hattymender

Think what you've just 'invented' is known as a flash boiler in other circles. Mmmm, steam cleaning? Could be interesting.......

Done a search and didn't come up with anything so please don't flame me out if this has been discussed before......... Windscreen washers on a 110. Frozen for third morning this week. I've tried neat washer fluid and wrapping pipe around a hot hose but it's freezing at the nozzles so unless I give them a squirt every 100 yards they stop working. Anybody got a cure? (and I'm too old to move to Australia before that's suggested)

Daughter's boyfriend lost his '03 Fiesta on ice before Christmas and hit kerb. £400 for new tyre, steering rack, etc. So after berating him for being young and foolish "you youngsters don't know how to drive in snow, blah, blah, pontificate" I gave him lift to work next day. And hit same kerb. Cost? One (very) damaged ego.

Yes it is time you got some and you're welcome to it! I've just perfected "the V8 pirouette". Twice. In a 110. 4 wheel drive only works if friction is available, otherwise you're just two tons of inertia. Take care and slow down. And don't go looking for trouble, if you get it anything like us it'll find you without looking.

For many a moon I ran with a Mondeo fan(£5 from scrappies) manually controlled with a switch & relay. Fan was 'scientifically' attached to radiator with a couple of brackets and a lot of tie wraps. Only issue I noted was cruising in hot weather, it ran a little hot due to fan shroud covering about half radiator. Lot more room to play under bonnet when standard fan and shrouding removed.

Ooo no. 12V not enough, would probably just wound her, then she'd get angry.......... Still limping from last time.

To let it warm properly before driving off like Quasimodo peering through half moon defrosted bit. Fix gearbox leaks (Maybe) Wash it (Unlikely but you never know) Clear out all the cr@p from behind the seats. (been making that for last 5 years)

Another weak spot in my 'Labrador proof' 110 identified. One of them has killed the heated rear window element (normally they confine themselves to covering the window with snot but they got impatient to play in snow). To be honest it 80% of it hasn't been working for some time but a good scratching followed by chewing off the + lug has seen off the last working bits. Is a repair practical? I could solder a lug back on but elements have been broken. Has anybody had any success with those conductive glue repairs?

Some word of caution; If you (like me) are a short a@se it can make parking interesting. Water collects in the wheel. And then comes out in surprising quantities when you hit a bump. Cats sleep in the well (nice, n warm) and jump out when you start engine. (Gets heart going in morning) Opening bonnet becomes exercise in weight lifting. Some strange aerodynamic effect caused by wheel makes the washers always squirt on nearside but never drivers. Doesn't matter which way winds blowing. But I still think it's better than door mounting. Now somewhere in my emporium of "old useless junk that might come in handy one day" I have a military mounting going begging if you're interested.

Inspired by this (and the fact that it's cheap) I've had a go. The good news. It does appear to reduce, or eliminate, condensation. The bad news. It looks easy. It isn't. It requires some skill, think wall papering ceiling. A skill I don't have. Also I have a dog guard and lights inside to add complication. About half way through the pantomime a crowd of little Herbert's had gathered by the back door; "what's he doing?" "dunno. making himself into a snowman?" "Naa, he's got rabies". (dried PVA on fingers) She Who Knows Everything had to come out and help. What she didn't know was that I was using one of her best paint brushes to apply the PVA. After dispersing the crowd with a withering look, slapping me one for using her brush she got it finished in about 10 minutes. Damn, she'll be insufferable for rest of week now..................

Been there, done that. It's possible. Not nice but possible. The wheel arch. Lots of button fasteners with a plastic peg up middle. Give them a tap with a very thin drift, pop rivet shanks are good. You'll be able to save 90% of the buttons but 90% of the center pegs will disappear. Again, pop rivet shanks are quite good as temporary replacement. Seem to remember there's also a screw at bottom near bulkhead. You'll not take it alive, you could try but it'd save time just to set about it with angle grinder and carefully take head off.

I had wandering syndrome. Especially noticable in strong side winds or passing a lorry (or more likely, him passing me). Got a big lever and gave all the joints a pry without obvious results. Also checked steering joints for play. For no good reason (shouldn't cause wandering) I had a look at tracking. Eeek! About 5mm toe out. Should be = up to 1.5mm. A (not very) happy afternoon spent beating rod ends into submission, 1/2 an hour setting up tracking. And the wandering's stopped. Can only think it was pulling or putting load on the bushes.

Probably what I've done is what I've not done (eh?). Run it enough on petrol. Float needles look ok, wonder if they've varnished? I'll out them. And fix the standard filter. And check the air filter. And check everything again. And if that doesn't work it'll get a (Basil Fawlty style) damn good thrashing. PS. When it was a 2.5 it had a restrictor in the fuel inlet. V8s don't have these do they? Cos mine doesn't.

Pistons fine. Got oil in as per book (runs fine on gas) Return pipe clear. Fuel filter? One of my suspects. Got a leak on the outrigger mounted filter/pipe some time ago, replaced with non standard inline filter. But it's run fine with this before now. Tank venting? Should be, but it plays up immidiately not enough time to pressurise/air lock? Pump? Standard 'in tank'. Do they get out of sync and over pressure?

V8 on SUs. Running 90% of time on LPG. Getting grumpy to start now mornings are cooler but it's started flooding on petrol. On both carbs. Choke checked. Still does it. Carbs off (what a pig the rear lower nuts are!), floats and needles checked, floats re-set as per manual. Still does it. Return lines off and blown through with compressor. Little restrictor cleaned. Still does it. Now I'm stuck. Suggestions?

After a visit to a local scrappy today I'm now £5 lighter but the proud owner of oil pressure and temperature gauges and senders. I'm planning to fit them at the next oil/filter change. The pressure sender looks to be high on the pump body, so not too much oil lost? But the temperature sender is at the bottom. So all oil lost and need to prime?

Don't feel bad. Been there, done it. Will do it again......... I'd go for the 'start from the basics and get it right' approach (any who know me will be laughing at the hypocrisy now). Get it to TDC. Then align with No.1 This is tricky as the helix of the drive will twist the dizzy as you insert. Check leads, it's easy to muddle them And you'll need to get oil pump drive aligned, not hard but you'll need something to turn it. I bashed the end of some copper pipe to make a tool to turn it. And it should fire. Possibly. They're very tolerant, you can be 20 degrees out and it'll try. Then time it up with strobe. Easy! (Only took me 2 days last time I did it 'cos I ignored all of the above and got it 180 degrees out).

I've tried the welding option several times with plugs, studs etc. At risk of telling you something you already know my experience is that it's tricky. There's a lot of metal and a big heat sink around the gear box plug. And much of that heat sink is aluminium? The first trick is sizing the nut. Biggest you can that gives enough landing to weld. The you've got to figure some way of holding it in place while you get a tack on. Socket extension bar on trolley jack works for me. Now the controversial bit (others may not agree): Don't pussy foot around with the amps. Give it loads and concentrate weld on plug (as if you're welding thin metal to thick), it's easy to con yourself that you have weld but there's no penetration because of the heatsink. But only go in short bursts to avoid overheating (melting) the box casting. Also it's easy to build so much weld on nut that you can't get socket on securely. A few good tacks should suffice, no need to go for full weld. The heave ho with socket. 9 times out of 10 if the weld is good the plug will come out with surprising ease (possibly the heat?). If the weld isn't good the nut simply snaps off the plug as clean as a whistle, and you bash your knuckles. As me how I know

Plastic cladding, bought at car boot sale. (Near) colour match with Bronze Green was just fluke. Aluminum edging from a mate. Pop riveted together. Took very little cladding, possibly 'cos of the cut out for LPG tank cover and window so I've started to make a floor (or roof?) between wheel arches for storage with remainder. Mesh window was sized by sitting in drivers seat and figuring out extent of vision through mirror. Window mesh made from old guard, hinged for access/hitting/feeding etc. Entire thing on chute bolts/pins so that it can come out for cleaning or long loads.

Keith, you've got a nice, warm garage that I'm totally envious of. Why do you want to go fooling about welding outside?

New one it is then. As I've got nothing to loose I'm going to give it a belt with an impact driver, make me feel better spending £20 if I know it's 'good and broken'

Door transplant time and I've got a stuck screw, the one nearest the button. I got lucky on the passenger door, handle in good condition so just swapped lock. Driver's door handle bust on donor so want to rob off my current door. Except it's stuck (was also stuck on donor, just drilled it out). Checked the passenger door(s) and they're stuck. Curiously the other screw was free on all the handles. Looks like a threaded insert in the plastic so heats not an option. Soaking in plus gas doesn't seem to be working. Belting it one with an impact driver not an option with plastic handle. Suggestions? (before I do something drastic, like buy a new one)

Labradors. Wife breeds them. And there's a Border Terrier in there somewhere. She's the worst, out fight, eat or destroy anything. Normally very placid but Land Rover = walkies (or swimmies, etc.) so great excitement and must chew something. Thus far they've managed: 2 Pairs of wellies (left foot off each, pulled through mesh. My fault, I use top of LPG tank as shelf) Couple of pound of sausages (pulled through mesh) That got me cross, I was looking forward to them. Rear wiper wiring harness. Now in armored sleeving, bit like (well exactly like 'cos it is) shower sleeving. Rear door card. Now ally. A fold up seat. (current rear seat is the middle one out of front on fold up frame, now detachable so it comes out when they're in) In past they've also had: Fiesta wiring harness. Entire rear seat of an Uno. Nissan Serena seat belts. Fortunately they were all old run abouts bought specifically for running the dogs about. It's a battle of whits, and they're winning!

Been busy and I'm rather pleased with the results. One 'chew my welly's through this if you can now' dog guard. The worry is that I was actually making a bar to check my tracking.............. Sorry about the picture quality. I'm carp with a camera, serves me right for being so smug about the guard.

That's the one! Many thanks! Anybody got some string?...................