Escape

Not quite there yet, I only got calls from our local independent after he retired. 🙂 He's a great chap, he's always welcome at the Workshop just like I was at his place years ago, and always a pleasure talking or working with him.

The easiest wat to disconnect a multipoint LPG system is to leave the injectors connected to the inlet manifold (usually bolted or tie-wrapped to it anyway) and disconnect LPG supply and electrical connectors at the rails. Than just take off the manifold with injectors to do the head gaskets.

Just realized I never finished this thread. I got an STC1816, for a Series 3. We did have to change the input as it came with an eye instead of a fork. Luckily the Excel has a fork with threads for adjustment, so we cut off the eye and welded on a short stud was welded on (with the rod removed so there was no risk of heat damage to the seals). Been working as it should for about a year now, though I fear the master may be leaking again as the pedal isn't always as firm as it should be. A bit late, but thanks for the info Marc! Filip

A bit of an update. About a year after completing the bench tests, and one short try-out in another car, I've finally got 'round to fitting the all relays controller to my P38. After another 8 months or so of using it with the rebuilt engine but without low gear... Which meant the clutch already got a hard time with a heavy trailer on soft ground and especially when pulling a broken down L322 up on the trailer (much easier and faster than using the hand winch, with a smell of clutch instead of sweat). Yesterday my Range Rover was in the Shop to fit an EAS override, something I could do in between videomeets without getting (too) dirty. I had a bit of time left and had noticed the controller still sitting on the shelve. So after a quick check to make sure the mechanisme was moving freely and the motor would spin when applying 12V directly I popped it in. Worked like a charm, really should have done this a long time ago! And I should make a decent wiring diagram, for future use and for anyone else who'd like to have a go. Now, on to the rest of the long list of unfinished stuff... That is if I don't get distracted and buy another sporty toy this week. 😁 Filip

Should be an easy fix!

Wont nuts be a bigger size than a reduced hex bolt? The stud has to pass through them, so extra material is needed.

Do you mean you can't select a gear? That could be the interlock, a simple solenoid preventing you from moving the gear lever. Or can you chose a gear, but nothing seems to happen? That could be due to low oil or other mechanical problems. Great to hear you already have it running! 🙂

On the propside, the yoke is rather slim as it only connects to the tube. On the other side, the yoke attaches to the flage, which is a larger diameter so will cause binding at a smaller angle. As the prop is not designed for the extreme angles allowed by the small side, is doesn't really matter if the other angle is slightly larger. So the cutout was probably a compromise between the minimum angle needed and the strength of the flange.

Mileage is not important for me at all. Often a car with many miles has been taken better care of. To rack up the miles, you need a car that is reliable every time, so you're less likely to skip on maintenance/repairs. Garage queens that only come out 3 weekends a year on the other hand can be run a shoestring budget for many years as it 'doesn't really matter'. This is perhaps more relevant for older/classic cars, not so much the more recent Range Rovers and Disco's. But one could argue that after a certain mileage, most known problems are probably already addressed, like the known gearbox problems around 100k miles for the L322 TD6. Of course the price should reflect the mileage, as there will be more general wear & tear (worn seats, stone chips etc). Filip

I also saw it last week. A loss for us, as they did have great products and gave excellent service. But a retirement well deserved! I sent Peter a mail to wish him all the best and got the following reply I'd like to share:

I think you have that the wrong way around. When I drove the new Defender offroad, it made everything look effortless. In fact, I didn't like it because it didn't need much driver input, so wasn't engaging or rewarding to drive. But it is a very easy way to make sure you get where you need or want to be. If I had put my P38 (without TC) or a standard RRC/D1/Def in the same position crossing the ditch, it would have been properly stuck. And even with TC it would have required a good amount of throttle to pull through, the new Defender just drove out at idle, no drama at all. There is some merit to your comparision with Elise vs Focus ST. The first is a proper drivers' car, but like all Lotus needs a competent driver to be fast. Modern fast cars (the Nissan GTR springs to mind) just require a lead foot and pointing the steering wheel in roughly the right direction and the computers will work hard to get you there as fast as possible. Not my idea of fun, but no doubt very capable. Filip

We had another go at the brakes. Refitted the master, double checking that the booster pushrod was properly engaged. Then put on the nuts to the booster but only tightened by hand. Gave the pedal a (careful) try and with the second pump I got a nice and firm pedal. so that seemed to confirm the theory of the master being held forward. I tightened the nuts further, checking the pedal in between. All seemed fine even when fully tightened, much to my surprise. Then we did the bleeding, both with the Rovacom and manually following the sequence in Rave. Out for a testdrive and after a few applications the brakes are working properly. Even if the stroke seems a bit long before the brakes really bite. But that could be down to pads and discs needing to bed in again. We'll try an MOT after I've had a look at the oil leak that has appeared... Looks like it's from the ACE, which could explain the noisy pump as well. Thanks again for the help! Filip

As expected, didn't find much time (or motivation...) to take another look at the brake problem last week. I did take off the master and checked the booster outputrod. Nothing seemed out of place, no items trapped. I did notice the rod can be adjusted. As I know some work was done to the car, but no idea what exactly let alone to what standard, it is quite possible somebody had a go at adjusting it. And made things worse. The car came in with a very worn wheel bearing, that would of course have caused a delay in braking power, and could have let to overadjustement. @Pawl12 you wouldn't happen to know what the correct setting for the pushrod is? Otherwise I'll put the master back with a thin washer to the booster, so it sits a bit further. Just to see if that makes a difference, and easily reversed without having to mess with the adjustement. Filip

Don't forget the injector seals. And possible contamination in the wiring loom.

Thank you very much for the detailed description! Just the info we need to investigate further. I'll take the master off to check the booster output rod to make sure nothing is trapped. And then check the displaced volume with a syringe. I didn't realize the primary and secondary have a different stroke, that does make sense for the D2 layout. Will post our progress, but probably wont find the time tomorrow to look at it. Filip

David, I had/have the same problem. Not only here, but also on some other threads / forums. Always with FB links. The easy workaround is to right click and chose 'view image'. Only downside is you can't go back to the previous window (i.e. the thread) afterwards. Only thing I can think of that could cause this is because FireFox opens FB in a container tab. Filip

I've seen a few RRCs on 15" wheels, so it's definitely possible. I don't think the size of the brakes changed much over the years.

Hi Jack, If you need to tackle a lot of hills, smaller tyres will help. Even if it's only a few %. I find it hard to believe you got such a difference in economy just from wheel weights. Were the tyres fitted the same width and overall diameter? A lot of people forget that when going to bigger or smaller (diameter) tyres, the speedo reading is also affected, so the distance recorded will change. Also, I don't think on a slow and heavy 4x4 tyre weight will have much effect. Unless you'd go from a a hi-tech alloy wheel with a small roadtyre to a solid steel one with a massive knobbly tyre. 😉 A friend did some testing on his Lotus Exige V6, comparing stock wheels to track-spec light weight ones. There was some difference, but it was minimal. And not so much on outright speed/acceleration (fuel economy was obviously of no importance but would be similar), but a just noticeable effect on inertia when changing speed and direction. None of which is a priority for a Land Rover. Just chose whatever you like, it will be fine and you'll be happy 'cause you like it. 🙂 I can be very fussy about tyres myself, it can make life difficult sometimes. BTW, great pic of the airbourne P38! Care to share the story? I've had mine on just one wheel at the end of a steep slope offroading, but unfortunately no pics or vids... I was one of the few vehicles to make it up there though! And conveniently forgot I had a 400mile drive home when I floored it to prove a point... Filip

There's plenty of people running 35" with standard gearing, shouldn't be a problem. It's only a 10% difference to standard. I ran my 90 TD5 on 37", not as daily though. But it was fine, could even pull a trailer if need be. Comfortable motorway speed was not limited by the engine power (max speed in 4th, 5th just a long overdrive) but by stability due to the lift and tyres. At work we had a 110 TD5 on 35" that had to work for a living, never any problems, just keep it in in a lower gear with a heavy trailer if you need more torque at the wheels. And be a bit gentle when driving off. You will notice reduced engine braking on steep down slopes, nothing you can't solve by feathering the brakes but it might feel fast at first. Filip

Just to be clear, wheel size does not have a direct effect, only the tyres fitted. So yes, if you go from 265/75R16 (about 32") to 31x10.5-15 you will have a 3% difference. Or the other way if you go up to 33x10.5-15. 3% is not much anyway! It may be noticeable when driving off with a heavy trailer, but wont make much difference in normal use. As for fuel economy, that depends on a lot of things, like the state of the engine, usage, prefered cruising speed etc. At moderate speeds on the motorway the Tdi could prefer slightly lower revs so economy could suffer with smaller tyres. Which is why some fit an overdrive or (like myself) prefer a long 5th gear for cruising. Then there's also other stuff influenced by tyre size, like the ride height and aerodynamics. As long as you only go up or down one size, other factors will be more important, like the look you prefer or price and availability of tyres. Filip

The mastercylinder is new and didn't come in a blue box, so no real reason to doubt it. I agree it seems the likely suspect, but I find it strange the symptoms are exactly the same as with the old master. Only thing I can think of is it was pushed in too far and the seals got damaged while bleeding. Maybe related to the booster, though I don't think the booster pin can be adjusted as on some other cars. The primary circuit that seems at fault is the one closest to the booster. Wouldn't the secondary be more prone to damage when pushed too far? We checked the output circuits one by one with the other connected to the modulator, so not actually sealed off. Filip

The popular steel wheels like 8-spokes and modular are available in -8 or -10mm and are used frequently on Range Rovers. I used those on my Defender (in 16" but that wont make any difference apart from choice of tyres). So you should be fine. If you go for 33x10.5 you might have to look at clearance with the outer edge of the wheel arches on full compression, also depending on actual tyre width. I can certainly understand your desire to fit smaller rims instead of bigger as on so many moderns. 😉 Filip

This is all without ignition on, the basic hydraulic system, so the ECU is out of the loop. As far as I can tell, both shuttle valves are hydraulicaly operated from the master and the only connection to the ECU is via the shuttle valve switches to tell the brakes are on.

I hinted at the problems we're having with our Discovery 2, Dirty Daisy, in @Jon W for sale topic. As the replacement parts brought us no closer to a solution, it's time a start a thread to call on your collective knowledge. We got Daisy as a running project. When driving her home my mate discovered she had little or no brakes. I found a VERY worn wheel bearing that seems like a likely culprit. Bearing replaced, all calipers bled as per Rave, but no difference. We got little or no flow from the primary circuit (left front and right rear), secondary seemed fine. Working back we looked at the modulator and removed the pipes coming from the master. Good flow on the secondary but very limited on the primary. With a strong tendency to suck back the fluid, so you can't really 'pump up' the brakes. New master was ordered (not without difficulty as it was my first order post Brexit and nobody seemed to know just how to handle it!) and installed, but no difference. Still no strong flow in the primary circuit when disconnected from the modulator. And no flow coming out of the modulator left front and right rear. I then got a spare modulator from Jon. It arrived yesterday and was immediately installed, with fingers crossed. Again, no difference?! We first pumped the brakes with the modulator outputs disconnected to get it filled again, then bled the modulator and pump with Rovacom but still the pedal went to the bottom, unable to pump up. We bled the brakes again and while that improved pedal feel a bit (no longer going to the bottom but unable to pump up) we still only got flow from the secondary circuit. We're at wits end, there are no signs of leaks anywhere, master and modulator have been replaced with no effect, the only thing left is the brake booster. But I can't see how this could cause the problems. Happy to be corrected though! Greetz, Filip

yes, to replace the standard Borg Warner. Adding the shifter would then be another problem of course