Escape

And the sliding pins on floating calipers (like the P38).

Curious as to what the starting issue is (sorry if I missed that post!). As long as you can enter the EKA to disable the immobiliser if needed, everything else should be pretty straightforward. And I certainly can't complain about the reliability of my Range Rovers. My P38 diesel left me stranded once when the engine oil pump failed (a couple of days before leaving for Ladoga, luckily not in that car!), but the V8s have always gotten me home. The one I've been driving since the Workshop fire in 2015 was bought 10 years ago for £1000 of £1500. Partly stripped because it had a nice interior and then run on a limited budget and still going strong. She may look rather tatty inside and out, being a workhorse, but always gets the job done. 😉

Good point about the handbrake being much less effective with the rear prop removed! Definitely a consideration for MOT. As for breaking traction in FWD, I get that every time I drive a FWD car in the rain... The P38 being a heavy car with (usually) tyres that are not optimized for road driving and a low geared autobox that puts a good amount of torque on the wheels will certainly be no better. But should not be a problem if driven gently (as is needed to save the viscous anyway).

As above, if they have that possibility. Otherwise, if it's not too far and you drive gently, you should be fine with the front prop removed. As an aside, removing a prop would be a fail over here, because it is considered a modification of the driveline without consent from the manufacturer and the vehicle no longer complies with it's certificate of conformity...

You do need to look carefully at the drawing, the concentric shafts are easy to miss. I read it the same way as you do, and that matches the description as well.

The diff in the Borg Warner is a proper one, with the drive to the carrier, and both outputs connected via bevel gears and the viscous coupling. So you can drive in either RDW or FWD by removing the other propshaft, but in both cases the viscous will have to take the full load. Fine to get you home, but don't drive like that any longer then necessary. Unless the viscous is already seized.

Make sure you follow the correct procedure to bleed the system. The P38 braking system differs from most in that the rear brakes are only supplied via the powered circuit. You need to have the ignition on so the hydraulic pump can run and provide fluid under pressure to the rear calipers. When you take the wheels off for bleeding, also check the bearings and make sure the sliding pins are all moving freely.

Reading the above makes me feel kinda good. 🙂 I manage to keep almost all car related stuff in the Workshop. Occasionally some electrical bits will make it into the adjacent office or a thermostat will be tested in the kitchen (which is no more than a cabinet with a sink, fridge and microwave on the rear wall of the office). But my living and sleeping area is free from car parts. There are some tools and stuff left over from fitting the wiring and lights, I really should tidy those as I can finally say I've done everything I had planned. Apart from that the worst is some nuts and bolts or small tools on the bedside table, found in my pockets before going to sleep. There is a wooden piece of dashboard of a Lotus Excel in the living room at my GF's. The idea was to have a fettle with that on the cold winter nights, 2 or 3 winters ago... Maybe I spend too much time on fora. 😛

The price difference you stated earlier was for the ATB center vs Ashlocker center I think. For a complete diff you need to add a considerable fixed cost, which means the (relative) price difference becomes smaller. 😉 For what it's worth, I think you've made a good choice! But if finances (and time) allow, I would renew the swivels and upgrade the shafts etc at the same time. Just because you'll be taking things apart to fit the diff anyway.

I forgot to post an update on this. We sent the ECU to Bosch to repair the connector, which they did. But they couldn't offer any warranty because of possible water damage. It took me some time to get the replacement connector with new pins wired into the car wire loom (afterwards I discovered there was an easier way, by further dismantling the old connector) but unfortunately without success. So nothing left but to take the car to the local main dealer. Ironically when dropping it of, one of the mechanics commented on the reliability of the old Range Rovers compared to the new ones with their tendency for electronic problems. I was using my P38 as a tow car, never thought I'd hear a LR mechanic (or any mechanic other than a real enthusiast) praise a P38 as reliable! The dealer tried the ECU in another car, also without success. So a new one was ordered and programmed to the car. That seems to have cured it, though there was one more instance where the car wouldn't start. If I'm asked to do maintenance, I'll make sure to check the connectors and give them a good clean. A happy end, but it didn't come cheap... And I feel rather bad, as it's the second time I gave it my best shot to help him with a more recent Range Rover and both times I failed and only added time to the repair. 😞

Just to complete, even if it is off topic: France is largely 1.5 kV DC, Belgium 3kV DC, Germany 15kV AC, all with 25kV AC for the high speed lines. Overhead lines are indeed used mainly for safety. That high a tension underneath a metal train would be quite risky! And on crossings... Overhead catenaries allow more space for the safety air gap (with different setups for the high tension AC versions compared to lower tension DC) and low voltage/current circuits are used in the rails for train detecting etc. Despite not liking train travel, I do enjoy exploring the engineering aspects. 🙂 And now back on topic, what tension will the Defender EV use?

Most European railways are electrified as well, but important missing links remain. Because of the high infrastructure costs, alternatives like batteries and hydrogen are looked at to replace the existing diesel fleet. And then there are ports etc, where it's not practical to use electrified lines because of the need for easy access to the wagons for loading and unloading.

There is a lot of interest in HFC powered trains, instead of battery powered, to replace diesel traction on non-electrified lines. Charging of battery trains seems (at the moment) to be a bigger problem than filling up with hydrogen. Mostly because of the ludicrously high current needed to charge within a somewhat reasonable amount of time. As said, production of green hydrogen remains a problem, same as green electricity but with considerable added losses.

+1 for the leak detecting dye! As an added bonus, you'll also be able to see traces of coolant being pushed out of the tank, either because pressure really is too high or the cap isn't sealing properly.

Never hurts to compare, even if it's only to confirm your initial thoughts. 😉

A Q7 sure is huge on the outside, not helped by the plump design. Some years ago I was loading up next to a Q7, first gen I think, and I was surprised there wasn't more room inside. All a bit more curved, lower roof, more plastic taking up space and to be fair I have the back seats completely removed in my Range Rover which also helps. But compared to a P38, a D3/4 is noticeably bigger on the inside, so a different league to the Q7.

I agree with @Snagger. The Defender may be a nice model, with interesting technical details, but I much prefer the more old skool Lego designs like the Mustang (10265) and DB5 (10262), despite their more brick-like look not resembling the originals as closely as is possible with all the special parts of the Technic models.

That's what I expected, as in most cars, but when I checked the wiring diagrams in Rave those show a shared earth and individual feeds... Instruments TD5.pdf

1. 2008 will be a 2.4, the 2.2 was used from 2012 on 2. yes, depending on the version they will be black or painted from the factory. I much prefer black. 3. somebody with a Puma will need to measure 4. as far as I know, Land Rover, like most manufacturers, does not link options to the VIN. Nowadays you're lucky to even get the engine and gearbox from the VIN! You could file a request with LR, but not sure how eager they will be to share the info.

All those warning lamps have individual feeds but share the same earth. So you've likely disturbed the earth while replacing the ignition barrel. Take the binnacle out and check for a good earth, if not, either trace the wiring or add a wire to ensure a good earth.

There is no denying that the better equipped your car is, the further you can make it before getting stuck. And the more difficult it will be for others to reach and recover you. After all, there is nothing stopping you from using momentum with lockers, unless some sense of mechanical sympathy and/or common sense. And most of us drive our LRs for the fun of it, so will deliberately seek the limits, not just try to get from A to B. Except maybe some overlanders. I just think the more traction you have, the easier it is to hold back a bit and not get into so much trouble trying to follow the herd or prove yourself. 😉

I was recovering a Rocky (Fourtrack in UK) yesterday, with Tommy the Lightweight. The Rocky has no lockers but a determined driver that dug quite a hole. Even if he had gotten stuck with lockers, it would have been a lot easier to get him out. Of course, chances are then he then would have found an even deeper hole to get stuck in... But in general, lockers are a great upgrade and will keep you out of trouble in most cases. They also allow you to tackle obstacles without needing to resort to momentum. An ATB will be very noticeable if traction is low. I'd even say you get more for your money, just not the full monty. And no buttons to play with, whether that's a pro or a con is for each to decide. I like the added control but certainly wouldn't dismiss an ATB either.

While I agree with most of the spirit of that, I have one major objection: I've never thrown away Lego!

Are you sleeping inside your 110 or just using it to lug camping gear? If sleeping inside, I think you'll find the Q7, X5 etc disappointingly small on the inside! The Disco 3/4 is huge, and they're nice to churn away the miles, but then it does become more about getting there rather than the drive itself (which is always an adventure by itself in a Defender). You won't spend as much time working on a Disco, but you're likely to spend considerably more money, both in parts and professional help (diagnostics for one). I'd vote Defender. 😉

As above, in poor conditions on road just leave the locker open, unless you really need it. Like on a steep slope or setting of when snowed in. With an open diff, if one wheel slips, the other will sit still and provide lateral grip. I've never found the need to lock the diffs unless (seriously) off road. I'd stay away from an LSD (as in, speed dependent lock-up, as used by some Jap pick-ups etc, as that could surprise you when locking up) but a TorSen (like the ATB) will help you find more traction without sudden changes. It should allow you to drive faster, not necessarily safer though. Remember a TorSen is also used in fast cars to promote over steer and make drifting easier. Driven with some sympathy it shouldn't be a real problem, especially with permanent 4x4 but you do risk spinning 2 wheels instead of one if you're to hard on the throttle or misjudge a situation.