EdF

Hi, I can only suggest you try and find the post by Silvio and ask him, or, remove the O rings and go to a Viton supplier (if you can locate one) and ask them to match the originals. I've now sold my Defender and have a Disco 3 so I'm waiting for a different set of (more) expensive problems. Ed

It's the first one, so I can see it, but is there any way of removing it myself without taking off the manifold etc.? Should the manifold be skimmed as presumably it's a bit warped. However, it doesn't seem to be blowing..

Hi Reiny, Not a stupid question, but the method of doing it might be, as I would have to try and lick the driveway where it spilt. It hasn't done it again and what did come out dried up.. My other half tells me it didn't smell and looked clear.., so it may well have been rainwater.. Do you know what that is in sunny Malta? Ed

I only wish my 90 HAD aircon! A heatwave (for us) today, it's over 24C.... Thanks to all so far, checked the duck bill thingie on the n/s wingtop, it's clear and empty, couldn't find another. Only things spotted so far is that the bodywork under the heater is quite rusty, but then if it's a normal channel for rainwater it would be.. The header tank level was normal, so doubt the core plug theory and I can't see any without a stripdown (where are they?). There was a heck of a lot of water on the ground, I would estimate at least half a gallon. Taken it out twice since I posted and everything normal.. The motor was parked facing slightly downhill, water seemed to be dripping down the nearside of the engine around the downpipe.. A mystery.. Perhaps it's a new spring, (wet, not coil...). If it's mineral water, I could bottle it and make a fortune.. Landy Water, full of minerals, ferrous oxide, aluminium oxide, traces of oil to help the joints and glycol, to keep you warm in winter.. £2 a half litre.

I'm on my 18th Landy (done almost all my own maintenance) but this problem has me beat. Started her up today (2002 TD5 90) and there was a regular 'chuffing' noise from the air intake on the offside wing.. Reversed a bit around the drive and noticed the motor was leaving a trail of water. Not the odd drip, but a lot.. Got out and had a look and there was water coming from under the engine around the exhaust downpipe. Looked under the bonnet - nothing obvious. We were just going out so we changed vehicles and got back about 2 hours later. It was then absolutely normal, no leaks, no strange noises, no water missing from the header tank or the washer bottle. Wife used it last 6 days back. All I can think of is that rainwater was 'stored' somewhere and escaped.., but I can't remember it raining all week.. But I don't understand the noise from the air intake. Since been for a ride, got it up to temperature, no problems.. Am I delusional...? Definitely water, it's since dried up and there's no trace of it now.

Before I spend a hundred quid, could some kind bod measure the height of the towball off the ground on the lowest setting please? I need to check if the towball would be lower than on my LR supplied adjustable towbar. Need to get the towball lower than it is now without using a drop plate - it's a heavy trailer.. Measure to the top of the towball please? Many thanks!! Mine's a 2002 90 with standard rear springs..

I did this job last year when I also acquired two late (2006) rear side panels with windows from a breaker. I hate removing headlinings (they rarely look the same after refitting) so I didn't bother.. I left the roof bolts in across the front above the screen. Then I undid the other bolts between the roof and the side panels and lifted the roof up at the rear just enough to get the side panels out. Admittedly it was awkward getting the bolts out above the seatbelt brackets, but it was possible. Worse getting them back! Of course, had to do other stuff like taking out the door seals..) I sprayed everything to match, put some Waxoyl under the cappings where it won't show, and got new corner pieces for the back end as well. Incidentally, I had intended to remove the windows from the new panels to make spraying easier, only to find they are bonded in. At least they don't leak like the old ones!

Just do a web search, I found loads of links to Viton 'O' rings. Suggest you quote the numbers Silvio provided. Can't be much...?

That's for the entire valve though?? That's about what my valve cost from the local main dealer..

The same thing failed on my TD5 90. It didn't finish the starter motor but the clutch, as the fuel seeped into the bellhousing. I got it fixed by a workshop and the dual mass flywheel was iffy and it cost me just over £1,000 in all. It's a VERY common fault. Elsewhere on this forum I posted about it as the first manifestation was an occasionally slipping clutch. A guy in Italy recommended some seals to fix the valve.. If I find the post I'll reply here again. Found it... from Silvio in Italy.. replaced just the 2 Orings of the fuel pressure regulator, and it worked for me, the leak has been solved; basically, you need to remove the regulator block and extract the regulating valve, which is held by a seeger ring. When the valve is out, you replace the 2 orings: pay attention, you MUST buy Viton Orings (Viton is a special rubber, much more resistant to oil and temperature than the standard one). The codes for the orings are as follows: 3081 the larger one, 3021 the smaller one. Honest price should be 2 euros each... Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot, Silvio. Next time it happens I'll be ready! I have the old unit so I'll be able to keep a spare one. I wish the mechanic had known about that, it would have saved me Euro170!!

Yes, it's okay 'roughing it' in a tent if the sun is shining and it's warm (IMHO). I was in the Camping Club for many years when young. On a tour of Italy in April 1976 (FOUR of us in an 850cc Minivan!!) we pitched the tent on a site in the French Alps at 2am, we were delayed trying to find a mountain pass that was open, and found skiers on a piste behind the tent in the morning! Why take all that gear and have to put the tent up and take it down (great when it's wet!) and so on, when you can stay in what amounts to a hotel with a kitchen to make your meals, for the same price as some campsites? And you can meet some very nice people. I do think it's age related, though.. If there are any 'senior citizens' out there who fancy a tour of Switzerland in the autumn using hostels, let me know.. We have a 90 and can manage any dates.. SWMBO does not like like camping, it has to be said..

I just wanted to add a correction. In one of my posts above, I wrote that 'the mechanic had to take off the flywheel to see the fuel pressure regulator.' That isn't correct, he took the flywheel off to see how worn it was.. He replaced the FPG from above the next day, you don't have to remove the gearbox and flywheel to get at it.... Think I was still in monetary shock when I wrote it.. I wonder if anyone can offer advice on hydraulic seals to replace the 'O' rings.. I might wite to a well-known magazine to see if they can oblige..

The pressure regulator was done today, it took the mechanic 45 minutes. He said it was nearly always the 'O' rings which give way and it was very common. I gathered that one has to buy the whole thing to replace the 'O' rings.. In fact he'd just done another motor before mine. He said that if 'hydraulic seals' could be fitted, it might stop the problem as they would be more suitable. It seems it's a tough job on a Disco TD5 as there's no room to work. I would suggest to anyone reading this saga about the clutch to carefully check if this regulator is leaking as you should see fuel down the back of the engine around the offside of the bellhousing. As there are several places oil can leak from in the area, I thought for ages the odd drips were oil from the back of the rocker box, which has a slight leak and there's also been a slight leak from where the main oil filter once came a little loose. If I'd spotted the diesel earlier, I might have saved the cost of a new clutch. One of the problems was that the drips looked like oil from the muck they'd picked up on the way down. The mechanic said that the fuel leak can also knacker the starter motor.. I believe somewhere else in the forum someone asked why the regulator can leak after a new one is fitted. Seems it's down to carp seals.. (So I was told.) Ed

They needed to as I'm now £790 lighter.. AND they didn't replace the fuel pressure regulator.. It has to go back for that little job, so maybe another £150-ish.. sob. Mummy said they'd be weeks like this.. My desktop PC burnt itself out yesterday..

Hi Andy, I'm just back from the workshop with a sorry, but it seems not untypical tale. The mechanic first noticed that a propshaft bolt was loose but the thread was damaged, so he had to burn it off (last work done by a well-known company in Luton..) and he then found a gearbox mount was broken, threads stripped. Then the gearbox and bellhousing came off and he just avoided the splash of mucky fuel which came out. Guessed yet? Yes, the fuel pressure regulator was leaking and had contaminated the clutch, which was otherwise in quite good nick, with no appreciable wear. My guess is that this leak into the clutch got gradually worse over the year until the slipping got worse. I'm by no means an expert but perhaps the use of the clutch 'burnt off' the fuel for a start, which stopped the slipping for a while and gave the 'intermittent problem'? Just a guess. The mechanic had to take the flywheel off to see the fuel pressure regulator and he suggested that the flywheel be replaced as it was not wise to put it back, 'considering we do a lot of towing'. He felt it would last a long time if we only drove the 90 solo, but we don't. He put the flywheel on a bench and there was a rocking motion in it when the gearbox side was pushed down on alternate sides. He rated it as 4 out of 10. The workshop opinion was not to put a solid flywheel in so it's getting a Land Rover one as that's all that's readily available at short notice (up here).. I was told that at one time Land Rover ran out of stock of these fuel pressure regulators as there was such a demand for them.. So, your info was correct. The clutch wasn't actually wet, but was grey and gungy and obviously the pool of diesel which had been in the bottom of the bellhousing was proof enough. I remember taking the drain plug out when it stated slipping and nothing came out, so it must have gradually got worse. The back of the engine and gasket were both wet under the fuel leak. IF it's the same thing on yours, hopefully you'll get away with a new regulator and a clutch. Should be ready at 3pm. The bank is 'standing by...' If anyone reading this is in the Inverness area, it's being done at Inverness 4x4 on the Longman estate. They know their Landies.

Thanks Les, mine's getting done tomorrow by a workshop, I've not time. I hope to be able to reveal all, but it now feels like a worn-out clutch, slipping under load all the time and smelling.. How would the slave cylinder make the clutch slip, by staying under pressure? Ed

Sorry if I was 'teaching Granny to suck eggs' in my reply, but it's hard to know how much someone knows.. You've brought up a good point as for some time I couldn't make mine slip, no matter what I did.. It was very intermittent, making me think it had 'settled down' and was okay, then it just suddenly started again in February(accelerating in 5th) and it gradually got worse. I started investigating flywheel issues, but I've been led to believe from several members of different forums that the flywheel can't make the clutch slip. I'm no engineer, but in my view it's a simple mechanical device and not affected by anything other than wear and tear and contaminants. Perhaps the outside temperature relates to engine performance more, so that when the engine is delivering more power, it's more likely to slip? Is air denser in the winter..., would that make such a difference?? It DOES seem to be a recurring problem with tuned engines, though. I am coming to the opinion that a fairly regular new clutch might be the price one has to pay...

Hi Steve.. Basically, the clutch plate is like a disc of brake shoe material on a thin steel backing plate between the flywheel, which is a steel disc on the back of the engine crankshaft, and a cover which has springs in the centre. The springs in the cover, which are like flaps, not coil springs, hold the clutch plate tight against the flywheel, linking the engine to the gearbox. When you dip the clutch pedal, a rod releases the springs and the grip between the clutch plate (on the gearbox side) and the engine flywheel is broken, the springs having been holding everything together. When the brake shoe material wears and becomes worn and/or slippery, usually through use (glazed) or sometimes with oil from an oil leak, enough power makes the clutch plate literally 'slip'. The symptom is mainly that when you accelerate, the engine revs rise but you don't go any faster as the flywheel (engine) is whizzing around ever faster (as the drive isn't getting to the wheels) as the clutch plate is 'slipping' on it. This is when you may get a burning smell as the friction starts to heat up the clutch plate.. I did get a burning smell once when towing a trailer up a long hill, though I was going through the gearbox to try and stop it slipping. I believe that once it starts slipping, it will eventually need replacing. Mine took a while to get to that stage. To answer your questions. 1. Yes, and it started to happen nearly a year ago when accelerating hard in 5th up a motorway sliproad to match the speed of the traffic in the inside lane. I believe that high torque (pulling power) is more likely to initiate it. 2. Yes, it has been intermittent and has gone 11,000 miles since it first started, very slowly getting worse but in the meantime having pulled a horse trailer (with horse) with no apparent problem. It got much worse quickly, in the last month or two.. 3. It started in spring last year. I can't see a connection with the outside temperature. 4. Yes, my 90 has been remapped, and on another forum, from the posts I got it seems to be more common on tuned motors. I suspect (but don't quote me) that the standard clutch isn't up to handling the extra power long if it's a bit worn... When you think about it, more power might wear it out quicker. Have a look at the photo of a clutch kit and you may get an idea of what it consists of. I don't drive aggressively.. Cheers, Ed.

Thanks Andy, you just decided me to get a standard AP clutch fitted. My wife has trouble with the standard clutch pedal, she'd never manage it if it was any harder. She's had several operations on her left leg.. I'd even thought of changing it to an auto at one point.. We'd both rather sell the 90 and get an auto Disco 3 though..

Yes, hope so. Just had a reply from Magal, who now own AP Driveline. They don't make a heavy duty clutch for a TD5, just the standard item. Their reply:- FTC4631 , our KT7892 is not heavy duty, it is the standard clutch replacement for the TD5 Landrover. It should be available for mail order from either Border Holdings, Bearmach or Allmakes, all of which have accounts with Raicam Clutch Ltd, formerly AP Driveline. Best regards, Ian Scobie Product Manager

Being in my 60's, camping lost any appeal about 30 years ago, and I wondered if any of you folks had ever thought of youth hostelling. Firstly, you can go at any age, secondly, you don't have to kip in a dorm full of foreign folk with smelly feet (although you can if you want), thirdly, it can be very cheap and lastly, you can go in a vehicle. I've stayed in a few hostels in the UK both singly and with SWMBO. The one thing they all had in common was that the mattresses are sponsored by the Osteopaths Association - they are very hard. All had cooking facilities and dining rooms and some had small rooms as well as dorms, great for couples or a family and often with en suite bathrooms. Some provided good meals at reasonable cost. We both love Switzerland and have been every year for the last 10 years, usually skiing, and hotels are not cheap, especially in recent times with the poor exchange rate. Trying to plan a summer tour there this coming summer,I checked out the International Hostelling site and they have some very nice looking hostels, many with twin or four bedded rooms or conventional dorms and most do half board. For example, a twin room with half board (breakfast and dinner) in some hostels is about £36 a night each. That price can't be had in a Swiss hotel in our experience. If you just want a bed in a dorm and do self catering, it can be REALLY cheap - around £15 - £20, a bit more with a buffet breakfast, which is probably less than a pitch on a Swiss campsite.. Considering the difference in comfort compared to camping, especially in bad weather and that you only need to take clothes, not a Landy full of expensive camping gear, I reckon it's a winner.. There are hostels in all the European countries and some are in amazing positions and buildings and some are incredibly cheap, from about £11. Just join the Youth Hostel Association in the UK for starters. In the UK, take a mattress topper, earplugs (for snorer prevention in dorms) and keep your food locked in your room or Landy. I reckon it's a great way to do a long tour but you may have to book in advance in high season, which you can do online. Check out the website.. http://www.hihostels.com/web/index.en.htm?linkid=980019&linksubid=overseas

No, the clutch is smooth when pulling away.. The only thing I've noticed is that there's a sort of loud 'tinkling' noise when first started and idling, but it's only really noticeable outside and it seems to disappear fairly quickly and I've never associated it with the transmission.., more the timing chain.. Of course, I could be wrong.. I expect the DMF slapping about would make a bit of a noise if faulty.. The only thing out of the ordinary is the clutch slipping if angered.

Rakeway offer an AP Driveline HD clutch and a racing clutch. I've asked them which they think is suitable. Thanks for the reply. Confusion: Just looked on EBay and one online shop also sells an AP Driveline heavy duty clutch and another, Ribble Valley 4x4, claims that AP do not make a heavy duty clutch for the TD5 and that those who say they do are miss leading (sic) the public. Ho-hum.....