BogMonster

I bought myself a 19" HP TFT monitor while I was away in July, one of these It has been fine up until today, now I have a very very fine vertical green line down the display about four inches from the right hand side. It is almost invisible against a white background, but very obvious against a dark background or a photo etc., it "twinkles" slightly in some places too. It was fine first thing this morning then just appeared at some point through the day while the screen was on. What is causing this - does it mean the monitor is f****d? It is still well within warranty but to send it back would cost more than the screen did so it's not really an option and it would be cheaper to throw it away. Is it a common failing with TFT screens? This one according to the on screen display has done 760 hours but a lot of those have been in standby mode or with the screen saver on, the backlight hours are only 559. Tried "factory reset" etc and switching it off/disconnecting all power for a while, no difference. Any thoughts chaps? I've not had a flat screen monitor before, perhaps I should stick my fist through it and go back to the CRT monitor that has served me without fault for 3 years, or the one before that which is about 8 years old, or the one before that which I got in 1991.... none of those have ever had any problems. Are these flat screens stupid fragile things a bit like electronics in a vehicle?

Chickens and eggs ... how many generators are there without ball bearings

Nope. Long weekend and I have a bluddy throat infection which means I've been able to eat a bowl of soup in the last 48 hours and that is it so I am starving, grumpy, I have a headache and my neck feels like I have been gargling EP90 with gear teeth in. Not looking good for rovering or ribbing this weekend..... bah

Lifting and Crane Services perhaps? I don't know if they sell it or not but the name is similar Website here can't see any on the website but then it is a bit of a rubbish one so may just not be on there. It sounded appealing till I learned that if you bust it in the middle of nowhere you can't splice it like Dyneema/Plasma ropes which is one of the appealing things about dyneema to me apart from the ease of handling. OK for an extension rope perhaps. Edited to say I did a search and previous discussions on Winch Web are here and here

I always look at mine if I go past. If you don't, then you either aren't interested in vehicles apart from as a means to avoid walking, or you bought the wrong one. Simple really

Yes I believe they can

A little tweak on the fuel pump will fix the turbo dying away but it would be an interesting project I suppose you would have to call it either an Sdi (just a SC), an STdi (supercharger before turbo) or a TSdi (the other way around)? Not sure having STD in the name of an engine would be a great marketing point tho

Don't recall ever seeing one except for when they have been really really overheated and they are scrap then anyway due to being banana shaped!

When I did mine some of the information I saw suggested that fiddling with the smoke screw did make a difference to EGT at the top end. I can't see how this could be the case though, because once on-boost the position of the smoke screw is irrelevant surely? you could take it out and throw it away! (well you couldn't because then your boost would leak, but if you plugged the hole you could....)

Sorry I am right out of stock of those at the moment.....

So are some late ones. 2004 300Tdi at this end, and the most complicated thing on it is the alternator

Sow the far end of the worksite with landmines, you will hear them coming then and with a little careful maths you ought to be able to judge the speed of approach by the distance between the bangs. I have 50,000 or so that you could borrow if required? Only thing is they must be collected

Reading an article about Richard Hammond led me to the Wikipedia page on Clarkson I had forgotten just how much one man has done to preserve the fine cause of political incorrectness over the years.... Long may it last

Aren't the "energy saving" bayonet flu bulbs about £15 a pop or something though? We've got a couple of used ones here that came out when tubes were put in so will try one of those, thanks I use a LED headtorch too but extra light is often needed for a lot of things, they are brilliant but not that bright unless you get one of the ones that makes you look like a Cyberman then they are a bit uncomfortable

That's interesting. Next time I am over there if it happens to me the ambulance can wait. If the patient dies then their family can sue the government for being so f****** stupid. Might make them reconsider? No on the other hand probably not

I made one out of a £10 halfords tyre pressure gauge, six feet of window washer tubing and a plastic T piece I nicked from somewhere.... all bound together with insulating tape. Works a treat and for one off use you can keep the tyre pressure gauge for its original role afterwards, they are very good gauges seem accurate and graduated in 1psi increments on a nice clear analogue dial

Could be - it would neatly be the same initials as Diesel Turbo too Still think it should have been about 3 litres though, the late 1990s 3.0TD out of the Landcruiser would be a nice fit.... (sacrilege I know!) Getting back vaguely On Topic does the TDFraud have a VVT or not? I guess so in this day and age....?

Flu it is then by the look of it. Will order half a dozen of those from Screwfix (we already deal with them) and a couple of boxes of spare bulbs and see what they are like. Thanks

2.5P 90s are 1.4 t/box same as Tdis. 2.5P 110s are 1.667 same as 2.5D I think I read somewhere the new 2.4 Fraud engine will have a 1.2 t/box so 6th gear in that is gonna be a "downhill with a following wind" job.... Does anybody know what the new engine is going to be called yet? Can't be the Td4 as that already exists. Maybe it will go back to Tdi again Or be called the TDFraud as its the first non LR diesel engine in a Defender....

We had a really good one for a couple of years that was a Draper thing, hardly bigger than the bulb with a shield on one side to stop glare, and a switch on the light itself (which seems rare) unfortunately the label with the Draper number had gone and the place we bought it denied all knowledge of stocking them then somebody reversed over it I think which didn't do it a power of good Thanks I'll check out rough service bulbs Just been looking at the fluo ones on Screwfix and Draper, might be the way to go I think and they are cheap (they often get killed...), how easily do the bulbs go pop if you accidentally tap it on the chassis or something?

Yes the smoke screw adjusts the off boost fuelling. Though a tweak on the full power screw increases everything too In theory you should stop screwing when it starts smoking (ooer!) but in practice - and I don't understand why - you still get more power (and smoke) even after the onset of smoke. If you adjust it to the "full Jap spec Mitsubishi" levels of smoke then it goes like stink but it's a bit indecent and in your part of the world probably highly illegal? EGT's, fit water injection

At work we're trying to find a source of some decent general purpose workshop inspection lamps, the ordinary 240V type, but something fairly compact not the cheap and nasty "hardly fits under a lifted 110" type that you seem to find in most places that has a body about 3x the width of the bulb. So far everything I have looked at seems to be the above type and they are rubbish as you can't fit them in to all sorts of places. Does anybody have a really good inspection light and where did you get it/got a picture? Preferably one with a clamp thingy on it rather than just a hook. Also can you buy heavy duty shockproof bulbs for them? We just use ordinary bayonet bulbs in ours (its all you can get here) and somebody was cursing the other day having gone through 4 bulbs in about 10 minutes....! * Finally are the fluorescent ones any good? You don't seem to be able to buy them here but if they are good (and the bulbs last) then we might order a few. Any practical suggestions/recommendations please? * Note that anybody who says "don't bash it on the chassis" will receive a slap with a decaying haddock

Very true, if you buy a new 6 metre-ish RIB, the £20,000 odd required for something like a Ribcraft 5.85 is split about 50/50 between the engine and all the rest of the boat if you are talking a 140hp. Even an 80hp is seven grand new - multiply by four Fuel consumption: my 115 is a 2 stroke carbed engine and at full throttle will see off the 90 odd litre tank in about an hour and a half I think... Outboards don't often have a long and happy life either so finding four good ones could be a struggle....

A tweak on the pump definitely helps the bottom end as the turbo wakes up that much earlier and then once you are getting boost you get more fuel and more boost and more fuel and more boost and so on.... Ideally it wants to be set to smoke a fair bit off boost for the best pickup. Be interested in any VNT conversions though, I'm surprised somebody hasn't transplanted the 2.8TGV one onto a Tdi as that must be mechanical. Or maybe they have?

Two for me V8 auto Discovery because I love V8 autos, just stamp on the pedal and go and to hell with the ozone layer, anyway its only about 1 degree here today so we need some more global warming please. Discovery for me is quick, quiet, comfortable, stable on all types of surfaced and unsurfaced roads, space for four people and a ton of luggage if required, like the driving position, like the wireless, will tow if required, and it is much better looking than anything Yappanese. Most of the reputation about poor reliability is rubbish, I've had about half a dozen problems in the four years I have had it and none of them were expensive apart from the ticking diff which was a bad build from new so was covered by warranty anyway. I think the only bits I've had to buy in 34000 miles (besides service parts) have been a couple of viscous fan units, a couple of bulbs, a new set of tyres and a windscreen which got a rock through it. Hardly the stuff JD Power nightmares are made of.... Tdi 90 because its the best vehicle off road by a mile, easily modified to do what is required with big wheels/winch/roof rack, good clearance and angles all round, functional driving position that lets you see what is going on both on and off road and its the best thing by a mile for reversing a trailer with rearward visibility that is only beaten by a tractor. Nuts and bolts engineering that can be fixed anywhere. Depending on what I think of the new Defender when it arrives, it'll probably be replaced with a 110 Crewcab just for the extra space and comfort for people, but I'd like to have both