA instead of copper. I bought a stainless brake line set for my Camaro the other year. It’s more bendy and malleable than you’d think, but not as easy to bend as copper still.

It is interesting how so many Land Rover owners seem to own multiple Land Rovers. In fact I know very few owners with just one. For the record there are 3 Land Rover products outside the house right now…. and another a few miles away.

Something worth nothing, which is good news for Junglie. Defenders are simple vehicles and you can buy and replace pretty much every single part of them, no matter the model, spec or year. This means, so long as you have the funds, you can turn a tatty worn out one into a concours winning machine. Few other vehicles are as easy to maintain.

I love 90's/Defenders. But I would say go and drive a few if you can. I personally have no problem with them, but there is no denying the comfort and interior space is very different to a lot of other vehicles. If you would be happy with an Elise or small 1990s hatback (Pug 106) as a daily, then a Defender should be fine. If you think such cars would be too unrefined or uncomfortable, then a Defender probably isn't for you. There are ways to improve a Defender for road use, but do remember you won't be able to solve some of the basic design, such as the shape of the interior or how the body is mounted (lots of separate metal panels, bolted together and bolted metal to metal to the chassis). Land Rover had a very good attempt at solving the common complaints with the Defender, i.e.comfort, refinement, NVH and interior passenger space. The result was the Discovery. Which is a vey good vehicle and basically is a Defender under the body, so has the same abilities. Overall a Range Rover Classic, Discovery 1 or 2 or even a Range Rover p38 all can do the same things a Defender can, but much nicer on the road. However I do see the appeal of the Defender. Although in a similar thought pattern. The Jeep Wrangler (JK and JL) models are also superior to the Defender in almost every regard except towing. The older TJ Wrangler is rather nice too. The Defender is slower and much more agricultural by comparison and much lower spec as a rule. In terms of looking a Defender over. TBH they are pretty easy, very basic vehicles that you can see almost every part of with relative ease. As long as you are competent or take someone with you, I really wouldn't worry too much. In fact there are few vehicles sold in the past 30 years that are easier to inspect. As for which Defender... that is a difficult question with no definitive answer. In many ways the latter models are the better ones. The 2.4 and 2.2 Puma. They have better specs, more features, more power and go faster out of the box. But there are a few issues. While the latter dash looks ok, I much prefer the utility and practical layout of the older dash. I also personally really liked the vents that do not exist on the Puma's. Although I think the biggest issue with the Puma is how they drive. While they have plenty of power and can easily be mapped for more. The setup is very very jerky to drive. It really doesn't matter what you do and isn't one thing in particular. But every gearchange is a jerky affair, even if you concentrate really hard. You also need to wait until you are in 3rd before putting your foot down, because it will not like you fast shifting from 1st to 2nd or to 3rd. I also find the gearing to be unsuited to road use. 1st seems really low when pulling away, but it'll bog and bunny hop if you use 2nd to pull away. I also find the gearing is mismatched for taking junctions and turns. It'll either feel like it is struggling or screaming its head off. On the plus side the anti stall is quite cool, although off road it makes the tickover too fast for some uses IMO. The traction control off road is very good and the Puma's are generally more civilised and refined on the road. As well as being newer. I think however I'd actually opt for a tidy Td5 if I was given the choice. The Td5 will make very similar power levels to the Puma's when tuned and while it doesn't make the same torque out of the box, they still go quite well. They also had optional traction control and are a lot smoother to drive. The Td5 also makes a much better noise too. But you will be looking at older vehicles, not that I think that would be an issue really.

Cars often sit about and many a company has had to do remedial work on vehicles waiting delivery or sales. Recently Toyota GR86's sat in shipping yard for 6-8 months due to some sort of type approval issue in the UK. Years ago a I stumbled across this compound:

Have to say, it looks superb. Even better when you compare to the SUV parked next to it. Hope it all gets sorted and delivered to you soon. Although as a Jimny owner, I had to wait over a year for delivery.