Troll Hunter

Thank you, all, for your further comments and suggestions. I'll be taking many photos and bagging and labeling all the various bits and fittings, including bots, etc, to aid in re-assembly. I'll also keep a written diary of progress and will add a rebuild thread. Scheduled start is 8th December, since the insurance expires on 7th. Scheduled completion is .....! Mike

I've done well over 100k km on one set of General Grabber 265/75/R16 AT2 with no problems at all. I admit that I don't like them in snow, and in winter I then change to a 205/80 profile, despite my AT2 being legally compliant here, ie Snowflake and Mountain symbol. If there is any problem with the steering it certainly should not be due to the tires. Mike

Thank you, all. It's much as I thought, all the necessary info is here already, so I'll save myself a few $$, and if/when I get really stuck I'll ask. And I'll take plenty of piccies and have lots of labelled zip lock bags for all the different bits and bobs. Thanks again, Mike

As the title. I'm preparing to start a full tear down and rebuild on my 1991 110CSW. I already have the LR WSM, Parts Manual and the Haynes Service and Repair Manual, and, of course, the various rebuild threads on this forum. So, is it worth buying the Haynes Land Rover 90 110 and Defender Restoration Manual, please? I've been through all the manuals links in the Tech Archive, a number of which no longer work, but couldn't find anything on restoration. Many thanks for your views and any additional pointers or links to relevant documents. Mike

Thanks for sharing your experience with sedimenters, Red90. No, my vehicle does not have one, and never has, perhaps because it was originally a 3.5V8 and the 300Tdi is a later implant. Perhaps I should get both a sedimenter and a water KO/drain pot and I've just been lucky until recently. At least two of the failed pumps seemed to have ceased to do anything with the diaphragm, presumably because it had split, but opening the body is such a pfaff that I didn't investigate further. If I've still got the old units I might have a go at opening one, and will post my findings. Mike

I had a Britpart and two Delphi lift pumps fail over a two year period. I now have another mechanical pump fitted, but am unsure of the make, and I also have a permanently fitted, but not connected, electric pump. I've fitted the suction and delivery hoses of the electric pump with the cut off connections from one of the failed mechanical pumps, so re-connection of the electric pump is relatively easy. The power supply for the electric pump is taken from the power supply to the fuel cut-off solenoid. I refitted a mechanical pump because the electric pump flow is far higher than the engine's fuel demand and I was concerned that it might overheat during hot weather due to insufficient flow through it. I suppose that I should have connected the pump discharge to the spill back line as well as to the fuel filter. That would have ensured adequate flow and I could have left it permanently in service. Mike

I've got a nominal 6;5 hp/8.5 cfm @ 90psi gas powered mobile compressor which has ridiculously small tanks, since it is a "wheelbarrow" mobile unit. However, I've connected it to a recovered 100kg propane cylinder. I reclaimed the cylinder from our local dump and then pressure tested it. My compressor output is regulated at 125psi so I tested it at 250psi, filled with water and then pressured it from my Kubota tractor hydraulic system. Note: Do not pressure test with air since there is far too much energy for safe operation,

Slightly off topic, so please move if inappropriate, but while we're talking about drilling and tapping how do members start to drill a hole that is intentionally at an angle to the work piece surface? Mike

Please, don't wait until you need a tap or die before you buy it. You'll end up wasting hours, or days, after you find you need to clean a thread but don't have the correct tap or die. And with the "standardisation" of threads found on Land Rovers and the various OEM suppliers bits, you'll soon appreciate the benefits of a full kit of metric and ASME threads. As UdderlyOffRoad said, take your time, and I also find that regular dosing with a light oil helps significantly. As well as taps and dies I also use a set of thread files, for bolts only, of course. I have both metric and ASME, with eight thread sizes on each double ended, square file. These are often quicker to use than my taps and dies and provided the correct thread is used, they're virtually foolproof. Mike

I've been away from home for a few days but managed to attend a Memorial Day service in another rural town. I was delighted to see quite a large crowd of adults, but also many children, from babes in arms upwards. Every local primary and secondary school was represented by pupils, and each laid a wreath at the cenotaph. The local youth ice hockey team attended as did the junior soft ball team. In the procession there was a 92 year old veteran, still marching at 92! At the start of the service a lady soloist sang "O Canada", the Canadian national anthem, and at the end of the service she sang "God save the Queen". There was a live brass band, and a solo trumpeter played the "Last Post". All in all, it was a lovely and moving ceremony. No, we shall not forget, and the reasons for remembrance are being well instilled into the younger generations here, in BC. Mike

GW81ZR, many thanks for the explanation. Mike

And if you're concerned about theft from your house/garden, as quite often seems to happen, consider a pressure switch located beneath a paving slab on which you park, and connected under ground, if possible, to inside your house.. If the vehicle is moved the switch makes contact and sounds audible alarms and switches light on. Also, possibly takes photos of the area, including any scrotes vehicles. Since the vehicle is on the slab the switch cannot be accessed to disable it until the vehicle is removed. Also, remotely located PIR motion detectors can be set up to do the same functions, and are easily hidden/camouflaged. And now there are trail cameras, common over here due to the hunting contingent, which are also easily concealed and take photos initiated by movement. These don't initiate lights or sirens, but they do provide an opportunity to identify the slags. http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/search-results.html?q=trail camera Mike

Regarding concerns related to circulation through the head if water circulation through the cabin heater is shut off, on my 1991 110 CSW 3.5V8, middle east spec - lower CR - the design included a vacuum operated water shut-off valve to the heater. This ensured no leakage through the heater core when the A/C was in use, and the A/C was pretty good. Mike

GW81ZR, what is T-wash, please? Do you have a link to it? Mike

Hi, Sheathy, I've got 265/75/R16 General Grabber AT2's (with the snow flake and mountain symbol, 'cos not all AT2's are so rated) on my 110CSW and I love them all year, except in snow! They float far too much. When the snow comes I put on my proper winter tires which are Michelin Alpine 205/80/R16. Yes, I know that they have different rolling circumferences, but when I legally needed winter tires, they were the only 16" for a standard LR Defender wheel available. And, they are brilliant! Since you're living in Switzerland, you're probably familiar with the Austrian OAMTC and they publish an annual rating of tire performance on various road conditions, dry tarmac, wet tarmac, snow, ice, etc. These, I believe, are based on independent third party tests, and Austrian motor insurance generally require that tires compliant with OAMTC recommendations are fitted in winter. This means that they virtually acquire the force of law. Anyway, the OAMTC website provides a good source for choosing winter tire. Based on the above replies about wheel and tire size availability this could give you good info for choosing a tire brand and model. Mike

Sorry, I had a brain f**t and only wrote half of what I had intended before finger trouble struck! Could the wine have anything to do with it? Having fitted the ex-Rover front seats I found that I was sitting about 1" - 1.5" higher than previously. This was fine, since I'm only 5' 7", and it gave me slightly better forward view, but the downside was that there wasn't so much room below the steering wheel and getting in and out was a challenge. I solved this by fitting an after-market steering wheel, only 13.5" diameter. This made it far easier to get in and out, and the HGV sized original wheel is not needed with the benefits of power steering. Just hope that this gives you some ideas and options. Mike

Hi, all, I fitted replacement seats to my 110 CSW as follows: In 2009 I replaced the front seats from a "Rover", unspecified, but bought from a fellow forum member, and they needed a little bit of fettling to make them fit. I then dumped the rear bench seat and fitted a Mitsubishi Pajero rear bench seat, including seat belts, which needed a little bit of modification to the rear wheel arches to be fully accommodated. The seat belts were anchored to the seats and I secured the seats to the chassis as the original seats were secured.

Hi, Guys, I'm sorry, but I'm getting very fed-up with negative comments about and directed to other forum members. We all have varying levels of LR experience, knowledge and aspirations. Please, can we keep our input to non-personal comments, implied or specific,and address the issue at hand. This applies not only to this thread but also to many others. Moderators, if you want to move or delete this comment, please go ahead. Mike

Hi, All, Not wishing to hi-jack the thread, but I see all sorts of Manufacturers that I'm not familiar with this side of the pond. I have a Lincoln MigPak 180 with an auto helmet and full size gas bottle, and I would like to know how it compares with machines available in UK. And, please, don't be kind. I have a thick skin! Mike

Red90, Did you modify the water supply and return side? With the stock hoses I'm surprised that you had sufficient flow to achieve this improvement. Mike

Welcome to the forum, and I hope you enjoy your Landy, including keeping it on the road! This is how my door repair project went. If you only want to replace the bottom rails then it'll be a much easier job. Best of luck with it, and I'll be watching for updates, with piccies. Mike Mike

Hi, All, I'm looking for advice on a dysfunctional turbo, please. My vehicle is a 1991 110 CSW, originally with a 3.5 V8, but retro-fitted with a 300 Tdi. The turbo had been working perfectly normally for the last N years, but has now developed some kind of fault. I was going up a long hill in 4th gear at about 3000rpm and instead of the boost pressure topping out at 15 – 16psi, as normal, it continued right up to ~20psi, at which pressure I eased off on the throttle. Since then I have been unable to get above ~10psi of boost, regardless of load or rpm. Also, power is significantly down, smoke production is up, big time, and EGT is up. I've checked that the turbo discharge hoses, before and after the intercooler, are correctly fitted, and had not blown off, and I've run with the turbo inlet air hose dis-connected, to eliminate the inlet hose disbonding and collapsing under vacuum, but no change in engine performance. While the air inlet hose was disconnected I manually checked the turbo rotor. There was minimal axial play and no discernible radial play, so I assume that the bearings are OK. Use of a mirror didn't reveal any rotor blade damage or contact marks on the rotor casing. However, this visual inspection was a bit flaky! I'm now down to considering some sort of failure with the wastegate mechanism. When the boost pressure went way above normal I assume it could have been due to the wastegate not opening, and now that boost pressure will not build above 10psi the wastegate could be jammed open or the spring broken. It's not the easiest thing to see when fitted! Before I start removing bits can anybody confirm my diagnosis, or am I missing something? Could turbo performance be the culprit for low boost despite there being no discernible play on the rotor shaft? Is there a well known or recognised turbo failure mode? All advice and experiences will be gratefully received. Mike

Here, in Canada, and I'm sure it's the same in the US, we have 1-1/8", 1-7/8", 2", and 2-5/16" ball sizes, all with differing load capacities within the same ball size, depending on the steel and securing bolt properties. And, of course, the trailer receiver size must match the ball size. http://www.princessauto.com/en/search?No=24&Nrpp=24&Ntt=ball+hitches Mike

An interesting configuration! Mike

Best look for a half decent Land Rover engine. This is obviously a fake! Mike