SteveRK

Any work on the engine done? It will be due camshaft and relatated by that mileage.

I'm pretty sure its not under the seats so an easy way to try and locate it is to listen for where the relay sound is coming from. If yours' is right hand drive I'm gonna guess its to the right of the steering wheel behind the lower dash panel (goes from around the steering column bezel down to the pedals. Theres a cluster of relays there. Or it might be in the driver's side foot well behind the kick panel. The lower dash panel requires the steering column bezel to be removed which is a bit of a fiddle. If the interiors past its best you might be able to bend the dash panel enough.

The hazard lights operate when the ignition is off and maybe this is what flattened the battery? change the flasher relay as a starting point

Before changing any parts check the steering toe-in. You should be able to judge by eye from standing at the front if it has excessive toe-in or toe-out. Too much toe-in will give the symptoms you are experiencing.

I wouldn't think that replacing the big ends, or main bearings will have any noticeable effect IF the original shells were still showing 'grey'. The new shells will need to be progressively run-in to avoid premature failure as they will be initially contacting on the high-spots on the journals. Once bedded in you will be back to where you were before replacing them after around 1,000 miles or so. The best check will be to fit a pressure gauge? And IF the oil light is not coming on then i don't think you have a pressure problem but might well have some tired hydraulic tappets instead giving the impression of low pressure.

missing rocker cover breather pipe, missing washer bottle cap, PVC tape on wiring loom all adds up to a neglected engine

One other thing to check is whether fuel pressure is correct and whether its up to pressure during cranking.

Yes it looks like the base idle adjuster. I'm constantly adjusting mine and it doesnt affect starting but can have an effect on how high it revs on initial starting. Have your tried making some big adjustments to the ignition timing - advanced then retard to see if it has any effect?

Hang on- at least try retarding the timing or making some basic adjustments to see if it resolves the problem before ripping it all apart and fitting all new items/parts. I know on mine if i advance the timing it runs better at idle but can be reluctant to start when warm so theres one thing to check before spending more money. Do some radical changes like plug breather and vacuum pipes that connect to the inlet manifold o see if it makes any difference etc. I say this because its possible that during the work carried out something might have got disconnected/split/detached etc. and is causing the starting issue.

I have these covers fitted on my 3.9 engine. I would agree about fitting one to the breather cover to play it safe but the oil flow is so insignificant that they are irrelevant anyway!

Stating the engine should not be affected at all by plenum changes as the volume of air being sucked in is tiny (with the throttle closed as is normal for starting) will have no effect whatsoever. I would suggest that the problem is somewhere else and not directly affected by a performance plenum itself.

I dont think the heater surround panel bul holders are available on their own. I had to bodge/glue mine back after removing them (glued in from new)

I'd second checking the front swivel pin housing bearings for wear/free play

I bought mine from here: http://estore.eclipse.net.uk/epages/rangerovertailgates.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/rangerovertailgates/Categories/Tailgates I went for the frame kit (£175 + VAT. It went together O.K but i should have replaced the supplied mild steel bolts with stainless as they rusted severely within a few months. One tip to pass on if removing the glass from the original steel frame is that when angle grinding the corner welds to cover the glass with protective covering as the angle grinder peppered mine with molten steel specks I hae found that the aluminium upper tailgates need pushing closed by hand each side to latch as they will flex.

Still not convinced its a living'bug' I still thik its a chemical reaction. All of the information reported comes from sources with vested interests not independant informations from the likes of any government sources etc. so will stand to be corrected still if it is a micro-organism.

I replaced mine along with a new chain and output shaft. Still had play which i suspect is down to the fact thats its quite a large plain ball bearing assembly

Everyone is referring to a 'bug' what exactly is this micro organism called? I'm no expert on this topic - I have a transit van for the past 6 years that does 300 miles per year on average and spends several months outdoors without starting and never suffered from this malady. Are we not talking about some kind of chemical reaction with the diesel and moisture that causes a gel-like formation that is referred to as a bug??

It will probably still work if fitted to the + side of the coil as i have checked mine when investigating an ongoing rough running problem with an oscilloscope and you get pulses inducting across to the positive supply. Obviously best to adhere to the correct connection though

My 2 pennies worth (as I'm no way experienced in his area)is that the source of the heat is the top of the cylinder/head area where there is no oil flow to speak of so unless you can increase the surface area of the cooling chambers in contact with the heat source you might look at increasing the surface area of the external engine area by way of aluminium fins, thinner walled rocker covers with fins etc. along with a couple of small supplementary cooling fans and rear facing funnel on both sides of the bonnet above each cylinder head.

I have bought my own wheel balancing machine as i have always had balance problems after getting new tyres fitted at various tyre outlets for the past 20 years, except when the tyres were fitted by a Mercedes Benz dealer. They got them spot on.

The rear anti-roll bar on mine is pathetically skinny, however the front ARB is much more substantial in diameter so i would suspect that most body roll control is maintained by the front ARB?

I don't think that the wrong grade of oil onits own would cause such excessive amounts of smoke. If it did then o.k. take it for a 10 mile run and it will dissapate. If not look elsewhere for the cause.

My vote goes for a defective tyre that starts to mishape at 60mph, or an out of balance wheel/loose wheel bearing/loose wheel nut

I had some Michelin primacy sport tyres that had crazing on the side walls of all 4 tyres and over 2 consecutive MOTs only once was it noted as an advisory. Those tyres were probably at least 10 or more years old, possibly as old as the car (1993) so its to be expected on a tyre of that age. If your tyres are not that old then I'd say they were not worth buying - if so then its a 'sign of the times' that products are being built to a price, rather than a quality standard

Time to remove the scuttle panel! However, where it passes under the bottom windscreen seal it will likely be stuck to the sealing mastic used on the screen and being an ally' panel it will bend/buckle easily so best to get a scalpel blade and slice it between the scuttle and windscreen seal during removal to try and break the bond. Another big problem if you have 'bucket' hands is getting the scuttle bolts and nuts undone as access is very limited. Be prepared to spend many, many minutes with a 1/4" ratchet driver undoing them 1 click at a time..