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pat_pending

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Posts posted by pat_pending

  1. Technology is great, but only when it's applied constructively.

    The problem is, give the average motorist sat nav' and they will lose the ability to read a map or even be aware of where they're going. Give them ABS, traction control, assisted cornering, and they lose the ability to drive, they don't have to think anymore. Then when it all goes t*ts up, well, it must be someone elses fault, so sue.

    Anyway, here's a question for you.

    What was the best era for the right balance between good old simple engineering and new technology.

    The 80s gets my vote.

  2. From your description of the symptoms i would suggest some or all of your glow plugs are not working.

    If the glow plugs are not working then there will be unburnt diesel in the cylinders and exhaust due to continual cranking when trying to start it from cold.

    When it does fire this unburnt fuel will give you WHITE smoke.

    BLACK smoke is an excess of burnt fuel, could be caused by a lack of air (blocked air cleaner) or over advanced pump timing, faulty pump or injectors.

    Also, glow plugs can get hot but still not work properly, (they don't get hot enough). Any good diesel specialists should have the kit to test them, (check the current draw) but they're not that expensive and it's probably worth just sticking new ones in anyway.

  3. i know a bloke with a merlin in his barn, out of a tank, HUGE the exhausts on the thing are longer than i am runnin straight back from the heads :D

    he wants to build it into a 2 seater, might take him a decade or two tho :D

    Someone built a Merlin engined car back in the 70s. In fact i think there was more than one.

    Used to show up at Drag race meets and custom car shows. Wonder where they are now?

  4. I've done this to my 110 ex TD. Fitted a 200 tdi Defender lump that sits where the old engine did, an M&D conversion plate and a modified V8 auto box. The trans' sits 4" further back, this has meant modded props, trans tunnel, chassis X member and g/box mounts.

    As others have said, by far the easiest way to go is buy a complete 300tdi auto Disco. Then everything sits where it should.

    Buying all the bits individual is expensive and time consuming.

  5. Well, I've always defined a fitter as just that, someone who fits things, tyres, exhausts brakes etc.

    A mechanic is someone who can repair/overhaul/make or modify.

    Please don't tar all garages or mechanics with the same brush. There maybe some really bad ones out there, but there are a lot of really good ones.

    I don't think you are any more likely to be ripped off by a garage than you are by any other tradesman, it's just that people will always visit garages more often than they will use plumbers, builders or decorators, so statistically you are bound to have more bad experiences.

    As for dealer labour rates, as the profit margin on a new cars is really quite small, how do you think they pay for...

    Heating, lighting,reception staff, admin, accounts, parts staff, car valeters, drivers, telephonists, cleaners, then there's insurance, business rates, rent, training, special tools, courtesy cars, parts in stock, cars in stock, building and equipment maintenance and host of other costs?

    If you think the motor trade is a licence to print money your very wrong.

    Mechanics are not that well paid and have to buy all their own hand tools, mine are worth over £30,000 at last valuation.

    Modern cars are changing all the time and we have to buy new tools and keep up to date with all the technology.

    Manufacturers are often very poor with backup and technical infomation, they don't pay us the same labour rate for warranty as we charge customers for retail work(a lot less) and are very strict in what they will and will not pay us for. We can waste days searching for obscure intermittent faults without a hope of ever getting the money back. Then there is all the time we waste on customers vehicles with non existent faults because they don't understand how things work or can't be bothered to read their handbook.

    Some of us try very hard to look after our customers in what can be a very demanding and stressful job.

    Sorry to go on but I get fed up of people knocking the trade because of a few bad experiences.

    Thanks, Pat. Time served, 30 years experience, workshop foreman, MOT tester... and all round good guy. ;)

  6. Never heard of them, but at that price i'd expect it's just a bare crack tested rebored block less pistons with maybe new core plugs and a thread inspection and a clean. Exchange rather than outright too.

    So, rebore at say £30 a bore= £120, £20 for a chemy clean, a few £s worth of core plugs and an hours labour.

  7. The engine will bolt straight in.

    You will need the TD down pipe and intermediate pipe, then it will mate to the rest of your existing system.

    You need the turbo to air cleaner hose and the adapter that takes the crankcase breather onto the air cleaner.

    You cant swop injection pumps as the TD one has a boost sensor fitted to provide extra fuel with boost pressure.

    If yours doesn't have an oil cooler in the rad you'll also need a TD radiator.

    If you don't want to buy an engine crane look in yellow pages under tool hire shops.

    It's worth fitting a new cam belt and possibly a clutch and dealing with any obvious oil leaks before the engine goes in.

  8. To reply in a similar advocate styleee.

    If they come that tact then they must be aware as to wether an SVA or something similar is required, therefore they must shoulder some blame as well. They accepted the risk on the information that I gave them. And I've been honest with all the mods I've done. Bobbed/traybacked etc. Not as clear cut as it first seems

    Ah yes, they may well be aware that SOME vehicles require an SVA, but the onus is on YOU to have checked.

    They would make the assumption you had and it wasn't required.

    They have huge legal dept's that will fire off arguments like these for months on end. However right you feel you might be, it's no consolation while your truck sits rusting in a compound.

    Anyone who's had to wrangle with an insurance company knows what a bunch of a***holes they can be.

  9. So where would you stand if you had a trayback/bobtailed/kingcabbed vehicle and provided photos of all the work done, declared all the work in writing. Surely you have given the insurance company all the info they need to make a quote. You haven't hidden anything or tried not to disclose any information

    OK, let's play Devils advocate.

    I, as the insurance company would say...YOU should have been aware that your truck was required to have undergone an SVA test. Had it done so, and subsequently been issued with a Q plate, we MAY have assesed the insurance risk differently.

    In this case we MAY declare your policy void due to the non disclosure of a material fact that could affect our risk.

  10. Yes of course, but what is the legislation? I can't find it on the net, I suspect it may be enlightening.

    As Bish said of SVA men at VOSA "They were a little curious as to why the DVLA wanted an SVA done" There is a lack of consistency between the DVLA and VOSA which suggests they are viewing the requirement of the law differently.

    I think you may need to plough through the construction and use regulations with all it's amendments.

    Of course it is possible that DVLA/VOSA are applying the rules incorrectly. But if they are, you would have to be prepared to take them on in court to prove it.

    In the mean time flouting the rules and just ignoring them (whether they're right or wrong) can do the modified vehicle movement no good at all.

  11. I'm not convinced the problem is as bad as we perceive on this forum, having spoken to two MOT inspectors and a traffic policeman who had no idea what a bobtail was. No one I spoke to was aware of any clampdown or impending widespread snatch and crush.

    For most people I would imagine that insurance is the biggest issue. My understanding is that if you have paid your insurance, they must pay out on a third party claim, regardless. You can be speeding, high and drunk and they will still pay. They have the right to try and reclaim this money from you, but it is extremely rare.

    So i would contend that if you have advised of all modifications it's not worth losing much sleep about. After all, how many drivers manage even one day without breaking at least one motoring law, and to my mind I'm not convinced any law is being broken.

    Look at the kit car forums; they have SVA engines, bodywork and lights, passed from one car to another, the cars are changed after test, withot widespread litigation or insurance issues.

    It's been previously discussed, MOT and SVA are two completely separate issues.

    If the law requires your modified truck to undergo an SVA and it hasn't, you're breaking the law.

    At what rate they catch up with all the modified trucks remains to be seen, but they will. At that Point it's too late.

    MOT examiners are obliged to report seriously modified vehicles,(even if they pass them) though in practice most are unaware or dont bother.

    You wont know yours has been reported until you get a letter requesting a vehicle examination.

    If you happen to have built a hybrid and been running it (illegally) as tax exempt, it's always possible they may try to do you for the back tax you should have paid if you'd registered it properly when you built it.

  12. Originally they where only fitted to the rear of 110 csw's together with the Boge self leveller and softer rear springs. So they wouldn't be on pick ups, or hard tops or if HD non levelled suspension had been specified on a csw.

    Then it all gets a bit confusing with the advent of the 300 tdi, and then td5, when they could also be found on the front and rear of 90s 110s and 130s as standard, but SOME suspension options still did not have them. They were also optional/standard fit on later RRCs and then Discos.

    So the brackets being on the chassis is no indication of whether they should be there or not, it's what SPRINGS are fitted that decide.

    If a vehicle is fitted with springs designed to be used in conjunction with anti roll bars then removal of the bars IS an MOT fail.

    So how does an MOT examiner know if anti roll bars should be fitted or not ?.....He probably wont have a clue (though he might).

    If you fit OE springs designed to run without them, remove them.

    If you have aftermarket springs and the manufacturer states that they can be used without anti roll bars then it's OK to remove them.

    Otherwise don't or risk an MOT fail.

  13. Well you said the problem seemed to start after the starter was replaced, the earth lead attaches to one of the starter mounting bolts, it's difficult to see and is often forgoten when refitting, that's why i sugested it may be the cause.

    Be aware though that it may have been moved/replaced in the past. The important thing is that you have a good earths from the bulkhead/engine/chassis to battery SOMEWHERE.

    The engine to chassis earth often fails on Discoverys, though it still looks OK, leading to the engine earthing via the hand brake cable melting the nylon liner in the process.

  14. Starter connections are as jim said above. The earth lead at the gear box earths the engine block/transmission straight back to the battery, but the body electrics require an earth path from the body via the chassis (where they bolt together) and then to the engine block, the chassis to engine block earth runs between the tag on the chassis that the n/s inner wing bolts to and the lower starter motor mounting bolt.

    Try running a lead from the battery earth post to a good clean point on the bulkhead and see if this cures the problem. This will confirm that you have a missing/poor earth somwhere between the two.

  15. If you're getting 1 bar boost under load then the turbo/wastegate are working ok.

    Has this drop in performance happened suddenly or has it been a gradual drop off ?

    What is the performance like through the gears ? Is it getting to max revs ?

    Lots of things can cause this, have you checked the basics, when were the valve clearances last done, stretched timing belt, pump timing slightly out ? Does it smoke at idle or under load ?

  16. Sounds like an earth fault. Make sure the earth lead between the starter mounting bolt and the chassis has been refitted and is clean and tight. Also check the earth point located on the drivers side of the upper bulkhead in the engine bay ( 4 or 5 wires with ring terminals screwed to the bulkhead).

  17. I've used Sikaflex and a few countersunk pop rivets. The countersunk rivets aren't as strong as domed rivets on thin panels hence the added sikaflex.

    If you push some filler into the hole in the middle they look like factory spot welds after painting.

    By using both rivets and bonding you can line everything up first, drill holes for the rivets and then be certain that it's all in the right place when it goes back on with the bond, also it wont move while it sets and you have all the joints clamped up tight.

  18. If the filter's not been off and the oil's still in the sump, it shouldn't need to be primed. If however you want/need to, the easiest way is to pop the filter off, unbolt the bottom of the pump and pack the gears with vaseline (NOT grease, cos it blocks the lifters, vaseline just dissolves) bolt back up and if it's a new filter make sure it's full of oil before you fit it.

    Fire up and you should have near instant oil pressure.

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