[Smokey engine on start up]

Oh yeah, i made sure the piston ring gaps were staggered.

[Smokey engine on start up]

Hmm. Does read like i reused the gasket! Be assured, i got a new one. I'm using my mobile not a pc so this is all written sms style, so my proof reading is a bit lacking! I suppose water could have got to the tank, it needs a new front bracket anyway so I'll drain it and see. Timing could be worth a check. I got a mate who can do that.

[Smokey engine on start up]

Did you check the pushrods & valves for damage, the pushrods can be quite easily bent, even if slightly out of true they will affect the valve clearances & running.

The push rods looked fine to my eye, as for valves i dunno. Head just got a bit of a clean up before it went back on. Would the smoke clear after a couple of minutes if it was that?

[Smokey engine on start up]

Hello peeps. I did a bit of a silly thing during the floods the other week. I neglected to notice how low the air intake pipe was on my 200. The result- bent con rod. Anyhoo, engine out, 2nd hand rod, reusing my piston, head gasket, new oil and filter, bish bash bosh, back together and i'm a clever boy. Sort of. It smoked like hell for a couple of miles, but it soon cleared up. However, it's really smokey on startup, and it used to be fine. What do we think? Oil creeping into the bores somehow or basically just general damage from the ill advised wading?

[LT77 gearbox]

I first joined this forum cos my clutch fork failed. I was directed to a thread with all the info and pictures you could want! My workshop manual got demoted to mouse mat, they were that concise! I found you could maul the box about sat inside the cab with a rope around the box and it sat on a length of wood held up by trolly jacks. Crude, awkward but it worked. Between you and another it should be fine. A simple but awkward job. Incidently, when i got mine back together, i found i had much the same problem as you've got now, only 3rd gear though. Strange yet typically land rover.

[Gear selector failure?]

Sounds like someone else has bought a lemon gearbox, i got a reputed all good LT95 as a spare for mine in the RR, suffice to say the layshaft bearings were noisy so I spent an age changing the box. Tried it out at the weekend laning and it's absolutely useless, mine jumps out of first, second and thrird on the overrun and having worked it hard the low ratio sounds like a cement mixer. So I am off to get another from somewhere.

Best of luck but may be better to bite the bullet and get a recon from Ashcroft at least you have a guarantee !

you have my sympathies, it does sound a bit ropey! presumably ashcroft does recon exchange, that would save delay on refitting it? am i right in saying a '91 200tdi defender has a lt77? are there any other types worth fitting that don't need massive modification? i'm sure i heard someone singing the praises of the r380(?)

[Gear selector failure?]

One gear playing up is unlikely to be anything but the gearbox itself.

Les

i'm starting to think i may have bought a nail. one thing after the other! can't be doing without my motor for more than a couple of days at a time, so swapping the box is probably more feasable than taking it out for a rebuild. i'll see what the gearbox guru has to say. cheers, les.

[Gear selector failure?]

The saga continues. having changed the clutch release fork, clutch, slave cylendar and got it all back together again i've got me a jumpy gearbox. all gears work fine when engaged, but 3rd only seems to want to engage 50% of the time. it feels like it's gone in, but as soon as you let the clutch up - pop - no crunchy noises, it just slips out. when it does engage and stay in it gives a bit more resistance than the other gears- feels a bit stiffer i suppose.

ok doctor, just tell me straight. i can take it. is it terminal?

at the end of my last post (clutch fork release failure) somone suggested thet the master cylendar may need changing too. suggested this to my mate who works weekends at *All Track 4x4* at cradley herefordshire (shameless plug) and he thought the problem may go a bit deeper. pessamist.

[Leaky main gear box]

dead easy to remove the floor panels and get a proper look

just a few screws/bolts

i had to have my floor up last week. i doubt it had been done in recent years! basicall, all the screws above floor level, ie tunnel etc came out easily with a decent screw driver. the tricky ones on the floor i got out using a screwdriver bit from my drill set in its magnetic holder thing (you know what i mean?) and a small spanner. you get loads more torque and once it's started, you're off. for the REALLY stubborn ones i had to resort to using LANDROVER SPECIAL TOOL #3: the angle grinder!

[Release bearing fork failure]

Hi Ronnie,

Sounds like the master cylinder has given up too

HTH

cheers

Steveb

yes. of course. one thing leads to the next. uprate your tyres, halfshaft snaps. fit hardened shafts, cv pops. bullet proof cv, diff goes bang. oh well, by the time i've sorted this i'll have a completely new clutch system. i may even put a brand new rubber on the pedal!

[Disaster!]

I thought that a plastic pig was slang for a Reliant 3-wheeler?

Chris

a fair point and well made. perhaps a little unfair in the old reliant aswell. after all, sounds our friend would have had more luck recovering his landy with one than a CSPO any way.

i should at this point appologise in advance for any offence that is taken with regards to my remarks about this country's fine, upstanding, uncorrupt and generally most useful police service. whom i like a lot. i would be proud for my children to join them. but i have no children. my children (if i had them) would also be allowed to use a reliant robin as transport. maybe the police could utilise them on their motorway patrols? not my children, i have none. the reliant.

[Disaster!]

Two things.

You spoke to a "Community Support Officer". They are not Police. Much less well trained, much less able to take action on their own initiative, much cheaper to run. So the papers are correct, we are being short-changed, but your complaint is not against the Police.

don't think plastic pigs are alone in their uselessness, i had to go and rescue a mate who's silly french gearbox had spat it's silly french guts all over the m5 the other week. when i arrived my may explained that a HIGHWAY PATROL vehicle had advised him to push his car containing his girlfriend, 2 dogs and 2 YEAR OLD SON back to the last police pull in about 200 meters back and wait for someone to arrive to help! they then Mildly miffed off in search of donuts and cars over the age of 10 years to pull. 2 minutes after i arrived, a different HIGHWAY PATROL vehicle turned up. he explained they didn't do things like tow vehicles or help stranded young families. talk about utter impotence. i did manage to persuade him to follow behind for the short tow to safety with his lights on in case something unthinkable happened to the car in tow. so two thumbs up and a double helping of swill tonight for the boys in blue! worth every penny, i'm sure.

[Release bearing fork failure]

Make sure your clutch slave is up the right way, bleed nipple to the top, it fits both ways. I know this ......... now

Mo

nipple's up alright. got one of those self bleed pipes (bloody fantastic thing, and cheap!) which has helped a bit, but still doesn't like to go in every time. i havn't noticed any correlation to the amount of revs, or whether i'm changing up or down gear, it just sometimes doesn't like it. it'll go in if you double de-clutch after it refuses, but that's just hassle on a relatively modern motor! have i hurt something during the fix or even driving it home after the fork failure? i drove home without using the clutch and it went smothly up the gears (i was surprised!) but wouldn't go down. i didn't force it, but something may have gone amiss. why only 3rd gear? aaaaarrrgghhh!!!!

[Bad day !]

i payed 2k for my 200tdi 90. within a week i'd rebuilt a swivel, replaced track rod ends, drop arm ball joint and steering damper. the shocks were old and a bit leaky so it got a set of delphi shocks and a +2 set of scorpion springs B) a bit after that. after time (3 months) a new radiator and thermostat were required. i have just replaced the clutch cos the release fork failed and while it was all in pieces.... i've got a set of disco axles to go on it cos my axle casings are really scabby in places and i want disc brakes all round. i've also got a couple more track rod ends to do. oh yeah, i did the prop shaft uj's aswell, they were utterly shot. when i've done all that i can deal with the rust removal, welding and waxoiling of the chassis. footwells aint to clever either. my girlfriend just suggested to me that i may have bought a nail, and couldn't understand why i was boasting about being a mug to you guys. as far as i'm concerned, the more i do, the better the truck gets. if i do everything that needs doing, it's undoubtably gonna be a proper job! i love my truck, and any one who loves theirs will agree; worth spending the money on. my girlfriend has spent over £1500 on her old mercdes 407d van this year, cos she thinks that's worth it. i think she's mad, but the feelings mutual!

i know this doesn't actually help you decide what to do with you truck, but maybe it'll give you some perspective. or confuse you. dunno. sorry. should have kept my mouth shut.

[Release bearing fork failure]

hi all. thanks for the tips; all helpfull! i've managed to get it all back together only forgetting to put the pin back in the diff lock lever thingy, before putting the floor back in. hmm. no matter, it's gotta come back up to deal with the rotten outrigger and the lack of front mounting for the fuel tank. small things.

i've found that intermittently 3rd gear doesn't want to engage and crunches. also the clutch biting point is much lower on the pedal. as i changed the slave cylendar i recon i may not have bled the system properly. sound probable?

[Release bearing fork failure]

Change everything i.e. clutch plate, pressure plate, release bearing, fork, the pivot ball if it shows any sign of wear, and any of the oil seals if there is any sign of a leak.

Hmm. That's kinda what i thought, but i probably would have neglected the pivot ball. which oil seals are we talking about? is the rear crank seal accesable this way?

[Release bearing fork failure]

Greetings, this is my first post, so expect lots of advice!

I'm 99% sure the rod has punched through the fork inside the bell housing. Judging by the posts I've read this morning it's the only diagnosis. Clutch pedal is completely jammed at the top. I can drive it crash gearbox syle, but only going up the gears!

I havn't separated the gearbox from the engine before and don't intend to do it again for a while if I can avoid it! So, while I'm crawling around in the unmentionable, what else do I tie in to the job? Sounds like a reinforced fork would be a wise move, rather than standard, and probably a clutch kit?

Is there ANYTHING else I can overhaul/change while I'm about it to save that "Hmm, you should have done doodah to the wachamecallit" conversation at a later date. Also, any advise on this job wiould be appreciated as I'm doing it on my own with fairly minimal tools and no workshop facilities.

Any input greatly appreciated.