Snagger

Can anyone tell me please what goes on inside? I watched a video that explained about the impeller, turbine, stator disk and lock up clutch, but did I understand correctly that at high engine rpm but low road speed, the unit magnifies engine torque, hence allowing taller first gear? I have an automatic Volvo, and have driven a Ford and Toyota automatic in the past. All have no engine braking because they just coast when you lift off the accelerator, requiring pedal braking to slow down. Does the ZF22 in the RR/Discovery behave the same way? That could be problematic for hill descents, so does the lock up clutch stay engaged if you select 1,2 or 3 instead of D? Separately, the application I have in mind is my 109 with 200Tdi. It has 235/85R16s, and I have no intention of ever altering that. It is still running 4.71 diffs (Series) as the 3.54s were too tall in conjunction with the Series transmission and overdrive, and because they raised low ratio too high too. I plan to fit the BW transfer box from a RRC with the auto, so a high ratio of 1.22:1. This is rather hgh for use with 3.54 diffs and the tyres (though it was normal ratio with 3.54 and 235/70R16). The ratio from the RR transmission is very similar, just a fraction higher, than the SIII transmission with OD engaged, so is a bit revvy on the motorway but not terrible. Low ratio would be very similar to the standard SIII low. So, would this be a good combination, or would the way in which the torque converter works make it way undergeared and better with 3.54 diffs (it is a heavy 109 with Brownchurch rack, spots, bull bar and a lot of drag)?

The LR colour coat is fine, but their laquer is atrocious - it'll craze and flake in a couple of years. You'd be much better off getting a decent laquer from a local autopaints manufacturer/supplier.

The best deterrent is for the vehicle to be undesirable. That means in a poor state, so perhaps those who don't mind dents and bad paint are the wise ones. I'm too fussy and like mine tidy, but I have the position of having an old, obsolete model that discourages the Defender thief, and it's too buggered about with for the classic thief. That doesn't make it immune, but it helps.

While I like the idea of an Eberspacher or Webasto, this is a cheap mod for near instant heat in the midsts of non-Arctic winters, and one I'll be doing when I come back to the UK. I'd missed it before, so I'm glad it got necroposted!

I would have thought that cross linking might make the suspension too supple for off road (definitely on road). I know you need suppleness for cross axles, but wouldn't this be too much?

So they made the assumption that you don't have small scale boring equipment in your garage, you tell them that you use huge scale boring equipment at work (so still don't have small scale boring eqpt at home), and you think that their quietness is a fault? Maybe they just thought that since you'd have a good understanding of what was involved and wouldn't have the equipment available, that you didn't need any more information and decided not to patronise you? Or maybe they thought that you were using them for free information to have the work done elsewhere, in which case, you have to ask why they'd want to help their competition take a job from them. Either way, it doesn't strike me as it being them who was unreasonable. My experience of the Turners (especially Frida, as Richard tends to be bust in the workshop) has been one of very good service, patience and free advice and information, much at odds with your experience. I would say the same of Ian and Dave Ashcroft, too.

Don't you need separate valves to each air spring to prevent air from one going to the other on corners and cross axles?

SRS is "safety restraint system", aka airbags. SLABS is the ECU you'd need; it's a combined ECU for the Self Levelling and ABS. The ECUs on modern vehicles put the engine into a safety or "limp home" mode when other systems have a malfunction - the ECUs communicate with each other. I don't know if the D2 does that; it wasn't very advanced by modern standards, and I think its ECUs are all isolated. But I'm really not sure about that. However, since your current engine doesn't take suspension inputs, the EAS should work as an independent system - the EAS took inputs from the key remote button switches and ride height sensors only, as far as I understand. However, with no ABS system connected to the SLABS ECU, it might detect that as a fault and refuse to play. Given that you are fitting the D2 axles, and thus brakes, then it may be a worthwhile step to look into how to fit the complete ABS system, which would not only be advantageous in its own right, but would deal with the SLABS too. Hopefully someone here will know the system far better!

You'd need the ride height sensors, compressor, valve assembly, air tank, air lines and ECU. It has been done before, but it's not a small job. You might want to check with your insurers and authorities that they're content with the alterations before proceeding. I'd be surprised if there were any issues witht he authorities, but most insurers get very anxious about even the smallest mods.

Sadly, while Bushpig's remote location makes the car less visible to thieves in the first place, once they know it's there, it also makes the thieves less visible to police and passers by while they get around any security measures. It is well evidenced that Defenders are targeted by gangs who will spot a candidate and follow it, so keep an eye out for cars, vans or bikes following you; it means you're next on the list (literally).

Those LR bottle jacks were also supplied with Tdic Defenders, just painted black. They are excellent.

ACR in Glasgow are meant to be good too, and some like Wards. Personally, I have been very pleased with my dealings with Turner Engineering; they are more expensive than most others, but with good reason.

XZLs and G90s are mud tyres, not ATs, and are noisy and a bit worse for fuel consumption. G90s are particularly bad on wet roads. I'd strongly advise against them. Vass in Ampthill have big stocks of both of these from the MoD, and their prices seemed reasonable when I last looked.

I think E prefix are factory recondition units. I had one which I bought as Gen Part recon. The main shaft, lay shaft and gears will be suffix D spec, but the reverse gear and shaft could be anything; my E has a A spec reverse gear with the plain bronze bush rather than later roller bearings. That is a limitation of the original casing not being able to take the later reverse shaft. Which reverse gear and shaft yours has is anyone's guess - you'd have to check it inside to find out.

I too immediately thought that the friction plate is fitted reversed, but also wondered about the hose - is it another Britpart replacement with a solid rubber section as we have seen them make on the Series brake hoses?

You should be able to get an immediate delivery from Turner, with the courier taking away the old head in exchange - with luck it might be repairable and get you your surcharge back, but if not, you've lost little. You won't get better quality than theirs.

Probably bronze green, thought the engine bay photo makes the green a bit bright. The wheels look like fades Limestone. T-cut would restore the colours nicely.

I'm in the pro gaiter camp. if you wade a lot, then fitting only the front half of each gaiter would allow easy draining and cleaning but would still protect the swivels from stone chipping on road, which is their principal cause for pitting and rusting.

I had similar issues with a new servo on my 109 - the manuals all state they are factory adjusted and must not be tampered with, but that is wrong - they may have been set with care originally, but nowdays they can be well off.

I've not had BM swivels, but have had other BM stuff and have been pleased with all I had. I did use a pair of Britpart swivels on my 109 and they were truly awful - chrome plate that looked thinner than zinc passivating, and ridged spheres that would wear the seals swiftly.

I used to get occasional trouble at the council tip over the same thing - because it is a three door, some of the gimps would argue it's a van and thus commercial, unswayed by the arguments that it is privately owned, has side windows, interior trim and seats in the back. If you have a solid hard top, though, it is hard to argue that it is not a van.

Sorry to hear that. There must be plenty about, and finding one from a Defender that hasn't been chipped would be best as they run lower boost pressures so won't have been as stressed.

If I understand your post correctly and he left he nut off, then don't ever let him near the car again - he may owe you a new gear box if there is any damage. The nut, the tab washer (with a tiny trim) and the spacer washer all have to be refitted after swapping the gear for the clutch sleeve. Running with a loose nut can cause damage, and running without a nut will destroy the gear box in very short order. Anyone making that mistake should not be fiddling with anything technical.

My bet is that the head gasket has failed between a cylinder and a waterway, causing the bubbles in the coolant, which have vapour locked the heater matrix. I hope it's not the head itself.

Jumping out of second gear is a symptom of a loose rear nut on the gear box main shaft. Since you've just had this nut undone to replace the transfer box input gear with the overdrive clutch sleeve, this is even more likely. Did you fit the tab washer to lock the nut after applying about 100'lbs of torque? The tabs on a standard washer need filing down about 1mm to fit the overdrive, and the specially made overdrive version are hard to find. Running without the tab washer or forgetting to fold a tab down would allow the nut to slacken of very quickly.