steve_a

Took the PTO cover off my 90 and the disco I bought a few weeks ago. The 90 had little gack around the splines: However when I rotated the brake drum I could see a bit of play in reference to the lines (i.e purple would turn through about 3 degrees then green start). This didn't seem to bad, although it looks like I should get the oil splasher I guess. However I couldn't rotate the green gear by hand at all. I took the disco off and saw at 192k miles what I kind of expected loads of gunk. However putting my finger between the shaft and the gear I couldn't feel that much play as they turned. Certainly no more than the defender. However I could rotate the green gear by hand. I presume this gear is the output gear which is cross drilled on some. I checked the play by: 1) chock front wheels. 2) jack one rear wheel 3) take handbrake off 4) observe the shaft and gear will turning the hand brake drum backwards and forwards I am tempted to think that the disco transfer box centre diff has loads of play for me to be able to turn the output gear a bit whereas no way was the defender one moving. For some higher res phots go to def and disco photos Is it worth me splashing out on the oil splasher plate for both, the disco looked horrible, but there really didn't seem to be that much play, I am going to try and get a second opinion over the next few days....

As I did the service on the disco I thought "f***K me that oils hot, got to get the filter off and out of there before I start to scream". But a few moments later I was thinking about it again. Propshaft length is the issue, isn't it. A 90 front might work for the back, at a guess the two ends will add about 2" to the length, probably too much for a standard length one on the front, although perhaps a 88" prop might work. I guess if you have to make a custom length prop it rapidly mean no point. I think I might try and pick up a few propshafts at sodbury and see if any are the correct length. Unless anyone has some locally they don't care about. I think a rear prop will be the easy one as you have a bit more room to play with across the whell bases.

As you do when you have loads of jobs to do on the landy I was thinking about other jobs that are more interesting. I had just changed the UJ on my propshaft (looked like death through natural causes in the end) which I thought had gone because of my 2" lift and some rather vigorous off roading last year when it struck me that I could perhaps make my own double cardan. Take 1 propshaft that is a bit old and not much use. Tap the UJs out of each end (that's what is says in the book, I beat the life out them to get it to work for me). Take the ends that normally bolt to gearbox and diff flanges and put a UJ between them making what to my mind looks the doofer on a double cardan bit with semi standard parts. Bolt to gearbox end (or other I guess, whatever) and that should readuce the total angle gone through for each UJ yoke? I know they aren't balanced, but they aren't going to be too long. What's the verdict, think it'll work? I have a propshaft in the garage, but I'm reluctant to destroy it to try it out (even though it has mega play in the sliding joint and probably scrap). Someone must have thought about doing this before and found it didn't work, as it is a really cheap way of getting rid of problems for the front and rear props with little effort.

Being the kind of person I am, I would never suggest that you take this 1MB form, which actually doesn't allow you to save the changes for when you email it, and email to the address supplied, thus completely filling thier server and probably crashing thier network if people tried hard enough. That would never do, and would obviously not be how this was intended to work. what a bunch of f*****ng numpties. Can't wait to tear a new one for the people who do such stupid things for a gov computer system in my new post, a 1mb file to have about 3 fields. two hand, map and still no sign of bum cheeks

Checked it this morning and the vin number matched the v5, engine number matched and the vin specified the correct body style. Obviously just a DVLA normal land rover body style screw up. There doesn't seem an obvious way to correct this as there is no number of doors field on the v5. just done the insurance and when the cover note arrives it can be taxed. So I now own a 90, a series and a disco. I can see me always being underneath one at the weekend, but hopefully one will be working during the week... Mate asked me what the difference was between the disco and the 90 truck cab - I said about 30dB........

and if you are looking for them on paddocks website have a look under the series area, for some reason the bolts for the hinges are not listed in the defender but are in the series area...

thanks for that, just need to check that the docs match then, knew that the 1991 date was close to the introduction but comics didn't have that information in the buyers area. Collecting early tomorrow - mate who's driving it back has been warned he has to hope for a warm day so he can open the window as the dog stench was impressive

I've just (well nearly just) bought a cheap disco. It was registered 1991 and has a 5 door body. However on the dvla and insurance website it is coming back witha 3 door listing. This got me wondering, when did 5 doors become available - discos came in about 1989 only a 3 door form, so was the 4 door available by 1991. I've left a deposit with the dealer, but when I pop back to collect it tomorrow I will check the documentation (I spent so long going over the vehicle that I didn't think to check vin vs ID, and it was a new comp MOT). Just making sure I'm not buying a ringer, although why anyone would ring a 192k 200tdi disco at £500 is beyond me. I've googled and I can't seem to find the dates for body styles, I'll have a peek in the comics now and see if I can see the info there Cheers! 90 200Tdi (made from lots of cars), possibly 200tdi 1991 disco (cheapo motor)

On the other hand, and I need to be careful about not saying too much, someone at our place had ordered LOTS of stuff for both work and home over a length of time. He was caught but since it was non arrow marked straight off the shelf and the accounting had been shoddy it wasn't possible to prove what was his and what was ours. In fact he got the whole lot back since it wasn't clear who owned what. His dismissal case turned to an unfair dismissal and I think he has won that one. I think the MoD can sometimes do a lousy job dealing with these things. The crown service has changed, since about 2000 we are now considered innocent and need to be proven guilty (used to be the other way around!) and MoD's crown immunity in many areas has gone. In fact I think MoD is very poor at getting rid of staff in my experience, they nearly always come out on the losing side if the other side puts up a fight. Maybe other areas of MoD are different.. dunno

Thanks for all that - one of those has *got* to work The seller has said collection only, I messaged him to check that he was OK with a courier if I sorted it out. btw - total land rover content, it's a winch. Not in the league of the ORRP pikey relay.. :-)

Hey all, never done this before but I might bid on something many miles away and wondered if anyone had tried the process of setting up a courier to collect from the seller. any suggestions on who to use would be welcome as would the actual process, I can't expect the guy would be happy if I say to sit in between 8am and 5pm on a weekday, so are there more sensible options? Steve

cool, I get to be the doom and gloom guy. Didn't a guy skipper something similar out to spain/morocco and because it was later used in drug smuggling he's still in a morrocan jail. IIRC he's from the southampton area. best establish a secondary ID now

Chatting about NERC today in the office with another lr owner and I wondered if what we need to do is carry out some kind of distruptive action. We wondered about going to car parks that are used by walkers and filling them with 4x4 vehicles. Not blocking in, but basically parking close enough that it will be nigh on impossible for them to get thier cars out without 'damaging' one of the 4x4 parked next to it. Since it is dodgy to protest by driving the RUPPS and other rights of ways since they can confiscate vehicles this strikes me as a very interesting way of protesting. if the countryside is to be car free... let it be car free Keep this up long enough and perhaps the RA might start to change tack and allow better access rights. The passive nature that access groups have followed till now seem to have failed us, so perhaps a more aggressive and in thier face method might be more effective in ensuring we get the right to use our vehicles as we originally intended. until a fuss is caused and someone has a hard time nobody will care about lack of access for 4x4 IMHO

Looking for some insurance advice. I currently have a nissan micra (about 2 years old) that the wife insures and my modified 90 which I insure. I am about to change jobs and move, I'm positive that I will need to have a car a bit more suited to a 50 mile round trip than the 90 (truck cab!). I was looking at a RR someone I know is selling as I can be pretty sure it is good condition etc. I've just been on the phone to the insurance (SureTerm) and I can't seem to get a sensible quote. I want to move the 90 to limited mileage, but keep the value at about £4500, the RR I don't care about so was looking at TPF&T, but the quotes are coming out at £530 - £700 because I can't count any no claims for the RR which would bring it down to the £300 mark. What's the best way of getting the vehicles insured? I thought that the 90 would have been the greater risk due to roll cage, winch and lift kit, but the RR is killing me. Should I just forget it and buy a disco or some nasy runabout? Is there some trick to getting a few cars insured at sensible prices, I wanted to change the 90 to just myself since SWMBO won't even drive it (had to laught he said it was cheaper to leave her on as they think it will be driven more sensibly if we have kids in it, I guess I should just ratchet strap them down in the back!). I never seem to get much luck with insurance.

as you leave gosport he is on the left hand side, after the bus depot and aardvark cleaning and close to the pub on the right (can't remember the name). 2 series 2 from the looks of it, a few gear boxes and lots of tyres in the front garden. I don't think he is married

Hmm, did see a few landies knocking around as I left the hill this evening, didn't realise someone was playing around. I'm still interested to know who own the series landies and the RR bob on the A32 near the bus depot. None of his vehicles have moved in ages, but I did meet him once at pigeon house lane.

Both me and my mate spent some time setting my 90's tracking, and what we both noticed and agreed on is that the front axle seems to sit a bit too far *left* on both his RR and my 90. They both have a 2" lift so we kind of both expected to see the axle sit a bit too far right because of the panhard rod. The only reason I mention this is that unless we have both have bent chassis (which considering some of the abuse is possible ) I'm becoming unconvinced that juzzy panhard rods are needed, as you are getting closer to bringing the axle in line, the only thing I can see is that it might be stressing the bushes on the radius arms. So can't actually help with would it help, but I'd be interested in if looking from the back you think your front and rear axles aren't actually in line.... even with a lift. You had pretty wide tyres on from memory which seems to exagerate the effect. Steve

Adding some other helpful information. The threaded hole on the drive shafts is an M14 on all the ones i've tried, I had some seatbelt bolts that are the right ones. If you fit that before removing the circlip it stops the clip disappearing off down the road as you disassemble. You don't have to remove the stub axle , saves disturbing something if you don't want to. The drive shaft will angle down enough to remove the part complete leaving the ball on the main axle and the drive shaft and cv within. The brake caliper bolts are a bugger to find - get some in as spares, I was held up for a week for want of 2 bolts - leave the old ones as spares after that. While you have the swivel assembly off consider freeing up the steering lock bolts, mine were a pig and if you need to adjust them again at some point that copper slip might be a god send! On the older ones the bottom pin is a bearing, the top is a railko bush. It's important to put the bush in the correct way round, the flatted section should be towards the main axle tube. When I replaced both sides on mine they were both pigs to drive in, I was also concerned that the chrome ball has a lot of bend in it, I braced mine on the vice as I was concerned it might shatter as I beat on it, I guess the races drive in easier, but I don't think I'd reccommend leaving the ball on the axle to get rid of or put new railkos in. I might be being a bit of a wuss though Who the hell takes you pictures Les, I had oil all over me doing this job, the wife would kill me if I looked at her camera during that job

Not coming out totally in favor of X Eng, however the fact that the link was given and a good wish bit for the 'little guy' would seem that the writer was thinking good things for Simon. As best as you could expect given funding etc. why I haven't got around to forking out and getting mine yet I don't know - the piggin handbrake is dead AGAIN, I only fixed it last week....

try focus, they do a set of large spanners for £15, i bought them for that very job

A lot of lorry/wagon tyres are supposed to be remoulds and they are dragging around loads of weight :-) I have heard that GCs can suffer from a bit of variable quality - on the other hand, when I dealt with Bronco, they seemed decent and would probably be responsive if you had a problem

I've ran them for the past 12 months, both on and off road on my 90. My 90 has always been a bit of a handful anyway, so I've not noticed any problems on road, they are noisy, the wear rate isn't too bad. I have seemed to continully adjust wheel bearings, which I've heard grizzlies can cause excessive wear on, however they've been fine for the last 3 months after I tried a new method of setting the wheel bearings. They aren't round, the lugs cause the wheel to rock right and left when you roll them, and you can feel the lugs effect at low speed on road. Off road - seem to have done very well, always seemed to take me where I wanted. I'm running 285/75R16 so about 33" If I was investing brand new (the grizzilies are a bit of legacy effect) I might be tempted by the larger size silverstone extreme or simex, but they are at least an extra £50 a corner, and I think I am being seduced by bigger is better

I'd suggest checking the lead running from rig to antenna first. This was the problem with mine, it worked one day and died the next, new lead and no problems. multimeter test should give you the information, however in my case I couldn't see anything amiss, I assume I had some water ingress, which in your case if the lead hasn't been in use for a while would seem pretty likely. ally is fine as a ground plane, a nice flat area is best, my IFOR canopy on the back has too many ridges, so my gp is better with just the open back than with it, but it still gives around 1.5 - 2

I have a very narrow truck... I think 1185mm is more the business, I measured from the edge, not the centre of the hole. The measurement was from a RRC and used on a Def 90 and looks fine.

119mm between track rod holes, that is the edge of the pitman arms with the hole in. That number is about right. Other methods: measure front and back of tyre and set them as near equal as you can get fasten two big long sticks to wheels and then measure sticks at just in front of wheel and then at end, when you get the same number the tracking is about set threaded rod with a joiner piece in the middle to compare front and back tie a string all the way around the car (at wheel height!) and then you straighten one wheel, the string should lie flat on the other, if not alter. Look from down the road at the back and you can see when straight (pref a 3 person job, one to alter, one to keep one wheel straight and one to shout instructions) take to a garage and be told that the wheels are too big or that they don't do them last option is do as I did, measure badly, look from the front and wear the arse off a set of grizzly claws in just 2 months expensive lesson