Snagger

With unrestricted ports giving a continuous flow out of the manifold, yes, there would be a difference in flow rate and mass from each port; path of least resistance and all that... But on a running engine, with only one valve open at a time, there is nowhere else for the airflow to go. I don’t think there would be any measurable difference between the ports.

I’m not sure about the legality. I was told the MoD are given a dispensation as a Crown entity, but I remember someone telling me years ago (when Wolfs were new) that C&U regs don’t permit it. Could be complete rubbish, but worth checking before drilling holes in the side of your hard top!

I think any imbalance in airflow between cylinders would be influenced more by correct porting of the manifold and head ports and setting the tallest accurately. I can see why having the inlet manifold supply at one end could potentially affect delivery evenness, but I’d be surprised if it really did. If it does, then a single port in the middle of the manifold would suffice, or a custom branched manifold. This looks cobbled together and I just can’t see the inside of the original manifold having enough of a restriction to significantly impede airflow to the rear cylinders. If you want a smoother Tdi, then doing what Mike did on his recent Britrest video and balancing the pistons and each end of each con rod is the way to go about it, and having the injectors and pump checked and adjusted to ensure even delivery and spray pattern across each bore. It’ll never be smooth as such, but I suspect a lot can be done to make them better.

Whenever you buy a product, your contract is with the vendor, not their supplier. Some contracts for expensive items will have a clause naming another business that will take responsibility should the vendor cease trading. So, if you buy a bad Britpart component, it’s the vendor that has to replace or refund it. They in turn are able to reclaim their losses from their supplier, and ultimately Britpart will be clawing back losses from warranty issues from their manufacturers. So, unfortunately for us, it is not Britpart’s responsibility to make sure their independent retailers look after us properly - that is for Trading Standards and the small claims courts to enforce. But I do agree that if Britpart didn’t ship so much rubbish, these retailer disputes and this conversation wouldn’t be happening.

They’re blaming the wrong company for the warranty claim struggles, but they’re blaming the right company for supplying shoddy goods in the first place.

The only thing I see that manifold and hose system doing is adding to turbo lag. The turbo output and fuel injection are the same, the head and manifold haven’t been ported, there is no change in valve size or opening. I just can’t see how any benefit is derived. I can’t see the smoother bore of the steel pipe really being significant in reducing resistance to the air flow into the manifold as there are more bends for the air flow to navigate.

It sounds like your hinges have worn out. Replacements should fix it, as long as you don’t use Britpart, which come with that slack factory installed. There are some decent brands available, and Defender hinges will fit (and earlier Defender hinges are identical to SIII hinges). Reconditioning kits for SII hinges seem much the same as each other and are cheap and usually work well.

Snorkel on the passenger side to be complimented by a periscope on the driver’s side... I can’t see very well from the photos, but that looks like the plain bonnet with fittings added, rather than the dished bonnet that sinks the tyre down a little lower. It’s one of those situations where an inch can make a lot of difference. 😉

Nice to know. A well known overdrive manufacturer has had a decline in reputation since, though. Shame, because I like their product and it has served me well, but I got an early one.

Once Britpart get involved, the product manufacture gets outsourced away from the originator’s original manufacturer to a cheaper outfit of vastly inferior quality in China or India. Whether the originators continue to get their own stock from their own manufacturer I don’t know, but I doubt it - I’d imagine they lose control of the product and became a vendor like any other Britpart stockist. I would be very surprised if the quality of the products manufactured under Britpart are anywhere close to original Bowler quality.

Plastic clips or rubber lined stainless are great. I’m wary of unlined metal clips on copper or cunifer pipes, not only because of fretting and wear, but bimetallic corrosion.

Same - I don’t know anything about the P38, but welcome.

Don’t forget that galvanising works electrically. When the steel tries to rust, the zinc gives up ions or electrons (not sure which) and oxidises instead. The maritime industry bolt big blocks of zinc to hulls and oil rig structures - they don’t coat the whole vessel or structure. A screw hole will not rust away. But a dollop of grease or waxoil in the hole before fitting the screw will help preserve it even better.

That’s unusually good. But the German stereotype may have something to do with it. Still, you get my point, I’m sure.

What do people expect with a new vehicle? Almost all vehicles suffer long lists of reliability problems when a new model comes out, and LR reliability is renowned as being amongst the worst. I understand their disappointment, but not their apparent surprise. I just don’t comprehend why anyone would buy a new vehicle that has been in production for less than 18 months - they’re always lemons.

RRC never had ACE, so you can’t compare them.

Mine had something similar, and a few small cracks around the waste gate seat. If there was much gas leaking through there, you’d see soot deposits. I suspect they’re almost all cracked after years of service, but most are serviceable. To prolong the life of the unit, try to avoid full boost for the first and last couple of minutes use so the iron has time to heat and cool more evenly. I wouldn’t worry too much, though, unless you plan massive boost increases.

All dampers hiss as they move. I’m not sure if it’s the friction in the seals or the oil going through the valves. Probably a bit of both. Even gas struts hiss from the friction.

Most dampers need priming before fitting, which is exercising while orientated the right way up. If yours had been tipped after removal but before you tested it, then gas may have been passing through the valves instead of oil.

Getting one off intact might be difficult, but if intact is not a criterion, then have at it! As for the marking of CW or ACW on a motor description, that’d be important just for the wiring to match the vehicle harness. If you’re swapping the direction of the same motor, you’ll have to play about with the wiring and have mismatched connections, but it’ll work the same.

All standard Tdi intercoolers have the same dimensions, though the position and angles of the air hose connections vary with vehicle spec (not sure of which has what spec, and not sure if Defenders vary from RRC and Discovery for the same generation engine 200/300). Any front mounted spanwise intercooler is aftermarket.

The spot where the stays attach rots from bimetallic corrosion. Don’t be surprised if the return lip behind the wheel arch has gone completely in that area. If so, you can rivet and bond in a length of extruded aluminium angle and drill a new bolt hole where needed.

I’d be surprised if you couldn’t just reverse the polarity on the motor. The fan is the bit that will be trickier to deal with. You could run it backwards, but expect more noise and less airflow. I don’t know if it’d be viable to cut the bladed rim from the nave and reattach it reversed - it’d have to be done accurately not only to avoid fouling the casing but to avoid balancing and vibration issues. Probably worth a big mug of tea and a thick coat of looking at to see if it’s a possibility.

Don’t tell John 😜, but I have 19J/200Tdi side panels on my 109 for the snorkel and arch flares. The 300Tdi and later panels are thinner (that’s why later models get dents so easily in the wing tops), but they’re all interchangeable. And if you don’t mind getting the drill and some files out to do a little fettling, changing the indicator repeater aperture is easily done to fit whichever type you want - I fit the longer, flatter type from the late models to those 200 wings.

The blower housing is a mirror image of the version for the other driving side, so the unit has to spin the other way to work efficiently; the wrong motor or fan would work, but not well.