Les Henson

It's quite a common problem for the TD5 cam cover seal to leak. I've even replaced with new and it's still leaked. What I do now is use the old seal if it's not damaged. Just clean up and then a thin film of RTV sealant cures it. Les.

You can remove/replace the selector forks from a S3 gearbox without dismantling it or removing it from the gvehicle. Les.

I'd point at his car and laugh I was driving a ltwt once and a careful driver in a corsa ran into the back of me while I was stopped at a red traffic light. His vehicle was obviously a write off - both headlamps, both wings, front grille, bonnet, slam panel, radiator, were all obviously badly damaged. He just sat in his car and cried. No real damage to the ltwt apart from paint damage. Strange that in the 18 months or so that I drove it - 3 times someone just bashed into it. Must be the camo paint job on it :) Les

I didn't get into Land Rovers until 1988. Until then I had the usual mix of cars and motorcycles. Honda CD175, yamaha RD 250. Kawasaki GT250, Yamaha XS500, and the last one - Yamaha GT750 (kettle). I passed my test in the family car - Vauxhall Victor FE 2.3 estate, then owned Mk1 escort, Vauxhall Cavalier, Ford Cortina, Vauxhall VX490, etc, etc. I bought my first Land Rover a short while after starting forestry work after the big storm in 1987. It was a 109 and I paid £225 for it . It needed a lot of work, and I almost completely stripped it. I bought all the parts from the main dealer, which was rather expensive I joined the old LRE site, and it kind of went from there. When this site came alive I was fixing quite a few LR's, and I started what is now the tech archive. Carrying 2 chainsaws, fuel, backpack, and spares box into the woods was a bit of a chore, so that's why I bought my first one - just to make my job a little easier Les

As fitting instructions only ever come with the part I would say you have a britpart item. Les

It can only really be the rocker gasket (quite comon), or the large black plug at the front of the engine (also common). There's also where the injector wiring loom exits the underside of the camshaft housing. Les

That's bad. You most likely have just a bent conrod, but I would do the big ends as well. They will have taken a heavy shock. Gudgeon pin may well be ok, as they are sturdy things. Mind you - dwell for 20 deg is bad and just a bent rod won't do that. Les.

Of course, you could cheat and do it the military way http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=7305 Les

If the cylinder had enough water in it to prevent the piston rising as far as it should, then the result is a bent conrod. As the pistons rise in pairs you can easily compare one with the other at TDC. If a small amount of water has been getting in the cylinder, but causing no damage, then over time the valves and chamber get steam cleaned. TD5 tappets are adjustable, so if the valve isn't closing properly, then it might get close enough to the piston crown to transfer carbon. Check the valves in the head. With the head off they should be fully closed. Les.

You can tell if the swivel ball is in good condition by looking at it (pitting from corrosion). Leaks can also be cause by the swivel bearings being worn - jack the wheel off the ground and try rocking it at 12 and 6 o'clock. Housing should be filled with grease, not oil. The seals themselves don't tend to fail on their own - something else makes them fail. Les

'couple of German Shepherds' I have one. Perfect anti-theft device Les

I'd recommend Mintex too. I've used them on a number of vehicles over the years and have never had a problem. Les

You can start and run it for a short while. No water circulation or alternator, so bear that in mind. Les

As long as you used a timing setting pin through the injector pump sprocket and into the hub, then there's no problem with removing the sprocket - there's a square key that only allows it to be fitted in the one position. One thing you should never do is undo the centre nut. To adjust the timing of the pump you only need to slacken the three small bolts, fit the belt, tension it, check the timing marks on the cam and crank, and that the setting pin is located correctly in the injector pump and then tighten the three bolts. Remove the pin, rotate the engine twice clockwise back to the timing position and check marks align and that the pin will go back in. Re check belt tension and if all is ok, then put it all back together. Your friend telling you to remove the sprocket is wrong. You slacken the 3 bolts, put a spanner on the centre nut, and rotate the pump shaft a small amount in order to fit the pin. Once the belt is tensioned correctly, then the last thing you do is tighten the 3 bolts. Les

Clutch fork hasn't punched through on the pivot point has it? Did the operating rod stay in place when you removed the slave? Les.

I suggest you inspect everything that the belt runs on before deciding what you need to replace other than the belt itself. 300TDi cam belt change is here, and not really all that difficult to do, apart from undoing/tightening the crank bolt. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=6943. Dayco belts are OE spec, so excellent quality. Valve damage is highly unlikely ( I have never come across it), as they are vertical to the piston crown and impact shock is transmitted to the rocker/pushrod. Before removing the belt, turn the engine to the timing position contained in the link above. Timing out between crank and cam will cause piston/valve contact, but don't worry if the injector pump sprocket is out, as this will just cause poor running. It doesn't matter is the crank sprocket hasn't been pushed on fully, as when you tighten the crank bolt it will push it all the way on. There are a few things on this engine that could cause belt drift. Crank bolt coming undone. Tensioner/idler wheel assembly failing/ pivot point and bolt coming undone or not tensioned correctly. Camshaft sprocket coming loose (highly unlikely as you never touch it when replacing the belt). Injector pump shaft problem, or the 3 bolts that have to be loosened to set it have not been tightened and the sprocket has drifted outwards as the bolts work undone. Les

The reason I ask is that a guy with a turbo problem on his Golf GTi, and claims that using cillit bang or mr muscle will clean all the gunk out. He claims he has seen it on youtube, but I can't find it. Les

It sounds like the lock operating rod has become detached. If you undo the hinges, and detach the check strap, then the door will pivot open far enough for you to remove the card. Support the bottom of the door, or it'll hang down and get damaged. Les.

You are down by about 40% of top speed (a little over 70mph from the factory). Simple things to check first - throttle adjustment, lift pump working (you lose higher revs if it isn't working. Pump timing (pillar type rotates a small amount to adjust timing). Tappets adjusted correctly (if they are too tight, then you will lose power). Could be a very worn engine, but a compression test isn't really a DIY thing as diesel compression testers are expensive. They are not a particularly a good engine, as they have to work hard to get you from a to b. The 2.5 N/A engine is a good replacement and was a popular conversion some years ago. The TD was as well, but they have a bad habit of cracking pistons.You can fit other engines, such as TDi or v8, but it's quite a bit of work to fit them. Les.

No, just go through the pre lubrication procedure. Les

You can bleed the clutch with it unbolted and just connected to the pipe. This is by far the easiest way to do it, as 100% of the air is expelled and you get a perfect clutch straight away, and it doesn't matter which way up you refit the slave. Any air that's introduced to the system afterwards will mean that if the bleed nipple is at the bottom, you'll never get it out Les

Yep, Mahle are excellent quality and have been around for years Les

Apparently it's quite common for this to be used to clean a turbo without removing it from the engine. I don't think I would put something so corrosive inside a turbo. Anyone done this, what were the results? Les

Spill return is after the engine, so even if you direct the spill to a container it wouldn't effect how the engine runs. Any air in it would be from the injectors backwards. Les

Just because the cooling system isn't pressurising doesn't mean the head gasket isn't leaking. There are several ways it can 'blow'. It's quite common for the timing belt to be fitted one tooth out on the 300TDi engine, and I've done it a few times in the past, but it's always noticeable once it's fitted as you have to turn the engine clockwise back to the timing marks and check them. One tooth out means that from cold it takes an awful lot of cranking to get the engine started, but it's not too bad if it's already warm. Idle is terrible though, and there's almost no acceleration. Grey smoke won't be burning engine oil, but could be either steam or unburnt fuel. You need to smell it Les