DaveSIIA

Could be that the pinion diameter is smaller on the Series to give the lower ratio.

The Series III gearbox (synchomesh) will fit in place of the IIA unit, and is a direct swap. As noted above, the clutch operation is different and will require the pipe for the hydraulics to be rerouted. It would be worth changing the clutch to the later 91/2 inch diaphragm spring type (SIII) to match the release mechanism.

I've found it easiest to remove the striker plate from the door frame and fit the door to the frame. Then refit and adjust the striker to suit the door. Plastic spacers can be used between the hinge/frame or hinge/door to adjust the door out/in. Securely fit the hinges to the door. Lightly nip the screws throught the hinges to the frame. Using a block of wood (to protect the hinge/bodywork), tap the hinges with a decent sized mallet and adjust the position of the door in the frame aperture. Once happy with the fit, tighten the screws and check all is still well.

Possibly the springs not flexing as much as they should? BTW: I drove the lane just after the Pennine Bridleway works were completed and the whole of that section up from the stream could be driven by a Series in two wheel drive. The filling/surfacing has pulled or washed out quite steadily over the past few years.

Cap full of brake fluid in the power steering reservoir will soften the seals and cause them to swell. It may stop/slow the leak as a temporary measure. Good pressure wash under the front of the vehicle and ready for the MoT. NB: This would be a temporary fix and the correct route is to fit a new power steering box, with fresh fluid.

A wear ridge of 0.5 - 1.0mm is pretty serious, so I would ensure it isn't just the coke build up. If so, the build up can be removed with a decent scraper - the steel bore is pretty tough but don't gouge in to it. It is worth measuring the bores while the pistons are out - normally at three heights, both in line with the crank and across. Honing won't solve the problem if bore wear is excessive. Once you have a decent set of measurements you can make value based decision whether to hone / rebore / change engine. If it gets to a rebore then you may have to consider the condition of the rest of the engine as Tdi's are now quite cheap on the second hand market.

How big are the wear ridges at the top of the bores and how many miles has the engine done? Asking because I had the head off a 300Tdi which had done 266k miles and there were no noticeable wear ridge in any of the bores - engine had been serviced every 6000 miles with decent oils and filters. I would expect a 200Tdi to be similar if looked after properly.

If you like the "crawler gearing" that 4.7's give in low box then you should try a 1.003 high ratio transfer box out of a three speed auto Range Rover. It will give you a fairly long legged high ratio but there will be a fair amount of propshaft/transmission "whine" at road speed. For comparison, the Disco transfer box is ~1.2:1 in high ratio and the Series III about 1.148:1.

Traffic Film Remover in warm water. Apply with a moderately stiff bristled brush in a circular motion, trying not to soak the headlining material. Then mop up with a clean cloth. Worked quite well on the headlinging of my 300Tdi CSW after it had been standing for two years. I probably need to give it another going over (or two) to get the last bits of muck out.

The brackets for the anti-roll bars may be on the chassis already (look like a broad, flat "U" on the underside of the rails behind the axles), in which case it should be a matter of bolting on the parts. I used to run a 1999 Td5 110 CSW and that didn't have anti-roll bars. The springs were dual rate or progressive and roll through corners was quite acceptable for a Land Rover. As an experiement, I tried stiffer springs (non self levelling spec) on the rear of a 300Tdi 110 CSW that was fitted with a rear anti-roll bar and that became pretty tail happy through bends on dry tarmac. You could end up with a vehicle that becomes an "interesting" drive"!

Roof mounted cycle carriers work ok with an expedition type roof rack with a ladder up the back and room to walk around. Loading/unloading is okay until you are on your own! Oh, and with five bikes or more on the roof there is a bit of roll on corners. I get five bikes across the width, but the additional aerodynamic drag is noticeable. The bikes clamp upright and fasten down to the channel. I always add tie-downs from the seat post & handlebars to the roof rack to ensure they don't move. The bike racks came from Decathlon and weren't that expensive (sub £20 at the end of season).

How good is the earth link from battery > chassis > engine/gearbox? I've known a poor link from battery/engine to chassis to cause all manner of odd effects when loads are switched. Worth checking the mechanical condition and running in a decent engine-chassis earth strap. Also, look for other poor earths where several black wires come together.

I have one of the Sony head units with bluetooth, hands free, etc built in and fitted to the 300Tdi 110 CSW. Around town it works well, but callers are aware I am in the 110. The background noise is a lot worse at motorway speeds and I have to repeat stuff or just shout! It is probably something to do with the microphone being on the dash as the previous Nokia wired system was fine - microphone mounted high up, on the interior mirror bracket. Thought had crossed my mind as to making an external microphone input and trying out the old Nokia mic.

Leaking pressure cap on the header tank? Loose hose/clip or leaking plastic plug in the thermostat housing or radiator?

If not ^^^^, then is it sensitive to small changes in throttle setting altering the boost when cruising?

I wouldn't drain the fluid reservoir as it is easier to top up with new fluid and bleed through to each wheel. Bleed until clean, new fluid runs through the bleed nipple. No point in risking getting air in the master cylinder.

Have you put any in? BTW: It isn't a leak, merely marking its territory

Have you had a look on the Curtis Instruments web site for a manual for the controller in question? It could help identify the technology used in the duff controller - most probably power MOSFETs or IGBTs driven by a pwm chip. If replacement is too expensive, you may be able to effect a repair by a bit of detective work and cross referencing with a good parts book. Alternatively, a trawl through that well known auction site might throw up a working secondhand unit.

Typical LR (standard-ish) tyre sizes may account for 10-15% error. 40 at 30mph is ~ +33% (or -25% depending which way you look at it). First thing I would do is to borrow a GPS and check steady state speeds at 10mph increments from 20mph to 70mph (speedo indicated). This will give you a feel for whether you have a scaling problem / a zero offset problem / no problem at all. There is a tolerance band for the accuracy of the speedo; -0% / +10% i.e. at a true 70mph it may read 70-77mph. NB: it mustn't under-read. IIRC, your speedo is electronically programmable for tyre size. Should there be a problem, it may be a hook up to a computer and reset type repair. I'm sure others will be along who have successfully tweaked later Td5 speedo's.

The header shouldn't get too warm in normal operation. Once the engine is up to temperature and the thermostat opens, there will be no appreciable flow through the small pipe back to the header tank. All flow will be through the radiator. The small pipe is there to provide a bleed path for any trapped air.

Defender heater matrix (200/300Tdi) is the "full flow" type as you described above. Control is by setting a diverter flap to mix hot & cold air. I've never bothered with the "heater controls to hot" bit and not experienced problems with air bleeding from the matrix. It is important that the small pipe from the top of the thermostat housing to the header tank is free flowing, as this provides the circuit for coolant flow when the thermostat is closed. Flow is through the heater matrix and onthrough this pipe. Air bubbles can be seen in the header tank as the system self bleeds.

Slightly different engine, but I have had experience of a 300 Tdi that did a similar thing. The engine spun freely when cool, but compression was down. It would start and run, sufficient for it to drive on to a recovery truck for return to the UK. White smoke may be oil that hasn't been scraped off the bore due to stuck rings. I wouldn't chance driving too far, but there may be enough to get you loaded for recovery or at least on to a ferry/tunnel (if you can get it to the terminal). Failure to drive off the ferry/tunnel would get you towed/pushed on to the quayside and probably covered by UK AA/RAC/etc. There are quite a few uncertainties with repair in the field, so I would save that for the UK. Hope it all works out for you.

Cheers for the additional info. Will be retaining the stock auto hi/lo linkage. Yet to work out the fine detail of the auto selector location, cubby box, etc. Have seen the threads on here in the past, but haven't hit the "Search" button yet. Don't plan to reinvent the wheel, so will build on the experience of others first. Gaiter without the manual gear lever bellows, presumably off a US spec D90/110? Most likely to drop you a PM about potential problems/solutions once I get into the job proper. If you are willing to put your experience in the public domain here then it would likely benefit others doing a similar job (otherwise we wait for the article in LRO). My next moves are to change the front/rear crank oil seals while the engine is on the bench and to replace the cam belt. EGR system will get ditched. May as well prep the injection pump for a tweak while there is plenty of room to work round it. One area I suspect will need some fettling is the transmission cooler. It's a multi-row job from a '95 300Tdi RRC and looks a bit more suited to the task than a bog brush cooler. Will measure up the pipe run as I suspect the flexi hoses under the fan cowling will need to be a couple of inches longer. I also have an auto RR (albeit petrol) and find it suits the driving conditions in the UK - hence the interest with the 110. Not too shabby off road either. Just hope the 300 Tdi has the grunt to work with the auto.

Cheers for the replies, particularly the 200Tdi in a 110. The first step has been taken - engine, gearbox, transmission oil cooler, shifter, etc delivered. Got to find a 300Tdi transmission tunnel to possibly cut about while mounting the auto shifter. Big step is scheduling the engine/gearbox swap. Should be a steady days work, followed by ?? days to sort out the shifter mount and surround. At least I can reverse the swap if I don't like the results

When did that option become available? It would make chasing part numbers, wheel cylinder diameters, etc much easier. IIRC, 11 inch front and 10 inch rear brakes became standard on the SWB from ~1981/2.