saltyoldseadog

When they say the gearbox is Heavy, that really is with a capital 'H'. You need the right kit and a bit of knowledgable assistance. ie NOT the bloke who said he would do it for me and managed to drop the gearbox twice!

I asked exactly this question in relation to my '93 Disco 200 Tdi and my Guru, Mark Knight of KVMS, said it would be cheaper to sell the manual vehicle and buy an auto. I love automatics and had a '97 300 Tdi which was great, like flying a magic carpet, apart from the fact that we couldn't get more than 23 mpg. This older manual one does a comfortable 30mpg but if anyone has an economical answer to the manual/auto problem, I would love to hear it.

If it is the seals around the glass - and both the Alpine Lights and the rear door outer seal had gross splits on mine - you can make an effective repair with that stuff they sell in fishing shops for repairing waders. Mine is called AquaSure (I think; I can't find it to check) but it did a super job and I now have a totally dry Disco. You can check if it's the Alpines by parking the truck with its nose slightly down hill when its raining; if it the Alpines, water will drip into the front foot wells.

Mine's a D1 so I don't know if the system is the same; but could it be the sensor in the top-up tank? What makes me suggest this is that the light comes on when you slam the door which might make the level in the header wobble and trigger the light. I'm not an engineer but just occasionally basic logic can work - especially with Land Rovers.

Peter, I'm not sure I should be talking to you after the one day cricket series here in the UK and I'm no expert on upholstery. However, we usually find the seat cushions are knackered long before the upholstery heads south so you might find that a new pair of seats, or perhaps a pair of good ones from a dismantler, would be a cheaper option. I haven't tried this but it might just be that a normal furniture re-upholsterer could do the seats for you? Cars are like boats - everything you need is twice as much from the specialist trade as it would be if you went to the DIY store. Land Rover stuff is easy enough to find over here and shipping by sea is relatively inexpensive - or it was in may seafaring days - so it might be worth looking at the UK websites for Paddock or John Craddock and asking what it would cost to ship stuff to you. Only thing to worry about then is Customs and Excise; they can spoil the fun a bit. Give us a shout if you need any help. George

Land Rovers, aluminium bodies, earths and lights are a mixture of magic and voodoo - and even then it seems to need a slice of luck. My own '93 loses headlights evey time I go over a bump, then it's up with the bonnet and fiddle the connectors until I get a good contact on the three pins at the base of the bulbs. This is short term and my tame expert, Mark Knight of KVMS will shortly, when Gordon Brown's pension arrangements permit, be fitting a set of Xenon (I think) bulbs with screw attachments. This costs about 250 quid and solves two problems at a stroke; first, light power is increased from damp candle to searchlight and second, the screw fitting won't lose contact every time I go over a yump. Like the Meerkat says, "Simple (squeak)"

I'm not sure about these kph things but my '93 200 Tdi suffered vibration at 2200 rpm which was around 55 mph in fifth gear. The problem turned out to be the front prop shaft which was seized solid and could not slide as intended. A new shaft fixed it. If it's been going on for long, the bearings might suffer, too.

I have had two V8 Range Rovers but neither had the LPG conversion - hadn't been invented at the time! The first one never quite managed 11 mpg but the second did almost 20 and, as another correspondent has said, it doesn't seem to make much difference to fuel consumption if you wear a roof rack or pull a trailer or even a caravan. My father's V8 Rover also did 19 mpg regardless. Keep tuning! And good luck.

This sounds like a routine Land Rover thing. Only (most) new ones don't clunk! If it gets bad it's worth getting the transfer box checked because you don't want to lose drive altogether. After 30 years of Land Rovers from Series 1 through to Range Rovers and now a '93 Disco 200Tdi I've got quite good at changing gear and letting in the clutch without causing a clunk. The only one I've owned that didn't clunk was an auto; they don't!

My '93 model has a sticker under the bonnet that says what paint shade was used. If yours has gone missing, perhaps Land Rover records would reveal what shade was used for the VIN? Or am I just a cock-eyed optimist?

I have just had what sounds like exactly the same problem with my 200 TDi. When Mark Knight (KVMS) removed the head he told me it twisted up like the Forth Bridge but it skimmed up okay. All is now well and she runs like a sewing machine. We also had to have the valves reground and two had been leaking and were carboned up so needed new tips but after fifteen years it seems a very little problem compared to what might have gone wrong. And compared to some of the problems correspondents report on this site! Good luck with it. George

Hi Graham. Good luck with the run. My 200 TDi runs best and cleanest on rapeseed oil sourced from a local bio-fuel firm at 90p per litre. The veggie oil is a better lubricant than diesel, cleans any latent muck out of the system and the engine runs sweeter. Good stuff. George

Thanks for that. I'll try to check but we pensioners are not usually very familiar with rally suppliers so if any readers know anything that would help, I'll be pleased to hear it. George

When we go fishing my black Alsatian, Jack, used to sit on the back seat of my '93 200 TDi with his nose out of the window. He has now been banished to the rear load space and I am wondering if anyone has managed to fit sliding windows in the back like, dare I say it, the old Shoguns. Any thoughts or ideas will be much appreciated.