deep

Batteries do hate the cold. Depending on how far you have been driving each day, you may not have fully recharged it after each cold start? An ageing battery can appear to die quite quickly in cold weather (then work better when it gets a bit warmer). That clicking solenoid indicates a very dead battery! In the old days, we used to check the specific gravity of the electrolyte but I can't help you with common wisdom these days, sorry. One tip though, which I have used in the past when I haven't had access to a good enough external power supply, is to attach jumper leads to another (running) vehicle for at least five minutes, then try again. While the other car may not have enough current to turn over your diesel, it can give your battery enough that the two together will do the job. Years ago, I came across a (disgusting) Toyota Supra at a remote campsite. The owners had drained the tiny battery overnight and neither of us had jumper leads. I connected the two batteries with some speaker wire. Five minutes was enough and the Toymota started under it's own battery power. True story!

I didn't realise competition rules here banned portals. I'm sure the Letts used them in their very successful Chev Corvair powered truck a few years ago. Do you think what Soren suggests would be against the rules too? I've thought for a long time it's the best of both worlds if clearance is an issue - much less to go wrong than a portal! Though full independent with portals could be super cool. By the way, that axle looks familiar. I'm sure I saw it in your Taradale workshop once.

So that's at least six different "standard" sizes around the world and even up to four in one country? I love that! That's not including the NATO hitch on my 110 and whatever the Russians use...

I'm sure that bigger size was 2¼, not 2". That's because I had one and a trailer to match! I'm pretty sure it was discontinued decades ago though, so I agree with the others that the chap had some basic operational issues. Here in New Zealand, the standard size is still 1⅞, which leads to a certain gnashing of teeth if you get a Euro car with a 50mm ball. Quite common with Land Rovers, not surprisingly! I used to carry two sizes when I worked for a government department which decided to buck the trend and standardise on 50mm. Sometimes, people would try to force the smaller hitch onto the bigger ball, or, far worse, drive away with a 50mm coupling on a 1⅞ ball. I know for a fact that they can come off...

That's better! Still a slight misquote though...

Well, Red could have phrased it better but I'm amazed that a few people who consider themselves experienced actually haven't experienced the MASSIVE difference in traction/mud clearing/floatation you get when airing down. Sand, soft gravel, mud and the sort of conditions the original poster faces are all common off-road situations that benefit hugely from controlling your air pressure and not relying on the higher pressures that are used to keep your tyres cool in (totally different) fast, on-road use. Even driving across hot, stony Australian deserts, the locals universally recommend no more than 28 p.s.i., in order to allow the tyres some give on the nasty, sharp rocks you can find there. It certainly worked for me (I did a 31,000 km explore of Aussie once, taking in a hefty range of desert conditions, so think I am qualified to offer an observation). "Experience" means you have done something and learnt from it! If you've only experienced conditions which are fine with your tyres running at high pressures, you'd have to admit that experience is pretty limited, surely? I'm not trying to be rude or aggressive, it's just that I am baffled that anyone can use the term "experienced" without acknowledging something which is one of the most basic rules of off-road driving and has been for maybe a hundred years (look up 1920s Dodge going off road on youtube and prepare to be amazed).

I assume (from the other thread) that you mean MT KM2, not AT! 35 p.s.i. is fine for the rear, too much for the front (28-30 is better). It does depend on your load but it's the rear that you would adjust more (32 if empty, as much as 40 if loaded). Make sure your gauge is accurate! Lots of variation in the recommendations above and it seems they mostly need qualifying, according to people's uses. There are so many factors to take into account, mostly rim type, tyre type and size, intended use and horsepower. People with large engines and lead in their feet can, indeed, get a tyre to spin on a rim in "lubricating" conditions with as much as 20 p.s.i. on board, especially if it is an over-sized, mega-grippy tyre. That is pretty unusual, unless you are talking about very intense (competitive) off-roading, in which case they should have some sort of bead lock fitted anyway. The tyres you have on standard Defender rims will be perfectly fine at reasonable off-road speeds down to 15 p.s.i., assuming you are going tubeless, and you will really benefit from the extra floatation and grip. In this case, the extra flex will help loosen that claggy mud. My own approach is to just drop to 20/24 (front/rear) initially, because that is safe, and only go down further if I am in danger of getting very stuck. I still wouldn't go less than 15 p.s.i. with tubeless tyres. I once drove up a trials section that had been totally chewed out by previous competitors. I aired the Series 3 (with tubes) down to 3 p.s.i. and just walked slowly up in low first, no trouble at all. Conversely, I once bought a Range Rover with very soft-walled snow tyres and they came off the rim at 20 p.s.i. crossing a rocky river. The tyres just weren't up to it at all. The same rims with BFGs worked at 10 p.s.i. with tubes.

I have seen these problems turn up for decades! Long wheel base Land Rover brakes can be a nightmare to bleed if you don't get it right. Alternatively, they are very straightforward, though time-consuming, if all is well. However, there is absolutely no need to go changing the original layout!! Here's a few tips I've picked up. 1) You will never bleed these brakes successfully if there is a sticky piston in a wheel cylinder (in this case it's all new so shouldn't be an issue). Likewise, it's important that the distribution valve is okay and that you don't have rubber hoses which look good but are collapsing inside or bulging under pressure. True for any car, of course. Land Rovers also have a small risk of steel hoses being pinched, though that would have to be bad to affect bleeding. 2) It is theoretically possible to trap air in the master cylinder. As long as the car is level or slightly front up that shouldn't be an issue. 3) Generally, all you have to do is back off ALL the brake adjusters before you bleed. This is the opposite of what most people do though! The reason you back them off is that this gives the pistons maximum travel. That means, as you bleed, the cylinders on the other free wheels store a lot of fluid, which gives the air in the cylinder you are bleeding a really good push. If you wind up the adjusters, you really will have endless trouble trying to bleed those brakes. People really struggle to get their heads around this but you absolutely have a Eureka moment when you find how well it works. Truly. 3a) Don't forget to readjust your brakes once the air is out!!!! 4) If there is still a problem, leave the adjusters on the other three wheels backed off but wrap a strong strap around the shoes on the tricky wheel to prevent the cylinder (s) opening Doing this leaves a smaller volume that needs displacing to bleed that particular wheel, that's all. It shouldn't be necessary but it does give you a boost. It goes without saying how careful you have to be doing this - brake hydraulics exert a lot of pressure, so the strap needs to be strong and very secure and preferably wrapped around twice. 5) It should go without saying that you bleed from the furthest wheel back to the nearest and there is no harm, if lots of components have been changed, in doing this circuit twice. If a second bleed hasn't worked, you are just wasting fluid - find the problem. Good technique will have you using a snug-fitting clear hose, pushing fluid into a jar - but you already knew that! Finally, it's helpful to have three people, one pumping fluid through, one checking the level, one opening and closing the bleed nipple (ideally, you close it while the assistant's foot is down, though having a fully bled cylinder connected to a tube and jar etc. means you shouldn't suck any air back in if you don't). Nothing like good, strong pumps to get that fluid pushing air out. 6) I have got very angry at times trying to sort Land Rover brakes. It's no longer a problem.

Interesting thread, GREAT result and one to store up for later as I have pretty much the same engine... Well done for being that patient. I'm sure I'd have been in a with a drill/grinder days ago!

There's something like a Series One register that had a meet somewhere around Wellington a year or two ago, which possibly might be an annual thing (it was actually advertised on Trade Me under Land Rover parts). How vague was that? And back to Range Rover mats...

That makes sense. So much better buying something you can actually look at. Not that we have those meets very often in NZ (I have heard of exactly one!).

You had me scurrying to find my original Range Rover brochure (the introductory one with the Velars in all the pictures) and it didn't say that - which was surprising because I do remember reading about the washable interior somewhere "official"! Just as an aside, I wonder if some of those original brochures are worth anything these days?

Great news!

Speaking from someone who lives half a world away from the U.K., I'd say some of the best automotive expertise in the world is found there! However, they're all in it to make money now (it just costs too much to develop something just because you like it) and the marketing department will strongly dictate what's done. I believe it wouldn't matter if they continued to sell small volumes of a proper Land Rover at a loss, though. That's because the heritage behind the current range could get lost if they don't make one serious "truck" and the heritage must help people sign those cheques.

Seems good confirmation it does exist then! I remember reading a senior company exec. saying a little about it too. Definitely coming, would appeal to die-hard Land Rover users, might use Japanese pattern six-stud wheels, would use little 2 litre 4 pot engines (petrol and diesel if I recall correctly), would not look like the DC100. In a perfect world, the styling would at least use round headlights and a tall, squarish build rather than the bland, oriental look of other new models (except the Evoque). I'd be surprised if that happened, as wind resistance/fuel efficiency dictates otherwise. I'd also be surprised if suspension wasn't independent but that doesn't have to be a bad thing if done with off-road use in mind. Interesting to speculate but I am glad I found a straight, early 110. I prefer the technology of that era, personally.

We're a few weeks behind in New Zealand so it was interesting watching after having read the comments here. I had to agree with the overall sentiment. The man with the squeaky voice should zip it far more and the American was quite good. One thing no one has mentioned was the guest appearance by Eddie Jordan. Suitably stupid/intelligent in equal doses - I hope we see far more of him. It's glaringly obvious now how scripted the old show was. Different people are now using the same wording. Clearly, they didn't sack the writers....

Ta - and excellent point about coming back with the conclusion. It's the real way we learn here!

Great news. So satisfying to have located the problem! (Also to know my first diagnosis was on the money, feeling smug for a change...)

Just ride the clutch a bit longer...

Of course! Perfick.

Even worse, he somehow has to operate the gearstick with the right hand! How on earth are you supposed to do that??

Don't forget the 88"! My memory is rusty but I think they briefly made a 109" but the station wagon remained a 107". They were still sorting themselves out...

Hmm, re-reading your first post, you've actually pin-pointed the problem to cylinders one and two. Highly unlikely you've put the leads on wrong but.... Also check the distributor cap for a crack (it could be invisible but you may see a trace of carbon). Another possibility is that some valves have got sticky. This was very common a few decades ago, if a vehicle sat for a bit. Whip the rocker cover off and check tappet settings but also tap each valve down with a soft hammer and see if it immediately bounces back. A sticky one is obvious because it makes a dull sound, not at all like the good valves. It would only take a slightly poor seat to give those symptoms.

Australia v. England? I love the vastness of Australia, stringing together a heap of 400 mile days and just crawling across the map. All that space is fantastic! I love the intimacy and quaintness of England, exploring slowly (even on foot) and seeing so much in such a small distance. Not to mention the drama of Scotland! Horses for courses - I'll take one each way.

That works two ways. I've put the middle hinge on a Series to better support a heavy spare wheel. On my 110, which originally had a tailgate, it's not possible to have that middle hinge without ruining some nice original galvanising, so I've only got two hinges (the spare will eventually have its own carrier, currently it lives under the bed!).