edwardatherton

I am getting closer to taking the plunge and starting to fit megajolt to the S1. I was wondering if anyone else was thinking of buying a kit from the US, because shipping is only £2.15 more for two than one!

I have a couple of litres of nitro fuel left from when I had a radio-controlled truck. Do I use it to kill the weeds on the patio, or could I pop it into the fuel tank and run the 2.5 petrol on it for a mile or two? What might hapen to the engine, if anything?!

I am fitting a capillary gauge. It is the genuine Land Rover dual gauge complete with all parts in an unopened box from 1964! I thought I had better use it rather than leave it on the shelf. However, the water temp transmitter thread wouldn't fit the 2.5 head or the two 2.25 heads I had in the garage. Engineering shop down the road sorted that out for me. The oil pressure bit comes with a banjo/extension as per Western's drawings, but the thread is the coarser type as used on the 2.25 oil pressure switch. I thought if I could find an adaptor to go between the block (10x1mm) and the 'extension' piece (3/8 BSF as per earlier oil pressure switches?) it would all then go together. How come some places sell the same switch for all 2.25/2.5 engines. It definitely is different! Not only the thread, but there is an 'extension' on the later 2.5 switch to clear the filter housing (see next sentence). By the way western, how did you go fitting the banjo bit? There is a sort of collar so the thread is slightly recessed on my block and it didn't look as if the fitting would screw in without tha banjo fouling the edge...

Paddocks list the same switch - PRC6387 - for the 300TDi as well.

Does anyone know what thread the oil pressure switch is please? It is part number PRC6387 and is a much finer thread than the earlier (but almost same-looking) switch for the 2.25 engine. Thanks in advance...!

Have you checked the accelerator pump in the carb?

I used the "horrible plastic tie things" to secure it and have not had a problem. They do pull the fins together at the back a little, but it doesn't seem to have damaged anything. I have got rid of the Kenlowe thermostat unit after it failed and the engine boiled up. Didn't damage anything but can't have been good for it! I now have an x-fan switch which was an absolute sod to fit the hose onto, but is neater and hopefully more reliable!

Dad snapped the one in the 2A setting off downhill from the end of the drive - this was after going across the car park, along the drive, and over a speed bump...

Mmm, this is more complicated than I thought... The gauge is only reading 30 amps because that is all it can read - the scale only goes to + or - 30 amps. When the battery is flat (running the fridge overnight for example), the alternator tries to charge at max charge (in this case about 45 amps). When this happens, the ammeter needle sticks at the top of the scale until either the revs drop (and sometimes it needs a tap as well), or the battery charges up. Obviously, having a pinned gauge cannot be good for the gauge internals, so how do I stop it doing this? Is there a 45-amp (or higher?) gauge that I could substitute for the one in the dash (Series One 88")? Would a second ammeter plumbed into the second battery work, or would both read the same?

The ammeter is already there in the dash, so I might as well use it. The split charge is running two batteries because we go camping quite a lot - it powers the fridge etc, and for winter driving I power the heated seats from the second battery in case I forget to unplug them overnight!

I have a 45-amp alternator and twin batteries running through a split-charge relay. The ammeter only reads to 30 amps, so what can I do with the extra 15 amps...? Could I put a second ammeter for the second battery (although it would still be possible to read too high on one or both gauges), or can someone tell me something about wiring in a shunt (how?)?

We ended up using spacers to mount the exhaust so that it fitted properly. After an engine change, new carpet, new exhaust, recon alternator and new fuel pump it passed the MOT today! I get an extra half an hour in bed now that I don't have to take her to the bus stop every morning!!!

Yes they are, but some of the exhausts are really badly made and when you do up the bolts it puts a lot of strain on the exhaust elbows - this has led to a few stripped threads in the alloy head before. I've tried 'persuading' it to fit better without much success! Talking to a friend earlier, he said that his wartime Jeep has a flexi section below the manifold, so why not do that on the Fiat...?

Is there any reason why I couldn't use a piece of flexi exhaust as a permanent section? It isn't for the S1, it is actually for my wife's Fiat 500 - those tiny engine practically shake themselves to bits, so I thought using flexi exhaust may reduce some of the vibrations carried through the system...

I tried it this morning and it's so much better. I still need to warm it up then sort out the mixture and idling speed but at least it starts and runs on petrol! Thanks everyone. I'm getting there slowly - hopefully have a test drive this weekend!

Found a little rubber washer thing that had fallen into the float chamber when I pulled the sliding bit of the solenoid out! Put it back together properly and it also clicks happily now, so I just need to test it - unfortunately I ran out of time before I had to set off for work.

Thanks everyone! I had wired them up like that, but it doesn't idle properly on petrol - it 'hunts' at a fast idling speed. I took them both out and cleaned them - both were slightly gunky. The one by the carb vacuum port now works happily with a click, but the one by the fuel inlet doesn't. It's as if the spring isn't returning it. I have downloaded a Def manual, but the exploded diagram shows a carb with only one solenoid - I assume this was the earlier type, does anyone know the part number for the later type please?

What do the two solenoids do on the side of the Weber twin-choke carb actually do? Do they both need an ignition-switched power supply so that they are energised when the engine is running?

Thanks for that. I will have another go with the timing light later!

I have just put a 2.5 petrol into my 88" S1, and now have to set up/check the timing, fuel etc etc. Anyway, the other day I twisted the dizzy until it was idling at it's highest, but it wouldn't rev up - it started coughing and spluttering. Nearly killing myself with the fumes in the garage I left it! This morning I put the timing light on, and the timing was way too advanced at idle. I set it back to TDC and the revs dropped right back and it doesn't sound as happy... I thought the idea was to get the highest revs at idle and let the dizzy do the rest? BTW - I have still to set up the fuel (LPG then petrol) so that may be having an effect.

Because I cut 6" off the vertical section at the manifold, and had the 1.5" inserted in the horizontal bit under the crossmember as the 2.5 manifold outlet is further forward...

Due to my incredibly tight wallet, I wanted to use parts that are cheap, but also easily available. I have a new 2.25 Series exhaust system in the roof of the garage gathering dust, and a stainless front pipe as well. Someone I know is running a 2.25 exhaust on a 2.5 without problems. I had to buy a Def front pipe and chop off the first 6" so it would mate to the manifold (2.5 with twin-choke Weber). I then had it lengthened by 1.5" and all welded back up again. The middle and rear pipes are standard 2.25 type.

I have just fitted a 2.5 petrol into the engine bay of the 88" S1, but don't know which ehxaust system I need... Standard Series 2.25, or Defender (and if so, what year)?

No, afraid it isn't. A vehicle can only tow one trailer at a time. There are exceptions - like tractors, but it is more trouble than it is worth to make a LR meet these regs.

I would assume so, because the wheels are inside the wheelarches, therefore the track will be slightly narrower than the width of the body tub. How would you lift it in though?