Disco1tdi

I'd highlight body rust as your biggest concern/enemy. The chassis is relatively easy to patch. Rust, when it gets into the sills, then up into the A, B and C pillars, it's a pain in the backside to repair (and the boot floor and rear wheel arches). There are various odds and sods to go wrong, like window regulators, door lock cams, and the alarm/central locking and window ECU's, but as so many vehicles are being broken these days, bits are cheap(ish).

It's likely to be the tip of the switch not getting pushed in far enough. Unscrew it. If there's a washer, remove it, and put it back in, without one, using some sealant instead. If it's got no washer, get someone to machine a millimeter of the face that sits against the gearbox, and refit. When it's off, and before fiddling with the switch, you can make sure it "makes" at all. It's a 19mm spanner job, and a pain in the backside to get to (more so on a Disco, than a Defender).

Apologies for the poor joke.... the resultant fire would require an X-tinguisher....

Proper job....

I'll caveat this with... I have a 300tdi, not TD5.... The ticking is probably the headlight beam height adjuster unit. One of mine does it, as the lamp unit's taken one hit too many, offroading. It only tries to adjust, when the lights are on. On the 300tdi, there's a black plastic hexagonal adjuster pointing upwards, off the top of the unit. Off the top of my head, it's 13 or 14mm. You turn it to raise and lower the cast of the head lamp beam. Try giving it an half turn, and I suspect the clicking will stop. After that try slowly turning it back to it's original setting (assuming your headlights were correctly adjusted, to begin with).

That's a relief... I was braced for being told mine was on, all wrong... :-)

A pic, if it helps?....

Are you sure that you've taken the right route, with the belt? Mine's got loads of deflection around the tensioner. (It's a 1322 belt)

Without.

Just change the plate, the springs are highly unlikely to have gone. It's the tab on top of the plate, that the springs act against, that fatigues and fails.

The alternator that came off mine (95 300tdi) has 80mm between the ears too. Admittedly, it wasn't a 100a alternator (aftermarket cheap rubbish one), but the one that went clean on, was 100a OEM, suggesting that 80mm is the correct fit?

It's a good idea, apart from who you'd be writing to.... There was a massive thread on another forum (involving Pistons) involving a member who was questioning the fact the DVLA had lost some paperwork of his, and were fining him, on the basis he'd not presented to them? He had/was claiming that it had been posted. Getting any response out of them, was like getting blood out of a stone. He had case law on his side, where it had been found, that by posting the letter, he had discharged his duty, and was not responsible for it's arrival, and that it was down to the recepient (DVLA) to prove it had not arrived. They never budged, merely eventually said the fine was being waved. I may give it a go, but suspect they're never going to enter into any correspondance that shows them to be in the wrong.

The above is the relevant part of the legislation. The arguements I've read, hinge around this:- "Where any alteration is made to a vehicle so as to make any of the particulars set out in the registration document incorrect". With that in mind, where does it cover overall vehicle length in the held details? (unless it's implicit in the vehicle make and model, but then, I would again point to the fact that the law is prescriptive, and should be read, as it's written, not using assumption).

The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 Previous: Part Next: Part PART IVNOTIFICATION AND CHANGES Notification of an alteration to a vehicle 16.—(1) Where any alteration is made to a vehicle so as to make any of the particulars set out in the registration document incorrect, the registered keeper shall deliver to the Secretary of State— (a)notification of the alteration; (b)except where the registration document is lost, stolen or destroyed, the registration document. (2) If the alteration makes any of the particulars shown on the vehicle licence or nil licence incorrect, the registered keeper shall also deliver to the Secretary of State the appropriate licence, unless it is lost, stolen or destroyed. (3) The Secretary of State may require the registered keeper to furnish such evidence as he may reasonably require to show that the alteration has taken place. (4) On receiving notification under this regulation the Secretary of State shall, subject to regulation 15, if he is satisfied that the vehicle has been altered in the way notified to him,— (a)record the alteration in the register; (b)send to the registered keeper a new registration document showing the correct particulars; and ©in a case falling within paragraph (2), send to the registered keeper a new vehicle or nil licence showing the correct particulars.

The core of the discussion, as I understand it, is whether or not shortening the back end of a Disco, constitutes a change that you are obliged to inform the DVLA about? Quoting the DVLA website, doesn't make them right. They don't write the rules, merely work to them (or not, at times). The gist of the arguement that I have read (and am yet to find all the parts of, elsewhere on the web, to post here), is that you have to tell them of any changes to the V5 info (bearing in mind that the vehicle is already registered).. Nowhere does that include overall vehicle length. The body style (estate) is unchanged. It's splitting hairs, but that's the beauty of UK law, it's prescriptive. (I don't have a legal background, so stand to be thoroughly corrected).

My A/C fans come on whenever I turn the A/C on, however cold the external air temps. They also come on, as Bowie69 mentions, when the engine temps get high. This is on a '95 300tdi, but I can't vouch for it not having been modified, before I bought it.

Dane - "I know they're different I obviously didn't make the distinction in my original post, I was making more of a comparison between the locking diffs like the Truetrac and Kaiser and the ATB diffs like the Quaife" The Detroit TrueTrac is an ATB. The Detroit Locker is (funnily enough) a locker. "but the Quaife uses more of the helical gears that perform the sem- locking/torque biasing action so are supposed to be smoother in their operation, that's the only reason I might choose one over the other" Ashcroft's ATB has 6 gears. The same as the Quaife. (The TrueTrac has 3). (I'm not on Ashcroft's payroll, simply acknowledging good, value for money kit, when I've encountered it).

Danebrewer - Ashcroft make own brand Air Lockers and ATB's. Their ATB's (when they're in stock) are about 1/2 the price of a Quaife. Detroit also make an ATB, the TrueTrac. It's about 1/2 way between the Ashcroft and Quaife, in terms of cost.

It'll be me being referred to, by SPendry.... I've got an Ashcroft ATB in the back of my Disco, and although it's early days, I'm very pleased with it. I realise that they do have their limitations, but as a fit and forget item, that significantly improves traction, I can't fault it.

Whenever you hit the A/C button, the fans kick in. They also kick in, when the engine coolant temps get to a certain point. I've seen this in action, but it's only ever happened during an MOT, and I've removed the viscous fan.

I've used linseed oil, successfully, before. It's cheap, and you can use the rest on your hardwood garden furniture.

I just put the same springs on, and mine is also slightly lower on the drivers side. That said, it was exactly the same lean, on the originals (grey/grey and brown/brown). I'm not sure if this really helps, other to confirm, that it's not just you. :-)

I had the same problem. I assumed it was the switch, so bought a new one. The new one was no better than the old. I then recalled something I read, ages ago, suggesting that it was the surface inside the gearbox, that presses on the switch, that wears, and the fix is to either machine a mil of the face of the body of the switch, or just loose the copper washer. I went for loosing the washer, and some blue sealant, on the threads. Immediately, perfect reversing lights again. No ill effects, so far.

I had the same problem. I assumed it was the switch, so bought a new one. The new one was no better than the old. I then recalled something I read, ages ago, suggesting that it was the surface inside the gearbox, that presses on the switch, that wears, and the fix is to either machine a mil of the face of the body of the switch, or just loose the copper washer. I went for loosing the washer, and some blue sealant, on the threads. Immediately, perfect reversing lights again. No ill effects, so far.

Isn't white smoke coolant being burnt? I thought excess fuel came out as black smoke? (hence the big black clouds produced under hard acceleration).