Howitzer

Not measured the inlet and outlet no, but the symptoms are exactly the same as when I didn't set the chargecooler on the testbeds right, your power drops off as the boost temp rises. The fact it happily maintains the speed for a few hundred metres and then tails off until you are nearly flat to the floor. It could be pump related but imo it's heat soak. Dave!

I did the pump tweak, set the boost to 10PSI and get no full throttle smoke and managed to run to the governor in top. I've not felt that it needed more power to be honest and it managed fine towing a combined total of about 4.5 to 5 tons. I realise this is incredibly dull mind you I wonder what the heat soak issues are like on them as the standard 200tdi intercooler is absolutely hopeless. My only gripe with the engine itself. When towing on long hills it will maintain speed (The long rise on the A1M to the A14) for a short while and then despite being an even gradient, will slowly start to struggle when keeping it in 5th. I also haven't noticed much difference in performance since fitting the rad muff (Only covered a few hundred miles mind you) when it is effectively blocking the intercooler off completely, so it turns into a pressure vessel more than a heat exchanger. I'm sure Perkins had one on the testbed out of a 200tdi Auto Discovery so i'll see if I can find out anything about what they did with the test results. When I re-fitted the 200tdi later on in life the large full width and height intercooler was far far too big for it and the response was hateful, like the propshafts were made of rubber. Dave!

Mine dropped to £270 FC with me and my fiance on as named drivers. That includes the modifications which to be fair are only slight. I'm 29, was banned in 2007 and have 3 points I still have to declare. That's with Adrian Flux and also incldes off road breakdown cover up to £2500, which is handy if I break something when out laning. I've not had to claim from them yet mind you. Dave!

I fitted a larger capacity transfer case with fins on, a cast aluminium item from Roverdrive. This was after putting it into low range after a very long motorway drive with a trailer on and the transfer box lever was hot to touch. I couldn't say how effective it was as i've not done any strenuous jobs with it since fitting. Dave!

I only have experience of the LT77 but what will regulate how much oil is inside the gearbox? If your oil cooler rad is higher than the fill plug on the gearbox would this not mean you will have too much oil in the box ? If you filled the gearbox in the standard way (Presuming you do it the same way as the LT77) then when you start the engine your gearbox will be low on fluid as most of it is in the radiator? Or when you stop the car with the gearbox hot, the stat will be open and the oil will drain back into the gearbox overfilling it and until the stat opens again the box will be overfilled and running. Dave!

The screw on type which fits between the oil filter and housing are fantastic. We called them Modene coolers at work and you could get different thickness ones. They had them on some Peugeots and Montegos etc. Dave!

The biggest difference i've found with brakes is the quality of the disc and the bedding in procedre, which most people don't do. I fitted a Genuine pair of front discs from the dealers and bedded them in with new pads and the difference was night and day. I went through 5 high heat cycles and then ever since they have been fantastic. No fancy pads or discs needed. Drive at 70mph, do a hard stop till just rolling and then drive for a few more minutes, letting the brakes cool. DO this 5 times and you will notice a marked difference in how they work. It was reccomended to me on my old Merc quite a few years ago and i've done it ever since, even my other half notices and she is more of an A to B not fussed about the car kind of person. Dave!

Mine has a similar hole I think, along with the one I presume was for the wiring for the winch it must have once had, it has a cut off switch behind the drivers door aswell. Dave!

I've started a few things up by hand, an old perkins generator being the hardest. I like how it is pretty much a foolproof way of starting if you have the strength to get it moving. It also appeals to the caveman in me due to the simplicity of it. After our trip I think it will be a nice mini project. Dave!

Just to find a way of safel;y connecting a starting handle and this could be a nice little addition, making it even less reliant on electricity. Dave!

So now the thinking is, is there a straight run through the front panel to the crank pulley? I'm not near mine at the minute but think the pulley is lower than the radiator? Dave!

I wanted a 200tdi as from information gathered on various forums it is a bit more resiliant to damage from overheating. Personally I think the best vehicle is a standard one mechanically which left the factory that way, easier to get parts for and designed like that from the start. Considering how old the tdi Defenders are though then buy on condition. Mine had known issues when I bought it but I preferred that than to ones caked in waxoyl and with random add ons when I couldn't tell how well they had been fitted. Dave!

Hi all, I was idly thinking if there is a kit to make a 200tdi Defender able to use a starting handle? I have a hole in my lower front panel which was initially for winch cables it has had in the past but it looked initially like the hole for a styarting handle. So, has anybody done this or seen a tdi engine with a starting handle? From what I understand, it's just a 1 way coupling onto the crankshaft pulley bolt on some cars? Dave!

You need lots and lots of seam sealer. When I fitted a new TD5 one I was amazed at how badly put together they are, warped steel creating gaps and it was only spot welded together. Also, only use closed cell foam for insulation on the inside, if it can keep hold of water then it's just going to keep the floor area damp. Dave!

I fitted the exact same crossmember a short while back and was equally pleased with the product. Dave!

I'm currently trying to find a UK stockist for these.... http://www.maxigripstore.com/ I've seen siping done in the UK on some lorry tyres and it was just a straight cut, no groove was put into the tyre and they were only doing every other tread. Dave!

This is for a norway trip, when the summer returns i'll probably remove it and pop the standard vent back on. It's just one less annoyance during snowy times. Dave!

I got my Webasto Thermotop Z from an early diesel Freelander. I haven't fitted it yet mind you. I'm pretty sure the diesel Rover 75s had them aswell, a small metal tube poking out from just behind the front bumper. I bought an Eberspacher D2 yesterday from ebay to act as a hot air heater aswell. Very good pieces of kit. Dave!

Definitely not a solid one imo. It will send more vibrations down the crank, it was designed to have one and this will have been taken into account. Even a different flywheel weight has a noticeable affect on high speed diesels. This was discussed once with the people I use for gearboxes and he agreed, when he fits one at the customers request he has yet to drive one which wasn't worse off for it. My opinion has no direct experience on the TD5, just diesels i've tested etc. The DMF we fitted to my friends Pajero was nearly £1000 though which was quite a shock mind you. Dave!

That's brilliant, cheers for the replies guys Ordering one today. Dave!

Hi all, I'm after a snow cover for the passenger side heater vent. I found new ones being produced by IRB developments but i've not had any answer yet but annoyingly I can't contact via email due to my works laptop throwing me out. Is there another source for these at all? Dave!

This is good news! I hope that screw in ones are deemed as good as if they are it will be far nicer knowing I have the correct tyres sorted for the trip. I may aswell let them go out in style. Dave!

The Bergen ferry is no more sadly and we wanted to drive anyway, we will be able to say hi to some friends who recently moved to Amsterdam. I think the studs are more of a safety net for me as although i'm confident in those kinds of conditions and don't drive particularly recklessly, I do know it will be a far different environment than what i'm used to. Dave!

I use a 3 thou feeler along a straight edge, pop the feeler under the straight edge and if you feel resistance, then you know the surface is less than 3thou out of line. I do this lengthways, then diaganolly. Dave!

Hi all, I am off to Norway in feb and driving to nordkapp, I had tried to organise some winter studded tyres to collect out there but this is becoming difficult for various reasons so I'm hoping I can use another method. I will be buying some new BFG ATs to drive to Oslo, then from Oslo to Bergen and up through Norway I want studs fitted after talking with various norwegians i work with. My current tyres are also BFG ATs but they are 6 years old now, they have a good amount of tread left and I was hoping I could fit the screw in studs to these without issue and swap them over when I get to the point where they are needed. Can anyone see a problem with this? Chains are not an option as I want to be able to keep a reasonable pace while i'm over there. Dave!