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[matter-of-fact voice on] You spotted me reading it at 6:11..........I don't think 4 minutes is too bad for dragging my @rse off the sofa, finding a tape measure, going outside... Need I go on........ [matter-of-fact voice off] Get back in your (over engineered) box!!!!!

In the dark with no straight edge or spirit level...........665mm (or for the oldies...26 3/16")

Yes. It is definitely a fail. I had to rebook mine after the bloke at the testing station came out of the workshop when I was turning round in the carpark - the BFGs make a nice noise as they flap off the radius arms at slow speeds!! The bloke was quite amused that I'd even bothered turning up!! I asked if he could put it down as an advisory, but he told me it wasn't worth his licence as it's a black and white case.

The engine swap is as simple as it sounds in terms of paperwork. Do the conversion, fill in the relevant section of the V5c with the engine number and send it off to DVLA for an update. In terms of physically getting the engine into the 'new' vehicle, there's a whole host of information on here and few articles have even made it into the Technical archive. The amount of work varies with the different engines, but it's do-able with the right info behind you. Have a scout around here... HTH Adrian

I cannot comment on the technical side of tube strength and sizing, but from a little research earlier in the year: Whitbread Off Road - will basically take the primitive truck cab roll cage and modify it to what you want. Nothing is out of the question as long as you are willing to pay for it and lose the vehicle for a week to the other end of Wales. Safety Devices (currently not on your list) make a nice removable cage. Mine is an SD one and it's more snug to the truck cab than a snug thing on national snug day. I'm not sure if it is like that as standard, but if not, they can be made to fit as closely as you like. I can't get my little finger between the cage and cab at the roof/gutter line. My basic summary from the research I did was to buy a front hoop and make up the rest of it to suit my requirements. Basically because the front hoop has compound bends in it that I probably wouldn't get my head around until the world ran dry of steel!!!!!! The rear hoop will need to be made to suit your particular setting out of the rest of the cage. The trouble with buying one off the shelf is that they are made on a generic jig and we all know about Land Rover tolerances already!! HTH. I'll try to get some pictures in a mo and get them up this afternoon.

D'oh!! That might be a tricky one to get out of. I'll be interested to know what the DVLA's response is...

I don't know how to do the up arow thing, but what he said is correct as far as I uunderstand. The temp guage on my 300tdi defender never moves above 1/4........

Does it stay in when pushed?? If not, the plug is knackered. Try taking the unit out (should just be a wiggle and pull job) and, with your trusty multimeter, see if you've got 12v across the terminals with the ignition on. If yes, it's the whole unit - about £4 from VWP If no, there's a break in the wiring somewhere... HTH Adrian

To add to that, I've just replaced the main scren washer pump on my D2. It was all working correctly, then there was just noise but no squirt... The pump had broken internally... Just another thought...

Sounds like the pipe has come adrift, or split. Try checking the bottoms of the door pillars and the inside corners of the boot/load area just after you've tried the washer... Alternatively, it could be a blocked jet. Take a small pin and see if you get any joy. Otherwise buy a new jet - it'll only be a couple of quid, even from a main dealer.

People have done it. It's a case of making up a plate to fit over the hole that the Disco mirror leaves, then bolting the Def mirror to said plate. Fairly simple. Not the most elegant of mods, but definitely a functional one... HTH Adrian

The same would apply to tools in that case. Both would mean the downfall of an awful lot of businesses and hence an awful lot less tax revenue for the government........not likely IMO...

If the starter is just clicking, it suggests that there either isn't enough power in the battery (unlikely if your lights are all bright on the dash) or it's an earth problem. Try connecting a jump lead from the negative terminal of the batery directly to the starter body/earth point. I had this issue on a 200TDi, but a new earth lead fixed the problem... Maybe your earth lead is loose and the general dampness is worsening the problem. HTH Adrian

Mine didn't fit in my Disco 2 when I asked for measurements (Disco 2 is bigger) so I took a trailer and strapped it down well...

I would always try to run a pair of similar batteries. You'll get 2 of the X-Eng batteries for the price of one yellow top, with performance at the same level. Just a thought...

One word of warning.......there is a gasket that goes behind the tensioner bolt (between the block and the timing chest)........make sure you get one and fit it in the right place.........otherwise you will take it apart to find the oil leak 3, possibly 4 times, before you find it....... Don't ask how I know!!!!!!! Don't ask WALFY, either!!!!!

The dashboard noise - how long does it last? Sounds like it could be the fuel pump/system priming itself, or the braking system bringing itself up to pressure...?? Can't help with the middle 2.... The last one... I used to get that in my Range Rover, it just never seemed to stop when I looked at the fuel guage!! Who cares!! The wife's hair cut is £60 every 4 weeks.......I used to make that roughly equal to one off-road event per month!!!

They will be stiffer. Land Rover HD springs are designed for vehicles that do a lot of milage with heavy loads or lots of towing (e.g. Police spec springs - loads of mileage with a boot full of gear). Aftermarket HD springs may be a little different, but on a standard Discovery with normal on-road useage, they will be a fair bit harsher - to the extent that you will probably want them off again within 50 miles. If the comments of your original post (bouncy and bumpy) still stand, you won't want HD springs on it. Just my 2p in the pot. Others may differ in opinion.

This sounds like it could be a big success... With the ideas you have on venues, what size of field (in terms of numbers of competitors, not acres/hectares )are you looking for?? Also - I know it's the first time you are running this - will it be a similar sort of set-up to the 'big brother challenge events' and include things like navigational and 'special stage' sections as well as all-out punch hunts?? (need to know whether my co-driver will need to be able to read a map and think logically!! ) Sorry for all the Qs, but it seems like it could be right up my street.

I suppose we can't see very much of the surrounding area, but it doesn't look like the 110 is struggling to progress... I guessed it was something like that, but just made me chuckle...

The thermostat housing isn't the head..... The head will fit straight on, but all of the ancillaries (alternator, thermostat housing, water pump, turbo, timing chest, bellhousing) are either different or mounted in different places/positions. The answer to your question is yes, as long as you bolt all of the Defender bits onto the disco head... I have recently turned a Disco engine into a Defender one and the block and head are interchangeable.. I was lucky in that I had both in front of me and complete, so it was a case of bolting the Defender bits onto the Discovery block...

It's amazing what you can find buried in the desert........

WRT the loose connections, there are replacement battery terminals that have an extra grippy strip around them to aid in terminal security. I don't know whether Optima batteries have removable terminal posts, but it might be worth looking into if this is a recurring problem. Can't help with the split charge issues, I'm afraid - it's all smoke and mirrors this electrikery stuff!!

Don't forget that your voluntary excess will also have an effect on the final premium. Even adding £100 to the compulsory one can make quite a difference.....or at least it does to somone with a little more youth on their side I tend to use this as a way to get my premiums down while I'm building my NCB up after a fault accident 2 years ago.

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