Bumpydog

Our 2004 TD5 ES Auto started to make a screeching when accelerating under load (sounds *exactly* like a belt slipping). It was taken into a local LR dealer for a different issue (recall) and they said that it was the turbo making the noise. Rather than spending a grand at the dealership, I bought a genuine turbo from the UK (I am in Ireland) and my local mechanic changed it but it's still the same. He seems to suggest that the wastegate isn't opening properly. Does anyone have any ideas of what might be causing this, as he is running out of ideas. Should he try bypassing the wastegate solenoid? Thanks.

No, that was the point, as I assumed it to be siezed through lack of use. Sadly, the traction control/ABS is no substitute for difflocks and the car will have to go. It got stuck in a field where it really shouldn't have. Ah well,this is the last Land Rover in a long list of LR ownership :-( Hate to say this - but it looks like a L*ndcr**s*r will have to be the replacement. It's a real shame that LR seem to be now targetting the school-run mums. Malcolm.

OK, now I'm confused! My partner has a 2004 D2 TD5 ES Auto. According to our local tame mechanic, this vehicle does not have a difflock position on the transfer box lever, yet the manual says that the difflock position is to the left of the H-L position, as on most other Landies. He says that the local LR dealer confirmed the lack of a difflock. Is this true? Is this unique to Autos? If this is the case, it'll be sold in a shot. Malcolm

Maybe I should have also stated that I have owned two VW T25 Syncro vans in the past and they were surprisingly capable, although too underpowered for the heavy stuff. The viscous coupling diffs work well, providing all the vacuum system is kept maintained. I would say that the T4 2.5TDi would be far more suitable as far as power goes. My vans had both front and rear difflocks, but I believe that the T4 Syncro vans mostly have just a rear difflock (feel free to correct me here!). I considered a T4 Syncro van before but felt that the lack of ground clearance to be the biggest issue. I also wouldn't feel that the T4 would cope with towing our 2 ton trailers across muddy fields the same way our Sprinters do. Next year, I am hoping to order a new Sprinter 318CDi 4x4, with front/rear difflocks, hi/lo transfer box and either auto or sprintshift transmission. Malcolm.

Hopefully, I am fairly qualified to answer this having owned many Land Rovers, including a V8 Defender 130 (www.defender130.com), 101's, a Transit County and, now, TWO 4x4 Sprinter vans. If you want a pretty-much-go-anywhere vehicle with lots of storage spaces, there is little to beat the 4x4 Sprinters. I have both my vans converted to minibuses. You have to be careful which version you buy, as there are several permutations. There is a very rare version that has a lo/hi box, but only available with the rear difflock. Most of them appear to be Medium Wheel Base (3.5m) and permanent 4x4 with both centre and rear difflocks and many of them are ex-Utilities. I have a 1998 312D MWB and a 2002 316CDi LWB (the LWB is rare in 4x4). Mine are both currently fitted with BFG MT's and are very capable off-road (with the exception of the restrictions the 4m wheelbase of the LWB gives). Back in 2006, we took the 312D around a built off-road course that Club Land Rover Ireland built and it faired better than all of the shiny Land Rovers there, failing to get stuck once. Most photos I have of that event has a marshal in the background laughing!! (see http://www.sprinter4x4.com/clri.html) My 316CDi started out life as a 311CDi (2.2 litre 4 cylinder 109PS) and, to be honest, I found it underpowered. I had the engine replaced and, with ECU reprogram, is now 190PS. The 312CDi, whilst being the earlier model, has more torque than the 311CDi and feels quite a lot more powerful, despite similar BHP figures) The Ford Transit County is junk in comparison. Just be prepared for Mercedes parts prices though :-( When I changed the 4-cyl engine to the longer 5-cyl unit, the shorter gearbox to transfer box driveshaft cost over 700 euros!! Most service items are available on Ebay. Good luck. Malcolm. Co. Meath, Ireland

You are preaching to the converted...all of my Land Rovers have been LPG converted and I even have a N*ss*n T*rr*n* up in Belfast running on LPG. Hang on, what's this behind my barn wall....oh yes, my 2 ton propane tank :-) Hi Simon, long time no speak!! Of course, you remember my 130! Is your 50th on Irish plates and is it commercially or privately taxed? How's the Off-roading going? Regards, Malcolm

>>You need to get used to 13-15mpg on road and 6-8mpg off road though, but I enjoyed owning it. Great, my last Defender was a 275bhp Auto 130 Station Wagon, so I'll be looking forward to the improvement!! Malcolm

Hi all, new to this Forum and want to pick some brains. Having owned a variety of Land Rovers over the years (only one currently remaining is an '04 Discovery ES Auto) and some of the past vehicles can be found at defender130.com Anyway, my question - I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms and am considering buying a 90 50th Anniversary V8. I understand that these came from the factory uprated, but I don't knwo what, and by how much. Can anyone explain the differences between a regular 90 and the 50th (except the obvious, like it's an auto!) Thanks, Malcolm

I fitted a 4-speed ZF auto box to my V8 130 station wagon and it's a fairly straightforward job. In fact, the trickiest part was the hole for the gearshift and making a suitable console! Malcolm