[has this ever happened to you]

I hate to say this but I would hazard a guess that the two pins that hold the planet gears in the centre diff have broken. you can see the outside of the two pins that should be flush with the cylindrical body of the centre diff if they are loose or sunk in/sticking out then they will be broken on the flat parts where they cross each other. You can confirm this by looking down the centre diff from one end once you have pulled it off the shaft. The wear on the teeth you can see is extremely unlikey to be the cause of you problem.

The two pins in question are the small ones in the top right hand side of the pic with the flats on the middle of their shatfs. You will not see them like this unless you pull the diff apart as it is much more compact than the diffs on the axles.

[Tech archive camera.]

To be honest I would go for a newer model Samsung. I have a Nikon Coolpix as a cheap camera (supposed to be easy to use) and a Canon SLR and the Nikon is more difficult to set up than the semi pro Canon. My old Samsung always took good pics (and still does) on full auto mode. Argos have a nice 10 mega pixel Samsung for half price at the moment if you are quick, its reduced from £200 down to £99.99. Link is below if you want to copy and paste it......

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/part...l%2Bcameras.htm

[strange engine rattle]

Probably just a loose timing belt? I would get the cover off ASAP as the 300tdi has been known to wear the belt quickly if the tensioners and rollers etc have not been replaced with modified ones.

ello folks

hope it's ok to post here as need max opinions

looking for help what else i.ve developed a strange rattle on the injector pump side of my motor , here's what i know

within a couple of minutes of starting from cold ( no problems starting ) a rattle develops it's not loud almost a ticking , it's not tappets or brake servo pump only 12 months old ,

the noise seems to be coming from or around injector pump ( new timing belt and water pump fitted approx 15 months ago ,

new aux belt tensioner fitted 6 months ago with new belt , i had a bloke who works on landy's check it out and he said he'd never heard that niose before from a 300 disco and the only thing he could think was it would be the injector pump ouch ,

not what i need to hear as between jobs , so if it's a faulty pump i'll take a chance and nurse it through for a while but i'm concerned that if it's some type of bearing on or around the pump that could slip the timing belt and make it terminal , any advice , suggestions or has anybody had or got this problem '

be gentle

p.s - no excessive use of fuel , water or oil

water temp o.k

[Water Running Noise]

Rover 800's used to do this sometimes and the cure 90% of the time was to simply swap the heater pipes over. Don't know why it worked but it nearly always did?

[squealing noise under load]

I think this could be a totally un-mechanical fault. Check the little tiny rubber hose that goes from the turbo body to the wastegate, its about three inches long and will squeel like crazy if it has a small split in it.......

[Very Unusual Request]

Hi everyone

I'm a member of the Cape Hunting Club situated in Cape Town.

Wer'e make use of English Pointers.

I want to put some vinyl stickers of the dogs whilst pointing, on my Disco for a comming event, but have got no Photo's of the actual pointing.( A side point )

I searched the "Net" for pictures which can be used, but they're to small to enlarge. Loss of quality.

If anyone could help me with a picture of a side point or a good quality drawing which I can convert to B&W to use on vinyl as a sticker, it will be much appreciated.( Even a link will do.)

The end product wont be a picture but a black silhouette print on a white background.

Please send to: mcpote@orangenet.co.za

Thanks

Martin.

How about this? or a link to one you can buy? http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pag...-2020-5051.html

[Oil pressure query]

Thanks for clearing that up Ralph. Presumably then the entire rad/cooler assembly has to replaced as one unit then.

Ged

One thing you could check for that is a killer of engine oil pressure is your turbo. Pop the intake pipe off and try wiggling the turbine shaft up and down, left and right with your fingers. There should be ideally no play at all. On an older enginge you will find a tiny amount but thats all it should be, a tiny amount.

HOWEVER, saying that, I think your oil pressure is nothing to worry about at all, it will naturally drop as the engine gets older. If you are really worried use an oil with a 50 or higher after the forward slash (/). 20w/50 is the basic but very modern oils such as 0w/50 for example. The 50 part relates to the oils viscosity at high temperatures, so a w/50 oil is thicker a high temps that a w/40. The first part relates to an oils cold temperature behaviour , a 0w oil will stay fairly runny even way below zero degrees. Thats why modern oils save so much fuel, an engine doesn't have to waste power churning treacle on a cold start and yet still have a slippery, non watery lube when its baking hot in the height of summer...........

[Hard Brakes]

Yeah cheers Graham, very interesting about the suction picking up when you revved the engine! I think I'll get the vaccum pump tested before the expence of replacing it!

Thanks

Ted

A simple test of the vacuum system is to pump the brakes a good ten times or so with the engine switched off, then apply the brake with a reasonable amount of force and whilst holding the pedal still applied, start the engine. You should feel your foot getting sucked down as the pump builds up it vacuum and the servo starts to operate. A simple cheep vacuum mater is available from Halfrauds. Even the sort intended for petrol heads to moitor fuel consumptiom will do for checking the pump, especially if you have a friends car you can compare you reading with..........

[HELP! - 200tdi will NOT start]

How can it push fuel back to the tank when there are two directional valves in the lift pump to prevent fuel going the wrong way? I have turned a pump backwards - as much as half a turn when replacing timing belts I would imagine quite a few times as some almost feel like they freewheel when off the belt. Would such a relatively small movement cause that much damage and if just a relatively small amount of air in the pump then prevent the engine from starting at all? It's common practise to crank an engine repeatedly in order to bleed air out of the pump, so if air was in it from turning the pump the wrong way, surely it would bleed out in the same way and after a short while the engine would start. The usual symptoms of air in the system is that the engine spins on the starter and there is a small amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe - which eventually clears and the engine starts.

Les.

Forget the lift pump for a mo, the fuel system is a loop and the spill tubes on the injectors have a return to the tank, you can easily draw air back through this or the throttle spindle. Not a problem normally, but as I said on my reply over enthusiastic use of the hand primer can punture its diphragm esp if its not been used for a long time. Symptons weak plunger action and massive air leak on the fuel feed, the more it is cranked the more air drawn in. Of course could be any number of things but if all else is correct then its gotta be an air leak

Oh the throttle spindle leak bit I mentioned was not to do with cabbageboys fault just a general tip

[HELP! - 200tdi will NOT start]

If the pump is turned backwards it won't need bleeding - how would that work? Air can't get into the system by turning the pump backwards - it would need to suck air in from somewhere, in which case where the air came in - fuel would have been coming out prior to the work that was carried out and you would (I assume), have known about it.

Les.

The seal on the throttle spindle is the weak point on a pump, it is only designed to hold pressure from the underside outwards and will quite easily draw air in if the pump is rotated the wrong way pulling an internal vaccum. The pump has a rotating disc cam and pistons inside and will push diesel back to the tank quite easily if rotated the wrong way and as it is stiff to turn it can be stopped in a position leaving a vacuum applied hence slowly drawing air the wrong way into the pump from the spindle and even the injectors. Also don't forget that each injector has a low pressure spill return pipe on it, all four join together and bleed off diesel that gets past the injector pintles.

I used to get this quite a lot in my 13 years as an AA breakdown patrol, mostly in Luton where people would park facing up a hill but in a forward gear and the engine would be rotated backwards ever so slowly. The same thing would happen on Vectra DI diesels as they had a closed loop fuel tank breather. Park the car in the warm (daytime) and then when it cools the tank would form a slight vacuum as it was sealed and this would draw the fuel from the pump back to the tank. Ask any Vectra DI owner because almost all of them would have had this happen at some time! (our cure was a hole drilled in the filler cap )

Air leaks on a diesel very often dont show up as diesel leaks which is why we used to carry a pump to pressurise the parts of the diesel system on a vehicle that would normally be under negative pressure by the pump drawing on it. Pressurise these parts, then you get a leak that would normally only be drawing air into the system, not leaking out.

As a extra point, if your throttle spindle does start to leak a temporary fix is to wack it straight down (not too hard!) with a hammer!

Sorry to doubt your wisdom Les but this is one area where I have had a LOT of experience (read problems) as it was the second biggest cause of breakdowns on diesel engines over glow plug relays........................

[HELP! - 200tdi will NOT start]

Nothing else done at all...........Just the cambelt....

I'm interested in the fuel stop solenoid idea - maybe this wire has been dis-lodged/damaged........

Was the pump turned backwards at all while the job was being done? If it was it may now need bleeding, both at the pump and then by cracking off the injectors with a 17mm spanner and cranking the engine until pulses of fuel can be seen coming from their tops. Also as you car is now, do you get any smoke come from the exhaust after about 15 seconds of cranking? If no then you have no fuel getting through.................................

Oh yes, also if your mechanic did bleed the pump after doing the job ensure that over enthusiastic use of the primer did not burst its diaphragm as this could now be pulling in air....................

[Rusty Disco a few more pics]

All looks very familiar! knowing that you have repaired the rot to better than it was when it left the factory is very satisfying though..

You have probably seen these but here's how we did my brothers range rover (having done my discovery as practice).. Rangie Sills

and here's the inner wings thread...

And just to keep you on your toes, make sure you check your footwells, and your rear body mounts....

enjoy

Mark

Thanks for you comments guys.

I will be doing my rear roof corner, which has a big hole, next. My boot floor is also knackered but not as bad as some and I think it should get through its MOT so I might leave that a few weeks yet. And pics or tips about boot floors especially those done without the proper panel would be welcome.

I have cut my body mounts of at the back and Im using some old 3mm sheet to make some from so pics to follow.

I have made up a new mount for the mid body mount which turned to dust. Its welded straight to my new box sill and I have used the original rubber doughnuts just with a new bolt and spacer........

[Rusty Disco a few more pics]

The last pic on my last post was nt meant to be shown just yet Its my new sill about half way through fitting. It is of course a thick walled piece of box section, much cheaper than new sills!

Heres a few more pics of the old heap of sh*t...

Oh if your wheel arch looks like this on the outside just look how much will need trimming to get to good metal!

I am starting to regret buying this now, £500 seemed like a steal

[Anybody fixed up a Disco worse than this?]

Hi guys Im new here but I have been lurking for a while and I find the practical posts both helpful and interesting.I have nearly finished getting my hideously rusty Discovery ready for its MOT and have had to do LOADS of cutting and welding. I have taken a lot of pictures along the way but for now take a look at the sills after I popped the plastic

Is this extreme or the norm for a 93 Disco? Anybody fixed up one thats worse or am I nuts?

More pics to follow..........