kiwi_110

Try this for size...BorgWarner_Overhaul1.pdf cheers, Ray.

That twin-cone type bush is for shocks that have the same shape on the inside of their top mounting ring. The inside dimension of the ring reduces towards the centre then expands again. That combination is, I think, to help the shock stay "self-centred" on the bush when it's getting a work out. Ray.

The plastic insert on the top part of the tee handle can be prised out. That reveals the interlock button gubbins which can be pulled out and then theres a nut which is unscrewed so the handle comes off the shaft. Is that what you were after? Ray.

Yep, that is indeed a very nicely done Freebie winch job. Now tell me about the interesting mods on the exhausts of those outboard motors!!??

Crikey... for £500 I think you can probably fly here!

Do you mean the little plastic locating dowels? There is one at each end of the block and they are hollow to allow oil up into the head. They are pressed in to the block and they stick out a little bit to assist in positioning the head. They used to wear away through heat and vibration and then the head would move on the block. I think you will find they are using steel dowels now. Or do you mean the Pressure Release Thermostat modification? The original Freebie K series has the thermostat on the input side of the block and triggered by a very small heated coolant supply from the engine and it can result in quite a high temp before triggering a rush of cold coolant into the block which is not desireable. The PRT will open with pressure or heat and supposedly results in a more even temperature control. Another alternative is a kit (google QED thermostat kit) which puts the thermostat on the coolant output side of the block. Cheers, Ray.

I think there's usually a guy at Billing Show called "Ken the sticker man" or something similar. He sells non-genuine decals from an unmarked tent and I picked up a bunch of various defender decals including the big diagonal door ones to bring back to NZ, that was back in 2009. I've heard that LandRover have tried to close him down over copywrite infringements or some such so I don't know if he's still around. I've since seen a set of Defender decals made locally here in NZ and I beleive any digital printer can do them on that flash vinyl stuff these days.

The head to block fit has never been particularly good on the rover K series. Some progress has been made with the use of multi-layer-steel head gaskets, and cooling system changes (remote thermostat etc) to try and reduce the movement at the head/block interface. The design of the head is not actually the problem, it's the block. They changed the top of the block to allow bigger bore liners, which are not well supported and that has resulted in less stiffness in the block. Over time, they have tried to rectify this issue with the MLS gaskets, tighter fitting steel locating dowels, new head bolt and torque specifications etc. I've been there with the K series and won't have another one, but if it's all you've got to work with then do everything you can to try and reduce the likelihood of movement between the head and the block. Once you've got it back together, take no chances when bleeding the coolant system, even a brief overheat can expose this K series weakness and ruin all the hard work. Good luck!

Someone with a Series truck has done something very similar, I was reading a post the other day that included a link to his site. He ground the dogs and hardened areas off with an angle grinder and then machined and MIGed things back together. He weld-filled the intermediate shaft holes and bored new ones to relocate the intermediate shaft once the gears were swapped around. It was pretty ambitious stuff and very well done. Here's the link: http://www.goatpark....transferbox.htm Ray.

Sorry, I can't think of anything else obvious so I guess you're down to getting the codes read. At least you've covered off the pedal switches and other basics which is more than many owners do. hope you track it down. Ray.

I have a Hawkeye if you've got the airplane ticket! I don't think you can get blink codes but I could be wrong. Before going the diagnostic tester route, perhaps look for the obvious: 1. Tyre diameters equal? Variance will trigger ABS issues. 2. ABS Sensor connections all good? They all have a 1/2" round x 3" long plug within a couple of feet of the hubs. The front ones are, from memory, passenger side under the ECU housing and drivers side near the coolant tank. These plugs can become separated if other work has been done around them. 3. No mud or dirt around the inside of the hubs? Can block sensor inputs. Ray.

Have to agree. I had a nissan LD-28 in my 90 before I V8'd it. Lovely smooth free reving thing it was. TD5 is close but that extra pot makes a big difference. Does anyone run LD-28's over in UK? They were a popular conversion for 90's and Series trucks here in NZ due to the used Jap imports flooding in during the late 80's.

What coolant are you using and is it to the correct ratio? I beleive TD5 needs the red coolant, Organic Acid Technology, not green ethylene-glycol based coolant. Wrong coolant or coolant mix ratio may result in an incorrect operating temperature. Ray.

You need a Torx E14 socket for the head bolts. After removal, you'll need to see your old gaskets thickness indicator holes so you know which replacement one to buy. If you buy a gasket before knowing this, you have a 2 in 3 chance of getting it wrong! Ray.

I got The Kid to bring one of these back from the UK yesterday. I've enabled it for her Freebie, plugged it in and had a play and I'm quite impressed with what it can do. But I'm already thinking of tinkering with it to enable more vehicles... It might be a candidate for my bus-pirate, but I might need some advice from CwazyWabbit about that. Has anyone else sprung for a Hawkeye, what vehicles did you get enabled, and what are your impressions? Ray.

I drilled mine too, it was a new input gear for an older 1.410 t/case with the 27mm gear width. I used a 10mm masonry bit (carbide tip), slow speed and cutting fluid. It starts hard, then gets easy, then hard again as it comes out through the splines. It was not difficult and there were no burs to clean up because the hardened steel chips away as the bit comes through. These pix were taken after the mainshaft had been fitted to the t/case and run for about a year. I've since replaced with a 1.2 ratio unit that has the newer 33mm gears and factory cross-drilled mainshaft. Ray.

I scrubbed mine out with a big bottle brush and petrol... my oven cleaner was marginal. I would think a steam-clean would work pretty well. I think if you've not noticed any ill-effect, then you've no leaks. If the TD4 was standard aspirated, non-turbo, then I think cleaning the plennum would be more noticeable in performance. But since we're turbo'd then the pressure defeats the narrowing of the pipes a bit.

No need to drain coolant. You'll need a 10mm and an 11mm socket for the manifold. If you did the EGR, then you probably know how to get the intercooler hoses and the top air cowl out of the way. Once you've exposed the manifold, you can undo the four bolts and the flexi-pipe clamp and suction line and remove the EGR unit. Loosen the eight 10mm bolts on the rear of the manifold (close to the injectors) these are held captive and wont fall out. Then ,loosen the four 11mm nuts and one 11mm bolt (it's on your left) across the front of the manifold. The 11mm bolt is not captive, withdraw it and store with the 4 nuts. Unclip the manifold sensor cable on your left of the manifold from the sensor, and release the cable and the pipe next to it from the retaining clips on the manofold. Pull the manifold up and towards you (the front), BEWARE: the rubber mounts and steel sleeves that prevent overtightening of the 11mm bolt and nuts can drop away from the manifold. They could fall into the lower set of intakes in the head! Once the manifold is clear, stuff some rags into the eight ports on the head to prevent ingress of stuff.

Likewise, got one off ebay for the 01 TD4. Easy to fit. Seems slightly more keen on take off and at least it wont clog up the inlet plenum any more. Boy, was there some gunk i there...

Just take some tools to the pickup point and fit the bloody thing, its only a 5 minute job...

You could link your heater inlet and outlet hoses with a valve on the engine side of the firewall. Put a tee in to both hoses with valve between them. Open the valve during hotter months to basically halve the flow of hot coolant through the matrix. Close the valve to return to full flow through the matrix. A partial bypass like this at least gives you some heat if you need it at night etc. A full bypass would require a bit more plumbing and give you no heat at all unless you got under the hood an switched the valves.

If you mean the black pod Cibie ones that look like nostrils either side of the nudgebar, I found a new set being sold off dead cheap by a dealer here in NZ. I grabbed them for $50 (About 23 of your real, actual, genuine Pounds). I needed the nudge bar as well, of course, another $50 bargain! I also found a set of the chrome side runners from another dealer for $100. I think they were looking to clear space in their stock-rooms and this stuff had not shifted in 10 years. You may not have the same luck in UK.

Ok, thanks, maybe the drums have glazed on ours, I might try re-surfacing them.

They don't get chipped. The rubber is some particularly tear-resistant blend Cooper have come up with. The S/T and S/TT are pretty good and the S/TC is even better. Aussie gravel roads are notorious and it takes a remarkable tyre to cope with any distance on them. I did manage to bust a Cooper here in NZ, rubbing up against a lump of scoria (volcanic rock) that tore the sidewall, scoria is pretty gnarly.

The handbrake on The Kids Freebie has never been that good in the time we've owned it. The handle would only come up two clicks and the Freebie would still creep on a hill. Finally got around to pulling off the drums and having a decko. Found the handbrake cable adjustment wound right up to the max under the centre console. Drivers side shoes fouled with with fluid leaking from the slave cylinder. Sprang for new slave cylinders and shoes and refitted today. Bled the cylinders and reset the shoes to the drums and wound the handbrake adjustment until I had a bit more movement in the handle. Still quite dissappointed in the holding of the handbrake on a hill though. Does not actually seem to be any better than before. Does anyone else have a problem with the handbrake effectiveness (or inneffectiveness!)?? Ray.