monkie

I'm not sure I understand how (assuming the timing was set correctly) that not having a pushrod seated correctly on a rocker arm did that damage. Surely it would just lift the rocker, just not fully. I've made this mistake before and the engine ran like a bag of spanners before I realised why. When I took the push rod out to check, it was not bent so I just reassembled and the engine ran fine.

I just got a spare Lt230 that I am going to rebuild so it is ready for when I put in Ian's defender 200tdi with the R380 stumpy. I also need to sort out that Salisbury I got from Miketomcat before I have no more teeth left on the one that's currently on!

Reassuringly expensive. If people will pay it, then why not?

What's wrong with them? Is there a pattern or are they just in general bad condition? When were they last put through an MOT? You can look up a vehicle's MOT history going back a few years on the DVLA website. (I don't know if this applies to exported cars).

Like any system, it isn't perfect. There are always dodgy places who will issue a certificate when they shouldn't but this is an illegal practice just the same as some used car dealerships who lie about the milage/condition of the car. It shouldn't happen and it is illegal but you will find such places if you look for them. That said, if you take a vehicle in the UK to have an MOT and at the point of inspection it is found to be unsafe in terms of brakes, steering, suspension, lights, tyres etc then it will fail. You can't get insurance and you can't tax it without a valid MOT. I think on the whole it is a good system and as a UK driver, I wouldn't want the MOT abolished. I think we have safer roads because of it. It certainly is no joke.

Indeed. I didn't interpret your post as saying its pointless. Unfortunately some motorists don't take responsibility for the safety and maintenance of their car, the same people who are surprised when suddenly it breaks down on the side of the road for an entirely preventable reason if they had carried out some very basic checks.

Worth pointing out that it is mostly a static test and if something meets the criteria on the day, there is nothing to say that it won't go wrong as soon as you drive away from the test center. I still think it is a good thing though catching people driving round who don't even give the slightest glance to their tyres and brakes.

Yes I would imagine the smell of oil will be from oil hitting the outside of the hot exhaust manifold. You definately need to get the engine up to full operating temperature through a long drive, as others have said oil temperature really lags behind coolant temperature. It terms of smoke from the exhaust; you probably know this but it is worth mentioning... As a rule of thumb black smoke is rich fuel to air ratio, white smoke is unburnt diesel (also smells strongly of fuel and stings your eyes), grey/blue smoke is burning oil. Let us know when you have taken it for a nice long drive and also checked the state of breathing through the filler cap when on a warm tick over.

Looks like you've done a nice job there. I don't think that looks like lots of oil to me. Don't forget that you smother oil all over the place when reassembling. Does it smell of burning oil when running, are you leaving any white smoke when driving? When you have got it warm from a run, have you left it idling and removed the oil filler to see what the breathing is like? I would do a few good long runs of varied driving. Check the oil level before each run to keep an eye on oil consumption. Then see what it is like after a couple of good long trips, up hills, along main roads to get your speed up.

I was quite surprised to read that those Whale tails are made from plastic and they didn't break under the strain of supporting a crashed tram.

What, they have indicators? Are you sure? Can someone show me where they are? When I drove an Audi, I always had my seat in the fully forwards position just to ensure I was driving as close as possible to the car in front of me...

Good to have follow up.

Sounds probable, maybe the tracer wire from the starter relay? What ever you do, keep detailed notes for later fault finding years down the line. You might think you'll remember but I bet 5 years down the line you won't!

3 steps to a good finish: 1.Proper surface preparation to remove dirt/grease/loose material and provide a good key. If galvanised then you need to acid wash. 2.Quality etch primer for your bumper. A few thin layers better than 1 thick. I use U-Pol and get good results. 3. Any of the paints mentioned above. For axles I have used corroless and the finish lasts for years.

Not sure if this colour code for lucas wiring helps, it is generic but a start. In the absence of an actual wiring diagram for the vehicle, I would get a test lamp or volt meter and see what becomes live when you power up a circuit one by one such as rear lights, brake light, reversing light etc and make a note which is which until you have them all.

The hole is there to let water out, welding it up will obviously permanently prevent any water build up from escaping.

Nope, none.

I think this is an interesting thread to see people's thoughts on the subject. I don't think there are any personal attacks here. It's your Land Rover and if you like a modification plus think it drives better then great. I like to annoy purists by daring to have the white lettering facing the OUTSIDE of my tyres As an entirely separate point, I would be interested to see some data just out of idle curiosity.

Yes please Stephen!

I enjoyed reading your rebuild thread and the updates on it how it is doing. Where did you get your lucas engine hours meter from?

This has given me some inspiration for when I fit ian's 200tdi into my 110. It would have been interesting and helpful to have had more information on my 19J when it was destroying its pistons when I was driving up to Leicestershire last Christmas.

Thank you Ralph. That's great, it looks like you are flying a bomber! Very useful though on long trips from home. Have they ever given you early warning of anything untoward going on?

Is this standard LR guage a voltmeter?

This sounds interesting, good for keeping an eye on things for a long trip. Would you be able to post a pic of your dash please Ralph?

Also I should mention another thing people are rightly questioning as we are going into winter which is peak season for respiratory viruses: if you have a high temperature, cough, sore throat etc. It isn't necessarily coronavirus. True. Diagnostic companies are starting to release variants of their SARS-CoV-2 tests on the market that multiplex other targets into a single test so they can detect other common respiratory viruses like Flu A/B, RSV (common in small children), human metapneumovirus and maybe even rhinovirus (common cold). This would be helpful if you test negative for SARS-CoV-2 but positive for something else, it explains your symptoms. Particularly helpful for parents of small children who have to work. If your child is ill and is positive for RSV, it will explain why they are ill and you are fine so good to go to work. I think it will also increase people's confidence in the test as I think there is some doubt about how good they are if you feel ill but test negative.