Maverik

Log your running hours/miles on the components, remove the starter/alternator, you can inspect the brushes, bentix clutch bearings, alternator bearings. If in doubt change it out. Have a look at service manuals and give yourself an idea how long you think they should last and change it out before it fails rather than run it to failure. Alternators can be sensitive things, I've given up repairing so I just do service exchange on them now. (My 200 has a slightly more common alternator I reckon, which is easier than you). My starters I have 2 units one in service and one on the shelf, if I suspect any problems then it gets removed and exchanged, I'll then inspect the removed one, replace any parts test then put it back on the shelf. To summarise, change the component out prior to failure and accept its not the cheapest way to maintain your vehicle, but you have piece of mind your getting the highest reliability you're going to get out of it. For example I've pretty much moved now to changing my water pump belt at every service. It's cheaper and more reliable for me to do so in the long run.

So my thoughts... You don't need spares for these items. You just do preventative maintenance. If you've got doubts on either/any component you change it out prior to any sustained trip. The chance of an alternator or started failing under normal conditions will be minimal. Slightly higher if your dunking in water or hi dust environment. My experience with starters is that they do give warning of a failure in one way or another never have I had one just stop one day without warning.

Just rounding up a few of my threads, the temp gauge seems to have settled after the recent work on the head, I checked the connections and all looked fine, I did have a new sender in reserve if I needed it but seems not. Fyi, I've done quite a bit of work on the earth circuit on this truck now, due to the madman instrument upgrade it has a direct earth to the head as part of that loom, I think there's just the front wings now that don't have a direct earth cable back to the battery, for the rest of the tub I've mostly done away with body earthing and just wired it back to my secondary fuse box, after I replaced the tub floor.

To close this out. I put the thing back together with new tensioner and crank shaft pulley, I did this a few times changing the tensioner to see how the belt ran, I also played around with the bracket on the fuel injection pump to see if the timing belt ran any truer, nothing I did effected how the belt ran on the pulleys, so I just buttoned it back up, put a new damper pulley on also, this was a britpart supply - i was a bit nervous about using britpart so i checked all the key dimensions against the original damper and it looked spot on, so i just used it. The noise i had has gone away it feels like she's pulling well. Fingers crossed it stays like it.

Is there anyway you can measure the thread dimensions at all of the sender you have?

hmm which just makes you bankcrupt...

Your truck sounds quite cool, post up a picture. Have a look at PRC2506 this could be helpful? It doesn't seem too expensive and looks to be in stock at verious place, it could be worth a go.

I've galvanised 3 front ones I think now, do it, either cover the threaded bits or put old bolts/nuts in on holes to protect the threads.

This is what I have been using from left to right 1.4, 1.3, 1.2 ratios. (from ashcrofts website) I've since calibrated my rev meter and its near as damit the going as table first left which is good.

Thanks for the update, I bet that wasn't so cheap?

True as standard they're usually a smaller diameter. I'm running standard 235,85r16 which comes out as 31.7" diameter.

No I hadn't seen it, thanks for the post. Actually the op's argument is similar to mine according to the ashcroft calculator I'm a little high on revs when in 5th etc. Annoyingly it doesn't actually close out what the guy went with. I've got a rev counter, I'll calibrate it up and see if I can get some real time numbers to compare with the ashcroft tables. Whats always puzzled me is that you never hear of Discovery drivers complaining of there gearing using the 1.2 transfer box - I did a check on the calculator and the D1 gearboxes certainly for the 200tdi where the same as Defender.

Defender 200tdi, R380 (300tdi- 22D)

So next on my "fix" list is the Transfer box on my 90. - its suffered over the years with condensation damage to the gears, and now the case is leaking quite badly from the usual places. So was going to get a nice sorted one from Ashcroft. - now I've got the engine sorted, I've always felt my truck was over geared e.g. in a 30mph zone 3rd gear feels to high and 4th isn’t quite enough unless its dead flat. I had a play with an overdrive a few years ago and it didn’t get on well in the end, decent when it worked, but after the experience I really can't be bothered with the additional complexity of any overdrive. So after Ashcroft released the new 1.301 gearset I thought that could be a really tidy compromise - I don’t do a lot of towing (on the odd occasion). I've been playing with the Ratio calculator and on paper it looks half way house between a 1.2 and a 1.4 (quite obviously) - but I'm intrested to know how it feels in real life. Did a few searches and didn’t find any real experience feedback from owners, is anyone running a 1.301 box they can comment on? Cheers Mav

No, 300tdi is different.

The door close had become somewhat "tinny" but with the bracket it sounds much more solid when shutting the door now.

Came across this nifty thing on ebay the other day, the door frame on the tub had cracked at the nose of the latch spacer, this thing distributes the load a bit better apparently, easy to fit and works a treat. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-DEFENDER-DOOR-STRIKER-CATCH-SPACER-B-C-POST-REPAIR-KIT-not-security-/294847987923?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

We got the name wrong, it's a slick shift. - just makes the gearstick "throw" slightly less- doesn't really allow faster gearshift as that's down to the health of your syncromesh! https://www.onlinegearboxparts.com/product/defender-lt77-slickshift/

I've got a stumpy too, great box, also put the syncro short shift on it too, it's a nice conversion.

For information, I've got a genuine LR tensioner ERR2530 and one supplied by Lemforder. They appear to be identical bar the Lemforder one doesnt have the LR part number stamped on it. In my opinion these come from the same place. Land Rover Defender & Disco 1 (200TDI) Timing Belt Tensioner - ERR2530 LEMFORDER | eBay

Maybe not what you want to hear, but 9 year old tyre and its cracking, not a massive suprise, its rubber which ages. Yes you can increase the age by altering the storage conditions but that will ony slow the effect. My tyres never get to that age mainly due to they wear out before they crack. There's a reason why commercial vehicle rules state tyres should be no older that 5 years old. What is your expectation of tyre life? The example you gave above (Photo) the person had the tyres for 2 years and they had cracked - yes I'd say this was a problem, but not after 9 years of life and 6 years on "the road". Mav

Yeah there's a bit more to a Td5 crank damper. Considering the bit thats squidged out the side has cracked I suspect the bonded internal section isnt as flexible as it once was, unless its a dire fit (it is Britpart) then I'll swap it for the new one, can't hurt it.... (famous last words).

I remember reading verious posts over the years of noises from the pulley but I think thats mainly due to it being loose at the nut rather than the damper rubber. I now dont belive this was actually causing the noise, but after seeing the perished rubber parts I have orderd a new damper, dont know the manufacturer of it yet.

I've removed plenty of 300tdi's from discovery's but never a Defender, what I usually do it drop the PAS box off the chassis rail so it dips out the way, you dont have to fully remove it, then you have to use a pry bar to gently bend out the engine mount protector tangs just a wee bit, then you lift the engine as high as you can pop the mounts out then lower and extract. - on a disco you need to get it a bit lower to be able to undo the bellhousing bolts on the top.

Hey Anderzander, this is the belt i installed in November during the engine rebuild... I've kinda migrated this new issue to my build thread, firefighting to many issues just now, not sure what I've done to deserve it!