TSD

I've had an MoT place mis-diagnose a worn swivel pin as a loose wheel bearing. It even fooled me the first time I tried to adjust it - because that's what they told me, that's what I expected to see. Loose swivels would go along with the 50mph wobble too...

You've got mail Must be the end of summer, I've been asked about installing these 3 times today!

Any clutch for a 200 / 300tdi should fit without problems. I had the LR HD clutch - behind the TGV it slipped a little going up hills with the overdrive in. Not enough to really notice the slipping, but you could smell it at the top of the hill. Eventually I tore the centre out of the plate on a play day. I was in a hurry so I got an "even more HD" replacement from Motor and Diesel at silly high cost. I don't know exactly what it was as they removed all the ID numbers from the boxes, but it's never given me any problems over the last 80k or so miles.

As long as your alarm isn't upset by the current draw, the noise or the warm air currents, it's very simple. The Telestart just plug in to the timer wiring loom as far as I remember. I did originally wire the heater into my alarm spare channel, but as Fridge pointed out, the Telestart is longer range than most keyfob remotes (the keyfob runs off 24V!) and it's two way, so you know if the heater has heard you and started up.

The Telestart just plugs in as a separate module. I've got both the timer and the low end telestart unit. I've never used the timer since I got the telestart, except as an on/off switch when sat in the truck.

Yes, you can just drop in the cooler and leave the fuelling alone. Your engine will benefit from reduced exhaust gas temperature,and probably reduced full power smoke, but you will get little or no additional power. No such thing as a lean mixture for a diesel, since it's a constant compression engine, with it's power output controlled by the fuelling. As long as there is excess air available, it will just produce power according to the fuel delivered.

I find the non-reversible ones to be a great tell-tale as a service indicator. Useful (or at least interesting) to know how hot the gearbox got - since the last service / when I towed last week / ever / etc. etc.

From memory it's around 2 to 2.5A. It's been a long time since I measured it though, but it won't much more than that.

HoFS have been quite happy with the services of Longlife exhausts at Basingstoke IIRC. FridgeFreezer has one of their exhausts on his 109. I bought a Janspeed stainless exhaust off the bay, then cut and rewelded it to fit the Ibex. Feel free to wander over and have a poke at it if you like. It was an easy days work in the shed to make it fit, but I had to use half the original front pipe, because the TGV turbo is different to the 300tdi. Not cheap at £350 or so, but it was a quick easy solution. Quality was good, but the pipe diameter was marginally smaller than the old pipe - though I don't know exactly what that was. The old mid-box is probably still in the shed if it's of any use while you plan your next move? I'll look tomorrow.

Croytec?

The 'stat is there to prevent the engine running too cool at light loads, not too hot at high loads. In other words, it allows you to run a massively overspec cooling system suitable for towing 3.5T through desert sand, but still get up to a proper running temperature when bimbling down to the shops. EDIT : But it should have a temperature setting within the normal running range, so it can stabilise the temperature as far as possible. (I'm deliberately not considering flow control, backpressure and cavitation to avoid starting a holy war on the subject!)

I could be wrong, but I *think* there was a service bulletin for Freelander at some point, addressing poor or no satellite reception. Something to do with the antenna connection at the roofline - which might tie up with water getting in and stuffing the sunroof electrics as well?

I keep a bottle of Millers diesel additive in each truck (currently 200tdi and TGV, and the previous 300tdi and 200tdis) and have done for years. I use it occasionally when I fill up normally, and every time I fill up with supermarket fuels. I'm not looking for performance or economy improvements, and I don't much care about smoke. As for RustyNissanPrairie, the theory is to improve lubrication of the FIP, not designed for modern ULSDs. I can't say I really notice a difference day to day, and lack of evidence is not proof, but previous engines have gone well past 200k running sweetly with original injectors and FIP. The TGV is up well past 130K and never smokes at all. Snake oil maybe (probably, even) but with average cost around £10 a year, it's a cheap one in my book. Right up there with spending a few quid extra on decent oils and regular changes etc., I could probably save a few quid not doing it, but when I see rattly, smoky, oily trucks with much lower mileages than mine, it just convinces me that few quid is well spent.

Good chance it's a Bosch type unit with integral brush and regulator pack. They aren't usually expensive so I'd probably change it on the off chance if knocking out the brushes doesn't fix it. The only real test is pretty much what you have already done. Look up your alternator on the Wood Auto site and you'll probably find a pic of the regulator and/or brush pack.

Sticking brushes - can't follow the commutator when turning at speed? If it drops after a few seconds rather than straight away, I'd suspect a bad regulator - working OK at low currents, but failing under stress at high outputs. When you say it performs well when idling, what do you mean? Good voltage or just no warning light?

I'm not a Td5 expert but ISTR the Td5 references the alternator feed through the brake or tail light circuit. Check the stop and tail lights are working before you spend out on an alternator.

I've got exactly the same situation, x 2. Two modified vehicles and business use, no claims in the past 20 years etc. I live in the centre of a city, so NFU loads me a bit for that as well I'm sure. Like you, my renewal is up about 50% on last year. If it's only that the premiums that have shot up this year, and it doesn't continue year on year, I'll live with it. If their attitude and general business practices change to be more like most other insurance companies, I'll be moving on. They've never penalised me for any mods. They've never charged more than a £10 admin for temporary additional drivers. They've never charged me for unusual greencard additions. Most other companies I've dealt with seem to charge just because you phoned them. NFU had a large leeway in my book, but I think they might have used up all their goodwill in one renewal notice

I imagine it's a dim dip unit, designed to light the headlamps at low brightness when the sidelights are on. Search ebay with that term and you get a load more hits, I haven't checked the number though.

Well if you're giving up, you have nothing left to lose but time and the skin on your knuckles... You've had the motor apart completely... did you remove the throwout lever from the motor body? If you did... is the fulcrum bolt eccentric (so that rotating the bolt moves the fulcrum of the lever)? It may be adjusted at the factory to set the engagement. If it is... did you put it back at the same angle? In any case, if it does adjust the angle (never checked on these motors), then you might be able to adjust some slack out of the mechanism (so the pinion gear tries to move sooner, before the motor spins up).

The extra wires to the top bolt are usually the power feed from the alternator, and to the fusebox or glowplug supply. The ground wire at the starter bolt is not on all vehicles in my experience, but it is a good idea. I have found significant resistance between the starter motor and the earth lead on the transfer box - far more than I expected. As potato head says, the problem is most likely in the throwout mechanism, either it's jammed, or more likely it's just worn out. It could be worth measuring the voltage at the solenoid drive terminal, instead of the main feed. If the pinion gear isn't coming out, then it's likely all the power is being drawn through this terminal, as the motor isn't yet running at full power. EDIT : Ignore the last line, I hadn't seen your post above

QSL can be a question or a response, it means 'Did you receive my transmission?' or 'I did receive your transmission'. It generally means not just the last thing sent, but all the info that was required has been received. For the long range and radio contest types, enough information has been exchanged for the contact to 'count'. Such contacts often exchange 'QSL Cards' to confirm contacts. It used to be done with postcards, but maybe more often by e-mail / web means these days? I'm not up to date on such things. Also used by worldwide broadcasters (like the BBC World Service and it's distant listeners in a similar way. In amateur radio you might often hear 'QSL via the bureau' meaning exchange of cards via a central clearing service. More info on wikipedia

But then I'd have to put the hybrid back together for something to do, instead of building another Ibex Besides, your GRP work is so good it's getting me into trouble...

Basic price for the last version was £6-7k last time I checked, but most will want the centre winch option which I think added another £1.5k You (usually) need a drivetrain, including axles and suspension, radius arms, A frame etc., plus a Defender dashboard and seats. You don't need the original chassis, so you don't actually *need* a donor vehicle.

I seem to recall JF saying somewhere that the door angle is deliberate, so it's less likely to get caught up in the scenery. The Mark 1 doors hinged on the windscreen part of the A pillar, so the doors move upward when opened. It should be a simple matter to make replacement check straps (it's a steel linkage) to open the door further - I've never tried though, I've never found it a problem. Some more pics up now.

Another vote for Fluke. I end up hating most every other brand I use, though some of the IsoTech ones I've used are ok. Can't stand meters that update too slowly, or ones that tell lies when the signal gets a bit noisy. Some of the Fluke range have some useful features worth considering:- Min/Max - record miniumum and maximum readings rather than the more common max hold only. Touch hold - takes a reading, beeps and holds it until cleared. Handy when you're head down in the engine bay, and can't see the display. Continuity capture - records open or short circuits as brief as 250 micro seconds - handy for hunting those elusive wiring fault. I've seen the first two on other brands, but not the third one. Oh, and never lend your Fluke to Jules if he's having ignition problems - not that I'm one to hold a grudge for years and years