pat_pending

Actually it doesn't mention the diff lock, just says main and transfer boxes in neutral. With both boxes in neutral and a prop off it wouldn't really matter if the diff was locked or not. The rollers on a brake tester definitely run faster than the 5kh/h Land Rover recommend, I've done enough MOTs in my time. If you or any MOT tester is happy to go against the advice of both the manufacturer and VOSA, then fair enough.

Not sure where you're going here Western. Earlier you posted that you had no problems with your Land Rover being roller tested. Now what you post up clearly states that Land Rovers are unsuitable for roller testing. Yes, if you remove a propshaft and lock the diff, then the issue is avoided. But...in the context of an MOT, where NO dismantling is allowed, the answer is in the text, don't.

All COIL sprung Land Rovers have permanent 4wd. They have a centre differential to allow variations in axle speed during on road cornering. The centre diff would only be locked where this would cause loss of traction, ie off road. So yes, the diff is normally left unlocked. The problem is, when brake testing on rollers, one axle is stationary whilst the other can run up to 4 or 5 mph, this speed differential is taken up in the centre diff, land Rover recommend that this speed is no higher than 5KH/H. If the manufacturer recommends not to brake test on rollers, as does VOSA via the vehicle specific information contained in the MOT computer database, then any tester who does, leaves themselves liable SHOULD damage occur. The viscous coupling transfer box only came in with 1990 model year Range Rovers, all previous models had a manually lockable centre diff. These will climb out of the rollers as you say. A tapley meter is a decelerometer, it measure the rate of retardation when the brakes are applied, then gives a print out as a % efficiency. This is entered into the MOT computer in a separate box from where normal roller test readings would go. The one Les put up is a modern digital one, the older ones were about a foot square and looked a bit like a ships compass. Put in the passenger footwell, zeroed, then up the road 15-20mph brakes on. Take a reading. They will also measure brake imbalance as they can detect the vehicle slewing sideways under braking.

The transmission wont wind up, it's overspeeding the centre diff that's the problem. You're absolutely correct, Land Rover do say up to 5Km/h is OK, I think brake rollers top out about 4 or 5 MPH. Not much in it i know, but...If the VSI states the vehicle is unsuitable for roller testing and something goes bang when you do, the testing garage is liable. And there is always the potential to do harm that's not immediately apparent We repaired a Suzuki Ignis 4grip last year that had been put on the rollers at another garage, the bill was in four figures.

110 diesel hard top unlevelled suspension, gross 3050kg....unladen weight....1653kg. Straight out of drivers handbook. Highest unladen weight i could find was a 130 crew cab...1946kg. Do you still think you're over 2040kg ?

Thanks, maybe i could knock a few up and flog them to Ashcrofts.

But it's still running the centre differential at a higher speed than Land Rover recommend. If they bothered to read the VSI (Vehicle specific information) displayed when they log the vehicle in, they would see that a permanent 4wd Land Rover is NOT suitable for roller brake testing. With a centre diff in good condition and for the short period it's on the brake tester then no, it probably wont do any immediate damage. With a worn diff, and on a continued basis, they're chancing it. If they do go ahead, and damage the transmission then the garage will be liable for the cost of repairs. Over speeding the centre diff wears the internal thrust washers, this causes poor mesh between the sun and planet gears. The result is clunky transmission and eventual failure/broken gear teeth. This does not happen immediately , it's a gradual process. Next time it's in for an MOT, ask them to print off a copy of the VSI. Then ask them why they are still sticking on the rollers. It's either ignorance, or laziness because they cant be bothered to pop a tapley meter in and run it up the road.

If a vehicle has a DGW under 3500kg, an unladen weight under 2040kg, has four wheel drive and is equipped to carry one or more passengers then it is a "dual purpose" vehicle for MoT purposes and should be tested as class 4. I'm licensed to test class 4 and class 7 although we only do class 4 where i work. Never had a problem testing Land Rovers. When you log the vehicle in for test there is a drop down menu on the computer that asks you what class. Click 4, and away you go. Every testing station has to display the address and phone no of the local VOSA area office for appeals etc. Ring them and they will confirm what class you should be tested as.

The only part that's Discovery is the selector plinth. Started off with a base to mount the selector unit similar to bish, but folded up out of steel. I then mounted a Disco plinth on top. Took an 07 Defender cubby tray and cut out an aperture for the plinth to poke through with the Disco surround to finish it off. I then fitted a wooden box made to the same shape as the cubby tray and trimmed with black vinyl and dropped the tray back over. The tray is held down with M6 screws into riv-nuts in the steel base, this holds the wooden box down which is also a snug fit around the base. Finished off with a net pocket on the front face. It sounds simple enough but it took a lot of hours working out sizes, dimensions etc. I also had to modify the R/R selector to take the Disco "T" shifter. I'm pleased with the result and the whole thing comes apart in minutes to service any of the components. Total cost in s/h bits, about £30, took about a year to source it all though. If you want to copy it, there is of course a.....Pat Pending.

A Couple of Pictures Of Mine.

Depends what carbs you've got. There were a few SU carbed ZF auto Range Rovers built. I think they were either police or base fleet models, Anyway, all the bits are in the parts catalouge. I converted a number of V8 carbed Land Rovers to auto back in the 80s and used all standard L/R parts. If you have Strombergs then you would have to adapt the linkage from an earlier Torqueflite equipped Range Rover. The linkage on these is completely different but you should be able to fab' something up.

I think the problem arises because the bolts not only have to hold the flange to the hub in tension, they also have to transmit the drive, in shear. There is clearance around the bolts in the flange allowing a small amount of twist. The flange is always going to work loose no matter how tight you get the bolts. You need to prevent the twist by securely locating the flange to the hub. The answer i would imagine, would be to counter bore the hub and flange and fit hardened hollow dowels to take the shear force. Not sure there is enough material around the bolt holes though. Another possibility would be to get special bolts with a precision ground shank that would be a tight fit through the flange and into a counter bore in the hub.

Alternator seems a tad on the low side but not necessarily a problem, they normally kick out 14.5v. Now i know two friends who both bought Optimas, both had problems with them self discharging if left for a while. When i worked for a Chrysler dealer, they fit Optimas as standard, we used to change loads under warranty for the same problem. The general opinion was that they were carp. But... in the "off road" world everyone seems to rave about them. Now you may have a current drain and the battery is fine, but that is my experience of Optimas. To check for a current drain, disconnect the earth lead and connect a test meter set to 10 Amps between the battery - post and the disconnected lead. Should read about 0.05 amp max with everything off. Most common causes of battery drain..interior lights not going off...Aftermarket alarm/immobilisers...faulty alternators. Let us know how you get on.

I converted my 110 td to 200 tdi and auto. I used a modified v8 zf 4 speed and an m&d conversion plate. This does away with the need for the proper tdi auto back plate and box. I picked the bits up second hand. I don't know if they still produce them anymore, now that there are a lot of scrap Discos about. If you don't want to end up spending loads of money and huge aggro, find a 200 auto disco and you'll have nearly all the bits you need. I had to source all sorts of odd bits. The transmission on mine is about 4" longer than the manual so i had to re-drill the gear box mounting holes in the chassis. The n/s v8 auto box mount needed modifying as the v8 sits central in the chassis and the 4 pots are all offset to the n/s. Proper Disco bits should drop straight in, although i don't know if the Disco auto box is the same length so you may still have to move the transmission back. On a 110 the x member behind the seat box needed modifying as well, as the trans' is further back you can't get the h/brake drum off otherwise. I think you should be OK on a 90 though, even if the the trans' does have to go back. Lots of faffing about mix n match on the hi/lo-diff lock linkage as well. Lt 77 tunnel needs modifying, i got a 380 tunnel but that wouldn't fit either. I moved my rad back an inch or so at the bottom to get the standard oil cooler in without removing the bonnet landing panel supports. Had to get the front prop lengthened and the rear shortened. I also made up a new centre console to house the auto selector using an 07 defender cubby tray. Doable, yes. Time consuming, very. If you're interested i could get some pics up of mine. Well actually i couldn't, I'm a numpty with computers! but when one of my kids comes round I'm sure they could.

Try your local bearing supplier, lots of them do shafts, pulleys and drive belts. I'm sure they'd be able to match it up.

We have to have all our waste fluids taken away by licenced carrier, all in separate drums, A/F, oil, brake fluid and mixed fuels. Costs a small fortune, so we have to add an environmental disposal charge to peoples bills. So if you take it to your local garage, don't be surprised if they charge. The pink L/R stuff is supposed to be biodegradable but ethylene glycol is most certainly not, and its poisonous to all sorts of things. So whatever you do, don't pour it down the drain.

I use ordinary zinc rich primer from my local body shop suppliers, it's grey, but they stick some black pigment in it for me for nowt. I then thin it down with cheap standard thinners, about 50/50. soaks right into the surface and all the nooks and crannies. 2 or 3 coats then finish off with standard chassis black.

As Pod says, torque converter should be on the box. There are 2 sets of splines to line up, the input shaft and the stator support, and then the oil pump drive tangs. At this point the converter should sit well back in the bell housing. To stop it sliding forward when you fit the box, drill a 3mm hole each side of the bell housing a little way back from the face of the converter, then pass some soft steel wire through in front of the converter, and secure each side. When the box is in, the wire can be pulled through and the holes filled with silicone sealer. You can then line up the holes in the flex plate with the converter. Loctite all the bolts and get all of them started before finally tightening up.

You need two lengths of tube. tube 1 needs to be about 3mm wall with an id that's just smaller than the 1/2 shaft od. Make 3 cuts about 4" lengthways in one end. weld a bolt with a thread suitable for a slide hammer in the other. Tube 2 needs to be as thick wall as will fit in the axle case and a slide fit over tube 1. It also needs to be 5-6" longer than tube 1 with a chamfer in the id at one end. Drift tube 1 over the 1/2 shaft, the 3 cuts will allow the tube to expand and be a tight fit on the broken end. Slide tube 2, chamfer end first, over tube 1 with some grease, put a big washer over the end and a nut on the welded in bolt. tightening the nut will force the outer tube over the inner and clamp the inner onto the broken shaft like a drill chuck. when you've pulled the outer down as far as you can, fit the slide hammer to the bolt, give the whole lot a good wiggle and bang it out. Success depends on getting the sizes right on everything, quality of the tube and your welding. I've shifted some tight buggers like this, good luck.

I did say 10 PASSENGER seats. 3 each side at the back=6. 3 in the 2nd row, 1 in the front, 6+3+1, that makes 10 by my maths. Your vehicle would have left the factory with 12 seats, 11+the driver. That's the maximum design capacity. As harle said, it would originally have had one in the centre at the front. This has obviously been removed already, as you stated in your original post there was one passenger seat in addition to the drivers seat in the front. The law states..9 to 16 PASSENGER seats= minibus=D1 and over 21. When logging an MOT i am required to fill in a box that asks "no' of seats excluding the driver" though this does not appear on your certificate. So in the case of your vehicle i would enter 10. This is then recorded at VOSA. Also as harle states, later vehicles did have a different no' of seats by design. But these have a totally different seating arrangement. It wont matter who you speak to at Land Rover, their opinion is worthless unless they have actually seen the vehicle and are prepared to put it in writing. Even then it only states what's there at the time they examined it as it's possible to make subsequent alterations. If you ask enough people, I'm sure someone will tell you what you want to hear, but... In the event of a mishap your vehicle will be examined by a nice gentleman from VOSA, who will I'm sure confirm what everyone has told you already, you have 10 passenger seats. His word is the only one that will count in court. As the vehicle can be altered after leaving the factory, even the original build record wont count, and the type approval will only state the MAXIMUM no' of seats that may be fitted. If you drive this vehicle as it is, you are unlicenced and uninsured. Having had my bike written off and been hospitalised by an uninsured driver I'm afraid it's a bit of a sore point with me.

OK, so if the inward seats were designed to take 2 people, how did Land Rover achieve a TWELVE seater? There are as i said, shorter seats that are only for 2, but they are not the seats that the vehicle would have come with originally. Who did you speak to at Land Rover, what was their technical qualification, how did they arrive at their decision without seeing the vehicle and are they prepared to put it in writing? You want a definitive answer? well as a Land Rover trained technician and MOT tester with 30 years experience i would consider your vehicle, as you have described it, to have 10 passenger seats regardless of how many seat belts were fitted. Definitive enough? I don't mean to sound nasty, but we're trying to help. There are enough uninsured drivers on the road already. Replacement seats that would, without doubt satisfy the law are not expensive, or just remove one of your existing ones. Is it not better to be sure now than have to argue about it in court later if the worst should happen?

If you've had the head off AND had it skimmed the chances of any of the valve clearances being correct are zero. Check all the clearances, i should think the valves are all being held open.

Disagree all you like, the fact is the rear side facing seats were designed to take THREE, that's why they have three seat belts as you pointed out in your first post. Land Rover designed the vehicle to take twelve people. Unless you physically alter the seating you are breaking the law by driving it, sorry if you don't like the answer but it's tough. You may be happy with your decision but the law isn't and neither will anyone you may be involved in an accident with when you're found to be unlicensed and uninsured. You could replace the inward facing seats with the shorter ones from a 90 or 88 s/w, those ARE designed for 2, and with no centre front seat that would give you 8 passenger seats and keep you within the law. And if you're so confident, why ask the question on here in the first place?

Quoting what someone at Land Rover told you over the phone will not stand up in a court of law. Removing seat belts does not alter the seating capacity, you have to remove the seats as well. My 110 came from the factory as a twelve seater with no belts on any of the rear seats. 9 to 16 passenger seats=minibus=D1 licence minimum age=21 If you drive this vehicle as it is, you will be unlicensed and uninsured. Not all insurance companies will accept seat removal either, if it was once a 12 seater that's what they still regard it as.

If you put it in a box anywhere in the passenger compartment make sure the box can be sealed against acid escape should you roll it. As for ventilation, you just need a breather pipe to the underside of the vehicle. There are plenty of cars with the battery tucked away in the boot with only minimal venting. Oh and make sure the thing's secure within the box.