Reiny

All worthy suggestions chaps. Thanks. Spacers are aluminium with protruding wheel studs. I.e. the spacer bolts onto the hub using original land rover nuts. I have tried and impact wrench, applying pressure with a crowbar as qwaker suggested but to no avail. I'll try a bit more and take a 9 inch grinder to the rim if i fail.

As title implies, one of my wheel studs is spinning together with the nut. i cannot remove the wheel in question. i managed to undo it by a few threads and that's it. The whole shebang started to spin. Any pointers? To make matters more complex it's a freestyle alloy wheel hence the nut is sunk deep into recess in the wheel rim (30mm spacers are fitted to the hub, if that makes any difference). I have tried drilling the nut but gave up shortly after. The only logical thing i can think of is chopping the wheel rim off with an angle grinder but i would like to avoid doing that if possible

The original version of what we now know as Zu alloys was a steel rim. They were called Mach 5 at the time.

Ditto for applying grease to the bolts. Don't apply it liberally though as the grease may crack the block if it hydraulics. Try to use some anti-slip compound (copper slip or similar). It'll make life so much easier in the future.

Of course there is enough interest my mates have been waiting for it for ages. On a side not, hope all goes well Jeff.

A thin coating of RTV sealer will not hurt.

It's not a major expense but an auto box uses LOADS of it!

Oh yeah, another JeffR thread! Can't wait for the colourful outcome!

No easy way and I'm willing to place a bet that it definitely is the fault.

Suitable replacement? One word.... COILS

My bad lads, I'm sorry. I thought it was a 300-tdi. That's much easier.

Why bother with buying a tool to keep pump in place? Just rip the front open and undo the timing belt. It will only add an hour to the total time.

I am really looking forward to a detailed report about the job in true JeffR style Just a gentle reminder about those Haynes variations you once promised

I had similar symptoms once. It turned out to be warped fingers on the clutch cover.

Just fit a 300-type pedal as suggested. It'll make a world of difference. I was used to heavy clutches for over 15 years when I developed this niggling pain in my groin. For a while i thought it was hernia then i realized that I only felt it after driving my 90. I tried to ignore it for a year but when a friend of mine had a spare clutch pedal from an auto conversion, I couldn't refuse it. I fitted it and less than 24 hours later, the pain was gone, never to return. A mate has a TD5 and just couldn't take the clutch any more. His choices were to fit a red booster or sell the 90. He chose the former and the pedal can literally be pushed down using the little finger!

I would only swap fronts to rears if I were you. First of all if your tyres are directional, they're moving in the wrong direction. Furthermore, I learned the hard way that swapping sides on non-directional tyres accelerates wear rapidly. I used to swap my the tyres on my partner's Toyota Yaris yearly using the method recommended by toyota: i.e. putting the front tyres on the rear axle retaining the side they were on and putting the rears on the front while swapping sides. I didn't like the wear rate!

You can also fit the R380 onto the LT77 mounts. The engine will fit approx 2 inches further back but everything will fit (hoses, etc). You'll also have no need to change tunnels etc.

I would go for Insa Turbos. They have been tried and tested and have been around for quite some time.

it shouldn't be difficult. last time i did the job, it took a total of 6 hours (removing axle from vehicle, stripping it down, rebuilding on the new case and refitting, bleeding brakes, etc).

disco 300 case should swap straight over. if you want to use a complete disco 300 axle, you'll need to change the propshaft drive flange.

Amen to what TSD said. It's fatal to animals and it should not get into the sewage system. It's toxic. Furthermore, rolling around on the floor on coolant is no fun at all

Just a quick tip to avoid making a mess when you remove the bottom hose. I have been pretty unlucky in the coolant / front-end of the engine department so i have had to empty the system many times during the past 10 years. This method gives you minimal waste and minimal mess. Buy a short length of of 10mm inner diameter hose (2 metres should be sufficent). Use this hose to siphon out whatever's in your expansion tank. Then remove the bottom hose from the expansion tank and lift it as high as you can to avoid spillage. Insert the rubber 10mm ID hose into the bottom hose that you've just removed and push it as far down as you can. Siphon into a bucket. You should remove about 5 litres in this manner. Re-position the bucket under the vehicle, remove the plastic hose from the bottom hose and aim the bottom hose into the bucket. That way you should be able to empty the system almost completely. I have never removed the drain plug on the block because i'm petrified that it may break. If you manage to remove it, expect some spillage but at least it will be minimal compared to the amount of coolant stored in the radiator. I would buy a fan spanner if I were you. They're plentiful on ebay and dirt cheap. I had bought it thinking it was to be used once but have used it so many times since then. Refilling the system on a 300tdi can be a bit of a PITA but be methodical and you should have no issues. Remove radiator plug and also the plug on the thermostat housing. DO NOT REUSE THEM if they're plastic (ask me why i know). I also have the habit of removing the small by-pass hose on the thermostat housing.Start to fill the expansion tank. it will take some time. Keep filling slowly until coolant emerges from the hole vacated by the plug on the radiator. Replace the plug. Keep filling until coolant emerges from the thermost housing. Replace the plug. Fill some more until bubble-free coolant spurts out of the stub that the bypass hose is connected to. Replace hose. Go for a spin, keep your eye on coolant level and temperature gauge for a few days. Theoretically, any air left in the system usually works its way out. A final note. If your hoses are over 10 years old, replace them. Don't forget the bypass hose. I didn't replace it and I had all sorts of nasty symptoms until I realized that it was blocked. By the way, remember to replace your coolant every 2 years, regardless of mileage. If your engine's in good nick, your coolant should still be clean when you replace it.

In my case it's always the same. Almost total power failure. Revs won't go above approx 1200 rpm. It will start and idle perfectly but will not rev.

How often do these blasted things give up the ghost? I have owned my Defender since 2003 and have changed lift pumps in June 2003, August 2004, March 2011 (record-breaker!), March 2013 and yesterday! I know that they're a common failing point but I for crying out loud, failing after just over a year is excessive. I have always replaced them with Delphi pumps (that's the only brand I can find on the local market). Has anyone else experienced such frequent failures?

In my case it was the clutch fork. Go for a HD clutch. It's worth the extra ££. I opted not to and was let down within 22 months (pressure plate warped). Second clutch was not heavy duty either and had plenty of life left in it 3 years later when the fork broke but i replaced it with a heavy duty item just the same.