Paul64

After the weeks of procrastinating over which muddy tyres to buy, I eventually went for BFG 265/85. The rear b**gers rub though against the retainer holding the spring when off road and articulating. The front ones rub too. I adjusted the stops, but within days they were rubbing again. Oh, but that maybe because the track rod got a bit bent I take it with the rear rub spacers are the only option? Cheers, Paul

I think I will have to go with the tube option. I will have to see what I can find in Transylvania. Just out of interest, do you remember what the inner diameter of the tube was? Cheers, Paul

Unfortunately I didn't roll over the rock but landed straight on it!

Thanks Diff. I will put that on my list of to do jobs well. I think I may offer a free holiday to someone to come over to supervise me while I sort all this out. If you know anyone good with the spanners please let me know. I was going to drive the LR back to the UK, but with the electrical problems I thought it better to fly! Cheers, Paul

Thanks, I will have to get one when I get back as too big and heavy for hand luggage, or I will try and get one couriered over, although after the trouble ex-eng had getting stuff to me maybe not. Thanks for the suggestions. Cheers, Paul

Thanks, I have just popped over to the UK for a few days, so will check the mounts out when I get back. I will also try the neutral stop. The LR has been full on ever since getting over to Transylvania, so it's not really a surprise these things are happening after a life on tarmac. Cheers, Paul

I had an interesting dilemma the other day. I was up front and negotiating trees down the side of a ravine and I attempted to straddle a rock as there was no way round it. I managed to clear my front axle but the track rod received a full on blow, which bent it into a wishbone shape. Both front wheels then pointed opposite to each other facing outward. I realised there was a problem as I could neither move forward or in reverse. The front end was jacked up, wheels off, track rod off, then the biggest of our group bent the rod against a tree into the most straight position that he could, then in reverse order everything was put back together. I was back in the mud in less than an hour. That evening we had a discussion about the pro's and cons of having a HD rod. The general view was that it was not a good idea as a rod is easier to bend back than having the mounts at each end ripped out. Any thoughts? Cheers, Paul

Hi, I put up a post several weeks ago about wipers coming on when main beam turned on. the general consensus was earthing problems. An auto electrician had it for a morning and put a new earthing strap on which seemed to fix the problem. However, three weeks later it started again but more dramatic. Same problem, but the headlights flicker, left indicator remains on and rear lights flicker too. Occasionally the problem continues even when I take the key out of the ignition. I have to take the wiper fuse out at the moment if not raining. I have checked all obvious wiring that I can see, and have seen no breaching in the insulation. Any ideas would be appreciated. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Could anybody give me some ideas on the following. Not everytime, but lets say every 4 to 5 times I turn the engine off I hear a horrible metallic clunking noise. Clunks once and that is it, but it doesn't sound very healthy. Any ideas would be appreciated. Cheers, Paul

Fantastic news! Cheers, Cip

Ian has been on the phone this morning to confirm that he has received the parts! Cheers, Cip. Regarding courier services Simon (I hope you don't mind me discussing it here?) I think a lot of this is down to the company and personalities involved. I have used courier companies before that have been fast and efficient. In this case my suspicions were raised as soon as the so called "courier" asked me to drive to a neighbouring town to pick the parcel up. Of course I refused and asked him to bring it to the destination address. He then started giving me a whole load of flannel about his Dacia having problems! As said he eventually got to me at 21.30. When you looked into the matter and the company said they had delivered several days before I received the parcel, I am almost convinced that they had delivered to a 3rd party to pass on to me. I hope you have pursued the matter as you should receive a discount in my opinion. Again thanks for your efforts to help me out. Cheers, Paul

Thanks Cip, Ian has been on the phone to tell me how much he appreciates the amount of effort you have put in to help him out and get him back on the road. I think we may have a new forum member when he returns to the UK. Thanks to everyone else for your comments and advice too.

Excellent response as always, thanks guys! Cip, could you PM me your mobile phone number. I will pass to Ian who can then call you direct to talk about belt sizes etc. Thanks to all Paul

Hi again, If anyone can help out could you PM me your phone number as Ian has no internet access. Cheers, Paul

Hi, A friend of mine (Ian Burgess) has broken down in Pascani, county of Iasi in Romania. He has a 300Tdi Disco and his water pump has gone. He has been recovered but he cannot get the parts anywhere local. He needs a new pump, drive belt and gasket. First of all I have tried the contacts I have over here but no luck regarding a 300Tdi, I can only locate a pump for a 200Tdi. Do any of the Romanian forum members have any ideas? Could any UK forum members get one out by courier ASAP? ian said he will cover costs by credit card or paypal. Also, how quick could one of the UK companies get it out? Thanks in advance Paul

Thanks guys for all your remarks. Much better understanding of it now. Cheers, Paul

I am trying to envisage how an anchor would hold in soft sand unless it had a head like a JCB bucket?

Thanks Tony. What sort of price am I looking at? I have never seen one being used, so trying to get my head around how it takes hold if you are setting it up on your own. Would you normally need a second person to guide it or apply some weight?

Hi, I had an interesting dilemma the other day. I was out on my own driving up a hill. There was a tractor in front of me pulling a log very slowly. I noted there were two tracks side by side reconnecting further up the hill, so I branched off in the hope of reaching the intersection first. I soon realised why there were two routes. The forester had obviously bypassed the mapped track as it was impassible and bogged with serious mud. However, visually it was deceiving as a dry crust had formed on the surface on a bend I was negotiating. So, I was soon up to the chassis in mud and going nowhere. Not even the ARB's could get me out. So I prepared the winch but soon realised there was no tree in reach (very unusual here!). I only had the option of a large tree stump. I felt very nervous about doing this as the stump looked quite old and I had no idea of the integrity of the roots. I did it in short slow movements watching for any movement in the stump. Luckily I got out without any drama, but it got me thinking. How safe is using a ground anchor? What if the ground you are using gives under strain when pulling? Cheers, Paul.

Thanks Ralph, All that preparation has really paid off. A big thanks to rejo as he put in a lot of hours to get me up and running. The funny thing is I spend more time off road here rather than on. On one of the recces myself and Marcus spent 10 hours bouncing around off road before reaching tarmac. In the UK you look forward to the weekends to get some off road time in, so it was funny to feel relieved to hit some asphalt! Cheers, Paul

Thanks James and ebdesignDEFENDER, We have been checking routes in Covasna, Harghita and Bacau counties. We even managed to cross through all 3 counties by forest and tracks only. There are literally hundreds of routes to explore. Many lead to dead ends but others go on for tens of miles along very little used tracks. Some have not been used in years and are blocked. With some work they could be reopened, but it is too much for the two of us. Any help would be appreciated. We are going to establish a more up to date database of what is available as everything we have found is dated. Here are a couple more photos from two days ago. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Myself and Marcus (1 horsepower!) have been deep in the Transylvanian forests and mountains for the past three days exploring tracks on oziexplorer using very old maps. Many of the tracks shown have not been used for years and are often blocked by fallen trees and or overgrown. We have opened a few up but there are so many we could do with a bit of help. If anyone is up for it, I can provide a summerhouse for accommodation? It is a lot of fun but hard work. We are also in bear and wolf country so the peace of mind of a second vehicle would be great as more often than not there is no phone signal. Marcus is still gutted that he is off the road, but will be working abroad on a contract soon and will then return to the UK to pick up a donor Disco. So for much of this season I will working alone. Therefore any help with this route mapping would be great.

This is frightening stuff Marcus. It's always in the back of my mind that if something big like this happens we really are out on a limb here so far from Land Rover specialists on every street corner. I was out with a film crew yesterday in the middle of absolutely nowhere, worst off road conditions I have ever experienced and bear tracks everywhere. The horrible thought of something giving way was constantly on my mind!

It is really good to hear from you Gresh. I often think about you and your family. Best wishes, Paul

Get an avatar and write up on the forum is another matter and a greater challenge! But if East West relations rely on it..... I will give it a go! I want that medal!