dudley

Thank you for your reply. No I did not resync the fob. I just replaced the battery. I do not have the handbook, so i will see if i can find that procedure on line. Thank you.

Help please! We have not driven our 300tdi defender for about 6 months. A few months ago my son removed the battery as he needed it for another vehicle. Yesterday I refitted it fully charged, but when I connect the live terminal the hooter and alarm sounded and I cannot get the key fob button to deactivate it. It is strange, it did not happen straight away. When I connected the battery first time it was fine, no hoot or alarm, and it started on first turn of ignition, but it stalled. Upon 2nd key turn, the engine turns over but its not firing (immobilizer?) and then within a few moments the alarm sounded. I could not de-activate it with the fob and had to disconnect the battery. Now when I reconnect the battery live the hooter gives a single hoot, then another and then hoots erratically for about 15-30 seconds, like Beep-beep-----beep----------beep-----beep-beep-beep-beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-beep---------as if there is a loose connection on the hooter wire and then a constant beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep and then the alarm siren comes on and both horn and siren sound continuously. In case it was a flat battery in the key fob, I just popped to halfords and fitted a new battery, but it is no better. Whats happening please?

Thanks guys.

Thanks for all that, i will give it a go.

Hi guys Had a problem that i lost power steering fluid. Topped up the fluid and power steering fine, but with engine running and putting steering on 3/4 to full lock its -issing out. Problem is I cannot identify where from! I cannot see the escape point from above, and there is so much fluid loss spraying out and dripping off Anti roll bar etc I cannot get directly under to see. I thought i would feel where the leak was but gave up that idea as it is just behind the drive belts. Obviously with engine switched off all I am left with is soaking wet engine parts and cannot see leak point. Without a pit or ramps, any ideas as to best way to find the leak, I am no mechanic, but I have stripped down the front of this vehicle after crash damage, replaced belts, radiator, intercooler and exhaust, so I am not totally without ability but should I really be attempting this leaking power steering fluid. What are the pipe connectors like? do i need special tools? etc. Thanks. Steve.

Hi Guys I need to work on the power steering on my 1999 (built 98) 300tdi but the Haynes owner workshop manual is carp. Can you direct me to a good workshop manual? Thank you. Steve.

Sorry Guys, I just assumed it would be mail order. I am between Ashford and Maidstone in Kent. I know where my local Island 4x4 and Bearmach are, its more, what make of spare to buy and if any after market part is any good?

Hi Guys Recently had MOT and they found I needed rear end exhaust. I purchased a Britpart exhaust and it did not fit. I posted on here for advice and what I got was that some of you feel Britpart are none too good on quality and fit. To save you looking at my other posting I had to cut off and move the hanger bracket to the correct position. So, my post this time is :- Where should I buy my replacement handbrake cable? LR dealer just quoted me £81 plus vat for a genuine LR replacement, whereas my local Britpart supplier said £24, so some difference. But we are talking brakes here, not window winder handle, so I don't want to buy rubbish or an ill fitting part. Is the Britpart cable OK, is there a better alternative or is there a quality difference for genuine LR part to justify cost difference? Thanks. Oh out of interest. After exhaust done, put back for re test, went to collect from MOT station, guy said, All done mate, passed this time, but your handbrake cable is broken. It passed MOT OK but as we reversed it off the ramp and parked it up the cable snapped.

Well you live and learn, and I will have to think twice about buying anything Britpart now, especially as when I spoke to them on the phone they were really unhelpful and could not give a dam, as if they cant be wrong, because evidently they buy them in by the 1000s (don't make them themselves) and then send them out to their trade outlets when they get the orders in, and no one has said they are wrong before! Or maybe they just haven't recorded the fact or done anything about it as per my phone call. I have removed the new exhaust and shall grind the welds off to remove the bracket and re-weld it back in the correct place. I shall write to Britpart to complain, and send them photos of the old and new exhausts side by side, and show the re-welding. Not that I expect any recompense, but at least they should record it then. So thanks to you all for your input on this. Steve.

Hi again Defender 90. 1998 300TDi Just fitted rear end exhaust, thats the bit from back of rear box that goes over rear axle and bends out just behind rear wheel in front of rubber mud flap. Well, the welded on hanging bracket on the new Britpart exhaust is just about 40mm closer to the outlet end of the exhaust than the original. This means I have to force the new exhaust inward toward centre of vehicle to catch the welded hook onto the support rubber on the underside of vehicle. This has the effect of moving the whole exhaust pipe close to the chassis and it will bang on any bumps. Also pushing it inward causes the tailpipe to go against the back of rubber mudflap and will melt it. i have attached a photo and shown the measurement of the Britpart exhaust. That is 185mm from the very end or the exhaust to the weld of the bracket, ie, shortest distance between the two. My old exhaust measures 225mm to the same points. I went back to supplier, they got out another Britpart exhaust and it is the same as the one they supplied me, measuring 185mm. their suggestion was i cut the bracket off and re weld in the correct position to suit my car. Thats ok, I can do that and I will, but why should I? Now either Britpart are making them wrong or I have a none standard exhaust/vehicle, how can I tell? Can anyone confirm the correct measurements from their Defender? I can then see if Britpart are at fault and if i should follow it up.. Thanks.

My thought on the changing the shocks were knowing that they would be designed to be firm changing to something different would help soften the ride, but of course I can see now that wont help, there meant to stop any bounce. As for what make of springs? that I shall have to go check tomorrow, but it will be as factory fitted on the last 300TDi models built in 1998 . Wheels and tyres? Again factory fitted alloys with Bridgstone Dueler A/T on the front and Goodrich All Terrain on the rear 265/75/16 I will have to check tyre pressures tomorrow but if I remember when checked them last, and that was all too long ago, they would have been around 34psi I think. We have had the the 90 for 4 years, the tyres had good tread on them then, we have done about 35K in those 4 years and the tread depth still looks like it did 4 years ago, hardly any wear, although the rubber walls look tired. There are lots and lots of very tiny hairline splits in the side walls, but dont panic, MOT tester looked very closely at this, as did a tyre shop a while back, and the splits are cosmetic and not an issue as far as safety is concerned. But to me it implies maybe the rubber has hardened as the tires must be 5+ years old. If it helps, I am no landy expert, this is the only one we have owned and were running on all terrains, and as I have never driven another with standard road wheels and tyres I am probably wasting all your time. I think I need to get out and drive someone else's defender before trying to change the way mine drives and troubling everyone on here, Regards Steve

Hi guy's Its come round to MOT and my 1998 90 300TDi needs new rear upper bushes, thats all. But the wife always moans about the hard ride on our country lanes, I suppose it does bounce about a bit on the pot holes. But what I am thinking is, if I am going to be getting mucky replacing bushes why not upgrade the shocks anyway. I have a van for my work day to day, but as we have a farm the 90 is useful, although rarely off road and sometimes used to pull a livestock trailer to market. But as we don't own another vehicle so wife drives it every day on a 10 mile return journey to work, and grocery shopping etc. So 95% is wife driving. Should I upgrade shocks,if so to what, without spending loads? Thanks steve.

I have ordered this part WLP000220, its a fuel pipe, it has banjo type ends. never fitted one of these before and wondered if I need to have any new compressive olives or copper seals like a sump plug. Don't want to remove the old and cant fit the new if I don't have all the parts. Thanks.

Yes thank you, that's looks like it. Cheers.

Hi guys I Have a split fuel pipe and I am seeking the correct part number, best place to buy, etc, can you help? It’s an S reg Defender, one of last of 300TDi’s. I need the twin pipe that supplies fuel from fuel lift pump upto the fuel filter and then it runs back down to the fuel injector pump. I think the fittings are banjo type, ie the rubber pipe is moulded over male ends that come out of the side of the connectors which is fixed via a top nut. Just to confirm what I am talking about, one pipe exits the fuel lift pump curls around under the air cleaner and then parallels up side by side (as in attached together) with the other pipe from the fuel filter that goes to the injector pump. They both run run upto the fuel filter coiling around under the coolant bottle. It’s the way the crappy factory fitted Air Con System that’s caused the fuel pipe to split. One of the Air con hoses, a real chunky stiff bugger has had the twin part of the fuel lines pressed down against a nut on the injector pump housing where it is spurting fuel. Thanks Steve.

Thanks lads, will have a look a matrix and radiator first.

Heater started blowing cold while out today. It was working fine for about an hour but then it started blowing cold. I turned blower to off for a while, and when I switched it back on I thought great it's ok as hot air came through straight away, but moments later it was blowing cold again. I have not lifted the bonnet yet but before I do in the morning, I just want to ask, what are the most obvious places for me to check please? Thanks Steve.

Thanks Maverik but the pedal you show is different to mine and I do not have the long spring you circled in red. The pedal you show comes out of the bulkhead at almost a horizontal angle whereas my pedal comes through the bulkhead higher up and comes down more vertical into the footwell. As it comes through the bulkhead into the footwell there are two heavy springs each side of the pedal, and they look fine. I will check for fine rubber bits in the fluid tomorrow. Thanks Steve.

Sorry cackshifter I have been working. The reservoir is fine, fluid at maximum line.

We got rid of a Rover family hatch and replaced it for a Defender. We or should I say, I, decided on a 300tdi and not a TD5 as I wanted to be able to service and work on it myself and not have to take it to be plugged into a computer, ok TD5 owners will probably dispute that, but my point is I am no mechanic, but quite handy and looked forward to working on it, and it has not disappointed me, as to date it has given me plenty of opportunity to hone my mechanic skills. I have serviced it a couple of times now, fine! Replaced the rear cross member, had to be done! Now trying to sort out an electrical fault, what a pain! Rebuilt the front end after my wife Jane parked it hard into the back of a moving fuel tanker, but that is hardly fault of our Defender. But today the clutch pedal has stuck down. No oil visible inside under pedal, Pedal manually pulls back up ok, Pedal does not drop or pull down on its own, It does go into gear, but it is possible it is a bit more difficult than before but hard to say when your fiddling to pull the pedal back up with your toe. Do you think it is Slave or Master Cylinder or how do I identify which has gone or should I do both. It’s a '98 300TDi with original clutch and done 60k miles. Thanks Steve.

Thanks Western, I do have the fuses numbered in my handbook but the picture you attached is handy as it is exactly the part that is melted. And my Local LR parts department did also identify it correctly. So I now have the new fuse block holder to replace the melted one and when I remove it I will trace and check wiring all the way back to the nearside front and rear lights. I did rebuild the front off this vehicle at the end of last year (details were posted on here at the time) due to accident damage so possibly I have trapped or damaged a cable in the process. Thanks again, Steve.

I thought the fault may have been at the actual fuse, like shorting via a loose spade connections, (not that I noticed a poor fuse connection) rather than a wiring fault, as I would have expected the correct sized fuse to have blown rather than melted with a wiring fault, or would it, and am I possibly looking at a fault somewhere else?

My 1998 defender 300 tdi nearside lights blew a fuse. I replaced the 5amp fuse and it was fine for a few weeks. However yesterday I smelt burning and found the fuse had not only blown again but melted itself into the fuse carrier. This is a black boat shaped block with two rows of spade fuses, and situated above and slightly off centre to three yellow relays (air con model) under the dash in front off gear levers. I could just put an in line fuse in for the lights but want to do the job properly. I could not find a picture of a fuse block on line so I called my local LR dealer parts dept. This is where we had trouble identifying the part, after some time, with my description he found what he calls a "fuse block", and for only £5, it is out of stock but I ordered one anyway. Do you think this "fuse block" will be the right part? and as I have not removed the old melted one as yet, how easy will it be to replace? Thank you Steve.

Thanks very much Neil, the photos will help.

I have just finished rebuilding my 90 after heavy front accident damage. While doing the work I pressure washed, painted and waxoiled the chassis. But when I got to the rear cross member it showed signs of rust and I knew it would have to be replaced at some time so I left painting that for now, but unfortunately it would not pass its MOT because of it, so the replacement has to be done immediately. I decided to do it myself and looked for threads on here to find out how. I noticed quite a bit of negatives regarding after market replacements, ie, not fitting well and being of poor quality. So I decided to call Land Rover and ordered a genuine replacement to be safe, but when I collected it today I was surprised to see it does not resemble the pa..ocks or Ri..er replacements as it does not have the extension sleeves that slip over the front to back chassis members. I queried this with the LR parts dept as I expected the extension sleeves and they say “cutting the chassis back as far as the non genuine aftermarket replacements require can compromise chassis strength”. Well that depends on the welders skill, surely? Anyway, I had already prepared myself with print outs and notes from threads on fitting after market X members so tonight I would update myself on fitting one without the sleeves, so I searched the tech archive but all I could find was Les Henson’s thread on blanking a genuine X member from water ingress but he does not mention fitting it. Can anyone give any advice regarding fitting a genuine X member? Thanks Steve.