deep

I've been trying to put together an ex Singapore Air Force 110 diesel for the last few months. The previous owner had replaced the bulkhead and I bought it knowing there would be some wiring to sort out. It has been tricky because most of the military wiring has been hacked out (to put it politely) wherever it was close to the bulkhead; the bulkhead is from a TD5 and that has created lots of fun on its own; and the wiring loom supplied with the vehicle was reasonably complete but I don't know what model 110 it originated from! I have several wiring diagrams, including a LR service manual and a Haynes manual but I am confused about the wiring to the glow plugs. According to what I have, the glow plugs on the turbo model should work through a timer but the non-turbo appears to have a permanent live feed to the glow plugs when the ignition is on, which surely can't be right. Additionally, the ignition switch provided doesn't have a sprung "back" position to operate the glow plugs like my old 2 ¼ Series III diesel had. There is a relay which apparently feeds the glow plugs (heavy red/brown output wire which matches all the diagrams) but the feed just seems to come straight from the "ignition on" position at the key (red/white wires). So now I am stumped. What am I supposed to connect the glow plugs/relay to? How am I supposed to operate it? I've had the engine running and it only needed a few seconds of glow to start so it surely can't just stay live! The colour scheme on the loom doesn't neatly tie with any of my diagrams, though much of it is close. I'm also struggling to work out which is the feed to the starter solenoid - that one doesn't seem to match any wiring diagramme at all. I would very much appreciate any help. It's late and it's been a very hot day in the shed, so maybe my brain is hurting a bit too much!

Cheers!

They probably both reach this speed in a shallow dive....

I ran a Series III LWB diesel for four years. Initially, it would sit at 60m.p.h. all day but wouldn't go any faster, not even downhill, because that was the limit on the governor (with 750/16 tyres). Later, I fitted an overdrive and it struggled to get to 60 on the flat but would go faster downhill or with a tailwind. Clearly it was over-geared with the overdrive. Reading the comments above, it seems the governor may have been set a bit conservatively and the injection system probably (ok, definitely!) needed servicing. Either way, hitting a limit at 45 suggests a tuning issue, as even teeny tiny tyres would allow more than that, especially on a SWB. Series diesels are very slow, just not THAT slow.

These are near enough equivalent to 255/100s: http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=832581701 .

I've seen a system in which you fit a dummy tube, made from a sort of air-tight, non-stretch canvas, which is as wide as the rim but not as tall as the tyre. This is inflated to a fairly high pressure so the tyre never pops off the rim. A second valve fills the (effectively tubless) tyre to whatever pressure you need (as low as 0 p.s.i. if you want). It is a brilliant system but I've only seen it the once (on a friend's 90) so wonder if there is some hidden issue with it. In terms of size, I'm a big fan of 255/85s on a Land Rover. A few manufacturers make them (BFG, Maxxis at least) I've seen 255/100s advertised which would be great if you need more height but they're hen's teeth.

The Heritage looks nice. Almost as nice as an early 90, in fact. It's a sad fact that the current world has squeezed out the original concept type of Land Rover. Keeping them outside the E.U. is a good decision and we just have to hope LR still see enough of a market for a truck-type, working off-roader to actually make one again. I think that, for long-term marketing, keeping the Land Rover reputation by making something like this will pay, even if the "Defender replacement" doesn't actually generate vast profits. After all, that's where the whole image comes from which sells the current softer vehicles.

Yes, thank you. It's not super-likely I'd ever go that route but the future is unpredictable... Actually, the model I was thinking of was a good bit older. A bloke came round in one once to buy some parts. His had done a very decent mileage with no trouble and sounded very sweet. Looked nice and simple too. But let's get back on topic.

Ssang Yong made a 4WD which sold quite well in NZ. It had a 5 cylinder 2.9 diesel which was Mercedes-based (even had Merc symbols stamped on the castings). Is that the same motor as the Mercedes 5? I have thought for a long time it would be a lovely motor for a Land Rover.

Gosh, I haven't written about this Land Rover for months! Thanks for the prod, Norm. I must do an update as there has been some progress. Trouble is, I bought a 110 diesel that was partly dismantled and it's been a major distraction. I also got a rolling Range Rover chassis and wondered for a while if I should consider a "hybrid" (anti-wrap is built in on both ends with a coiler). Meanwhile, it's Summer at long last and the little Series (now more complete with nice soft top) has been pressed into service taking me up the river to a decent swimming hole on a nearly daily basis. I'm loving it just as it is so there won't be anything fancy done to it until the 110 is up and running and hopefully legal.

I did a 31,000km (~20,000 miles) trip criss-crossing Australia in a 1982 Range Rover. I took the back seats out, put a bed and kitchen in and pretended it was a Defender...

It describes my dreams. The real world just has the big maintenance bills part!

Naughty Suzuki were a bit misleading. That "ram air effect" referred to the design of the cooling fins on the cylinder heads. Looked snazzy but, if anything, it restricted airflow a little and wouldn't have helped. The only snorkel I have ever used was on a 1987 Range Rover. It was simply an fifteen inch length of pipe sticking straight out of the wing, tractor style, with a proper fitting on top to keep the rain out. The main advantage was I could actually see if I was getting in trouble, which you can't do with an under-bonnet intake. On one trip, I saw the bonnet go under five times but the intake was fine. That vehicle was the only one I ever subjected to such deep water - it was remarkably water-proof. While I appreciate the security of a snorkel, I think they're a bit of a gimmick for the vast majority of people, which comes at a fuel cost (see above). As someone else mentioned, there'll be a lot of water damage long before the snorkel gets tested. I do a lot of river work and don't worry about a snorkel. Proper technique says you won't cross something when you don't know the depth/softness, that you'll pick the shallow route and that you'll respect the vehicle as much as possible by trying not to get too wet. Actually, the depth that tests a standard air intake will also test carpets, starter motors, all the seals on your axles/wheel bearings/transmission, drum brakes and so on. Of course, if your vehicle is there to be used in serious anger, a snorkel is mandatory and you will expect a big maintenance bill.

Drifting well off-topic now but I recall coming across many Toyotas with that engine when I did my Aussie desert tour in 2004. When I talked to the drivers, they invariably were only getting around 17m.p.g. and were very surprised that my petrol Range Rover was getting a steady 20. Tdi drivers reported much better economy than that, of course. The fuel savings you have made in 230,000 km would be massive!

It's not at all uncommon in New Zealand for a hedge, planted around a farmyard maybe a hundred years ago, to get that tall. Usually Cupressus macrocarpa. GREAT for firewood!

Ah, always good to find the source of your problem. I know I'm stating the obvious but make sure you check the fit of the bearing on the shaft before assembly! I don't know what the factory recommends and what type of bush it is but I do remember doing one years ago (a phosphor-bronze bush) and the recommendation was to heat it in heat-softening motorcycle chain grease before installing it. Made sense and it lasted me out.

Sorry Bowie69, I was expanding your point. From the original description of symptoms (it is slipping once in gear) it seems very likely it will wear itself in, eventually, though maybe after synchro on first is long gone! I am a bit puzzled, because it reads as if the flywheel (and presumably spigot bearing) were already matched to the gearbox. It could be that it got knocked and slightly damaged during installation? You could get around the possible synchro damage by putting it in gear and depressing the clutch before starting it, if the drag isn't too much (don't test it with something valuable parked in front of you!!) but, if it didn't come right in a few days (someone else is bound to know more about how long it takes), I'd be thinking about surgery.

Incidentally, I have one of those RF distributors lying around here. Shame postage to the UK would stop that being a bargain...

Gee whizz there are some expensive options out there! I live by a river and drive in it a lot and have done so with two Rover V8s, an injected Range Rover and a Stage One V8. The Range Rover worked perfectly fully submerged (not recommended practice but there is no incentive to turn the engine off and think when the water comes over your bonnet). I cheated on that one - it had a Mallory optical distributor, with otherwise bog standard ignition and injection (plus a very crude snorkel). The Stage One, initially, hated the sight of water and would just pack a wobbly if I parked next to a river. I traced that problem to a poor seal on the top of the coil, after which it was totally dependable in moderate depths of water, though I never had that bonnet under water 'cos it was a nice old truck with a bed in the back. It had bog standard ignition, with points. Later I replaced the points with an after-market electronic setup but it made no difference. It was still totally fine with enough water for the fan to spray it everywhere. My point is that you should be water proof enough for reasonable wet work (i.e. not running submerged for very long) if you have a standard, well-fitting distributor cap (Vaseline on the join can help) and good ends on all the HT leads, especially the coil one. You should also check the wiring loom to make sure the main ignition lead has not been rubbing on something as it sounds like that could be an issue for you. Intermittent shorts on bumpy tracks would give your symptoms, made much worse by water. Friends who are a bit more die-hard than me do the pressurised distributor trick mentioned above, though at very low pressure. I believe they also pressurise the diffs, transmission and other electrical gear. If you spend much time in water .. well, any time at all really... make sure your wheel bearing seals are perfect or you will waste a lot of money. Same with diff and transmission breathers. Bearing surfaces hate condensation. A good, long drive afterwards helps with that too.

Sounds like the shaft is sticking in the spigot bearing and not spinning freely. This will cause the gearbox mainshaft to continue turning even with the clutch disengaged but won't provide enough grip to actually move the truck.

With the centre diff locked, normal rear brakes effectively act on all four wheels, while all have grip. And front to back. I used a quad once that only had one brake to serve both back wheels and you couldn't really tell. Because the front brakes weren't working at all, that one brake had to stop the whole vehicle but, of course, it never locked up because is would have had to freeze three wheels to do so, not just one! In that case, there was no differential between front and back - it relied on slippage at the tyres not to wind up the transmission. Off road use only, etc. etc..

Just to wade in, my bucket list (by car) would be the Skeleton Coast, the Atacama Desert and north-eastern Siberia (in summer!). Followed by lots more time in Africa, a decent explore of South America and a return trip to Australia. Ticked off (driving) bits are the UK (bottom to top by motorcycle), Death Valley/Grand Canyon (rental pick-up truck), 31,000km worth of Australia (Range Rover; just a start but managed East-West and North-South central crossings plus a fair amount of western and south-eastern bits). And most of New Zealand which is probably a great place to visit but gets claustrophobic pretty quickly if you are into a bit of adventure!

Australia was a great place to "do". The Simpson was a personal highlight, as were the Finke Gorge, Coongie Lakes (there had been recent rain) and Fitzgerald River National Park. You could spend decades exploring that country.

Go for it! I've read that you may need a spacer behind the nut that holds the front pulley to the crankshaft but that wasn't my experience. I got two or three w.o.f.s with the 3.9 and the garage just didn't notice the motor change, other than saying "it goes well". Incidentally, I sold all my unwanted bits off for $500 (still have the starter, alternator, ECU and a few other bits too), so the cost of the swap was very little. Sadly, I recently sold the Stage One, after seven happy years. The dream of a diesel 110 was too strong to resist, except I ended up with a basket case, ho hum.

Well, it worked! To the tune of a couple of million Land Rovers. It's not like the suspension systems, steering systems or even braking system early on were going to notice a degree or two of chassis alignment error...