muscat

I checked Microcat with the same result. I'm loath to buy a complete steering column for the sack of £10 worth of bearings. If I can't find an alternative, I'll look at machining out the column to 37mm and reducing the shaft size to 20mm. This would allow me to use a standard size bearing. I realise that I could probably buy a replacement complete assy from UK for reasonable money, but by the time I've paid shipping to Oman...... Besides, I feel I'm being conned every time LR pull this stunt. The bearing in the 300tdi pulley tensioner is another classic example - no lugs on the circlip to enable easy bearing replacement.

Stripped down my steering shaft to replace the bearings, which were getting 'notchy'. I have managed to salvage the upper bearing but the lower bearing is shot. Part number is INA 22/36 2RS. I have checked every bearing shop in the area, checked on-line and even contacted INA (Now owned by FAQ, I believe) without a response. Does anyone have an alternate part number that will fit, or will fit with minor modification? As an aside, why does LR insist on using non-standard bearing sizes??? TIA, Mark

Thanks Jim. Will do...

Thanks Jim, It's the dimensions of the belt-rail system that I'm looking for. Right enough $50 is reaasonable, but bending some off-cut SS from work is even cheaper!

Thanks Pete. Excellent link...

I've got hold of an NAS spec roll cage and top bracket that fits along the windscreen for my 90 rebuild. I'm reskinning the reartub and need to know the dimensions of the strip that runs along the sides and rear of the tub to which the tonneau cover attaches. Does anyone have photos of their NAS90 or SV90 and/or anyone able to take some measurements? TIA Mark

Looking for advice.... I'm building a 90 from scratch. For the rear axle, I have the option of fitting the 1986 Salisbury from my written off 110, or fitting a 1996 disco unit. The disco unit has half the km of the salisbury and the advantage of disc brakes - nice, but the propshaft flange is 3-bolt. Can the 3-bolt flange be swopped out for a 4-bolt from, say an old RRC, or should I keep the 3-bolt and modify a disco propshaft to fit? The disco unit would keep the rubber do-nut, which might reduce NVH a wee bit. I could rebuild the salisbury, but would a 110 salisbury be a bit overkill on a 90? TIA,

I'm building a 300tdi 90 from scratch. Does anyone know whether a 200tdi bulkhead loom will be suitable for a 300tdi? I'm mainly concerned about compatibility of connectors. I have been unable to source a good used 300tdi loom, but have sourced a new 200tdi loom at the right price... Thanks, Mark

Are you replacing the rivets because they are loose/missing or are you fitting new panels? I have just cut down a 110 reartub to fit a 90. Side and rear 1/4 panels are being replaced. Apart from rivets, there are a hell of a lot of spot welds in there as well. Set screws- I would hesitate to use set screws: I doubt that the clamping forces would be any where equal to rivets. Sooner or later, the screws will begin to loosen through vibration and the panels will begin fretting. I definitely would not use SS unless you take precautions to separate the two metals or the al al will soon begin to show signs of oxidisation. I am replacing all spot welds and rivets with CherryMax rivets. These are used on aircraft, are vibration resistant, and the mandrel is sealed in the head. These and most other blind rivets can be fitted using air powered tools, lazy-tongs, or rivet pliers. I am using lazy tongs as using rivet pliers causes serious hand fatigue by about rivet number 50! If you use lazy tongs, take care not to let the head slip and damage your panels/paint work. You could, of course, use the original type aluminium rivets as used by LR in manufacture. I am probably using overkill with CherryMax, but I only intend to do this job once! HTH Mark

Hi All, I have never owned a Freelander, but have been offered a 2005 model, 12000km on the clock, 2.5 l, leather interior, sunroof, auto etc for £10,500. This is my chance to get the missus out of the Vitara and into a proper motor. The car is on offer through the main dealer and comes with a warranty. Q - should I buy or run? Are there any bugs with the 2005 model that I should be aware of? I must admit that sitting in the motor is a far cry from my Disco I or Defender experiences. Luxubloodery!! But is it a good buy? I would value some input from experienced Freelander owners... Yours, A Freelander Virgin, Mark

I thought (read - I was told) that td5 and 300tdi engine mount brackets on the chassis were the same?

Streaky, do you have contact details for Fat Ishmael? I keep hearing his name, but I rarely get up Sharjah way. You wouldn't know whether he has any D90's lying about? Chassis and/rear tubs?

Streaky, you're a scholar. Many thanks for that - much appreciated. At least I have some figures to work with now....

Interesting that you should say that. Did I did mention that the pistons looked spotless? Zero carbon on most and very little above the wear ring in the bore. That said, I don't know how much carbon to expect on injected engines. There is no sign of mayo in the oil...

The vehicle was bought at auction from the Palace Office. The PO is upgrading all its Disco IIs to LR3s, so its possible that this engine was removed years ago and left sitting as the PO has literally hundreds of LRs. It is the original engine and the vehicle has definitely not been flooded. I would recognise the signs having just rebuilt my own Disco post flooding Aye, a replacement engine or at least a block might be on the cards...

Funny enough, NDT testing would be free... I work for a foreign airforce... we have a fairly sophisticated NDT bay. Wonder if I could 'borrow' the block for a weekend...

[quote name='pugwash' date='Aug 10 2007, 01:38 AM' post='171422'. porosity seems to be more unlikely in the very late RV8 engines- Can you define 'very late' RV8 engine? Would 2002 be 'very late'?

Pugwash, Thanks for that info. Our last posts must have crossed... Using your figures and a worse case scenario, it might still be worth buying the DII. Hmmm. More digging required...

Love tdi's. But then I loved my '82 V8 and the chance of getting a 2002 DII V8 for peanuts is sooooo tempting. Course the missus might interpret this as me deliberately exceeding my remit to build the D90SV. Looking at the striped engine, I'm struggling to find a mechanical reason for why they removed and stripped it. It looks immaculate. It's clear that this is the first time it has been dismanteled since new. Most parts literally look as though they have just been removed from the steam cleaner. No careless csratches on mating surfaces, the crank turns over nicely, no signs of cracks etc on the heads, no signs of dodgy head gaskets, oil is light brown, valves and pistons are clear of deposits, the bores still have the originall cross hatched honing marks, and it goes on. I know that electronics throw even the main dealer into a tzzy, so I'm wondering if wiggly amps might be the root cause. If so, this could still be a good bet. How the hell do I tell whether it's a dodgy block??? Regards, Mark

I've been sussed Would look nice behind a set of deep dish alloys though. Ah well...

How would I tell? Would there be any residual signs, or does a porous block manifest as overheating/ coolant loss only on a running engine? This vehicle has done less than 50K in 5 years. Would a porous block show up early i.e. would the dealer have a record of overheating/coolant loss problems from new? I don't have great faith in the main dealer here, with regard to technical abilities and diagnosis, so I'm trying to asceratin whether it's worth buying this vehicle on spec. Are ther any signs that I could look for on a stripped motor that would guide my decision? Regards, Mark

You are probably right, but the mechanical bling bug got me for a while there... Porche red and such an elegant design... It isn't that I need them - I just wanted to find justification to fit them... Ah well...

I was taking a closer look at a D11 V8 (2002) that I'm thinking of buying. The engine is removed and sitting in the load space of the vehicle. looking at the cylinder bores, I noted that the original cross-hatched honing is still visible. Also the valves, heads, and indeed every other component looks near new. There is no physical damage apparant to the vehicle or engine. Why or what would cause someone to remove and strip down an engine that seemingly is near new? I have asked the yard owner, but he has no idea. The vehicle was bought in auction from an organisation that has a reputation for 'throwing' vehicles away - similar to the UK military concept of allocating a fixed sum to each vehicle for repairs and once that sum has been exceeded the vehicle is cast. I ask because the yard owner is asking what seems to be a very reasonable price for the complte vehicle. A DII Disco with less than 50K. What am I missing?? Regards, Mark

Nic, I'm sorry, I only just realised the implications of your offer with regard to ensuring that I, for example, was eblagging a good used harness. It's 0030 hrs here and tomorrows a day off - stlichnaya and I have been getting reaquainted which might account for my delayed mental reflexes That does indeed open up new avenues. I'll be in touch... Mark

Intuitively, that makes sense to me. The bulkhead can be shimmed as required. My problem is that I don't have a 90 rear tub to measure, so I think I need to work from the bulkhead rearwards, modifying the 110 rear tub to fit. By initially leaving out all shims on the bulkhead I'm hoping that I will have sufficient 'slack' to account for Solihull build tolerances... Should I perhaps shorten the 110 rear tub to fit with no bulkhead shims but, say 1/4" or 1/8" of shims in the rear crossmember mounting tangs, thereby giving me the ability to move the bulkhead forward or the tub rearwards in order to get a good door fit? Thanks for giving this some thought... Mark