Reiny

Lovely jubbly! Les' posts are really something else aren't they? Last year I rebuilt a set of axles referring to various posts in the tech archives and found absolutely no problems whatsoever. I just kept my laptop handy and referred to the pics from time to time.

The only bushes that are different are the radius arm bushes at the axle end. they need to be 45mm wide rather than 40mm wide. Everything else is the same if i recall correctly.

30 minute job. very easy to do http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=3904 I did mine two years ago but it didn't cure the squeak so I just bought a new Dayco tensioner from Paddocks and it has been fitted for a year with no problems.

the power steering on my 300tdi 90 has suddenly become very stiff when the vehicle is stationery. I was trying to park while holding the wheel on full lock when I felt a "kick" through the steering wheel. This happened last Saturday. Since then, I have observed that the problem gets worse at times and better at others; i.e. at times the wheel is only slightly stiff but on other occasions, I need to use both hands to turn the wheel). If the vehicle is rolling, even if it's barely moving, the steering feels totally normal. This problem manifested itself on two other occasions three months ago but the situation returned to normal within a day. Yesterday I gave the steering column UJ's a thorough bathing in WD40 but felt very little difference. The pump was replaced with a genuine ZF item almost 3 years ago and there are no leaks from the pump or box. The only leaks I have are from the reservoir pipes. What could the cause be?

If you manage to find a way, please post pictures. I'm a diver myself and have the same dilemma. I usually carry my own kit only but there have been some occasions when I carried the kit of three or four others. Cramming it all into a 90 is a nightmare.

I've taken note of all of that. There isn't much dirt behind the seats but a layer of dust is always present and i want it out of there. As for cold temperatures, typical daytime temperature at the moment here is approx 19 degrees centigrade. Eat your heart out you Brits

Thanks for the tips. The ones I'm getting are Britpart and I have been told that the DVD does help matters somewhat. An extra pair of hands are available too. They're not very strong though. Will make do with whatever's available.

I am about to purchase a set of re-trim kits for my 90 however I have heard so many horror stories about the extreme difficulty of fitting these kits that I am almost on the verge of giving up. How difficult is this job?

Straight swap. Should pose no problems whatsoever.

I replaced the clutch master cylinder 2 months ago (the internal spring broke). Since then, the new one has never stopped leaking. It got worse and worse to the point where it was draining the reservoir in 2 days. Last week I removed the pedal box and the top plate with the intention of renewing the seals, however, when i removed the top plate, I could see no apparent leaks. The dust cap and pushrod were totally dry. I could only blame the pipe union. So I undid it, re-fitted it, re-fitted everything, bled the system, washed the whole area and everything was fine..... until yesterday. I found another trail of fluid running down the pedal. Until this morning, the fluid level remained virtually unchanged. The area surrounding the pedal box too appears to be dry (last time it leaked it made a mess of the bulkhead. I tried to put a piece of tissue paper on the pipe union to see if it soaks up any fluid, it remained dry. Where's this leak coming from?

I agree with Muddy. I bought a lovely pair of 50th anniversary axles a few months ago. They had only covered 30,000 miles and had been lying on a shelf since 2002. I stripped them down and replaced all seals and gaskets, regreased all bearings (they only had the thinnest of thin smears of grease) and rebuilt the calipers before fitting them. I would rather do these jobs on the bench than when the axle is fitted.

Thanks fellers. I'll check the shoe thickness but if memory serves correctly, I removed the drum about a year ago and there was plenty of life left in the shoes. i'll re-check.

Over the years, the hand brake lever's travel on my R380 has increased to the point that it is now going all the way up until the hand brake holds. How do I adjust it? I've tried to follow the manual without much success.

The slave cylinder usually gives up the ghost very rapidly after replacing the master cylinder. I replaced the master cylinder three weeks ago and since then, the system is losing enough fluid to drain the slave cylinder weekly. (note to self...Need to re-kit the slave cylinder asap).

New seals usually fail because the shaft will be pitted. Where I come from, we get a machine shop to re-fill the pitting with weld and turn the welds down on a lathe. It usually works a treat.

Reb78, On the contrary, I'm rather sure that it's 41mm.

I removed mine a month ago. I got an assistant to apply leverage with an old radius arm and gave it a solitary clout with a lump hammer. It gave way instantly. Tell your assistant to be very careful though. My assistant almost banged his head on the tow ball.

Changing the bearing is a very simple job. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes tops. It may not cure the squeak though. I changed the bearing on mine last year and it kept squeaking. A new tensioner was the only solution to the squeak.

Thanks Les. Tensioner is a brand new Dayco item (three months old). Are they known to hiss after a relatively short time? I'll change the tensioner bearing (10 minute jobby) and see if there's any difference.

I think my fan idler bearing is toast. I've been hearing a slight hiss from the front part of the engine for a while. At first I blamed the alternator bearings and had them replaced last week, however the hiss persists. I spun the fan (with the belt removed) and heard nothing but there's an ever so slight movement in the pulley when the fan is rocked up and down (without the belt of course). I know that the bearing is murder to replace. Does a post in the tech archive cover the job?

If you're going to disturb the water pump, undo the few remaining bolts and replace the P-gasket as Riley advised. It will leak within a few weeks or months and believe me, taking it apart all over again is no fun at all (I learnt the hard way). I found out that removing the radiator and intercooler will take an extra 10 minutes and make the job so much easier.

Just send it back. I bought one from Paddocks recently (same part number and everything) and there's virtually no play in it. It works a treat.

It was all over the magazines about 9 years ago. It was auctioned off for a staggering price.

Update. Job done. It took almost 4 hours. All seems fine. Hope it holds.

I've never done it before. I have, however replaced the coolant pump exactly a year ago so I guess that all bolts should be relatively easy to undo and should give me less grief. I know that this gasket has killed a great many engines. The weep in my case is ever so slight. i only realised because i saw some dry coolant surrounding the 3 water pump bolts that go through the p-gasket. The engine runs at normal temperature. Can I drive it for the next week?