signia

I was struggling with the right combo of kit. I have Memory Map and I bought a Road Angel Navigator. The interface is awful though. Too much compromise vs the full Windows version. Plus the device would hang regularly. I took a route similar to what FridgeFreezer suggested. I already had an in-car inverter and a USB GPS dongle. Just before New Year, PC World were doing a deal on Dell Mini 9s running Win XP. 8.9" screen, tiny keyboard, same footprint as the mini version of Stuff Magazine, for £150! It's got no fan and a solid state HDD, so makes no noise and has no moving parts. Got it home, uninstalled everything I didn't need, added another 1GB and put MM on that. Works perfectly. Light enough to velcro to the dash, or a passenger can operate if needed. Much bigger screen than a PDA (or iPhone if you have the MM application), but not too big to have in the car. Plus you get full MM functionality. Wish I had done that originally.

The rears were longer than the fronts, but both fronts and rears were the same size respectively. Almost certain. I had read that some do have a different length for left and right. The springs weren't progressive, but do you think it makes a difference which way up they go? Never fitted new springs before so perhaps I've missed something obvious? It's more that the right rear is low, rather than the right rear being higher. Thanks.

Evening all having nearly a year of little landy fun due to house move and other bits and pieces I decided to treat the disco to new springs and dampers. I have added a lot of weight (to the car!) over the years with HD bumpers, diff guards, winch etc and things were very low. I sat my disco along side a mate's who just had new standard springs and it looked tiny! Probably about 3 to 4 inches lower at the front. So I had heard good things about the bearmach blue and I've fitted a set of those. BA2104 and BA2103. The car sits a little higher. A lot less nose heavy at the front as it used to look like a dragster! Looking from the rear it looks like the right rear is slightly lower than the left. It isn't that noticeable looking side on. Anyone have any ideas why that would happen? Do they have a L/R position? Cheers.

Mine's been diagnosed as a possible tappet. I have two sets of ticking noises. When cold, you can hear the exahust manifold gasket ticking away. When warm and you're cruising along, the engine is quiet. When you apply the throttle, a different type of ticking from the back of the engine is very obvious in the cabin - that's the suspected tappet. I'll just add it on to the list of other things that need sorting over the next few months....

Hi After pulling the handle, I always have to push the handle to its original position to get the catch to hold. It doesn't return automatically. Might be that?

I thought it was just a good bit of sunday night entertainment. It obviously wasn't "green laning" in the sense we know it. Like most TG stunts, it was set up - undoubtedly with land owners' permission. Anyone who thinks otherwise is pretty dumb. Just take another look at the continuity errors - they did it several times. Anyone who tries to copy that would have the landowner prosecuting them for trespassing on their land. Anyone driving like that on a green lane would crash and burn pretty quick. But that's no different to any other TG stunt / driving. It's a bit of light relief, not a driving instructional programme. Other than the intro to the piece, there was no correlation between what we do "green laning" and what they did. Made a good point about the lightness of the little motor. No match for a LR at the end of the day, but pretty impressive for what it is. The wet grass catching JC out though made me smile.

My replacement head unit had phono outs (which you can switch to being either two channel or sub out via the menu - it's a Sony head unit). There's a thin plug coming out the back of the stock stereo - next to the standard multiplug thingy - vertical I think. I ripped that apart and connected the end of a phono lead. You don't need to use both phono sockets - the sub is mono anyway. The only other thing to note is if your new headunit only triggers the aerial if you are listening to the radio, the sub won't work on any other source (cd/changer/mp3). Mine's a 96 ES. not sure if it's supposed to do that. But it does. For some reason the sub amplifier (which I think is under the glove box) is linked to the power for the aerial. So to activate the sub, I need to make sure that the traffic bulletin setting is on and the aerial is up when listening to MP3s/CDs. However you do it. There is no need to pay a wedge to get a new install.

Probably a lot of people with more experience than me, but I'll tell you my experience so far. I have a V8 auto. I've been using my V8 through fords since I got it in Jan last year. I've only recently fitted a snorkel. I've had a few close calls with water being a bit deeper (or an uneven surface which causes the car to drop). I've got away with the water being level with the top of the bumper, just under the lights. The air intake is just behind the headlight. Whilst water obviously can't directly get in at lower levels, it can splash up - possibly if your fan is spinning too. I went for a trip to Wales and did a few deep ones. Survived, but found evidence of water splash around the inlet - hence my decision for the snorkel. So essentially you can get away with it, but it's down to technique. If the surface is consistent and the water is not too deep, then a V8 shouldn't have any problems with going through it. Just make sure you get that bowwave to reduce the water line behind the front of the vehicle, don't stop, and you should avoid water getting too high in the engine bay. Stopping is probably the worse thing (unless your engine forces you to). As soon as you stop, the water level will equalise and all the seals and gaskets will be under pressure. If you did have the odd oil leak somewhere, or dodgy door seal, you'll find out that way. As far as components go, I've literally put grease everywhere, sparkplugs, dizzy cap, ignition coil etc. I sprayed WD40 over all the electrics, but as someone suggested to me earlier, I'm probably better of greasing those too. There are a LOT of connectors under the bonnet - lots of sensors and I've got aux relays for lights too. And of course there are the injectors, fuse box etc. A nice smothering of grease should help. But I know you can take things a lot further - like isolating the fuse box, coil and dizzy. It really depends on how deep you're going to go. Of course - there's the breather issue I've asked about. But fording regularly at normal depths, it shouldn't be an issue. Dougie - been thinking about the breathers again! If you can't get to where they come from, where did you locate the box's breathers and join them up? What T piece did you use - same sizes as the BSP connectors (6mm OD)? I'd like to get them all through a manifold and out as one tube, not 3, if possible. Night all!

Thanks Dougie, I'll do that. I've got that grease which is in the tub - general purpose stuff - where you push down on the plastic cover and it comes out the hole in the middle. Pretty messy stuff, but it's all over the dizzy and the coil and around the relays in the engine bay. Wasn't sure about putting some over the injector wiring? I just put WD40 over those and the various other connectors kicking around. All advice much appreciated. Cheers. eta-> Mark just saw your post... I'm still learning so not entirely sure where you mean. Whereabouts on the V8 is the fuel pump sprocket cover?

Thanks for your replies. Was just taking a look after I posted and these kits are pretty expensive for just bits of pipe. I'll take your advice and get some tubing and connectors. Very useful thank you. One question about the gearbox and transfer box - Dougie - you mention using a T piece to connect them, but if I'm replacing the bit where the breather goes into the axles, don't I have to do the same with the gearbox and transfer box? Or are they ready to go? It's a V8, which I know doesn't bode well with water in the first place. I just want to reduce the risk and not let a few water crossings stop play. That's why I fitted the snorkel and greased up. I usually do my research before things like this, and I did know about the breathers when I fitted the snorkel - it just slipped my mind since I did it. I'll check the oil at the weekend. And the fan. The engine didn't feel any hotter, and didn't sound bad. The coolant level was normal. Anyway - thanks for your help. You've probably saved me quite a bit of cash! eta-> found Mark's write up on breathers... posted it here in case anyone reads this thread first. Cheers guys. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopi...amp;hl=breather (also tempted by the yellow pipework

Hi everyone. I fitted my snorkel the other week and tonight went out to explore a few fords. I wasn't looking for anything too deep because I was out in one car with a mate. Fortunately we have several to choose from near me. I've greased up everything, WD40'd all the electrics and gave it a go. One of the fords was around 3-4 foot, so gave that a miss. Another was around 2ft which I've done plenty of times before without a snorkel. Went through it fine - all textbook with bowwave, just to check it out. Second time, thought it was worth a bit of a play and gunned it. Great! Water everywhere, engine kept working! Result I thought. End of the evening, everything was fine (except two of my roof lights didn't work??) And then I remembered about the axle and gearbox breathers!!! I hadn't extended them! Checked the front axle (bit dark) but I can see that where the breather exits that oil has come out around there and stained the axle at some point - still a bit oily. Can't tell if it was recent, but it had leaked there before. So the first question is have I done any damage? I guess I don't know whether the existing breathers are actually any good anyway. Where are the other seals on the axle - where the driveshaft enters I guess and at the hubs? Should I change the axle oil? Where are there other breathers that I need to extend - gearbox (auto) and transfer box? Anywhere else? Sorry for the questions, but I'm a bit concerned about my seals now. Is there any way to check them? Or should I just put on new breathers and hope for the best? Where can I get breather kits from? Are these complete replacement kits, or just extensions? One other thing, after playing in the water, the temp gauge was past red and on the H! I didn't notice it for sometime afterwards. But when I got home and the engine was off for about 10 minutes, I restarted the car, and it was back to normal. Probably water in the sensor or something? Appreciate any advice. I've had my Disco for 18 months now and I'm still learning new stuff - usually the hard way! Cheers.

I've got that wrong before.... see this document.. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/understandingcoun...eaccess2005.pdf it says that they often call restricted byways "rights of way" so it fits on the sign. Don't expect them to change it - they like their fingerposts. I got caught out on this one once. By 1:50k map showed it as a byway. Never come across this sign before. Later checked my 1:25k map and it showed the first half of the lane was an RB. Clearly should have done my research before hand, and goes to show that you can't rely 100% of OS maps and the definitive maps are just that - definitive!

thanks everyone. I have the option of sitting them higher like pinny, so I'll do that if I need to. I like your idea firemannotsam, I think I'll try to fashion something on lamp surrounds to do something like that. cheers.

I've been thinking of something like that today. Well, the plastic surround on the lights was deeper at the top, so I've rotated that a bit to see if it helps. Then I might try to fashion something - the screws on mine are at the front so might not look as neat. I might look at alternative lights which aren't too expensive. I've seen round KC daylighters can have glare shields on them, which is ideal. Except they're pricey for hitting trees with. Cheers.

They look pretty good actually. It might make my light bar look a bit weird though as it has four square brackets sticking out the front. I could grind them off I guess. Reading that page did give me an idea though - the lights have a "hood" design. I'm wondering whether I could attach something to the bottom of the lights so that the light doesn't shine downwards... Cheers BogMonster