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Dave W

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Everything posted by Dave W

  1. Indeed, I use LS6 coils on mine which are driven from a 5v logic signal to each coil, when I was still using an RV8 everything was done on the cheap though so using what's there is always easiest and normally cheapest Depends who built it I guess re the VR circuit, I always built mine with everything, it takes so little extra time to do so, the components are supplied as part of the kit and, more importantly, I could repurpose an ECU for a different setup if needed. That said, nearly all my ECUs were built for personal use so more likely to get hacked about over time as I change my mind and try new stuff. The first ECU I built was running a 3.9, fuel only. Then I changed it to fuel and spark using EDIS. Then it was moved to SWMBOs 90 running a 3.9 V8 with LPG fuel and spark and then it finally ended up being reconfigured as a spare for my LS1/6 before being sold to someone who needed one for a setup with 4 coil drivers ! Not bad for a kit I bought off Bill 15 years ago
  2. I don’t regret the route I took, I learnt a lot and got good results right from the first print. I started with a Geeetech Prusa i3 Pro B. It’s 8mm acrylic but at around £180 for the kit, all the components are good quality, so much so that I bought a second kit to supply parts for my second printer. Acrylic frames don’t have the best reputation but the 8mm is pretty solid and has always worked well for me. You can get the Geeetech direct or via AliExpress or Amazon - AliExpress was the cheapest last time. Single extruder is fine and auto bed levelling is something best added yourself later.
  3. I have two printers, the first one is a Prusa clone from China that got me going and which I gradually upgraded, cost less than £200 originally and I've thrown another £200 at it in upgrades one the last couple of years. The second one is a CoreXY I built from scratch, based roughly on the Vulcanus Max design but with my own X carriage and a few other changes here and there. I used the Prusa to print all the plastic parts for the new printer and should really sell it now but you never know when 2 printers will be needed ! I print primarily in PETG as it's relatively easy to print, has similar temperature resistance to ABS but doesn't smell when printing ! For early prototypes I still use PLA for environmental reasons though. My CoreXY has the capability to print nylon but I haven't come across anything that I've needed to print in Nylon so not tried it yet. I did spec all metal hot ends though, just in case I ever need it ! I got mine primarily to print housings for my electronics projects but have used them to print all sorts since for the vehicles, the house and, of course, my electronics stuff. Even SWMBO admits that it's paid for itself ! I'm secretly collecting parts for a small Delta build at the moment, if I buy a few bits at a time it may go unnoticed by the financial director !
  4. I've done something similar for mine... what's he charging ? This is one "hot off the printer" so needs some finishing to tidy it up a bit yet.
  5. I've gone down a slightly different route, designing and printing an under dashboard vent that can be rotated to point towards the windows. Seems to help and also allows me to keep my feet warm by redirecting the passenger one when I'm on my own !
  6. At least you found the damage before running it ! The perceived drawback with using the original VR sensor is that you have to add coil drivers instead of using EDIS, either using the recommended drivers or one of the coil on plug, coil near plug (LSx style) or one of the various ignition coils that can be driven directly from 5v logic these days. Given that adding 4 coil drivers (BIP373) is simply a case of housing 4 components in a small waterproof metal box under the bonnet and they will then drive the original coils. The MS ECU supports the VR sensor natively so it can be configured to support whichever crank sensor setup your crank sensor uses. 4 drivers and a box to house them in runs to around £30, not sure what an 8 cylinder EDIS runs to these days. Some of the original installations mounted the drivers in the lid of the MS ECU which caused horrendous problems with interference from the drivers upsetting the ECU so it got a bit of a bad name. Once people realised that the drivers were better mounted near the coil(s) and not in the ECU box most of the problems went away. They also used the original VB921 driver which was prone to failure if you do didn't get the dwell settings and so on right but they were replaced with the BIP373 a few years ago which is designed to do the job so pretty much impervious to the problems the VB921 had. Anyway, now you have the classic 36-1 wheel and VR sensor mounted it'll do the job just as well and gives you the option to use EDIS.
  7. 1) If the pump you have is an external one then you could get a tank unit from a 300TDi Disco, it has the same connector as a TD5 but just has a simple pickup pipe (with a sprung extension thing to ensure it reaches the bottom of the tank) and a return pipe. A straight swap for the TD5 pump unit. Alternatively, just take the pump unit out of the Disco II as that will also fit. 2) It will need a fair bit of messing about with to get it to work as the pipes are all in the wrong place and, depending on age, it may well have extra pipes that you will need to block up. You'd be better off going for a new V8 radiator, if only for peace of mind. Like auto boxes, RV8s don't like being run hot. 3) TD5 mounts are a real oddball, the best solution is to carefully cut the mounts of the donor Disco chassis and weld them onto your chassis IMV. Either that or source some V8 chassis brackets, either way the TD5 mounts will have to go off your chassis. 4) Ashcrofts supply a Disco II oil cooler and pipework, if your DII uses a smaller cooler than the one Ashcroft supply then it'd be worth doing but I would check part numbers as you may find you're paying for something that's the same as you have ! 5) I like to run twin electric fans controlled by the MS ECU. I use a relay for each, a fuse for each and have a switch on the dash that allows me to turn them on manually, overriding the MS ECU. A real can of worms though and you won't find a definitive answer on the viscous vs electric debate ! BTW, too late now really but for future info, the Disco II engine has a built in crank sensor (VR sensor and missing tooth system) that's almost identical to the one you're bolting on the front of your engine.
  8. You see, you're generalising again, you have no idea who my instructors were or who my examiner was but you feel free to sit yourself on a pedestal. Are you seriously suggesting that when you passed your test you had nothing more to learn about driving on the UK roads and, presumably, have therefore learnt nothing since ? That would be, to me, a depressing state of affairs, a bit like passing a maths exam and being told, that's it, you now know everything about maths you can ever learn. Maybe my examiner was just being honest so that I wouldn't walk away from the exam feeling like I knew everything. I have no idea what a 75 seat Bristol is, I'm guessing it's a bus of some sort rather than a plane ?
  9. That's always been the case, didn't your driving examiner say something like "congratulations, you've passed, now you can learn how to drive" ? Mine did and that was over 30 years ago so not sure when you took your test if you think it was ever any different.
  10. It is definitely worse in the Defenders than my other cars. People seem to assume you're going slower than you are, not sure if it's down to an assumption that you're going to be travelling slowly or if it's something to do with the design of the front end - like how twin headlight motorbikes and quads are more likely to be in an accident at night because the headlight spacing makes them look much further away than they actually are. Just like my motorbike days, I just assume people are going to pull out unless their body language says otherwise and prepare accordingly. As for driving standards, I think some people like to find fault and assume things are getting worse when the reality is that nothing really changes. Commuting into Leeds on a motorbike through sun, wind, rain and snow 40 years ago, trust me there were just as many morons on the road then as there are now.
  11. I have a 2007 Range Rover (V8 Diesel, auto) and have had a strange issue recently and wondering if anybody with a similar age vehicle could help, say 2005-2008 date range ? The main set of keys for the RR got put in the washing machine and went through a full wash cycle, strangely this stopped them working ! The second key would unlock the vehicle and start it with the key but the remote wouldn't work. The "washed" key would open the doors but wouldn't unlock the ignition 9eventually that did start working again). We tried charging the second key while using it to drive around but no matter what we tried the remote wouldn't sync to the vehicle so we figured the battery must be dead after sitting in a drawer for a few years. We ordered a new key from LR using the VIN and our local independent added the key code to the RR using his test book BUT, the new remote wouldn't sync to the vehicle either. We tried driving for an hour with the new key in case it was supplied with a flat battery but, nothing doing. Much scratching of heads and calls to various experts and nobody could come up with a solution or figure out why a brand new key would refuse to sync. We had, by this time 3 keys that would operate the vehicle: #1 Originally worked fine but since going through the washing machine the remote stopped working although would now unlock the ignition after a couple of weeks to dry out. #2 The original second key, suspected flat battery after being unused for so long, wouldn't charge (or at least sync to the vehicle) #3 Brand new from LR wouldn't sync with the vehicle As there is no operation LED on the remote, I built a 433MHz receiver to test the fobs to see if they were transmitting, of the 3 only the brand new one was sending anything. I bought new batteries (and new cases) for the other 2 keys to see if I could resurrect them. Having replaced the battery in #2 key I put it on the test rig and.. nothing. This was odd as it used to work and hadn't been "washed" so should have worked with a new battery (old one only measured 2v and it's a 3v battery). Then I noticed a blip on my oscilloscope every time I pressed a button... as if there was some noise or cross talk from another channel. Which got me thinking and I double checked the markings on the original key fob cases and a photo I'd taken of the receiver in the vehicle and, lo and behold, 315MHz printed on them all except the new one from LR. Took the vehicle for a spin to charge up the battery in #2 and it sync'd first time but now I need a second, working, key ideally. LR insist my vehicle is 433MHz despite the fact that the date stamp on the receiver is 2007 (so presumably original) and both the original key fobs are genuine LR cases. #1 key is still not working even with a new battery so it's trip through the washing machine may prove to be fatal. So, could anyone with a similar age UK spec vehicle have a look at their key fobs (the writing behind the key blade when it pops out) and tell me what frequency it says and what year ? I'm trying to find out if older UK vehicles used 315 and mine was a "changeover" vehicle or if mine was built for export but then sold in the UK. It was definitely sold in the UK in 2007 so wasn't a Japanese import or anything as I have FSH and original sales documentation for it. The VIN must be correct because the key blade LR supplied works in all the locks.
  12. I don't think anyone is acting as admin on that group, I've been waiting to be accepted for a few months.
  13. They had a web site redesign and couldn't fix the problems with the forum login with the new site because the web developers were incompetent. At some point they then decided they couldn't be arsed to fix it and closed down the forum as an easy option. It's a shame but I suspect it was always a bit of a double edged sword, on the plus side they had an active community of off road competitors regularly visiting their site that they could sell to, on the down side they would get a bit of stick on there regarding some of their products and prices. I still buy stuff from them but only very occasionally now as, their site is no longer one I visit regularly so when I need parts I just go for the cheapest, which is rarely D44 ! i think I've placed one small order with them in the last couple of years.
  14. In before it gets deleted Mines not all that interested in working on cars but he's good at holding the ladder for me. He also likes to navigate for me at club trials...
  15. I have one available if you want to make me an offer... no idea if it's an original Warn item or it's been extended, if it's been extended they've done a good job on it ! It was already on my winch when I bought it and I replaced it with a freespool. Picture of the drum next to a standard one...
  16. There have been a few models over the years that came with a "roll cage" although most/all of them wouldn't meet motorsport requirements. The earliest one I can think of was the NAS, others include the Defender Black, Tomb Raider and I think the 50th Anniversary version had one too. Then there's the military vehicles that had roll over hoops. Technically, I believe you could claim that anything produced by Land Rover Special Vehicles is factory fit so perhaps even camel trophy Defenders could be included in the list.
  17. They do but some of them have a heater element in the cover to keep them clear of ice and snow.
  18. It's daft to look at a small part of the tax burden on motorists. VED is a fixed charge that you pay annually regardless of mileage. In addition to VED motorists pay tax on lots of other things too, huge taxes on fuel, tax on insurance, tax on services and parts, tax on people going over the speed limit, tax for using some roads and so on. VED is often a very small part of the overall tax burden and it's always odd to hear someone suggesting we should "get rid of VED and put the tax on fuel" given that we already pay nearly 60p per litre in tax PLUS we get charged 20% on top of that and the "untaxed" portion too. So in round figures, if you pay £1.20 for a litre of fuel (including VAT), 80p of that is going to the government as tax. Yet, still people suggest we should get rid of VED and add more onto fuel... like paying 66% tax on fuel isn't enough already.
  19. If it were true, which I doubt, it would show just how little Land Rover understand about the "Defender" market although I guess a bobtailed RRS is about as innovative as the current JLR design team can get these days when VELAR (V Eight LAnd Rover) can be applied to a sub model without anyone at JLR thinking "hold on, aren't we devaluing our own history". The new Defender is actually going to be a trim level for a Discovery 5, the new "Discovery 5 Defender" with round tail lights as a tribute to their past and rubberised carpets throughout.
  20. I think you're giving too much credit to the Thor system, it simply has a regulator in the tank as part of the pump assembly, there's nothing special about it and can be used as is although, presumably as a result of the regulator, replacement pumps are outlandishly expensive. My guess is that they did it that way to save a few quid on pipework but then I'm a cynic... Regarding your design, the two reservations I would have are: 1) Purging air from your design will require the air being passed through the injectors, possibly leading to a lot of cranking being required to purge the air. 2) Heat soak might be an issue given that you have a dead end rather than a flowing circuit. That being said, the Thor system has a similar setup to your second option and it seems to work OK so should be fine, the schrader valve on the end of the fuel rail allows you to bleed off some air if needed (fuel pressure measuring point) although I've never needed to do it.
  21. More likely a bad or disconnected earth cable. The handbrake cable is an "alternative" earth path between the body and engine and, being a relatively small cable (compared to a battery cable) it can get very hot with the current running through it. Normally it causes sluggish starter motor turning and will get very hot as you start the vehicle but it really depends on which earth(s) are missing.
  22. Locking wheel nuts...you normally only have 4 per wheel of the normal ones and one locking one which you buy as a set of 4 or 5.
  23. Due to circumstances outside our control, this event has now been postponed by 2 weeks and will now run on the 29th October and not the 15th. Apologies for the last minute change, any booked competitors who can't make the new date will be refunded in full. If an admin can alter the date on the original post, that'd be handy
  24. Twice a year we run a challenge event that aims to bring challenge back towards where it started - road legal vehicles, possibly equipped with a winch and a crew doing their best to navigate, cope with whatever terrain they come across and complete special tasks along the way. The event will consist of over 20 orienteering punches that will be graded into three categories according to their difficulty. Similarly, entries will be divided into three classes based on the vehicle's capabilities and competitors will only be allowed to attempt punches at or below their vehicle class. The status of this event means that all drivers will need to hold an MSA license (None Race Clubmans) . For those who do not already have a license, please bring a completed form to signing on. We will have some forms available although it's easier and saves time if you can bring them with you. Navigators need only a club membership card unless the crew intend to swap drivers. The three vehicle classes will be as follows: Class 1 is for vehicles not fitted with a winch, essentially our normal trials vehicles class. Class 2 are vehicles fitted with a single winch. Class 3 are vehicles with more than one winch and will also require basic rollover protection. More details and online booking are available on our web site... http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1 We can also be contacted via Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/groups/225303763669/ Or post here
  25. If you're looking for a nice looking switch to control all this, I can recommend the CBE step switch, designed to be used to raise and lower the access steps on a motorhome it takes a single 12v input and switches the output to the motor internally so you just need two wires in (12v) and two wires out to the motor and the switch does the rest. the wiring diagram that comes with it also has an allowance for end stop switches although I've never bothered using those in my case. The CBE stuff gives a nice finish to the interior with lots of different options regarding modules you can use with them and surround colours.
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