Santiago

Thanks for your opinion Aragorn. I am afraid you may be right and it was not necessary to do this but I ahve met many others saying te opposite. Since I could not come to a definite answer I decided to give it a try. Some people scared me saying this filter (Td5) is way too small and that it could eventualy collapse.

Would a combination of straights and curves of blue silicone hose be another option? The distance I need to cover is about 1 metre and a half.

Hello, I am changing the air filter for my International HS 2.8 TGV engine. I had the original square and relatively small Td5 air filter installed (my truck was a Td5 until the previous owner installed a 2.8 TGV engine) and now I have decided to adapt the cilindrical and much bigger air filter that came with Ford Ranger 2.8 pickups (same engine) until recently in South America. This air filter has 85% more surface area than the square Td5 filter. I have purchased the new F Ranger cilindrical air box and filter in a Ford dealer and I am currently adapting it to my Defender 110. I thought about installing the original 300 Tdi cilindrical air filter but it looks like the Ford Ranger filter is even bigger so I decided to go for it. My mechanic is suggetsing using PVC pipes (sold as water pipes) which are 8cms in diameter (which is the diameter of the exit pipe in the Ford Ranger air filter box) in order to make the connection betweeen the air filter and the VNT turbo because the original Td5 flexible black air hose is not long enough. My first question is: are PVC pipes OK for this job? Should they do OK with the relatively high temperatures of the engine bay? He is planning to glue these piepes together..... The job seems is pretty staright forward but is delicate since any mistake may be risky for the engine in the future if anything fails. Any other considerations I should bear in mind for this job? I have seen some pictures of 2.8 engines in Defenders and it seems some people have used stainless steel pipes to make the connections. is this the best (and most expensive) way to go about doing this job? ANY suggestions or comments will be of great help. THANKS in advance Regards, Santiago

Milsiey and Cipx2: Thans guys, this is all very useful information. I appreciate it. Regards, Santiago

Hi Milsiey, That sounds like THE answer to my question. Thanks a lot. Very clear explanation on how to use it by the way. Do you know: a) where it was made? B) for how long (or at least until when)? c) how much did it cost/does it cost. (mine is new and I may sell it) Thanks again Cheers from Mendoza Santiago PS: it was interesting to see the different answers I got for the same question: 1) boat anchor, 2) "dog anchor" 3) portable shooting target (US forum) and, finally: 4) Terra Grip

Thank's guys that beach anchor looks very similar but: It lacks the spring and joint mechanism which my anchor has. Where you see the spring in my anchor the shaft is not continuous and breaks at an angle when pushed with some force. Any idea what that is for? I was told it was a winch anchor......maybe I was cheated after all. Thanks for your help

Nobody has seen this winch anchor before? Maybe it is home-made then, but I doubt it... Any commernts will be helpful!

Hi, Any body knows what type of winch anchor this is? Anybody has seen it before? Who builds it? How much does it cost? I bought it with a bunch the recovery gear but I have never seen it before nor do I know how to use it. Thanks in advance. Cheers, Santiago

I would not bet on it but it is very easy to try, fast and cheap (as long as vinegar is cheap!). Wish you success. After fitting a fan shroud (i do not have any) I may try an uprated radiator, either from Pendy (US D 90 forum) or from the UK (allisport or Brunel) Thanks Cheers Stgo

JST: I will tell you what I did yesterday which seemed to solve the problem. Not 100% sure it was the reason why the water level started comming down again but at least it s easy to try: I suspected it may have been due to the expansion tank cap not working properly so I decided to take it out and leave it under vinegar for a few hours (I heard this receipe ins local LR forum). The idea is that the vinegar removes any salts (?) that may be preventing the valve in the expansion tank cap from working properly. I then washed the cap in water and isntalled it. I then drove the truck until it got to running temperature (it was HOT here yesterday, >30Celsius) and then let it cool down and IT WORKED....now the water level comes down to level. Not sure if I solved it or it fixed on its own... JImAttril: I have 1 electric fan in front of the AC radiator. Do you suggest installing an electrical connection so that I can turn it on on demand? For example when climbing steep hills at low speeds? I guess that should be very easy to do, correct? Headhunter: which high output radiator did you buy and where? Do you know the price?Does it fit perfectly if relpacing a OEM 300TDi radiator? Finally, where do you have the electric fan that you switch on? In front of the second radiator (cool charger radiator panel)? Do you have one fan "sucking" air (the original fan, located next the engine) and one fan "pushing" air through the two radiators (the latter on demand) ? Thanks all for your help! Cheers, Santiago

I just unscrewed the cover of the expansion reservoir and the water level instantly fell to where it should be (half the expansion tank). Does this mean that the valve in the cap of the expansion reservoir is not working properly and letting air in and out asi it should be? Help! Cheers,

HI, I have a 2.8 HS International engine adapted to an originally Td5 Defender and until yesterday I had not had any problems with engine temperature. Yesterday I took it to the mountains and after a very long and steep section (kms and kms of climbing at 20 to 30kms per hour, the final part in 1st and 2nd low gear because it was VERY steep terrain) the engine water temperature got up to 97C (207F). I undertsand this temperature may still be OK for this engine (according to the PDF version of the 2.8HS engine manual the maximum oprating temperature is 102C or 215F) but I had never seen it rise so high so I am a bit worried. I had recently changed all the cooling fluid in my Defender 110 trying not to leave any air bubbles in the system. This morning I decided to check if this was OK to try to understand if the cause of the high temperature yesterday was related to air in the system. I unscrewed the disaeration plug (original black plastic plug) located in the upper part of the thermostat housing and found that it was not filled with water/collant up to the top but instead I just found air....... Is this correct? I suspected it was not so I then usncrewed the cover of the cooling system expansion reservoir. This made water come down from the expansion reservoir (I have the original Td5 cooling system expansion resrvoir and it is located slightly higher than the termostat housing), displacing the air out of the thermostat housing. I then screwed the black plastic plug on top of the thermostat housing back in and filled up the expansion reservoir to level. Then I run the engine , water level in the expansion resvoir raised about an inch while engine was running. The thing is after I let the engine cool down completely I found the level on the expansion tank did not go down to level again. I checked again unscrewing the disaeration plug on top of the thermostat housing to find that it was filled with air again!!!! What am I doing wong? Is it OK to have the thermostat housing filled with air instead of water when you remove the disaeration plug? If not, how do I get rid of this air? Could this air be affecting the cooling in my engine? The only other difference in my engine since last summer is that I installed an aftermarket AC system during the winter and the AC radiator is located in front of the engine radiator. Could this be causing the decrease in cooling? I will really appreciate any help since I need to travel about 1,200kms tis week and it is summer down here, with themperatures in the order of 95 to 100F. Thanks in advance! Cheers, Santiago

Thanks Jim, Do you know if the brass plug is the same size/thread as for the 300 tdi? I am planning on buying some stuff in Expedition exchange in the US soon and I wonder whether this plug will fit my 2.8: Expeditionware Brass Plug (EW32) $20 The coolant I used was pure, GOOD quality Texaco stuff so the 5.5 litres I added should be OK. Many people down here use 15% coolant in their vehicles and say you are crazy using 40 to 50%..........probably they are trying to save money but it may end up being expensive in the long run. Cheers Santiago

Hi, I just changed the coolant/water mixture in my Defender. The engine is an International 2.8 TGV and the radiator from a 300 Tdi. According to the Defender manual the capacity of the cooling system is 11.2 litres for the 300Tdi engine. I filled it with only 10 litres (aproximately 50/50 coolant and distilled water) of liquid. My questsion is: a) does the 2.8 have less coolant capacitiy than the 300Tdi ? (it doens' t sound right) or B) did not all of the coolant exit the system when I drained it and therefore I had to add less coolant afterwards? c) I tried to make a 50/50 mixture of Texaco anticoolant and water to get the maximum protection against freezing temperatures (maybe too much but you never know where you end up) but it probably ended up being 55 coolant /45 water, is there any problem with this? d) finally, the plug located over my thermostat is a plastic one (black colour). Do you agree it is worth changing it for a brass plug like I some people say is worth doing with the 300Tdi plug? I´ve heard the metal plug is stronger and does not break like the plastic one. Is it the same plug/thread for the 300Tdi and for the 2.8? Thanks Cheers, Santiago

Well.....it seems it is not popular in the UK and aparrently proshafts comming loose is not common. The school of thought that opposes putting these straps down here claims it will be risky when using the vehicle off road beacuse the strap can get caught by a rock, etc while the people who agree it is something worth doing say you loose nothing by installing it....... My thinking has alway been: if these things are not installed by factory (and they would certainly no be expensive to fit) there must be a reason... Thanks Santiago

Hi, Another issue regarding safety in a LR Defender that I hear a lot about but can´t make up my mind whether it is correct or not: Is it a wise idea to fit chains or rubbers straps under the fron and rear propshafts in order to prevent the front of the shaft falling to the floor (with the risk that the shaft falls into a pothole or fissure in the road and sends the vehicle out of control)? Some people here say it is safer to fit this kind of strap or chain so that if a universal joint fails then the porpshaft will not fall to the floor. Is fitting these straps a good idea? Is it popular in the UK as a safety measure? I am referring to something like this: Thanks for your opinions Regards SG

Bogmonster, Actually I am not 100% sure it is a Td5 and not a Td4, I will check. Thanks for your very clear explanation about VIN numbers and chasis numbers. I appreciate your help. I will go to sleep with more peace of mind now..... THANKS! Santiago

Hello, I am trying to match the chasis number in my Defender 110 Td5 (year 2000) with the VIN number. I do not know where to get the VIN number from. My chasis number is : SALLDHM88YA187389 Anybody has a table which links chasis numers to the VIN? Why am I trying to get the VIN for my vehicle? There recently was a fatal accident involving a LR Defender Td5 in a road in Argentina and according to the investigation the problem was that the rear axle of the Defender came loose (while the vehicle was driving OK at 110/120kms hour along a straight, flat, paved road). The vehicle was in perfect conditions, had 100K kms mainly along paved roads, only had 1 owner and had been properly maintained. According to the investigation the rear radius arm (or maybe the A bar, not sure which) came loose and that triggered the accident. This description on the local news and through the web of the incident triggered opinions by LR owners, one of which mentioned that there was a warning or recall by Land Rover which took place last February. According to the comment I read there has been a problem with the welding of the base or support of the rear A bar. The problem would be related to LR Defender 90, 110 and 130 with VIN numbers between LD736064 and LD752152. I thought the best place to confirm or discard this data would be in England and in this FORUM Has anybody heard about this problem before? Can anybody confirm or correct this information? I am of course concerned since I travel with my family often and would like to confirm if this information is correct and if it is, if my veicle is or is not included in the batch of vehicles with problems. I will really appreciate any help on this. Thanks in advance Regards, Santiago

Anybody has availabe the part number for the following Land Rover genuine parts in order to confirm (or correct) the following: Front dampers: the ones I have installed are part # RNB 103720 and I ned to change them; I've been told they are the original factory ones but the official LR dealer is offering the part number RSC 100050 as the genuine LR replacement. Is there a mistake or part numbers have changed? Rear dampers: I've been offered part # RPM 100080 by the official LR dealer, is this correct? Rear Springs: I've been offered part # RRC 3266 as the genuine LR part by the official LR dealer, is it correct? They should be the ones that correspond to a Defender 110 Td5, year 2000. Thank you in advance

Litch, Yep I will change my rear springs, probably for genuine LR ones. I've checked and there is no chasis damage (relief), but thanks for reminding me. Cheers Santiago

Anybody has opinion/experience on Pro Comp springs and shocks? Been told they have +2 inches of lift (spings) and travel (shocks). Cheers, SG

Hi, sorry to jump in but I am currenty facing the same issues. I've been told Armstrong dampers are exactly the same as the original LR dampers, is it correct? I have found out prices for both here (Argentina) and the original Land Rover ones (bought at an official LR dealer) cost double than the Armstrong ones which I am being told are exactly the same dampers that are provided to Land Rover. Does this sound like correct? Also, my springs are LR original and 8 years old and the vehicle sags quite a lot on 1 side in the rear. I´ve tried to level it using spcers on that side but it still looks unleveled. Does it sound like it needs new springs?

Thanks Thirsty Beast for your opinion! Any comments on Britpart HD front springs? I've been offered a pair of Britpart +40mm springs for the front of my winch equipped Defender 110. The seller claims they can be used with standard hight LR springs in the back. I usaually use my Defender unladen. Cheers

Thanks guys for all that great information! Regarding Super Pro bushes, are they stiffer than original LR rubber bushes? Why are they better than original LR rubber bushes? Last longer? Better ride? Allow more (or less?) axle articulation? Do they come in diferent versions as Polybush? How do prices compare with LR rubber bushes? THANKS and sorry for so many questions! Santiago

Thanks for your opinions guys. Seems like OME is a good option, anybody had bad results from OME springs or shock absorbers? 110 USA: I understand that RoversNorth sells OME kits. Regarding bushes I have not read previous (controversial ?) posts about it in this FORUM (I will do a search later) but I´ve heard several complaints down here (Argentina) and I believe I am going to stick with original LR rubber bushes. Cheers Santiago