Jimbo_C

I had to break out the hi-lift this weekend to extract firstly my disco then the trailer that I was towing when I got stuck. It does work but in the sun on the hottest day of the year it is really hard work.

HI Folks I have got the D1 workshop manual however I am looking for an electronic (free) version of the Electrical troubleshooting manual ETM. Does anyone know where I can download one from or alternatively whre I could buy one from, cheers Jim Merry Christmas

Hi The easiest way to get it in is to put a jack under the front of the chassis and lift the body up as far as it will go until the wheels are almost off the ground(rem axle stands). the anti roll bar can be dr5opped out of the way but it was okay on mine. this way it goes in on it's side over the axle the up to the turbo from there. I bought the defender part for my 300 tdi disco and it fitted a treat. There you go my two pence worth. Oh and I got 20 quid for weighing in the CAT as well!

HI folks I guess like me a lot of people here have got various mapping apps for their smart phones. I thought we could share our thoughts on them . At the moment I have Back country navigator pro for android. this downloads os maps from mulit-map (now bing). it also saves them locally so you can plan the route at home then you don't have to worry about network coverage when you are out and about. having said that I used it live as it were on a recent trip to darkest Northumberland and it worked very well indeed. I have spent time with the online country side access maps and I have tagged waypoints in the app for days out. for a few quid this app works very well indeed and it my current favourite. before I get any wise cracks about real maps, I have a load of them in the car as well and I wouldn't ever take them out but these apps are very easy to use and the maps are bigger, especially as I have a 5inch dell streak as a dedicated map device in the car, although my normal phone does the trick just fine as well. what do the rest of you think ?

The thin one heads of the the EGR valve, whilst it is electronically controlled its the vacuum that provides the force. If you remove the EGR you have to block this off the pipe. some people remove the lot but I got a bit of a hesitation at high rpm. so mine is all stuffed under the jack in the inner wing.

I found this about the tech content inthe engineer, Land Rover has unveiled a new off-road vehicle as part of its plan to replace the Defender model by 2015. The DC100 concept incorporates features such as 3D terrain mapping, sonar gauging of water depth and an inductive strip in the rear for charging power tools and electronic equipment. Speaking to The Engineer at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt, chief designer Oliver Le Grice said the project team had kept in mind the Defender’s current diverse clientèle, ranging from farmers and ecologists to UN aid workers. ‘The things that you want to hold onto with the Defender are the engineering integrity and approachability, so we had to keep all of that in the mix but then really update it as something appropriate for this century,’ he said. Central to this new technology is the Terrain-i mapper that creates a virtual 3D visualisation of the ground ahead and displays it on the central touchscreen. Similar to systems used by fighter pilots, Terrain-i uses a headlamp-mounted scanner that runs algorithms to assess the route ahead and warn the driver of obstacles potentially too large to be safely negotiated. ‘It can make a very accurate judgement as to what you’re approaching, whether it be snow or sand, giving it a clear picture of what to programme in to allow you to tackle it,’ Le Grice said. The concept also incorporates driver-deployable spikes, by way of an electro-mechanical system mounted within the tyre on the inside of the wheel. Activation causes air to inflate a secondary air chamber, filling pods moulded into the tread of the tyre that contain the spikes. Meanwhile, a sonar-based ‘wade aid’ system assesses water depth working in conjunction with inclinometers to recognise whether the level is increasing or decreasing. ‘If you’re trying to ford a river it’ll figure out the depth and whether it’s something that you should attempt or not before you’ve actually committed yourself,’ Le Grice said. Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/1010002.article?cmpid=TE01&cmptype=newsletter&cmpdate=140911&email=true#ixzz1Xvpb4vQ0 Personally I think the terrain mapping sounds pretty cool as an option on the car (not on base spec) but I suspect that most Landrover fans may have other ideas.

On a lighter note, I remember going to see a mate in a BMW dealers, someone there has lowered a car down on a brand new oil drainer, it had literally only been used once and only had about 10 or so litres of old oil in it. The guy had snapped the neck of it nice and cleanly around the top. He was promptly told to drain out and weld it back one. He then dutifully drained it out, cleaned the paint off and sat down to weld it back up, now I haven't mentioned where he chose to do it yet, in his wisdom he took it into the special tool room, this was a pristine room just off the workshop with white walls and boards with the special tools hung up on them for what seems like every BMW ever made. I guess you can see where this is going by now, you see he had forgotten that as part of the service he had changed the fuel filter and to make it easier to bleed back up he had poured the fuel from the old filter into the new one. The thing was some missed the new filter. When he struck the first ark there was a thump and an awful lot of swearing coming from the little room. The thing had gone pop and the force of the explosion had thrown the last of the oil out of the top of the drainer with enough force that it went straight through the guys cloths and into every corner of the once white room. He was very very lucky and after several showers it took him most of the next weekend to clean the tool room.

Hi My two pence worth, They will never release anything this early that hasn’t already been superseded. I suspect that the body concept is right SWB 2dr with those proportions however I suspect that the nose, front wings mirrors lights etc are all old concepts. I think that the durable arches and sills are here to stay and I kind a like the door handle. The glass panel behind the window is probably a keeper as it allows the door and hence the wheelbase to be short but it will allow you to see over your shoulder and turn right more easily. There are a lot of defender styling cues in there though, the one piece wings and narrow bonnet, the roof panel has the old school reinforcing ribs from the old series land rovers. The overhangs are very short so it should still be pretty good off road. The brakes are actually quite small so it will be light and you can put smaller wheel with mud plugging tyres on. I am not mad keen on the lights, the grill and nose are a bit to freelander but they will need space for crash and it will need better aero for fuel consumption, so I suspect that the square defender face will be very much rounded of like this. Recovery points very improbable to far outboard to find any structure without considering crash implications. Interesting though very interesting considering the architectural changes they have got to make to pass modern crash (inc pedestrian impact) I am quite positive about the shape. I suspect that this might be very similar to the car they will show at Frankfurt in a week or so. Just my thoughts, I am very pleased that they are going ahead with the project and I wish then all the best, this is the most difficult new car they have ever had to do in my opinion.

Thanks for the help folks After all my considerings I opted for the At2's in the end. My BFG AT's that came off were is a shocking state although after 75K miles they still had about 5mm of tread on them. however one of carcasses split and I had to take what was on the shelf. my journey to work was so quite and I had a lot more grip on the wet roads. Sadly it will be a few weeks till I cam try them out on a lane or two but I am looking forward to giving them a go. thanks again for the feedback

Hi all I need some help, after literally weeks of trawling through magazines and forums I am stuck I am going to buy a new set of tyres for my disco this week but which ones. the choices are general grabber at2's or cooper discoverer st's I do about 10k miles a year but I want the best of both worlds and I want great off road tyres mainly for greenlaning though so I can't justify mt's. help any advice? has anyone tried both? cheers

afternoon, I bough mine for £750 1996 300 tdi 3dr but it needed new boot floor, I didn't have the time to do this myself so that was £600 but I got the rera brake lines and the rear axle ball joint replaced at the same time. brakes all round - parts £120 Service inc all oils £150 Cambelt kit £75 Alarm plip £40 Ignition barrel £30 track rod ends x3 £30 plus tracking it still needs 2 front tyres BGF £130 each Steering box ~£50 2nd hand Tail door lock overhaul springs - £12 there are a few indicators of future holes appearing in the inner wings but I will do them before the winter - hopefully Syncro on second has gone but an oil change and being a bit more careful has sorted that till the clutch goes. £££ so after all of that I still love it!! Mine is a little scruffy on the outside but it does mean I'm not fussed about a few trees or generally interfacing with nature. I spent about £300 on general recovery gear last weekend after a close call green laning solo (yes I know). If anything happened to mine I would buy another, although I would lift the carpets first this time. Have a really good look at the whole car, there are plenty of buyer guides about on here and elsewhere. cheers Jim

Hi I have got 13cm speaker in the rear of mine, I go the ripspeed ones from halfords, with my trade card they were about 20 quid. The speakers in the rear door only work on standard fit stereos from what I can remember, I seem to recall fitting a low pass filter to the rear speaker wires and then hooking them up directly. Try having a look at the feed going to the amp and chase it back to the stereo loom. it might just need a switch or connecting to the aux power out on an after market. cheers jim

I worked in a dealership in the late 90's and they had either just started to go on the edge or they came in on a recovery truck. I decided that it was about time I checked everything else I have been putting off. the crazy thing was that there really wasn't much play in the idlers at all. Jim

I checked mine with a cotton bud in the wading plug but there was just oil. I decided to go for it anyway and when I pulled the front cover off I was really pleased that I did see attached picture. I got the job done, in about 3 and a half hours, if yours is a manual then the crank bolt should not be to difficult. In gear with the brakes on and after a couple of goes it went. I have done a few already though. For peace of mind I would just do it, okay the pulley, belt and idlers are about £60 but cheaper that a set of push rods and a rocker or two and the same parts. Good Luck

Afternoon I just checked the ETRTO tyre standards and design manual and they do not recommend fitting this tyre to a rim this wide. They don't specify it above 7.5J. There is my/ their two pence worth. Jim