Scotts90

Another vote for knipex pliers, use these everyday. Have a set of proper irwin vise grips and these are the only ones I haven't broken and they've had some mighty abuse.

Have you checked the multiplug for the bulb connection at the headlight? Do you have a test lamp/multimeter? I'd be checking for 12v at the main and dip beam wires...that'll verify if you have power reaching the light unit. It does sound like a dodgy connection (on a defender? Never ). Check that it has a good earth, I think this is bolted on the inner wing somewhere. Is it running halogens or sealed beam units?

nope. As long as the fitted seats have appropriate seat belts and are secure then they are what the tester checks.

I have a size Y from BOC, got it on a deal about 7 years ago, £40 a year rental and £20 a refill...they've never altered the terms. I use argoshield light which has an AR/CO2 mix, pure CO2 (pub gas) produced a narrower weld IMO. The disposable bottles are a waste of money and don't last long...especially when the cheap nasty regulators that fit them leak like a sieve. Got oxy and an inverter arc but I much prefer the MIG....looking for an excuse to buy a TIG but that will have to wait. Back on subject tho, on my welder I'd have increased power and slowed the wire speed to get more penetration and a better weld pool. Also the angle of the torch and distance from the pool effects the weld, I tend to try and keep about 8mm from the workpiece and drag the weld although what and where you are welding dictates this. You may find it easier to try joining spots first than trying to run a long weld, especially on thinner material. I'm no pro welder but have rebuilt a few old crusty things in my time so just my experience.

It's been about 15yrs since I used a gasless MIG, couldn't remember it causing chalking or leaving a slag residue...my memory ain't what it used to be lol

Was your steel galvanised or zintec coated? Tends to produce the white residue when you weld through it ( the fumes are quiet nasty too), looking at your last pic the welds haven't penetrated well. What adjustment settings do you have on your welder?

I'll get the daft question out the way first... Gasless MIG...are you using flux cored (ie gasless) wire? Welds look pretty similar to what welding without a shielding gas produces. Are you prepping the metal prior to welding? Some new sheet has a coating on it which doesn't weld well so nice clean and shiny steel is always best. A quick blast with a flap wheel often suffices. The current looks to be a bit on the high side, rather than getting good penetration your weld is almost falling through. Best advice. If you can convert your welder to use gas then do so, it will produce a much neater weld.

Nice write up, you must be on Ashcrofts Christmas card list now! That's a very meaty looking CWP in the second last pic

I took a screen shot after finding the relevant topic a while back.

Our works vehicles have fuel burning air heater eberspachers in the rear, all fitted with multi-programmable timers which also serve as fault code displays. They do a great job at heating the rear of my hi-top transit and can dry soaking waterproofs if left in the vehicle. It's a much more efficient way of heating the cab. My D3/4 and evoque all had water heating FBH, it would only cycle on at ambient temps less than 4degC, and although it helped speed the warming process it wasn't great. It was of an obvious benefit to the engine and emissions but not to the cab heater. My 200tdi gets up to normal operating temps a lot faster than I expected, if I were to fit auxiliary heating for cab comfort I'd go for an air type heater though.

This may have had a plough attachment on the front, there's a set of sidelights next to those spots on the wing tops...

Just a little update...the forum evoque membership is back at zero.... SWMBO has been promoted and now gets a company car so the evoque (which she used more than me) was going to be an expensive garage ornament. So, i sold it back to the supplying dealer without too much of a loss (8mths old). It ran faultlessly but it was one of those cars I just couldn't "love" so it wasn't a hard decision to get rid. I've had a bigger grin on my face driving my 90 than I ever had in the evoque...sad, eh? Lol

Yes, just do as Western says. I've done numerous swaps and upgrades to different cars over the years. Having had traffic cops as neighbours on either side at my old address I always made sure the details all matched. Never had DVLA ask for proof, the only people interested in an engineers report may be your insurance company.

I have the late style dash, on an early (old style dash) td5 bulkhead. I used the early wiper mechs/motor and wheel boxes and they clear no problems. I had to fit the appropriate angle brackets to space the vent plate out (I think Les Brock used threaded rod to get his spacing), but the wiper tube ran in the usual location with no clearance issues. My only problem is the motor sits in the speaker aperture rather than behind the grab handle...nowt a space ring won't cure.

Cheers Simon, I took an educated guess at a 40deg version, it's capable of 16A loads. I was going on the assumption of a domestic radiator with a surface temp of 65-70....you can't sit your backside on that for long! At 95p each I did order a 50deg version too...I may put that on the wife's side lol

Does anyone know the value of thermostat fitted to the OE seat heaters? After fitting them all up with the new exmoor foams and trims, my drivers one worked once, got up to temperature and hasn't worked since. A quick check with the multimeter showed power to but not through the disc type bi-metal t/stat, the stat rattles so it sounds as if it has failed internally. The passenger side works fine so I compared the seat base element and back rest element resistances just to ensure no other failings....and just to be a little rough-n-ready I bridged the stat out and both elements heated fine. There are no markings or serial numbers on the stat, just an orange dot. A Google search for a correlation between the dot colour and a temp range has been fruitless.

No one will have one yet...not on sale til early 2015, you can pre order though

Thanks anyway Paul. I did find the sumitomo catalogue and looked at the identical looking "special shape" . I'll just whip the plugs off and fit econo/superseal connectors.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but is the vehicle side of the sumitomo 9 way connector (female) available anywhere? The one on my td5 loom is goosed and I have a genuine set of electrics to plug in. Failing that it'll be hacked off and suitable weatherproof connectors used.

I bought white waterproof grease from a boat supplier specifically designed for galv fittings and metalwork. Time will tell if it helps prevent any reaction/corrosion

A lot of modern stuff has a led shining down from the rear view mirror to give an ambient glow...seems to be quite effective.

I made a tool from a piece of 15mm copper, crimped around the pushrod and them a few mm cut off the end to leave a little slot that can engage in between the legs of the clip. Works a treat and it means you can get positive engagement with the clip into the fork. Not at home or I could try and find it for a pic.

I have noticed the v8 owners have been notably absent in this topic .

Must be a good one...my 12 plate AWD transit, which is fully laden (3500kg with me in it at last weigh-in) averages 36mpg. It's "twin" which is a good deal lighter only does 26....so it can happen. Driving style has a lot do do with it too.

From memory it was about 23 gallons on my d2, almost choked the first time I filled it up from empty (only had 11 miles on the clock). This did a consistent 550/560 to a tank which equated to 25mpg approx. I don't think CJ was filling from empty, just after his 227mile run. His D2 auto at 38mpg equals my evoque at the moment for combined mpg!