Three Blades

When you get around to recovering the loom, I suggest that you see if you can find an alternative to the corregated split cover that is used as standard. I suffered from some rubbing between the corregations and the cables that caused a nasty short circuit. Wrap it up with loom tape (non stick insulation tape) and then put it into something else as a main cover. I ended up using a rubber water pipe as it seemed to fit the bill and offered even, flexible protection. However it has not been on for long so I cannot comment on its longevity.

An interesting thread here. I am no expert but I would think that the existence or otherwise of a diff lock at birth should not be related to the designed Ackermann. Any steering away from straight ahead will cause the outer wheels to travel further than the inner. If any of the diff locks are in then you will not be able to let this happen without some sort of slip/scrub. I would therfore suggest (but am totally open to be corrected) that the relative benefit or parrallel vs Ackerman geometry would be swamped by the straight-on desire of a rear axle with the diff lock in. Go back to the comparison with pro turf care and imagine the mess on the lawn if the tractor had it diff lock in on the corner. With the locks out, the perfect solution becomes far too complex for a Friday afternoon... Limited slips sound like the best option (in theory) TB

I have just finished repairing the main harness on my 1999 Td5 after a broken power wire shorted into an information cable and turned it into an electric radiator. Many thanks to Western and other contributors for supplying tips and wiring diagrams to the forum that significantly helped me on my way. I had a final problem when the starter would not engage. I traced it down to a faulty connection between the 10AS and the relay but needed the pin out for the 10AS to help with this. I found the diagram and details in this link from an Aussie forum helpful and thought that the mods may liketo put it in the tech archive (assuming it is not already there): http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/163070-td5-defender-alarm-query.html 10AS Grey plug connections And here is the Green Plug connections

Or freeze it like those pictures of the firefighters in Chicago... So we think that it may be legal but not MOT-able. I have a hard top 90 and would like to take the roof off if we get a summer this year. Is that likely to fall into the same category ? If so, is this not odd on the basis that there is next to no strength in a Defender roof or doors and they are even manufactured with soft tops. I expect that the main problem would not necessarily be being stopped by PC Plod but running into trouble with the insurance company in the case of an accident due to undeclared modifications.

Adilaw, First check that you are getting power to the switch on the steering column. If you are then you will next need to have a look at the relays. I had a similar problem and found that there was no power at the switch. I cobbled together a repair by running a new cable from the fuse box under the driver's seat to the switch and all worked well for a year. However...my wiring loom has recently tried to turn itself into an electric heater element and I am in the middle of repairing it. I traced the fault to a broken power cable somewhere in the loom where it runs over the gearboxes. This had then shorted into a thinner wire which got hot and caused my problem. The broken power cable turned out to be the original supply to the lights. On further investigation, it appears that the insulation had rubbed through on a hand full of cables as they are not wrapped before they are covered with the ridged tubing and age and vibration had taken its toll. Hence, if you do decide that you need a new power supply to the switch then the perfect solution is to pull the loom out and fix it (very time consuming but actually not very complex). However if you do just put in a new cable then I suggest that you disconnect the original one at the fuse box under the seat so as not to run the risk of suffering the same fate as mine. Good luck. TB

I am half way through removing/repairing the loom on my '99 Td5 and am planning to tidy up the extra electrical bits and add a few more bits and bobs on a MUD console or similar. However a search dragged up this thread with this fancy sparco toy. On the basis that I am doing most of the wiring myself (yes, in this weather and in an unheated garage) I may be able to treat myself to a present in lieu of a big garage bill. I cannot find any reference to this on the Sparco site (it look more like an advert for the Fast and the Furious). I remember that somebody else made something similar too. Any ideas as I understand that the ScanGuage products do not work on the '99 model due to ODB2 not being the LR electronic languange of choise. Thanks

Slowing looking at fixing this now and identify and replace the burnt wires. I have the electrical circuit diagram manual which is great for looking at each circuit. Is there / does anybody have a list of all the wires and colours in the main harness ? Or is it just a case of looking for all the long wires in the circuit manual ? It is a 1999 Td5 with no extras (ABS, AC etc). Also, when I get around to wrapping the wires up again (I will put the ones that burned in a different cover in case of repeat), should I use any special technique ? For example, is there a special type of wrap on cover I should use or avoid ? I understand that insulating tape is a no-no as it goes soft and falls off. Thanks for the help TB

No chaffing. The loom is nice and tight and away from any hot engine bits. There has clearly been one wire that has overheated and left a nice burn mark for about 2 feet. Looks like it has taken out 2 or three other wires too. Hopefully no more so I may be able to bodge a repair rather than removing half the loom (unless somebody tells me that this is nice and easy). I guess that it is the heater supply cable as that was on full blast too. I suppose that I was lucky to get home and not get stranded in the torrential rain with a car on fire. Could be worse. Now I just need to find some time to fix it (along with the bust hydraulics on my tractor and a puncture on the road car...)

Worse than I thought. On looking for Frax's connectors, I noticed that the whole loom from just under the bonnet hinges to to top of the bell housing has melted through ! I suppose wipers and heater together are too much for a Land Rover to bare. A far bigger job than I had hoped. Whilst I am a big fan of Defenders due to their ease of fixing, it would be better still if they did not fal apart with such aplomb.

Thanks Frax, water sounds like the culprit so I will probably have to pull the facia off and see that I find. This is now a bit of a quandry. Wiper motor is disconnected and the delay ECU is pulled. It seems that the fuel lift pump is drawing its supply from the wiper circuit. Wiper lever up, fuel pump runs and then fuse blows. Wiper lever off - no wipers or fuel pump ! Hints welcome. Thanks TB

Happy Christmas all. Due to all the rain, I had a bit of a wet trip last week. No wading as such, just plenty of puddles. Anyhow, having left the LR until I needed it to collect the turkey on Christmas eve, I switch the ignition and a) get no fuel lift pump and b) the wiper fuse (#9) blows. (No time to fix it as lack of turkey may not have gone down too well so a sore ass trip on the motorbike instead!) The fuel lift just seems to have been a sticky relay but I am having no luck with the wipers and it keeps blowing fuses. I can clearly take the wiper motor to bits but, before I do, are there any tips or pointers that may give me a bit of guidance. Is this a common problem ? Many thanks TB

Out of interest. Whay do Defenders have small toe out when many 2wd cars have toe in ? My understanding is that it was something to do with the desire to tend to straight ahead if the steering wheel was let go. Thanks

It looks like it was manufactured to be there. I have not owned it since new but comparing the quality of the other bodge-ups that I found, the quality of the under seat installation is by far superior and looks like that was the way it was built. Nice and clean and easy to access there. Shame that that is not where the problem is ! The '99 vintage seems to be a bit of a design change-over point.

Thanks again Western. That looks like a suitably awkward place to try to get access to and should keep me busy for a while.

The fuse box in the 'engine bay' (according to the wiring diagram) is in fact the one under the driver's seat. The supply to the lights from here is good but the wire from here to the light switch registers 0.5v difference at each end. Furthermore, if I run a new cable between these two points then the lights work fine. Hence the problem is confirmed to be the wire. Short of pulling the loom apart (bad idea) or just running a new cable (bit of a bodge - but then it is a LR after all) the only other component in the circuit is a 'Header Joint 0287 (K109)' that is 2.5m from the fuse box and 70cm from the switch which would put it in the dash area somewhere. It is not obvious what or where this is but it connects a few supply lines together (hence the possibility of getting stray voltage into the line). Can anybody give me any tips for locating this part ? Thanks again TB

Thanks for pointing me to the wiring diagram. I had a diagram that I was working from but it was clearly not the right one ! This gives me a couple of other places to check. The problem is certainly the supply to the switch as I can make the lights work by running a new supply to the switch. Thanks TB

Please can somebody give me some tips with a problem that I have with the lights on my '99 Td5 ? I cannot get either the side or headlights to switch on. They were fine a few days ago and have just suddenly stopped working. All fuses are OK. The supply to the switch on the steering column shows 12v but as soon as any lights are selected the supply voltage falls to near zero. To me this feels like there is a problem with this supply cable as it is carrying too much resistance. The wiring diagram suggests that this is commected (unfused) to the battery + so I was planning to replace the cable. However can anybody tell me where it actually goes to ? Does it end up somewhere in the fuse box or under the seat ? Any other suggestions as to cause would be welcomed also. Many thanks Three Blades

To think of a few: Lots of white smoke / steam Oil in the water / water in the oil & emulsification of both They tend to be quite obvious symptoms rather than something subtle like a 5% power drop. If they are not obvious, they soon will be. Apart from a bit of labour, it is not the end of the world to fix (unless the head has become warped from overheating.)

On the subject of using exhaust heat. This is a tried and tested method with light piston engined aircraft. These are predominantly air cooled and hence the exhaust is the optimum place for warming the air. There is no water involved, the air is simply passed through a jacket surrounding the exhaust pipe and then directed into the cabin. I am sure that this is not hard to fabricate for a LR. One very important point to note is that you should put a carbon monoxide detector inside your cab if you are doing this in order to pick up any leaks in the exhaust that will gently send you into a long sleep. These do not have to be the big ones like yo get for the house, you can get little paper ones about 5cm sauare that change colour.

I had exactly the same problem last winter - fine above zero, hopeless below. Fixed with a new battery. Can anybody enlighten me what it is about the magic zero point that seems to have such a defined effect ? It cannot have much to do with water freezing as both the juice in the battery and also the engine coolant will not freeze until very much lower, same for the oil. I am guessing that this is a transiant effect that just happens to take place at about zero but a more technical explanation would be welcome. Thanks TB

If you are looking at the Volvo then why not also look at the Audi Allroad ? Very similar in concept to the Volvo (looks like a car but has 4WD and some lift) but benefits from a better transmission system and has fancy hight adjustable suspension (a benefit but also a potential maintenance issue). I believe that I a right in saying that it is the only 'car' to have got around the LR test track. Like Volvos, Audis seem good for rust prevention and should last a long while. I don't think that you get anywhere to park your pipe and slippers in the Audi though

Did they really work ?

Has anybody tried putting BBs into the tyres instead of using weights to balance them ? I think that I read something about them on here a while ago but I never met anybody who uses them. I have the vibes too but have realised that a front UJ is rather worn so that will be a job for the weekend!

Thanks for all the tips (and offers to purchase). I have kept the 8274 and mounted it on its own little trailer (pics to follow when completed). This lets me use it behind a tractor as well as the LR which is fine for what I want it for. I plan to replace the solenoids as the original ones are past their best and hence am looking at an Albright. I notice that it is possible to get copies of the original Albright solenoid for about half the price. Now, I know that these will not be as good but how do they rate ? As good as original / avoid / OK for non-comp use ? Thanks TB

Thanks for the encouragement. I already have anderson connectors outside the battery box like the X-Jump so I shall just plug and play. Now to clean it up (nice link in the Tech Archive) and find some way to to create a removable fixing. Less simple ! TB