Boris113

Having just fitted a new R380 from Ashcrofts, I noticed the drain plug on the old and new boxes are different and wondered why that might be? The original gearbox in my 2005 Td5 has a magnetic drain plug which accepts a 3/8 ratchet to undo it, basically a smaller version of an axle drain plug. The recon unit has the conventional 32mm plug with a copper O-ring. The threaded hole in the original box is much smaller and the large plug won't fit in. Not a problem as such but curious if anyone know why it was changed and when? Thanks, Harry

There is a set of O-rings that you can buy for about £20 and redo the FPR yourself. Seems to be a mixed bag of results, and if it doesn't work then you will have to buy an FPR and pull it off again but maybe worth considering.

I've used him before and his work is really good. There's plenty of photos of the crossmembers on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/rocksliders/

3,500 mile trip around Europe was probably the highlight this year, we covered France, Belguim, Switzerland and Italy in 2 and a bit weeks. The 110 performed faultlessly which is more than can be said for the 90 which is still languishing in a shipping container with a broken CV, seized starter motor and a minor clutch issue. Stelvio Pass at 2,575m Gorge du Verdon was rather pretty also.

What about D2 axles? Dont know much about them but they still sit in the LR stable and being wider increase stability. IIRC the steering lock is better and the CVs are easy to change if you smash one. Ashcrofts do a range of parts for them much like their normal Defender offerings. Downside however is you will have to fab mountings and the wheel PCD is different.

I've used hot water with a load of milton and a scrubbing brush on a mohair hood to remove green algae from it. Fitted a new canvas hood to the 90 a while ago and it leaked like a seize, a liberal coat of Fabsil applied whilst the roof was dry has worked wonders, the water beads up on the top now. Dont get it on plastic windows, it makes them go milky.

Did you use anything as a primer beforehand? Got some axles that need a rebuild shortly and thinking of POR 15 or Buzzweld

Although it doesn't solve your immediate problem, you can get metal plugs for the top of the radiator and thermostat housing. I've never managed to snap a plastic one yet although the shallow hex tops do start to round off after time.

Will do, thanks Western

We had an attempted break-in on one of the works Defenders and now need to buy a new rear door lock. The main dealer out here are useless so I am trying to find the part number for just a rear door lock barrel and key to suit a 2013 Defender which a mate can carry out in his luggage. I have the part numbers as either CWC500200 or CWC500190 but both come up with similar items, is anyone able to advise? Many thanks, Harry

Steve your user name sounded familiar, I bought the X-brake from you 2nd hand in 2014! All seems to be good now so will see how long it lasts I followed the instructions on Foundry several times but it still rattled. This time around I used a how-to in the tech archive which was written by Western I think, whether it was that or the sealant on the moving calliper I don't know but it is quiet now - yippee!

I think the best solution is to get to your local scrapyard and get the vehicle on a weighbridge to get the weight on front and rear axles then look at aftermarket springs, most of which are sold by poundage or additional kg weight. My 90 has TF medium duty +2s but is a soft top with no winch and no spare wheel so pretty light, it goes around roundabouts well and tows nicely but they are too hard on the road. Once the winch is nailed on and a cage fitted I'll then weigh it and possibly buy different springs.

It doesn't look like there is any way of fitting some springs internally. On the plus side, the brake is silent! RTV sealant on the moving pad has stopped the noise, not sure how long it will hold up for but all is good now thanks for the help chaps. Harry

So managed to squeeze a day of work ahead of the MOT and got under the 110. I checked the disk with a home-made version of a dti (G clamp and centre punch) and the disk runs true. Pulled the backplate off to give it a clean and remounted it. Shook/wobbled the output flange and bearings are all good so not that. The fixed pad is still stuck like turd to a blanket with no rattle but the moving one wobbles. I don't want to use Sikaflex because there is no room to cut it out later for a pad change so went with some rtv sealant and clamped it in the vice to set as per the destructions. Fingers crossed it should have set later today and can be thrown back in

I used plywood and covered it in nylon carpet simply as a way of mounting speakers for the radio, it's a bit Heath Robinson but they work ok and cost nothing. The inner side of the door has been covered in Flashband also. If I was doing it again then would probably cut some chequer and fix that because the carpet is a pain to clean after off-roading.

I used the same neoprene for the seatbox/floor panels and it's held up well. Make sure it's the closed cell variant so it won't hold water. For thinner gaps e.g. rear crossmember to the tub and the rest of bodywork to the chassis, butyl pond liner is cheap and easy to work with.

Once you read the map you will see a little image of a floppy disk at the bottom of the screen, if you click on that it will save the original map to the SD card. Afraid I've no experience of flashing maps back onto ECUs however Harry

Can't help with your specific question but have you had a look on the downloads section of the Nanocom website? http://www.nanocom-diagnostics.com/downloads There's a quite a number of PDF instruction manuals that you can download.

Interested to hear how you get on with this, it's something I am toying with. CR Turbos/Td5 Inside seem to be getting a lot of attention on Facebook recently, they are meant to be significantly cheaper than Alive/IRB/BAS but no experience of using them personally. One of the LR comics this month has an article featuring a TD5 disco with a turbo from them.

I bought a Britpart kit by accident but it seemed good quality and the belt was branded Dayco, it's been in there for a few thousand miles with no issues.

Had a similar issue with my TD5 recently, have you cleaned the MAP sensor with some brake cleaner? What reading are you getting on tickover from the MAF? Suggest changing the fuel filter as above if not already done and also a new air filter. Also check around the exhaust manifold for warping, wipe your hand around it and check for soot to indicate leaks. A pressure test of the intercooler/pipes would be wise also. Thread below was when mine was suffering: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic48017.html

I'd be careful about a spare-wheel mounted one and opening the rear door, it's quite a lot of extra weight/leverage on the hinges. We've had a Pendle one that mounts using the towbar bolts. It must be 15 years old and has been on countless cars, it was bought originally for a TD5 discovery but fits on the 110. It's quick to put on and very strong, the downside is that it has to come off to open the rear door.

Thanks guys I followed the destructions and have re-mounted it several times now. The calliper moves on the sliders freely and the pads are definitely secure, the Sikaflex won't budge any time soon and was left for 48 hours in the vice with the pads clamped then another few days in the house so it should have cured. The noise reduces when the handbrake is pulled on by 1 click. Seems like in the first instance I'll check the disk runs true with someone driving and also check the mounting faces of the disk and bracket etc are clean. It's a while until I am back to UK but will update once done. Thanks, Harry

I don't think it's a bearing, I took the caliper off and carried on driving the vehicle whilst the Sikaflex was curing on the pads and the noise was gone. Similarly shaping the caliper didn't produce a rattle. I'll pull the disk/mounting bracket off and clean the mating faces to see if that makes a difference when next home, that could well be the issue. Is there a way to test for a minor warp in the disk also? Thanks, Harry

I have recently fitted an X Brake to the 110 and can't for the life of me stop it from rattling, has anyone got any pointers? I set it up multiple times following the instructions precisely and it still rattled. The instructions referred to the silicon fix on the back of the pad but that hasn't helped so I then removed and Sikaflexed it allowing 48 hours for it to cure whilst clamped in the vice and the caliper under tension as per the instructions. Having set it up again it was still rattling so removed the cable from the caliper (so the pads are back as far as possible but the rattle persists (albeit slightly less). Is there another trick to making it quiet? It's a great design and I don't want to revert back to the standard one but could do with sorting it. Thanks, Harry