darthdicky

Yep both strengthened bars are straight still but I am wondering whether the collapsible link in the steering column is still as it was? Poor photo attached, I’ll compare with some other tomorrow and see if it looks right. Doesn’t seem to be any play in it though. richard

Hit a hidden bump pretty hard on a recent trip out and my steering wheel is now about a quarter rotation off where it used to be. I’m reasonably sure this is in the box rather than the splines rotating or anything else, and I’m pretty sure it happened on my old 90 after hitting a tree root on a lane. Don’t think it did any serious damage then but the box started leaking shortly after and it got changed a few months later before the MOT so I don’t know about long term effects. Is this a common occurrence and nothing much to worry about? Seems to drive fine still and goes lock to lock without any problems, I’m just trying to understand what part of it jumps and whether I should be getting hold of another steering box as a spare? Richard

There's some lanes around that area, and some nice ones over Dartmoor way.

Check the earthing too, mine used to to do similar and I think it was cured by putting a new earth strap from the battery box to the chassis.

I'd be looking at how much it will cost in parts to fix what you have vs. putting a TDi in, either Defender or Discovery version. Rich

I had an Eberspacher D2 in my 90 and it was plenty warm enough to defrost the vehicle in 10 mins and then even on its lowest setting it usually got to the point where I had to turn it off or open a window within a few miles as it got so warm - I can't imagine anyone needing a 5kw version unless it was a very drafty 110 heading for the arctic! Richard

Mine (JST's old Truck cab) has some reasonably used green Bowrope on it both ends and I've been impressed with it so far. When it wears out I'll probably go with the same again. Rich

Is there any way easy way to test the speedo head and sensor without swapping them for new/second hand items? My speedo started to go a bit wobbly, then intermittent and now doesn’t move at all. Have taken the connector off the sensor and cleaned that up with WD40, it then worked for a little bit and stopped again. The cog looks fine in the bit that goes into transfer box so I don’t want to start replacing bits until I’ve proven where the fault is. Any suggestions? Is there a diagnostic mode on the speedo or am I being too hopeful! Richard

I wish email notifications worked on here, I missed the last 2 posts! Thanks for your kind offers, I ended up finding a genuine (or in a genuine labelled bag...) complete pipe, olive, banjo bolt and washer kit on eBay for £16.99 delivered so I’ve just fitted that. If anyone has a good source of the olives then it may be one for the tech archive, as £30+ seems a bit steep for what is a very basic kit! Richard

Done some more googling and I think I'm after a banjo olive. Two words that I certainly wouldn't have thought to put together to explain what I'm looking for... Anyone know what size the breather one is or a good source for one? Richard

Cheers, I found that link and others but it seems very expensive for a bit of plastic pipe (which I have loads of) and the right fitting, yet I can't find that type of fitting anywhere! Might have to just buy the whole kit unless anyone else has managed to locate a source of the bits separately? Rich

My breather has blocked up and the circular part snapped off when I undid the bolt so I need a new one. However, I can't seem to find the pieces separately other than buying a complete breather kit which seems a rather expensive way of doing it. Found the parts list here: https://www.landroverworkshop.com/diagrams/transfer-box/transfer-box-lt230/front-housing_53744#14 but it seems to be missing a key part - the circular part with the barbed end that the plastic tube connects to. Banjo bolt is easy to find, as are the washers and the tube I have is plenty long enough so I can cut a bit off and use that, but I can't find the "banjo" part anywhere. Any idea what part number it is or what it's called? Richard

Thanks Dave, useful to keep a note of that one!

Apparently it's a 1 1/8" which equates to about 28.5mm, so I'll be ordering one of those at some point. If you've got a list of part numbers and where to get bits from then it would be really useful. Need to get a spare drive belt at some point. Richard

Hi Dave, Possibly a silly question but what size socket does it take to get the sump plug out? Seems to be between 27 and 30mm? Is it a standard size plug, as I was thinking of getting one of these for it: http://www.drainplug.co.uk/standard.html but it looks like it's a different size to the 300TDi one? Are there any other good sources of parts other than M&D in the UK? Thanks, Richard

I know it was a while ago but can anyone remember what size spot weld cutter is needed for this? Looking at something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-1780-Spot-Weld-Cutter/dp/B003AMQ3VK or this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cht685-spot-weld-cutter-set/ Richard

Hi Neil, Sorry, should have circled the bit I mean first time around! There seems to be a gap to the left of the drain hole which I'm not sure is fully sealed? Hard to tell without pulling it apart but to me it looks like the right part would join the engine side completely, rather than having that gap there? Was thinking of trying Ashcrofts but if someone knows the right part number or even better, has a couple of the right ones laying around that would be fantastic! Richard

Always wondered whether this was right on my 90... Defender LT77, Disco 200TDi and I believe it’s the Disco bellhousing/flywheel housing? My brother changed it to the disco one when it went in and binned the old petrol one which may have fitted better? It all works fine and doesn’t appear to get mud in the clutch but it looks there’s a gap with some sort of soft gasket in it, to the left of the bolt in the centre. Is that normal? Should I find a Defender one to fit when the engine and box come out? Anyone know the part number I need, or even better have one for sale? Richard

Trying to work out what I can fit in my garage. I was set on having 2 bays as an L shape in one corner but now I’m thinking it may be easier to have them along one wall, but that then means there could be space for a third one. What’s most useful - racking or floor/circulation space? The whole idea is to make it easy to work on the car, so I don’t want to be squeezed in by racks, especially as I don’t have a huge amount to fill them with (yet!). Main worry is that I buy 2 and then wish I’d got a third! Thoughts of those who’ve been there, done that much appreciated! Richard

Not sure if I’ve seen this too late but I’ve done a variety of lanes round Devon. There’s one or two nice ones on Dartmoor that aren’t scratchy. The one next to Crealey is fun but can get overgrown and the water can be deep at times, depends what you’re taking through there! Richard

Thanks guys, that's really helpful information. Having done some looking around I think I'm going to get some good use out of this and wonder why I haven't bought one sooner! Will check out some of the Aldi stuff and get a few fittings and hoses to join things together and start playing. Drained about 600ml of oil out of it earlier and refilled with 300ml-ish to the middle of the red circle - doesn't bode well for its past history but it seems to work fine. Fingers crossed! Richard

So I've just bought an air compressor - nothing fancy, just a 50l cheapo job like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/FoxHunter-Professional-Compressor-Electric-Cylinder/dp/B004X53F32 but second hand so even cheaper! I want it for blowing up tyres, running an impact gun and ratchet and maybe a bit of paint spraying at some point. Idea is to buy cheap bits to begin with and then get better stuff of the things I actually end up using, so I've got a £30 Sealey box of bits like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-SA33-Air-Accessory-Kit/dp/B000RA06DO/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1505762657&sr=1-1&keywords=sealey+sa33 I bought a PCL fitting which fits the left hand port, but not the right. Can anyone tell me what the right hand one is? What's the best type to use if I'm buying new ones? In terms of maintenance, what do I need to do to it? It seems to have oil in it from what I can see in the sight glass, but I might drain that out and put fresh in as I don't know its history - I guess it's supposed to sit in the middle of the red mark? Other than that just open the valve on the bottom every now and then to get rid of any water? Do I need an oil filter/separator from the tank? Or is this only if you add oil to the lines to lubricate tools? I won't be using it often so I'd rather just drip some oil into tools every now and then. I don't want to end up with tyres full of oil, or oil being blown over things. For more permanent workshop lines, what's good to run along the walls? Any other useful tips for someone new to this kit? Richard

How easy were they to cut down to the right height Geoff? Richard

Thanks both, I'm leaving the end panel on as the current one is fine. I've removed all of the bolts I can find but the rockslider blocks me from removing one of the rear ones so the sill rail won't drop off. Trying to work out whether it moves enough to replace the battery box with it there or whether I'm going to need help getting it off - my main worry is if I remove the battery box and can't get the new one in then I won't be able to drive anywhere to get help! Found that the earths just link to each other anyway and there's nothing behind them, so not sure if that's required? Does the tub/seatbox need earthing? Managed to butcher the seat bolt on one side and I think I can get by with the other one in place. Unfortunately they're round underneath so you can't get a spanner on them - when they're new they seem to attach to a plate which holds it straight but once that's broken they're a nightmare to get off. Will seal and paint mine with something when I finally get it done...

I made a start on this today and predictably hit a few issues... 1) I can't get the rockslider off, it's rusted solid in the rear bulkhead outrigger - does it need to come off to fit the battery box or can it be done in place? I can get to the bolts for the sill member behind it and should be able to drop that down a few cm without any problems, or does it need to come right off? I need to get the rockslider off at some point anyway as I've got some new ones to fit, but I'd like to try and get the battery box fixed first if it's easy enough to do with it in place. 2) I can't get the seat rails off as the two rear bolts are just spinning in the nuts - these are circular ones that are supposed to be attached to flat plates but they aren't attached any more unfortunately. Do I need to remove the seat frame to fit the battery box? I can probably dremel them off but will need to get some new nuts and bolts too - can anyone confirm what size they are? 3) I seem to have 2 earth posts top right of the attached photo - are they both needed or can I consolidate on one when the new bits get fitted? 4) Do I need to remove the black bolted strip at the back which holds the seatbox lid down to be able to drill out the rear plate, or is that where my Eberspacher is? Just need to work out how much more disassembly I need to do! Thanks, Richard