g&t

I agree. Perhaps when there is such a wide gulf in personal opinions those involved should resort to PM's, as what started as an interesting subject is now being seriously diluted.

I'll throw in my thoughts mainly because nobody else has, although I confess to having to use a local 'indie' for repairs myself. As your speedo is electronic & the tacho is driven from the alternator it looks like a job for an auto-electrician. I wonder if this sort of electrical disaster (the likes of which I've never experienced on any of my four 'classics') could be the result of a bad earth? Sorry I can't be of more help & hope you get it sorted.

Had experience of the 'muppet syndrome' last year, although no personal danger as the incident took place on our private car park. Picture the scene : Vaux Senator (rear-wheel drive/auto box) bottom of a dead-end slope facing down & blocking rows of cars on both sides. ''Where's you towing eye?'' muppet did'nt know ''never mind, your handbook will tell you'' but handbook is nice & warm tucked up indoors. Fortunately for other residents waiting to get to work the Sen had a towbar so I hooked him up the slope on that. I agree though that you have to be very careful about who you help these days, as a favour can easily turn into disaster.

Good for you Badger! Not that much different in the mechanical department &, in the early eighties generation, the electics either. In common with all LR products corrosion is by far the biggest concern (though the chassis last much better than Defenders) plus many believe that pre '89 (Disco introduction) RRC's were less prone to the worm that the later model years. I'm on my third (& best) 3.5efi auto & think that if you can stand the running costs they are a lovely old thing to drive, with so-so much less to go wrong & still retain that dignified look that today's 'fashion statements' totally lack. Enjoy!!

Something of a marmite choice I'm led to believe, had a couple of friends in Belgium who ran ex. USAF Chev Blazers & loved them but have also read horror stories about GMC reliability as well. Very heavy lump to sit on the front end of a RRC too but they have a sound track to die for!

They are very helpful, reckon to be able to service/repair any unit ever made by the Clarion. Had my audio-cassette ('87) done by them last summer - about fifty quid PLUS return postage by UPS, which requires a signature. Not cheap, but then if you want to retain the original unit (in keeping with the rest of my Classic) good value I think.

Fairly sure that I've got an article about these vehicles in an old 'Overlander' mag (anyone remember it - only available on subscription) of which I've got all editions, now there's a blast from the past!

I'd like to think it was a LR but somehow I doubt it.

Watched it last night & agree with the comments about the driver! I'm not very familiar with Jeep but must say, given their heritage, I was suprised at the use of a semi-floating axle.

Agree with Cynic-al. I've owned four 3.5efi's & never found a switch, not shown in the handbook either.

I used compo gaskets a few years ago on a 3.5efi on the assumption that (a) they would give a better seal/last longer & (b) would lower the comp ratio slightly, which would be better when standard unleaded 95 octane. There was no noticeable difference in the car's overall performance. However, on the subject of octane I now have a genuine LR workshop manual that covers model years '86 & '87 (mine) & '88 but the 'recomended min octane' for each year (all 9.35:1 comp) is different! Makes you wonder if it's all bull**** & LR were just responding to what they believed the market wanted to hear.

Especially when compared to a Centurion tank (27 litres & 52 tons) official off-road consumption of 0.38mpg!!

I agree with those who are concerned about the lack of maintainence but would throw the following into the pot of opinion. Up until 2005 my hobby was the ownership & showing of WW2 military trucks & any goods vehicle that is (a) manufactured prior to 1st January 1960 (b) weighs in excess of 3500kg © is used unladen (d) is not used for hire/reward has been exempt from the MOT for many years. Statistics show that this group of vehicles have a very low incidence of accidents, which is reflected in very moderate insurance premiums.

Excuse me for highjacking the thread but the benifits of this procedure confuse me. I can see that a 'top-hatted' liner can't slide up & down the bore but given that it's the block cracking behind the liner that causes the problem in the first place, how does this course of action guard against future problems?

No stepper on the 3.5efi - had the same problem myself but I think it was a question of trial & error in testing/replacing sensors to resolve. Sorry I'm not more specific but rely on a local indie.

I stand corrected

The fact that you can 'spin' one wheel does not rule out the diff-lock working as it's not a cross-axle lock but designed to lock the centre diff & maintain drive to both axles. Without it you would have no drive at all if just one of the four wheels lost traction. Suggest you check the bulb in the warning light first.

If you are not fussed about genuine LR & prefer stretch- fit covers go on ebay. I've just bought a pair for the front (black) for £19.99 inc. postage though to be honest I've not had the opportunity to fit them yet. My seats are 'silver-grey' velour & in perfect condition so I just wanted a cheap set in case I got in the car wearing wet coats.

Good points, both Geoff & Snagger - I'll re-visit when I feel up to it, only came out of hosp. this afternoon. Thanks again guys.

Thank you Steve, glad to see that I'm not boring people with the subject! Your description of the suspension set-up is interesting & not something I was aware of. Yes, the front springs are different rates ie 133lbs as opposed to 150 at the rear. I'll proceed further with this & follow your suggestions when I'm able to drive again in a few weeks, following my knee op tomorrow.

Update #2 EP: Tried your 'rock a bye baby' idea, no difference. Parked in it's usual place (ground slopes slightly to off-side) there is a 15mm difference at the back & 5mm at the front, same on workshop floor, but on level hosp. car park today (again) both sides F&R the same! Now the spring packer disc should have made a 10mm difference but no! Maybe think about it again after recovering from my op. Thanks again for the advice.

Thanks EP, I'll give that a go. This week will be the last time I drive for a while due to a (second) knee replacement operation.

Update as promised Eightpot (& all others) - one ANR2938 pad fitted above the osr sring (my guy reported that the pad did'nt seem to fit properly under the spring, so could only fit one) but I have to say that it has not made any noticeable difference. The strange thing is that even before this operation the car only seems to lean when a) it's parked in it's regular place which is across a slight slope to the right & b) when it's standing on the workshop ramp. Conversely when parked last week, prior to pad fittment, on two different & apparently level car parks the car has seemed to be ok, even confirmed by measurements taken at each corner! I find it hard to accept that a genuine spring would have weakened in only 3K miles of road use but I guess changing it will be the next step, but as all this labour costs it will have to wait for a while.

EFI adds around 30 horses to a standard 3.5 but only a few pounds of extra torque which is more important than outright power for off-roading. Also the carb equipped lump develops it at a lower rpm (2500 as opposed to 3200) enabling you to use the grunt available at lower revs.

Thanks again for your help EP, I'll order some after the holiday & post the results after the work has been done.