Snagger

It's an expansion bottle, nothing more, so allows the water from the rad to expand into the tank, then be syphoned back into the rad as the system cools down after use. The hose from the rad neck goes to the bottle port that extends down tot he base, the other bottle port on the flat of the bottle (nearest the cap) runs down the bracket and ends, dumping coolant that overfills the bottle overboard. I found in practice that when cool, the bottle was about half full, and would be completely full when hot (you fill the rad and engine system and the bottle to the top, and the system will self level after the first run up - you just need to keep an eye on the bottle level for the first few runs as trapped air is expelled through the bottle, syphoning water back in on cool down, self purging the system, which could cause the tank water level to drop too low when cool, needing a top up).

Ray is immensely helpful and very keen. He talked me through replacing the bearings on mine after I damaged some from an oil leak; he was surprised at the end that someone had managed to rebuild a Roamerdrive as it's much harder than the Fairey type (because of the location of a big circlip).

Rocky Mountain and Roamerdrive were once the same company but they split several years ago. Martin Hogan used used to be UK distributor for both under the name of Rocky Mountain Spares. The Roamerdrive is costly, but is much stronger than the Fairey. The Faireys are good enough, if you get one in good condition, but some parts are hard to find - I rebuilt one and have a guide on that in my blog too. The High Ratio Transfer Case is not a good idea in my opinion, and nor are 3.54 diffs - I tried the diffs and the drive was horrible except the motorway, which was a bit quieter (with OD engaged), but I don't think it was coincidence that my gear box stripped teeth off third gear after six months; 30mph becomes mid rpm third gear instead of low rpm fourth, and that takes its toll with the harshness of a Tdi and its increased torque on acceleration. As I said on the other thread, I have an overdrive, which is far better than altering the diffs or high ratio, and I also modified the transfer box with SII Suffix B low gears for a 17% reduction from the later Series transfer boxes, so have +28% and -17% final gearing over standard without using custom parts.

The registration system would not change, and the ANPR systems would still catch non-registered numbers as well as those with no MoT, so I can't see a problem.

Why not just keep the standard SIII rad and plastic side expansion tank, since the bracketry will all fit without work and the system is well proven?

I'd suggest a servo fault, so you apply a lot of pedal pressure but don't get much hydraulic pressure. If it was a fault in an individual corner, it wouldn't affect the other wheels and would produce a pull. However, just replacing the fluid is not brake maintenance. You need to inspect the discs and pads,a nd check for free movement of the calliper pistons, and at the back you have to remove the drums, clean them and the shoes, inspect everything for wear, warping and damage, then reassemble and adjust the shoes (that is the fiddly bit). A proper brake service takes folk like us several hours. At least you only have rear drums - Series LRs have drums all round...

Then you have faulty brakes. My 109 is on Discovery brakes, same as 90 brakes and smaller than 110, and it stops very smartly. It's depressing how often I read comments about how poor a LR standard system is, often steering, brakes or suspension, when it's clearly an issue with worn out components. Disc brakes don't stop you any better than drums; they just require less maintenance and cool faster.

No need - you can plumb the callipers into the T as you don't need independent braking for the ABS/ETC. I'd leave the ABS sensors in place with their leads tied up to prevent mud ingress through their mounting hole. Don't cut their leads off, as you'll be able to help someone out with a swap when theirs break, fitting their failed sensors as plugs in yours (then you can cut the leads off).

You will. Mintex pads are fine. Britpart brake parts are worse than notorious for their appalling quality. I would go so far as to call them dangerous. Porous castings, scored bores, swarf left in to destroy seals, warped discs and drums. They even send out solid hoses.

I have been saying a long time that road tax should be scrapped as it is intrinsically unfair, charging low users the same as high users, but that the fuel tax could be marginally increased to cover the lost revenue in a manner that reflects the wear and tear put on the road - heavy or sporty vehicles cause more damage, but also use more fuel, and the more miles you do, the more you contribute because of using more fuel. That could also cover third party insurance; that way every car is covered third party, at a stroke curing the uninsured driver problem, and while it doesn't account for driver experience or behaviour, it is still self regulating to a degree as aggressive drivers will use more fuel and so pay more tax and insurance. Having performance restrictions on certain experience levels and age groups could sort out the extremes of having rich kids driving excessively high performance cars (not that they're stopped at the moment). It seems a much better system, less open to abuse by drivers and insurers alike, than the current mess.

The axle will be a direct swap. My only concern would be the compatibility of the disc brakes with the old master cylinder.

To get positive pressure in the air filter fits well with a booming sound. It is combustion gas escaping either through a damaged inlet valve/valve seat or combustion gas escaping via the cyclonic breather into the intake tract having bypassed extremely worn rings or bores, through a cracked piston or through a bad exhaust valve into the rocker gallery. Either way, you must have significant internal damage.

Have it rebuilt by Turner Engineering with their modified head, and fit the VNT kit from Turbo Technics with a high flow intercooler and adjust the fuel pump to suit.

I was under the impression it had been rejected by the UK.

That does look worn, but I suspect a lot of the rattle is from the stay on the opposite bottom corner, either the clevis pin joint in the bracket or the roller in the door track. I used a shim cut from an old tupperware lid between the stay and its tub bracket to quieten it.

Wheel bearings not Timken although in Timken box... That's fraud. I'd definitely get Trading Standards in on that one.

Too good to break up, but it'd make a good project for someone. As the others said, it'll go well on ebay.

Sump drain and off, undo the two bolts securing the pump to the block and lower it out. Refitting will need a new gasket.

On a Discovery, they go through the gear box bell housing too. I'm not sure about on a Defender (I have a Discovery unit in my 109), but I suspect it's similar.

I'd say green, purely because of it being original and therefore better for the providence of the car and its value. Remember that the only car that didn't sell for a fortune on "For The Love of Cars" was the one where they changed the colour...

The ladder is only held on by three more sump type bolts and the four rear bolts through the bell housing. It'd take five minutes to remove, and with cleaning up the joints before adding sealant, ten minutes to refit.

I think the same is true of most breathers - the amount of air transfer is small, so six inches or so of vertical (downwards) extent from the highest spot oft he breather would probably be enough for axles, transmissions and anything else. The only breather that would need to cope with a large volume of air would be a fuel tank breather of a vehicle which had the tank cap immersed for protracted periods because of the fuel level dropping; the rest just suffer thermal expansion and contraction, which shouldn't be vast. People get carried away with breather kits, especially the makers, thinking they all need to extend to the snorkel.

The pump has to come off to allow the ladder to be removed, so it's the easy way around for your task. It is possible that the pump pressure is low, most likely from debris trapped in the pressure relief valve or scoring of the tube or piston of said valve, but worn crank bearings are more likely. Drop the ladder and you'd be able to check the main and big end bearings; it's worth a look if you're already swapping the oil pump. The bearings are meant to be sacrificial, so you might be luck and get good pressure with new bearings and no crank work - that was the case for my Tdi rebuild. The big ends and main bearing lower shells are fitted with the crank in place, and I think you'd be able to slip the old top shells out and new in with a little downward pressure on the crank (don't pull too hard as you'll damage the seals at either end).

Good to extend it, but it needn't go far as the amount of air displaced by the diaphragm movement is relatively small.a six inch length of silicone windscreen washer hose bonded over the tube of that cap should suffice.

The rear cross member is best etched and sprayed with satin black. POR15 would be good, but I just used Rustoleum and got a very good result. The rest I bursh painted with Hamerite's (renaming of Finnigan) Underbody SHeild, which is the brush on version of Schutz, part bitumen and part waxoil. It cant chip or flake and goes on well, and has good anti-corrosion properties in itself. It can be wiped off quickly with solvents if you need to work on a section, though this leaves it a little prone to being locally washed off by fuel or oil leaks. On balance, I think it's very good.