Defender Chap

Hi, It sounds like you have the same problem as i'm having. if you take the plastic cover around the steering wheel off and look behind at the wires, there should be a blue wire for the lights, give it a tweek and it should turn the lights back on. thats the problem im having and how i deal with it, i find it keeps happening so will try soldering the wire on to see if it fixes it for good. I am curious to see if others also have this problem and if so, how they dealt with it. i have a 1997 def 90 and i also have a dim beam from the headlights as well as the sidelights when i put my sidelights on. Hope this helps and makes sense. all the best Luke

hi, thought i would share an update. i took the snorkel off and blocked the box which is atached to the inside of the wing and within 4-5 seconds the engine stalled so i have re-attached the snorkel using plenty of sealant. i have sprayed a small amount of wd40 around the joins which made no difference to the way the engine ran so i am almost there. i will try blocking the snorkel tomorrow when the sealant has comletely dried. so thanks for all the advice. looks like i will be taking the landy swimming very soon lol. also i will be ordering the diff guards as it seems its better to be safe then sorry. all the best thanks luke

Well, thanks everyone for the advice and tips. i covered the end of the snorkel and it didn't stall the engine, although there is some serious pressure build up in there. i have found the problem area which is where it connects to the wing. i will take it off tomorrow and for the final time i will try to make good a rather painfull design. this snorkel is a nightmare to work with, am starting to wish i had bought the safari. and steve, i am starting to be more adventurous with what i do but i don't ever go rock crawling and i was only thinking of the simple diff guards nothing to fancy. so by the sounds of it i shouldn't lose any sleep over not having any. thanks again for all advice. Luke

hi guys. another newbie question i'm afraid. i bought an ABS snorkel from mm-4x4 and im not 100% happy its water tight. has anyone else had any dealings with these snorkels? is there a way to test they work? i was told that if u cover it then it should stall the engine but was told today it isn't true. so how can u test they work without the possibility of drowning the engine if it doesn't? also what are your opinions of diff guards? are they any use or just an unneccesary extra. thanks again for all advice. Luke

Thanks guys much appreciated, i will follow the advice and see how it goes. just out of curiosity though how do u know the extended breathers work and don't leak? thanks again luke

Hi, i went to my first proper offroad day to play in my landy, and see what shes capable of. i wasn't pushing it too far as my snorkel isn't waterproof yet and i'm only on all terrains, but watching everyone else going through nice deep puddles gave me some fun ideas. i am about to upgrade my snorkel to a safari but i am aware that i need to fit a wading kit and make sure everything is waterproof before i plunge too deep and get myself into trouble. i have looked at a few different posts on here about wading kits but only bits and pieces. so... please could someone tell me what i need to make waterproof and what else i need to do in order to make my land rover swim. i want to make sure that everything is covered so that as a worst case senario of me getting stuck half way through deep water i won't break anything. i was looking at a wading kit on paddocks, has anyone had one, does it come with everything i need or will i need more? Also what does the wading kit attach to i know there are breathers on the axels but i heard there are more places other then just those. thanks for any help in advance. all the best Luke

Hi Everyone. Firstly just want to say hi, i have been watching this forum for a little while now and the info on here has been very helpfull and you all seem a very friendly lot. I am hoping you will be able to help me with regards to the head gasket on a 300tdi. I have looked through the tech archive and found the post on changing the head on a 200tdi engine, will it be the same as doing it on a 300tdi? Im not the most mechanicly minded/able person and to be honest have only ever dared to do the simple stuff but i thought i would try to do this myself, being one of the many reasons i bought a defender. How difficult would you guys say it is to change the head gasket? Should i reconsider and give it to the garage? What is the most likely thing to go wrong? Also do i need any special tools for the job? I was also told that i have to grind the valves in... is this true? Thank you very much for any help and guidance, it will be much appretiated. Regards Luke