dave1607

not sue if this is of any help, but there is a bit of info on seam sealing here http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/seam-sealing.htm Dave

Been thinking about this for a while, so might give it a go and see how I get on. Which Millers additive is it that people are using? The one I have found on the Halfords website is "Diesel Power Ecomax" http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_370465_langId_-1_categoryId_255221 Dave

I changed from Direct line to Sureterm. Sureterm are the broker, the policy is with Highway. Modifacations didn't seem to phase them at all, I asked about different wheels, a snorkel, swing away wheel carrier and a winch but they said that none of them would effect the price. Obviously none of those were engine mods but might be worth a ring, I can't remember exactly but I think I paid around £230 fully comp. Dave

That's interesting, I'll have a look for that, I'm guessing that it relies on you having phone signal, but still sounds useful. **Edit** Sorry, meant to say 3G signal or some sort of data signal, if you had no signal you would have a job ringing them

We knew where we were but couldn't describe that to the RAC operator, they didn't seem to want to accept any kind of grid reference or coordinates, they just wanted a road name or a place name, we could have described a rout from the nearest town but it would have been so convoluted that there would have been little chance of them finding us. I had just never realy considered that one day I might have to try and explain to someone, with no local knowledge, where I was, and happening accross a stranded couple trying to do exactly that made me think that their ability to find you is something that should be considered when choosing a breakdown company. Has anyone had any good experiences with a particular company, I'm with the AA but they were chosen purely on price. They were very good when the Mrs broke down once but that was on a major A road. Dave

Hi All Me and the Mrs. were out at the weekend driving a few lanes and when we got to the end of one, we came across a couple with a broken down 110 TD5 (broken fan belt, shame it wasn't a 300TDI as I carry a spare), we stopped to see if we could help and found the chap on the phone to the RAC trying to explain where they were. They had no phone signal so couldn't use google maps etc. I got out the old OS map and showed them exactly where they were. He managed to describe to them where the start of the lane was (because it's by a pub) but the lane wasn't shown on the RAC's map (it's a BOAT), we offered the RAC an OS grid reference but that meant nothing to them. In then end the chap had to make his way back to the pub at the start of the lane to meet the RAC. I just wandered if anyone else has had this problem and how you managed to get around it. It seems pretty poor that the maps the RAC use don't have the same detail as an OS map and that they are unable to use a grid reference to find you. Dave

Normally just stuck on either side, no hole in the glass, so just peel it off. The best way is to slide something thin under it, I always used to use a plastic trim removal tool. Dave

Got my new calipers and hoses fitted this weekend, I ordered the hoses from Llama 4x4, really nice guy and really helpful. The hoses are very well made and exactly the right length, I can see why so many people recommend him. Dave

I emailed magal last month for a price for a 4 bolt box, they do still supply direct and quoted me £338.02 inc VAT, the part number I was given is 68200. I emailed Megan Broadhurst (megan.broadhurst@magal.co.uk) and she got back to me straight away. Dave

It's service time again and I've noticed a few drops of oil on the sump bolts so thought it might be worth removing the sump, giving it a clean and resealing it while I'm under there. Has anyone got any pointers on this, what would you recomend using to clean the sump out, brake cleaner, degreaser or just wiping it out and not using any solvents? Is there anything else that I should do while I have the sump off, maybe clean the oil strainer and change the O ring on the oil pickup, is that worth doing? Also, is there enough room to get the sump out on a standrd height 90 or will I need to jack the chassis up to give enough clearance. Thanks Dave

Could maybe try an Aquarium sealant, If it can hold a fish tank together then it should be up to the job. Not sure how well it will stick to the clips but might be worth a go. This is the stuff I've used in the past on my vivarium. http://supplies.trulypvc.com/products/164-ha6-rtv-marine-silicone-sealant-fish-tank-aquarium-safe-silicone.aspx Dave

Thanks for that, I found White90's post http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=54092 . Looks like a really good idea, so I might copy it I like the 90 degree banjos so there is no loop in the hose, think I'll have to do some careful measuring. I'll have it up on a mates ramp tomorrow to replace a swivel seal and give it a service, so I think I'll have a propper look then and try to come up with a plan. Thanks for all the input Dave

Thanks for the reply, I like the idea of welding on tabs and having a short flexi, a mate has a flairing tool etc. and a load of copper pipe so I may well wait until I have a bit more time and do exactly as you suggest. Thanks Dave

I'm sure this has been covered many times before and I'm sure I've read about this on another thread but I can't find it, so thought I would ask again. My rear calipers on my 300TDI Defender 90 are in a pretty bad way, so I plan to replace them at the weekend. I had a quick look under there last night and the rigid brake lines to the calipers aren't looking to good either and I'm pretty sure that they are gona get damaged when I remove the caliper. My question is, has anyone replaced the rigid hoses with braided ones? I quite like the idea of putting Braided hoses from the T piece to the calipers, and as Hel Performance are just down the road from me and will make them while I wait, so it would be very convenient. Can anyone think of a reason why this is a bad idea, are they more likely to get cought on things than the rigid lines? All opinions welcome, thanks Dave

I recently finished doing the rewiring on a mates Series 2A, all of the wiring inside and under the bonnet was covered with braided sleeving and the chassis loom was done in convoluted tubing (the stuff without the split), and attached at convenient points along the chassis. Dave

The 20.5mm offset would mean centre line of the wheel would be 12.5mm further in (closer to the vehicle) than the 8mm offset wheel, and the rim is about 38mm narrower so 38 / 2 = 19mm, so the outer edge of the rim would be about 31.5mm further in under the arch, I think. I don't really know anything about bead locks so can't help with that but if you say about 12.5mm for the beadlock, the rim would be about 19mm further in to the arch, if that makes any sense what so ever. Hope this helps a bit Dave

I bought a "special tool" for removing the pins from ISO plugs on car radios once, it was nothing more that a thin flat piece or metal with a handle on the end, it broke after a while so I went back to using a small flat blade screwdriver. I would just use the smallest screwdriver you have and just be careful not to break the tabs, in my experience the "special tools" aren't that special. Dave

I used to fit alot of Dynamat when I worked in the car audio industry, the foil backed stuff is self adhesive with a paper backing that you peel off, it's like a big sheet of the butyle tape used to stick in defender rear door windows. It's great stuff but for best results you need to make sure it's really well stuck, make sure the surface that you are sticking it too is really really clean and get yourself a small wallpaper seam roller, this will help you get any bubbles out and make sure it's really well stuck all over. If you need to get into any tight corners, you can use the handle of a screwdriver to get it stuck properly. Dave

With the smoke, I would first check anything that could be stopping the engine getting enough air, e.g. pipes collapsing, intercooler blocked etc. Then if that's all ok start looking at the pump. Dave

I had exactly the same problem with Direct Line. I was just about to start fitting my snorkel but thought I had better check with the insurance company first, after I had finally explained to them what a raised air intake was, they wanted an extra £75 for the remaining 6 months of my policy. I gave Sureterm a ring and they covered the snorkel no problem and were £15 cheaper than I was already paying with Direct Line. They also said that I could fit different wheels, rock sliders, a swing away wheel carrier and a winch without affecting my policy, I just have to let them know and pay the £25 mid term adjustment fee. I think I just scraped into a classic policy though as my Defender is 18 years old. Dave

Great write up, got a non working jack in the garage that I was going to bin, might have a go at fixing it now. Dave

The rods that you saw were probably Durafix Easyweld, I've got some that I use for filling holes etc. It's pretty easy to do with some practise, don't think I would trust it for anything weight bearing but makes a pretty neat job of filling holes. Dave

Be a bit careful when looking at wheel offsets. I'm in the process of buying new wheels at the moment and have found that there are some retailers that don't seem to know how offset is measured, I was told buy one that their modulars have zero offset and are the same as the standard land rover wheels, he seemed very confused when I told him that most standard Defender wheels have a +33 offset. I found that some retailers quote the offset in comparison to the standard wheels, e.g. if they say the offset is -25, they actually mean that the wheels have 25mm less offset than the standard wheels which would make them +8. Dave

If it's a push fit it should be a 501 bulb, I think. Dave

Thanks for the quick reply Western It's not so much the legality I'm worried about as I had a good look at that and they look to be legal (just), it's more that I'm not too keen on the look of the tyres sticking out past the arches. I've got 205/80/16 on standard alloys at the moment and was just after something that would fill the arches nicely. Dave