SeriesEwan

yes the engine was running, & it felt regular almost as it was 3 out & 1 in with a change in tone to go with it. Reading around other forums/ websites on the net agree with your theory that the missed combustion would feel like or cause a suck back as it disturbs the gas-flow down the exhaust

well I have checked the valve clearances & all are now set correctly, interestingly enough the exhaust valves on 2 & 3 had closed up somewhat (so much for the unleaded head it was sold with) no real difference to performance on number 3 though. Even did a rough check to make sure that airflow to that cyl was not impeded by removing the plug, rotating until cyl 3 was IO then blowing an airline through the carb to see if the draft makes it out the spark hole ( which it did easily ). while fettling about I did notice a bit of a funny.... my exhaust feels like sucks!! I would say regularly on each engine cycle! I am assuming this would probably be a big contributor to my problem but with correct valve clearances i really don't know how this can happen?!?

aha well Greg S your theory is correct, well it could be anyway I have equal compression on all cylinders (9.5 bar) Sparkplugs are all new items & i have swapped them around too to make sure I had no duff units, the next item I have checked is the leads / cap this has been done by swapping around the (new) leads & even rotating the cap half a turn. I am now strongly inclined to agree that it may be an ignition problem but I will be dammed if I can figure it out. A new dizzy cap & rotor arm may be on the cards to rule those out.

ahh never say never, ok going right for a megasquirt, or radical carb conversion may be too far but get yourself a timing light, & a colourtune & fiddle a bit, Learn how to properly setup a single carb ( which you may find will give you more power anyway ) & then see what your budget alows. from personal experience though, I would avoid 2nd hand carbs, landrover items are not too bad but I spent far more time & money rebuilding a carp weber carb for my mini than it would of cost to buy a brand new item off the shelf.

Hi all, I fear I may be looking at the death of either a piston ring set or a head gasket. Essentially cyl number 3 is not firing at all & it definitely does have a spark. I am going to exchange my compression tester this evening ( dont ever buy a hilka one this is my second new unit & its simply useless ) to see what the extent of the problem is. Anyway, the point of my post is... do I need to buy a complete set of cylinder head bolts if change the gasket? Equally if its rings that have gone ( which I may change anyway as its smoking a fair bit ) do I need to replace any fittings on the big ends if i were to go opening them up?

i thought about that, indeed my middle belt is setup like this but it doesnt seem overly safe / sturdy if i bolt them to the bulkhead itself then the belt runs up over the shoulder which i am told is bad as itll twist the spine downwards in an accident, so i resoted to putting it on the capping piece which gives the hight but its a bit flimsy.

Ahh ok, i was wondering what the cross braces were for as they were not contacting the chassis, how much grief did you get taking the floor out? it looks like bolts round the edge ( apologies for all these questions i have a rear carpet glued in that i will need to sacrifice to look & see ) sadly refurbing is not an option for me as they are all made of swiss chease & 2 of them are in several pieces, looks like a nice neat job you have done there though

Yes! That's the badger! ideal for what i am after thanks for that ( i never thought to look in the trim shop part on craddocks site! )

I thought the floor was part of the tub? isn't it all one pressing?

ahhh brutal i can cope with, the idea of detatching my tub does not appeal as i fear it may not go back / crumble away in bits thanks

yes it does not look plesant! did you need to lift off the tub?

HI all, Just a bit of a query really, The cross braces under the rear tub ( 330265 ) on my S3 SWB have rusted away Now i am wondering 2 things about this, firstly how straightforward is replacement? Will i need to take the tub off or can i jemmy them in underneath it, I have noticed that these cross braces do not actually make contact with the chassis they sit slightly above it. Also i am struggling to find the actual part would the part AFC710010 fit for this purpose? Many thanks in advance Ewan

May seem a strange question... I have been looking at your pics & i am wondering how the red & yellow knobs are linked to the transfer box? ( if at all as i cant see any transfer box controls )

I thought about that... but lap belts do not stop your upper body flopping forward in the event of a crash... this can cause injuries in itself not to mention from injuries aquired by knocking yourself against a series dash/bulkhead I have tried a few ex-mil places for a roll hoop to no avail all I have found is hoops to go over the windscreen area preventing the driver been crushed

you may struggle fitting dual carbs as it will mean fitting a new inlet manifold, also remember that the LR carburettor is lever operated & not cable pulled so you may need to adapt the linkages for operation like this. What carb is on there at the moment? is it standard or has someone fitted an aftermarket one? the Weber 34 ICT/ICH is a common replacement

Again I would go for CPC RS or farnell, might be worth trying autosparks ( website ) too

Brilliant i shall get trawling ex mil places then, the big issue is I want it to be reversible so i can go back hard topped when the winter comes, I shall see what I can dig out

Hi again Summer is on its way & i am considering taking off my roof, I Have a late series 3 with inertia reel belts in the front, can anyone suggest a good way of securing the top loop over of the belt? I know there are hoops that may be useful for this has anyone fitted one or can anyone recommend one?

aha I did not know that, Would a combination of grease & EP90 work?

is this a standard series gearbox/ transfer box? I managed to squeeze a 5 ltr bottle into my gearbox / transfer box in one go Are your swivels in good nick? i would seriously consider one shot grease for the wheel bearings - oil is quite goood at escaping

Are you petrol Or diesel? I allays disable mine - I have a petrol S3 & simply remove the rotor arm before leaving it in dodgy places. ( its door locks are less than effective ) unless they are super organised & come with a tow truck or spares there is no way they can start it. reasoning by doing it like that I can see a thief attacking some form of crook lock etc as its a physical barrier stopping them but can you really see a thief trying to work out why it wont start or move? I am not sure how to disable a diesel quickly & easily though, On another point all our vehicles parked in the yard at work over night have a one way hydraulic valve in their brake system - its key operated to allow fluid to go both ways. The procedure on leaving the vehicle is remove the line key & stamp the brakes - they will stay on untill the key is put back in. I guess it would work in a clutch too so you never get drive... I am afraid I dont know the brand of these units but I could ask.

the clutch line fittings are definitely imperial, the slave cyl is just a tiny bit smaller than 11mm ( though still what exact size is beyond me ) and its connection at the top end where the flexi tube meets the long tube is 1/2" ( which is how I ended up getting the whole thing off in the end )

well I am still a bit of a mystery as to what size it is but I bought a set of pipe nut spanners last night & got it shifted thanks for the info I never knew such a tool existed. Just out of interest when ( if at all ) did land rover go metric? as stated above mines a 1982 model & there seems to be some metric nuts & bolts & some imperial what imperial standard did they use too? again I seem to have a mixture

Hi all, a fairly basic question but I have a fundamental problem that ui am sure you can all relate to what size spanner does the pipe union on a late S3 ( 1982 ) slave cylinder need? I have a varied range of open ended spanners ( metric & several imperial sizes ) tried all that I can lay my hands on & nothing gives a snug fit, Put simply I REALLY don't want to round or use a mole grip a union nut, and its done up very tightly Many thanks in advance

Ok I am now running again managed to get the static timing correct too. Haynes has a table for the centrifugal advance which seems to be correct ( from running with the vac advance off and using a timing light ) does anyone have a similar table or graph for the entire advance curve?