Matthew

I hope you are pleased with it? Most of the time yes, the only time you will need to charge a battery is because you've left something on, but it does the battery good to be connected to a proper charger from time to time. Believe it or not but your standard alternator will not be able to charge the battery much past about 80-85%, this is because the alternator uses a "constant voltage-variable current" charging program, (I.e. it’s always trying to charge your battery at whatever the regulator is set to, normally 14.2-14.4, and the current fluctuates with the batteries state of charge) These intelligent chargers do this for their first stage of charge (known as the Bulk Stage) This stage is designed to get the batteries to 80-85% in the shortest time possible. They then move onto the Absorption Stage, which is designed to condition the battery and replenish the remaining 15-20%, this stage can take as long as the bulk stage did. Then they will drop into a float stage which keeps the battery fully charged buy compensating for the batteries self discharge rate. Some of them have an extra 4th stage which is called Power Supply, this enables the user to operate loads up to the rated output of the charger without flattening the battery. You can buy special regulators for your alternator which turn it from a normal constant voltage-variable current charge into a 3 or 4 stage intelligent charging system, however unless you are building an expedition vehicle I really wouldn't bother. Just give you battery a good boost with a decent charger every once in a while and it'll last much longer! If you are building an expedition vehicle then it’s definitely worth considering, think how much longer your power will last if you've got 100% when you stop the engine instead of 80-85%!!! Thanks, Matt

It all depends on the type of battery, when we sell Dry-Cell batteries known as AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) there is no problem sending them fully charged via a normal courier company. These batteries carry a non-hazardous safety ticket which has to be produced upon request. The most common AGM batteries you may come across will be Odyssey, Lifeline and Optima. If you are sending a wet-cell battery, like a Lead Acid or Calcium-Calcium, then you have a couple of options, you can supply the battery dry (Customer must fill with distilled water and charge upon delivery) but this only works if you battery is an open type (I.e. not sealed for life) Most modern lead acid batteries are now "sealed and maintenance free" which means this option isn't possible. If that’s the case then you have no choice but to send the battery on a pallet so it remains upright and the acid cannot leak. When strapped to a pallet correctly any normal pallet handling company can take it as normal freight. What type of battery are you having problems with? Make/model would be useful. Each brand of battery holds its charge for different periods of time, cheap lead acids will only be able to sit on the shelf for about 4-6 months before they need recharging, Lifeline and Odyssey AGM's have the ability to hold their charge for 2 years! I would always make sure the place you buy your batteries gets through a reasonable volume, that way you can ensure you haven't got one thats been sitting around for months on end!! Thanks, Matt

Hi David, I don't think there is anything wrong with "made in china" providing you manage your quality control correctly. The problems began to appear when products are designed in china.... One of the market leaders in charging technology has most of their products manufactured in India, because they pay close attention to quality control and all products are designed by their engineers, not the factory's, there is no problem. Regarding Stirlings products directly, i have heard both good and bad about the range, but on the whole the overall perception is negative, firstly because of the reliability issues with most of the products, but secondly for the way customers are treated when they do try and return them for replacement/credit! You'd struggle to find mr Stirling at an exhibition like the Southampton or London boat show, why would that be? surely you'd want the chance to exhibit your excellent products? These two shows are certainly very successful for every other company in the marine industry? Obviously only my honest opinion, from working in that industry directly for 5 years + Thanks, Matt

Hi Smo, The problem you'll have getting a decent charger to meet those specifications under that price is the dual voltage requirement, that always pushes the price right up. Just 12V, best option would be a C-Tex XS7000 Ignore the price, I can almost certainly get this within your budget. Good 24volt chargers get very expensive because it's basically double the circuitry of a 12volt model, which also means they are usually much physically bigger amperage for amperage. I would usually charge each of the 12volt batteries separately because I have access to very good 12volt charging equipment, but limited 24volt, The best option for low charge current would be something like a Fronius Acctiva easy 2403 see page 4. Higher charging outputs in 24volt will definitely be over your budget. If you want to buy one charger and never have to buy one ever again, then you can't do much better than a Fronius Acctiva Professional. It'll cost about £300-£400 but it'll magically recharge batteries that have been taken to extreme depths of discharge that other chargers simply cannot charge. The only people that have bought them are professional workshops. It'll do 6/12/24volts upto 30amp and has probably the best charging programs out of every charger I've ever seen/used. My car battery went flat, and stayed flat for a good 3-4 weeks which is usually enough to kill a battery, borrowed one of these from work, left it on for 24hours on the service charge setting and its good as gold now! starts perfectly everytime! If you want to learn more about how these intelligent chargers work try this Smart Battery Chargers. Hope that helps! Matt

Sorry David; DO NOT buy anything from stirling!!!!!!!!!! they have all their products designed and manufactured in china, quailty is less than poor!!!!! I have seen customers boats that have caught fire with these products on...not what i want in my garage!!!!!!! Thanks, Matt

Hi Si, This should solve your problems...wont' cost any more to send with the door liner and light guards!! Not sure on exact price of the product though, will let you know with carriage quote if you like?? http://bluesea.com/files/resources/sales_s...2,500%20KB).pdf http://bluesea.com/files/resources/dimensi...rawing/5026.jpg Thanks, Matt

Hi Smo... How much you looking to spend? What type of battery would you like to charge? (Lead acid/Gel/AGM/Li-ion) What voltage is the battery? (6/12/24) What capacity is the battery? (A/H) Would you require an equalisation/service charge? Thanks, matt

I've got about 4x 10spline Diff's kicking around....all in axles though and I don' really want to split them up.... I need to get rid of everything really!!

I use it every time..definitely made my 200TDi quieter and smoother! I understand Millers started manufacturing specialist oils for diesel engines so in theory..should be the best stuff to use!

I've recently fitted TD5 front and rear axles to my 1986 90. Was very easy to do but there will be a couple of very minor issues...as far as I can remember the only issue with the rear was the shock mounts, the TD5 has a cup for the rubber bush to sit in, my previous axle didn't it just had a flat surface for the bush to sit against. I just got some new bushes from my local LR spares supplier.... Also the axle breathers will be different...as i said - minor! The front was a bit more of a pain, the axle on a 1986/7 90 will have 38mm radius arms, the TD5 has 45mm, you will either need to make some spacers to take up the slack...(3.5mm x about 52mm disc's) or get some new radius arms to suit.... Hope this helps... Matt

Using the Laptop with its own power supply (black block in the cable) is the best way forward to help with the long term life of the laptop. This power supply is designed to give the laptop the exact type of power required. Using an inverter will not affect the laptop, providing you use the power supply mentioned above. There are 2 main types of inverter, Modified Sine Wave and Pure Sine wave. Either type will be suitable for a laptop using the power supply inline because the power supply with smooth out the wave form and provide a stable supply to the laptop. Modified sine wave will struggle to power anything digital without its own dedicated power supply, this is because the digital appliance takes its timing points from the peaks and troughs of the sine wave, with a modified sine wave these peaks are levelled out flat causing a square wave - this confuses the digital appliance and the end result can be effected (I.e. if using a microwave the cooking time could be shortened/extended) Pure sine wave is an exact replication of the AC you receive at home, a good solid stable supply capable of running anything digital or not. If you want the most versatile inverter, suitable for any application, buy a pure sine wave model, it will cost you more but work perfectly. Avoid any power equipment with the name Stirling printed on the front of it. Like the scorpion racing of the power supply world!! Matt.

See also...... Lifetime Cable Guide (part numbers/spec etc) http://www.power-store.com/includes/download.asp?docid=296 Our clever little cable calculator (remember when you enter length, you need to add the total length of +ve and the total length of -ve) http://www.power-store.com/includes/download.asp?docid=297 Manual for the above... http://www.power-store.com/includes/download.asp?docid=298 I'm able to supply everything from 0.8mm2 - 103mm2, single core, dual core, triple core. Its all oil/UV/chemical proof and its even fire retardant!! also tinned marine grade so it should never corrode.... B) Matt.

I've got mine mounted inside........in a truck cab! Couple of quick fists on the bulkhead behind the seats...works quite nicely! B) Matt

ahh hello Dan! how was your america trip?? did that little split charging system I supplied you with do you proud?? I always do landy owners the best discount! matt

yes and i've worked for Merlin for over 5 years...so i picked up a little info along the way B) I'm in the process of setting up an online shop to sell all the wonderful products i know about to 4x4 customers. www.ferndown4x4.com will be up and running soon! and don't worry..i will remember to include a lr4x4 discount section at the checkout!! matt

...and who would've guessed...that "very nice man who works there" is also a forum member...... If anyone wants any bits or any advice, feel free to PM me!! matt

Hi western, Thanks for the info, useful part numbers! The first pump i bought to replace the original had front bearing failure, and the second is whining in exactly the same way, whilst I don't like to assume it does kinda sound like the same problem all over again Front bearing failure is usually down to an over-tight belt, my experiance with alternator failures and repairs has shown me that on many occasions. Anway, i'll get an OEM version on order asap, unless anyone has any other suggestions worth considering? Thanks again for your help, very useful as always! Matt

Hi Western, Thanks for the info, will definitely look into the Holborn Eaton pumps. Do you think that a good quality (I.e. Holborn Eaton) pump should last, even using big tyres on and off road? How long would you expect one to last? (Don't worry I won't hold you to it!!) Hi Jim, Thanks for the "input" The engine is a Defender 200TDi, not sure what PAS Pump was fitted originally, but that one failed so I replaced it with the Britpart offering. The first of which failed and I am now on my second..which is beginning to whine,prior to failing!! Thanks, Matt

Thanks very much for the input guys, I always make sure I never hold it on full lock for any length of time, I have seen the warning before (not for over 30seconds in one minute) so always make sure I don't do that, I also try to ensure the vehicle is moving slightly before turning the wheel (mainly to save tyre wear but also less strain on steering components) Knowing that my tyres are fairly large and obviously take more force to move them, I'm always very careful when it comes to steering sympathy. I'm usually pretty good at reversing boats down slipways, I sell boats and have to deliver them regularly so I've had quite a bit of practice! The link seems really useful for rebuilding the current one I have, but I wouldn't want to effectively waste the time doing that if I'm going to have another failure in a few more months. Has anyone fitted a large pump from another vehicle or is this really a waste of time because and OEM one should last a lot longer? Are all the OEM PAS pumps the same? do they differ between 90/defender/disco/RR etc? Are any better than others? Thanks again! Matt

Hi all, I changed my power steering pump in December last year when the original one failed, I used a britpart replacement. That failed within 4 months of fitting and was replaced under warranty without any questions. I fitted the replacement at the end of March, and over the past week it has begun to make the same noise as it usually does prior to it failing. This one has lasted for 8 months or so, but only because the vehicle has been used for towing boats over the summer rather than off roading during the winter. I am running some fairly large tyres, 33x1250 AT's on the road & 34x1050 Simex off road, do others running similar sized tyres have the same problem? has anyone fitted a larger pump from another vehicle? Thanks, Matt

Hi Luke, Useful link thanks.. The brass push-fit is in the axle casing, the problem I have is when I extended the breather system for the previous axles I ripped the old one out and replaced it all the way through...with a large diameter fuel line (had it lying around!) and I used a union bolt into the axle. Obviously the fuel line sized breather pipe won't fit into the LR push-fit fitting so I guess i'll have to tap a thread in the axle and use some grease on the tap to try and keep any swarf from making it into the axle. Thanks (again!) matt

Hi Luke, Thanks for the input, the front axle has a treaded hole, the same as the older 90 axle I was removing. But the rear doesn't have a thread, there is a brass tube that would push-fit into the axle casing, this type of breather is different to the types I've used before and I'm un-sure what I would need to make them work! (Never had nice new 24 spline axles before ) Thanks, Matt

Hi all... I now have a very nice pair of 24 spline TD5 axles (thank you tony!) I've fitted both of them and everything's working perfectly, I just need to sort out breathers. The front was easy...simply screw my old breather in, but the rear..doesn't have any thread! Seems to have some sort of brass tube that pushes into the hole in the axle casing... Clearly I can tap a thread in the axle casing and fit the old breather system, but is there a better way of doing it? and preferably one that won't end up with swarf from cutting the thread running around my diff!! Thanks! Matt

rekab69 When you have everything turned off, and the engine has been allowed to cool completely - try putting your hand around the alternator, if it feels warm then chances are it’s permanently energized. This would explain the current draw because it means the alternator is pulling a small amount of power to energize itself, and because its not rotating and generating power it basically turns into a little heater! I've seen this many times before when people have used replacement regulators that are maybe not exactly the same. Usually it’s seen when people fit advanced charging regulators which work in a slightly different manor. If you need a replacement alternator send me a PM and I’ll give you the different options I'm able to supply, with forum discount of course! Thanks, Matt

Thanks Tony! That's got to be the quickest repair i've ever done...all working now!! I did think it had to be that one because it leaves the inner wing right by the rad...and what else would you mount there?! tech info threw me off! Nice wing mods!! Thanks again Matt