uazvet

Hi All The vepskii site has loads of info about specs and regs etc, but nothing about location of base camp - anyone got gps coordinates? Thinking about visiting and cheering youse all on!

hi i bought my 97/r reg v8 es with 60k off ebay sight unseen, the seller was straightforward and easy to deal with. I paid 2400gbp which maybe high for some and whilst it certainly was not the cheapest i believed it represented good value for money - and now 7.000 miles across europe 3 months AND a trophy offroad event later it hasnt missed a beat - so my advice present it fairly and squarely and let the market determine the value (price is a relative thing!) Ebay has its critics but at least sellers have an opp to clearly present their vehicle, autotrader is all colour, model, price - no indepth info and the need for alot of visits for those prospective buyers.

cheers for reply bogmonster - sounds like its gonna involve effort, so i guess i will live with it btw the abs works fine despite the warning light - so no big deal i suppose.

have used search 'abs light' no clear result - so asking, since taking a dunk the abs light remains on. I have checked underbonnet fuse and in car fuse box, both OK. Though on a spare set of aftermarket pads there's a cable connector, but after poking my head under the arch to look inside at caliper cannot see where cable/connector is hooked up Is it a simple fix? mainly because if the job involves anything more than droping a wheel off and cleaning a connector then I'll leave well alone because it's absolutely sweltering here 40+degs and i've got beer to drink! Cheers All

ahemm, I'll second that! otherwise upto the headlights no problem!!!

careful with the choice of pipe, we had a homemade one on a previous car, the tube material was similiar to the grey drainpipe stuff you may be using - beware it can be quite brittle, ours shattered within 10 mins after hacking through a forest of overhanging branches:) didnt do much for the headlight glass, windscreen and bumper for that matter :

you can imagine how un-nerving it was for me on the last night at the awards ceremony, a couple of hundred russians wasted on vodka swinging guns about! yeah, honduras trophy is a proper mad event

The Honduras Trophy (set in Russia!) has been a top event in the Black soil region of Russia over the years. I have competed every year since it started. Really spooked the Russians when I first turned up unable to speak a word of the lingo and hand signals were the only means of communicating, but after the first outing it was made very clear to me that I was very welcome - vodka, backslapping, and fits of laughter at my muppet attempts to traverse the terrain won me friends! I was 'awarded' a Klashnikov AK74 for my 'spirit' at the end of my first Honduras. First prize was an anti-aircraft gun (serious no-joke!) However, after the first couple of years things got a bit too competitive with the organisers bowing to pressure from the semi-pro classes and the run-what-you-brung crew got a little left out. Though that said we are always treated well and able to compete in the events, events that have included a 48hr non-stop rally raid in the past. This year they experimented with a new format for the events, instead of a couple of big do's during the year its gone into a staged event, that has meant its now both much smaller, shorter (single days), and with fewer competitors. We hope they will go back to the old format next year, with long weekender events, plenty of parties!, loads of press and special events. Heres a link to the photogallery of past honduras events, you'll get a gist of whats what! http://www.honduras-trophy.ru/fotogal/ BTW I fried the cd changer under the seat but the ECU is thankfully intact

Yesterday, my bog standard V8 auto went for a swim! The chap in the photo is my Russian co-driver, the man responsible for treading the path first before commiting me - needless to say our swim was followed with an expletive filled discussion. Our little folly into completely unprepared offroad racing (a decision made whilst totally sloshed the night before at base camp) resulted in nothing worse than some soiled carpets and pants, the loss of two front fog lights, both headlight glass cracked, and an abs light that refuses to go out! After being towed out by a Russian Uaz jeep she started on the button once the dizzycap was wiped glean of gunk. The exhaust pipe provided a water fountain display, think the water plugging the exhaust caused the engine to stop while we were submerged doh!- though strange, I thought the pressure would have kept the water out of the system Who says V8's cannot swim!

It costs me 40quid to fill up my V8 here in Russia - the aircon is never switched off in the summer, and during the winter I leave the engine running overnight just so I can have the luxury of jumping into an nice warm car in the morning

thanks for making this post, for the past week the rattle from my exhaust has befuddled me, looked all over the condition is fine no loose fittings, and now i think i know what it is!!!! cheers. will definitely go for an aftermarket sport option

Can anyone tell me about the issues with v8's struggling in water, are there specific components that need 'waterproofing'? asking because my d1 v8 auto and previously a v6 auto shogun never had problems with top of the wheel depth water crossings - and since we have two ways to exit our summer house in russia, the easy way and the hard way!! is there something i should know about disco's that could mean facing a big bill in the near future:(

i'll stop looking under the thing in future and leave well alone thanks for feedback bogmonster.

hi guys quickie newbie question that the haynes manual doesnt shed light on. from an underside view sandwiched between sump and cat is a casing, i guess its part of the auto trans, but from casing there appears to be a machined out hole in the shape of a rounded off rectangle no bigger than 4-5 mill, from this hole i notice black oil spots on the driveway, just a couple but odd nevertheless. I am querying mainly because a) this is the first leak! B) just done a pretty hard 3000km journey and c) this is coinciding with what sounds like an exhaust rattle under revs yet there is no sign of loose fitting or holes? Strange. If it is auto casing why black oil when dipstick shows healthy red colour and why a machined out hole that seems to serve no purpose??? thanks in advance

cheers teabag, i checked out the site. As for straight thru exhaust that was tongue in cheek - though i bet it would sound the mutt nuts!!! a couple of years ago our mechanics did this with my russian UAZ for an offroad event, a four cylinder 16v 2.7injection motor, it went like stink upto about 60kph and sounded beautiful, but eventually my eardrums said nuffs enough wideboy!! - a right giggle tho!

sorry just discovered, 30-40psi at 2400rpm - well hidden in the depths of the haynes manual - whoops.

oil pressure on v8 3.9 d1, can any one tell me the normal/optimum pressure level? thanks in advance. (have an aftermarket guage fitted, and its floating around 40bar on rev and tickover 20+ish - s'ok or what?) thanks again

cheers guys for the advice. since the vehicle regs in russia are lax (to say the least), i may even contemplate a straight thu exhaust:) but seriously, some performance ht leads and ngk v groove plugs i've just bought, and some aftermarket brake pads (will see if local part shop supplies braided hose though, sounds sensible upgrade) and i'll give it a bash. wind noise issue, are there windeflectors available for the discovery? the rubber seal seems fine and no overly wide door panel gap

Alot of people regard land rover owners as a tough old bunch, fixing their cars with pieces of wire and scraps of wood and often known to make miracle repairs by simply staring at their engines! Post these pics, this I gotta see....!

Hi Since buying 97 ES, I queried in previous post the kickdown delay, and was told that this is quite normal. However, I would like to know if there is any method of quickening the throttle response, or at least reducing the pedal travel. Asking not because I want to turn it into a sportscar! but simply as a means to improving the comfort (long arm-short legs, ahemm monkeyman?). Also, the brake pedal has quite long travel, but guess this could be rectified by thorough brake system service - but any other ideas welcome. Finally, wind noise from passenger side, quite pronounced at speed (70mph), oddly no noise on drivers side - misfitted panels? The bonnet doesnt have flush fit with side panel (though no accident damage) a build quality issue - as with the paint etc..? Otherwise, fantastic car! Regs Simon

According to CNN the americans are on their knees at 4usd a gallon! Ive heard only one reporter acknowledge that the Europeans may not hold too much sympathy for their plight! Those guys are paying less than I am here in Russia, albeit marginally:) I would add to bill van snorkles list, the cost of banking aswell - another group of robbing swine...grrr.

So UK offroading isn't a grassroots sport anymore clearly you need more than the miniscule number of tracks and lanes that are currently available to you - if the damage is such.

Ben the offroad community here in russia are among the few that actually do care about the environment, along with the hunters, fishermen, foresters, etc. we keep the tracks more or less useable throughout the whole year, and in the depth of winter those distinguishable rutted tracks are a godsend, believe me! Luckly we are not accursed by the anorak brigade, and even if they did kick up a fuss, we'd simply shoot them And anyway, this country is HUGE, plenty of places to play - the so called 'environmentalists' will NEVER shut us down.

thanks for the link teabag! and for pointing out the bleeding obvious:) which for some reason i had completely overlooked! So presumably it would be a good idea to carry one of the all performing single belts in a service pack. It's resassuring to know the clunk is part of standard LR operating procedure, though bit unsettling when heard the first time. Another question if i may. the kickdown only seems to work after throttle actually touches the floor and only then after what seems to be a couple of seconds (sure the delay is probably much shorter in realtime, but scary if you have an immediate need for 100%power). Is there a solution to this? Thanks again.

Hi All So, a few weeks back I joined the merry band on this board, and last weekend i bought my first ever land rover, initial impressions - wow, i've been missing out! a purring V8 engine, comfy ride albeit a tendency to bounce a bit if you hit a lumpy bit of tarmac, though generally feels quite planted on the road - i have yet to take it offroad, and its then that i am expecting to be furter impressed. It's a 97 ES 3.9, everything electric seems to work ok, but without handbook i am not sure about several buttons (motorway symbol switch, sel switch), it has a tendency to veer left, whilst cruising and under braking, but this is not overly noticable, perhaps a idiosync? No towbar has been fitted and it's spent 90% of its life in NW1, with 60k on clock. I suspect there will be certain issues with the car with this type of useage, appreciate any thoughts, ideas, things to check etc. Additionally, unless i am very firm footed on brake when engaging reverse there's a noticable clunk, though auto box performs faultlessly in forward drive. I will taking the car back to russia with me at the end of next week (when log book arrives), and hope to be able to join the convoy enroute to ladoga (any invitation in the offing hint hint!?!?) I can leave anytime after 27th. Since i am making long journey, i do intend to service it - and whilst i know it is not encouraged to advertise here, can anyone accidently mention a specialist or jolly good engineer near cambridge:) I also want to take a spares pack, uj's, filters,pads, etc, again any pointers as to what may be handy and compact enough to store in a box? Oh and a dumb newbie question, is the engine chain or belt driven? Cheers Simon