Turbocharger

"Well mate, I didn't realise it was your car. <sniff> Might T-cut out?"

I see what you're saying but, surely there's plenty of space to let the air back out? There's a great big gap down both sides of the engine, my engine anyway. Air comes in through the radiator (which will obstruct 50% of the flow anyway?) and then can escape through two gaps with a combined area similar to the radiator but without any fins in it anyway? I concur that a fine mist would be better but we didn't have any smaller drill bits for the poly pipe. At the moment I've only really tested it under part-load conditions and the cooler shouldn't be seeing problems there. I'll try some full-load before & after experiments(!) tonight (not the kind which hit metal plates and prove that paint doesn't work).

Do any of the shock manufacturers give tech info on the damping coefficient, or do they just sell them in "will break" and "won't break" bins, and charge for them by length?

Yeah, but if I get that wrong I'll be shopping for conrods!

My "nozzle" - a piece of 5mm poly pipe with lots of little holes drilled into it. The water goes everywhere: intercooler, grille, radiator, bonnet, pedestrians, windscreen, floor... There's little or no science in this (yet), I'm just trying to judge whether there's a big benefit to be gained (it seems not so far). If I was really bothered I'd get a pair of thermocouples and log a load of values to work out the cooler efficiency. The water temp sensor appeals simply because I've got a gauge that's calibrated to use one already - the EGT unit has got nasty electronic damping which doesn't help my cause. In fact, the weight of the intercooler probably has far more bearing on smoothing transient peaks than exchanging the heat to air but the water was intended to aid this process. I've got no cowl (and indeed, no fan) so no concerns about airflow if the car's moving at speed. It'll all change round when I get chance to put my new intercooler in but I need to get some header tanks made up for it first.

All of the above really. Tomorrow I'll try to get a constant speed, constant rack position situation on level ground, allow the EGT to stabilise and then hit the button, but today (on country backroads) there's certainly little difference under gentle driving. To be honest, I'd like to see if I can stop the intercooler heat-soaking because there are periods when I'm driving/have been driving hard when there's noticeably less power. Equally, if I try to maintain [illegal]mph constantly, the EGT climbs rapidly to 650°C and then less rapidly but inexorably clicks to higher and higher temps - I'm presuming this is from the intercooler becoming less efficient as it can't get the heat away quickly enough. Really, I need an air intake thermometer but haven't rigged one up yet. Would a second water temperature sender for my Racetech gauge work in air?

It is indeed an intercooler cooler, although I've decided Chris Watts wins the chocolate. Initial results show a typical temperature reduction in normal use of ... utter bugger all. More news as we get it.

Woss this for then? First prize, as judged by me, wins the 'Nuts about caramel' chocolate bar that's on my desk*. *Collection only, product may vary from that shown. All rights are reserved, especially the right to silence. TroddenMasses exempt from entry since he's implicated in the construction.

I think Mr Cordell used to use escorts in his younger days. Of course, he may not have been talking about cars...

I'd concur with the advice about the Euro plug and a good industrial torch but I'm not so sure about the merits of getting a big gas bottle. They're awkward to find or rent and, unless you're doing a lot of welding, I found the regulator on mine leaked sufficiently that it'd be empty 6 weeks later when I came to do another 'quick job'. If you treat the little bottles as disposable and keep a stash, problem solved. But then, my welding's awful so...

I believe this thread does not make anyone feel obliged to declare which way they have voted or indeed if they have voted. Where has the poll gone, by the way? What were the results?

In my experience nobody will look at the tracking on a LR professionally anyway, excuses range from 'tyres too big' to 'don't want to, it'll be rusty'. String method for me, although use spacers on the rim bead to lift the string out away from your knobbly tyres - my Broncos aren't round so I don't trust the sidewalls to be flat! Can you explain that further?

A courtesy PM or email to the contributors who will be quoted would also be nice but, in principle, I voted yes too.

White smoke could also be unburnt fuel due to timing - I'd suggest you advance the pump timing a bit (and I do mean "a bit", think 1° on the pump, so 2° increase BTDC. That might clear it up but if it sounds like someone's building a shed inside, you've gone too far. Burnt/partially burnt diesel has a different smell to how it smells 'at the pump', lovely smell in my opinion but not good for you. Other reasons for not burning it properly include poor in-cylinder motion (valves not opening far enough?) or poor spray pattern from an injector.

Dear Mr Tagz, I read with interest the ability to display messages on my wheels using your system. Before I leap in and order a set, I have a few questions: 1) What impact will the system have on my vehicle fuel consumption? 2) Do you offer guidelines during the "simple home fitment" to rebalance the wheels, or at least estimate the imbalance? 3) Does the system incorporate a wash/wipe system for use in deep mud etc? 4) To what depth underwater is the system guaranteed? If you can answer these questions to my satisfaction, I'd like to a quote to purchase a set of four (4) including postage to the UK. Regards John

Why oh why didn't they design them with the flexi-hose going straight into the caliper? The rigid hose just makes it more awkward to remove the caliper generally...

What about people like, to throw up an example, SimonR? He's pulled the coils off his car and put his own air suspension on it. He Q-plates it, SVA's it, it passes. All good. Then he has a smart idea to relocate the axles using ball joints, uses magnets instead of springs and mounts a crane on the back to recover the Antill mob. Does he have to re-SVA it? The "Modified" box on the computer will already be ticked but surely it's not safe if Simon's got Dave on a spec-lift behind his LR hooning down the A27?

Jas, When the main wipers do what you describe, it's usually the park switch that needs replacing - they fail 'open' and there's no power to power the wipers back to the parked position (and this is what's used during intermittent operation). John

My 300Tdi doesn't have a fan at all and although I've had problems with high water temp when offroad at low speeds but working the engine hard, there have been no scary high EGTs suggesting it needs more intercooling. I'd run with ambient airflow Les, you'll be no worse off than without the intercooler!

Either would be fantastic for me - I think I'll bring a tent this time instead of kipping in the summerhouse!

Chalk me down for any of the three dates JST suggests.

I must say, repowering older vehicles with newer, downsized and cleaner units sounds like a very sensible idea - the next level of "ultimate recycling"! Who did the conversion? I'd be interested to see any pics. On a similar note, I've often thought that a 200Tdi on the LT77 in an MGB V8 would make a nice car with reasonable power and good economy.

Thing is, I don't want brighter instruments, just more contrast and more even lighting. (Of course, I found that scraping all the dust and grime off them has given a 100% improvement...)

The Highlander door stripes are interesting - in my March 96 LRW (!) there's a feature on 'Highlander's, rebuilt by Mike Shaw LandRovers of Haytor Vale, Devon. He steam cleaned them, strip to chassis and bulkhead for inspection and any corrosion is attacked at that stage. Petrols got a new alternator, starter and carb. Inside they got inertia seat belts, door trips and 110 door mirrors, as well as freewheel hubs, 8-spokes and the stripes on the outside. Overall, customers paid him for a gentle rebuild so it ought to go for a good few years yet!

As Si said, beware of where the extra length is lying when you're not using it. I have +2" lines (from Matt Savage) and the lines are great. I installed them with half a turn of twist but even so, one rubbed against my tyre and chafed through, giving brake failure on a main road. Be careful out there!