mickeyw

I'm not sure I would want to entertain hand cranking a series diesel. However I did spend an entire winter hand starting my 2.25 petrol 'cos I had no money for a new starter motor. It normally started 2nd or 3rd pull, even from cold, and without any priming of the carb. If you plan to do this here's a tip - don't park too close to the car in front. Starting handles are very long! Michael

Gents, Thanks for your comments. I'll have a search on Bosal in a bit. Nige, I read your thread a few days ago about your new exhuast, work of art. It's good to see there are still the skills about to create a job like that. I was dribbling over the superb construction and weld quality. Shame it doesn't go somewhere people can see it, unless of course you spend a lot of time the wrong way up! I expect it cost more than my RRC is worth, so as nice as it is I shan't be getting one like it. Michael

Just unpacked the Britpart front half exhaust system I bought for my 3.9 RRC. I am well aware of their reputation for questionable quality but still bought this anyway. Some of their stuff must be OK, surely? This part comes in three pieces, the down pipes being separate parts from the main Y branch, I don't have a problem with that. What concerned me when I did a quick trial assembly is that the exit pipes from left and right are two different diameters, 45mm and 50mm. The Y branch entry holes are both the same size, so I'm guessing they have sent me one wrong part. Does a 3.5 system have smaller diameter down pipe than a 3.9? My eyes now move to the general build quality of the system, it's not over impressive. Rough edges and weld spatter are plentiful. I'm also looking closely at the way two pipes have been merged into one. The pipe ends have been squashed into a D shape so they can feed into one larger pipe. It strikes me that this must restrict the air flow through this area. Can anyone comment on this? See picture below and Compared with original I'm sure this method of manufacture is used for economic reasons, but is it good for flow? I am starting to wonder is buying a Britpart pipe was such a wise choice. Who makes 'standard' exhausts systems of reasonable quality without costing a fortune? I'll be on the phone shortly to explain the problem, wish me luck! Michael

There is a tool called the Bushwacka that can be used for changing bushes on the vehicle, but it's mega expensive for what it is. By the time you have undone the spring bolts, it's not much more work to remove the U bolts holding the spring to the axle. Then you can work on the spring in a more comfortable position. Michael

Defender screens are only about £30 from the likes of Britpart. Bit tricky to fit unless you've done one before. A new one fitted by a local windscreen company cost me £80 inc a new seal, that was a couple of years back. £80 vs a lot of elbow grease, hmmm, you decide! Michael

Assuming you have managed to get the springs off the vehicle, I would drill through the rubber part of the bush in several places until the inner and outer parts are separate. This is more eco friendly than burning then out as many have done before. Then carefully hacksaw through the outer steel bush until it can be curled inwards and easily removed. This method has never let me down yet, ten minutes is usually enough per bush. Once the bush is out, clean up the hole in the spring or chassis as appropriate. To fit the a bush, I grease its outer diameter and press it in with a decent bench vice. If you have cleaned the hole sufficiently this should be tight but not impossible. To fit a bush to the chassis I use a length of M12 high tensile studding and some decent nuts, with some bushes I turned up to fit, to pull the bush in. You could use a couple of sockets from the 1/2" set instead. No photos available I'm afraid, but I hope I've explained this well enough. Just another thought - if the vehicle has stood for that long, some new springs may be in order. Michael

I can remember in the past seeing a demostration at a country show where a bloke was drilling through an old file using some special kind of drill bit, then trying to prise an exorbitant amount of cash from you for a set of not many drills. They weren't carbide tipped or anything like that, now I'm wondering if they may have been cobalt.

I would ignore the Ti-N coated bits. I have had a set of Dormer standard HSS bits for 15 years, and like Si I have certain ones that are a bit short now, but they still cut fine. Definitely learn to sharpen drills properly, almost any bench grinder is good for this, but do remember that the wheel should be dressed flat first. If someone else has been sharpening TIG electrodes the wheel will not be very flat! With better quality drills and a good edge you can cut a lot more holes between a re-sharpen. Also tougher steels will cut quite well provided you use some kind of lubricant/cutting fluid. A drop of engine oil is better than nothing. I will suggest not telling too many friends you can sharpen drills. A visit for a quick cuppa can often turn into a 'can you just look at my drills' session! Michael

I run a standard TD rad with my 3.9. It seems to keep everything cool enough. I only changed from a V8 90 rad (originally 3.5 V8 carb) because I needed an oil cooler for the 3.9. This was a direct swap. Also used a cowling from 50th V8 90. Hope this helps, Michael

Liquid is lighter than gas (in this case anyway). Autogas systems pick up from the bottom of the tank, (unlike domestic heating LPG systems that take vapour from the top of the tank), so until you run out of LPG all you will get is liquid. Therefore you should not have any problems with engine spluttering due to air getting into the pipes. The only scenario when you could pick up air is if you are running very low on fuel and throw your vehicle into a hard corner or roundabout, thereby causing all the liquid to go to one end of the tank, away from the fuel pick up pipe. Just realised this could also apply for side slopes when off road, but the same can happen to a petrol or diesel engine. Solution - don't run so low on fuel! As you have said, the fuel starvation would only be momentary, so momentum would keep the engine running. Michael

The air gets compessed as you fill the tank, which is why the tank can only be filled to 80% of its volume. For example, my 80 litre tanks can only hold 64 litres of LPG. (There is an automatic shut off valve that controls this.) It is this pressure that then forces the LPG out of the tank again. Also the fact that the LPG is pressurised is what keeps it is liquid form. At atmospheric pressure LPG changes to its gaseous form which is how it is used in the engine. If your tank has 'vented' you have a leak and there won't be any LPG left in there. I suggest you check all your seals and connections before refilling. Michael

A while back I fitted a disk braked rear axle (ex Disco 300Tdi) to my 1986 Ninety in the hope of achieving improved stopping power. I believe this has the same calipers as a Defender. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong) Previously the brakes really were not at all good, despite having renewed pads, disks, rear shoes, fluid, flexi hoses, servo, cylinders etc, calipers rebuilt too, oh and much time spent bleeding the whole system. To say I was a little disappointed to find only marginal improvement was an understatement. I am now in possession of a 300 Tdi brake pedal assembly, with later servo and a new master cylinder that I intend to fit to the Ninety. My questions are do I need to retain the G valve that runs to the rear axle? Could it be that this is this preventing the full capability of the disk brakes at the rear? Assuming what I have said at the top is correct, the 300Tdi master cylinder should be suitably matched to the rear calipers. Do Defenders have any other type of compensating valves in the system? Any comments and advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Michael

Give these guys a call Clicky. I bought an entire CDL system with remote controls. Not the cheapest but excellent OEM quality. The remote ECU can also integrate with their immobilser and alarm systems. You could just add the locking motors to your remote system. Fitting to early lift handle doors is not so easy as the door trim leaves far less room for the gubbins. I also did the back door, again the early type lock. I took the lock apart and modified to suit. Alas I don't have any pictures behind the trim panel or inside the lock. Michael

I use these Durite push switches, as FF says, available from Vehiclw Wiring Products Ref: 48550.

Technology may be advancing, and I accept there may be a safety issue involved, but some competitors do not have cash advancing at the same speed. Plasma is still out of reach for many of us who compete on a limited budget (no strengthened shafts or uber modded winches). We have broken a the odd wire cable and in each case, as said elswhere in this thread, it broke within a few feet of the fairlead, and with little drama. You can buy an awful lot of wire ropes for the cost of a plasma. Where else is a the up and coming competitor going to practice winching techniques? I would not want learners getting something wrong in a comp. Yes I would hope a marshall would capable of giving advice, I too have seen less than safe winch usage at play days. It's a difficult call. I used to be under the impression that one purpose of a sail was to slow down flying winch hooks/tow points that had become detached, now I'm not so sure if that is a valid purpose, given where breakages seem to occur. The visibility issue is, I think, still valid. If you have to winch across a track it helps visibility to other drivers and bystanders. Michael

Hi All My mother has a 2006 model 110 station wagon. Since new it has had a really noisy wiper motor, you can hear it over the wind noise at speed, and over the td5 diesel racket. It also makes conversation quite difficult. The motor on my 22 year old ninety has never been that noisy, although I do get a bit of clattering form the linkage these days. We've had a few 90/110s and Defenders in the family and not experienced this problem before. I suggested that she might have a defective motor, so off to the dealer she went for a warranty claim. It's now had two replacement motors and they're just as noisy. Does anyone else's wiper motor make a lot of noise? I can't believe it should be this bad. Maybe it's just that the motors are made a lot cheaper now in some far away place. Anyone got some thoughts on this matter? Thanks in advance, Michael

You should be looking for 205 / 80 / R16, that is the section of an ordinary 205 x 16, they might be easier to find. Not heard of 205/75s. I have General Grabber APs on the back and Kuhmo something or others on the front, just what was available at the time. This combo seems to handle OK and wear is not that noticeable yet, although I don't do many miles. Michael

Shaft at the circlip end measures Ø26.90, bore of gear is Ø27.00 (this is same as 1 1/16") Shaft and gears look like this How many different types are there? I think my bearing surfaces look better than the shaft you have pictured. I'm dare say what I have will give a good deal more service yet, the whole assembly looks pretty robust.

I managed to get the main shaft out today and most of the parts cleaned up. Serial number is 319493, so as ciderman mentioned this is an early model. Fortunately most bits cleaned up fairly well. The big gears all look almost like new, however the shaft looks like it has spent its life in the sea, but only the gear toothed section! The shaft teeth don't look like they've seen much action since the corrosion, and the mating gear teeth show no signs of damage. So a replacement shaft would be a good idea me thinks. Ciderman, would on of your garage finds suit this age winch, and what sort of £ would you be looking for? The brake discs have shallow grooves worn in them by the rusty balls. The inner cam gear looks to have been grinding against its neighbour as well as the end face being quite pitted. Is the length of this part critical? I am thinking of cleaning the end face on a surface grinder just enough to remove the scoring, 0.1mm should be enough. I think I would have to take off too much to remove the pitting. As well as the brake pads and seals etc I am also going to need one #10-24 x 3/8" long screw that secures the freespool cover plate. One was broken off, but I managed to drill down its middle, and for once an easy out actually worked as intended! Are these screws available as a spare or does someone have any surplus kicking about? More cleaning and titivating tomorrow. Michael

Woohoo! Finally got it apart, as you can see v v v v rusty, although it seems mostly surface rust. Hopefully most parts will clean up OK. The successful method entailed holding the whole assembly by the puller rods and giving repeated blows to the end of the shaft with a copper mallet. Once movement started it was possible to use the puller to complete removal. Fortunately nothing went flying across the floor. Also visible is the lack of brake pad material, a new set will be on order soon. Are the standard pads up to challenge abuse, or is it necessary to fit the upgrade available from Gigglepin? Tomorrow's job is top get the main shaft out of the casing and clean up its diameter. The shaft also seems to be well stuck in. The inside of the gearbox contained something resembling dark treacle, and not much of it, could have been EP140 at one time! Thanks to everyone for their encouragement. Michael

White90, thanks for the excellent link to Gigglepin page, a great assembly guide, if only mine came apart this easily. I get the impression that the main shaft and the bronze bush normally slide out with ease! Not on mine it don't Anyway, here's my latest attempt at pulling the brake assembly off. I have wound the puller (5 tonne supposedly) up as tight as a tight thing and as you can see my home made bit has changed shape and the discs haven't budged at all. There are no obvious signs of damage to the shaft end (other than rust), no signs of weld either. Now looking for a secret hidden grub screw that some joker may have added in the past! GRRRR

Guys, Thanks for all the words of advice so far. I spent last night making a puller adapter to get behind both brake plates. Tonight I hope to have a chance to try it out. Only managing about an hour a night to play at the moment I will certainly try Chunky's suggestion about the Mole grips, my garage playroom has so much cr4p everywhere I'll never find the bits if they fly off in all directions. Definitely against the hammer wacking idea, the casing is far too flimsy to take that kind of abuse. The inner brake disc is free to slide on the shaft but the outer is sure stuck on well. I have polished up the exposed section to help when it does start to move I looked at getting the entire shaft out as Will Warne suggested. I took the top cover off and withdrew the plate that keeps the drum in place and made the unit a bit lighter. However I can't see an easy way to remove the shaft. The outer bearing looks/feels like it is a press fit in the casing, I assume the little bearing the other end is a needle cup, that looks well rusted in place too. I guess it would need pushing from the inner (small) bearing end??? In case anyone is wondering why I am removing the brake assembly it's because the friction pad remains have mostly fallen out! Do all ages of this winch take the same brake friction pads? This unit is a very early one. I do have the serial number, but not to hand right now. Hoping to post pictures of it in pieces tomorrow, not broken ones. Thanks Michael

Just been outside struggling to get the brake assembly off of the 8274. I have read the 8274 rebuild article on Pirate 4x4 which suggests the brake disc doesn't always come off easily. The circlip came off no problem and have set a puller up to pull behind the ratchet wheel. Am I going about this the correct way? Would I be better off trying to pull the whole assembly off in one go? I don't want to put to much pressure on this part and risk breaking it through ignorance. I have been soaking the end of the shaft liberally for the last week, but so far there's no sign of movement. Any advice and tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Michael

Hi, I spent a long time contemplating this problem myself before I converted my Ninety to LPG. One thing to consider is that if you like to take your Landy off road, having a tank underneath is not a great idea anyway. There is very little useable space under an 88" without a fair bit of alteration. I considered using the space where the exhaust silencer is, but decided that it wasn't possible to fit a big enough tank there to be worthwhile. There's not much room behind the rear axle. Also you have to modify the exhaust system, (move the silencer somewhere else,) and having a non-standard system is a pain when you need to replace exhaust parts. I also looked at fitting a tank under the seat box, opposite side to the petrol tank. Again, getting a big enough tank there was the problem. I thought about a small tank each side, and relocating the petrol tank. Now you're looking at a lot more work, and then there's the extra cost of buying two tanks. In the end I conceded that the only solution for me was to put the tank inside. I fitted a single 80 litre tank behind the seats. It's a close fit between the wheel arches and does not stick up about the bulkhead. I think it's possible to get a 90 litre tank that's the same length, just a bigger diameter. For me the options were not ideal, but at least it made running a V8 vaguely affordable. I have lost around 40% of the floor space, but this has not proven too much of a problem. I chose not to build a box around the tank as it leaves more room to stack stuff on top (soft stuff of course). I am sorry to not be able to offer more positive suggestions, but I hope my thoughts will be useful for you. Michael

I know two people with SL35t lumps, one in a 130 and one in a RRC. Both think they are fantastic engines with bundles of torque. Motor and Diesel at Cambridge used to sell conversions for this combination. Don't know if they are the helpful sort?....