Steve F

Just got my new exhaust ready to fit. Couple of silly questions The back box joint is a 4 bolt flange job & I have a copper gasket for this, so thats fine The other 2 joints are the 3 bolt ones with a flared end / bevelled recess, so no gasket - is it best to fit these dry or with some sealant (gun gum?) Also is there anything worth putting on the manifold to downpipe studs / nuts so that they might come off easier next time round.

Just put a brand new pair of Deestone 7.5 / 16 tyres on back of my series III - they are 8 ply rating, not radials. The drivers side has a noticeable side to side wobble - so much so that a mate following me in his car thought I had a very dodgy wheel bearing Checked it all over carefully & its definitely the new tyre (wheel bearing and steel rim is all spot on). Garage also had to put a hell of a lot of balancing weights on this wheel. Is it normal for these old style 8 ply tyres to be a funny shape until they "bed in" - or should I be going back to the tyre garage. Was thinking of running them both at low pressure for a bit, to see if that would flex the sidewalls and let it find its own shape Just wanted to get your thoughts before going back to the garage..........

Hi all, can I have your thoughts please. I've got quite a noticeable noise from somewhere in the drivetain, sounds like a dry bearing sort of noise / screech / rumble. Only happens when coasting at approx 35mph + (either with gearbox in neutral, or when in gear but just at spot between power on and overun / engine braking). Isn't affected by turning free wheeling front hubs on or off, or clutch in or out. From this sounds like something in the rear driveshaft or diff ? UJ's don't look that clever so was going to replace them first off. Wheel bearings seem OK without any real play. Oh -its a '72 seriesIII SWB petrol Any other ideas ?

Just fitted the new Zenith copy. Took a bit of messing about to get it to run right, but turned out to be air leaking in through the PCV valve tube to the intake manifold - nothing to do with carb. Seems to be running really nice tonight, but will wait for for a few days and few cold starts for final verdict - but initial impression is very good.

Changed the coil, distributor, plugs and leads today. Then spent ages trying to get it to run right. Ran like pants. Turned out to be the new coil was no good - put the old coil back on and runs like a dream The new distributor from Paddocks actually seems very good and made a very noticeable difference, despite the low price. Tried a load of different settings for timing and the best running seems to be about 8 BTDC, very smooth, lots of power and no sign of pinking. Checked with a strobe light with vacuum advance disconnected. Is that about normal ?

Just ordered a the Zenith copy from Land Rover Orphanage. Spoke to Richard there who was very helpful and highly recommends them. Will let you now how I get on.

Anyone tried one of these ? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...bayphotohosting

How easy is it to get hold of a good Solex / Zenith, or how easy to renovate an old one? New Weber from Paddocks would be £75 + VAT, which is tempting as its easy to get and new.

I used to have a 2 1/4 diesel that used to throw out quite a lot of white smoke when cold, but got better when warm. Usual black smoke on the hills. I did get the injectors reconditioned (better than new ones of unknown quality) and that helped a bit and made a big difference to MOT emissions.

I've got a Weber 34 ICH carb on my 4cyl 2286. Now i've had time to have a good look at it, I'm fairly sure a couple of bits are missing. There is no smaller lever next to the throttle lever (and therefore no link from this to the choke lever). When you pull the choke cable the only thing that moves is the choke butterfly valve (and this is loose and can flap about) I guess that could explain the why the engine isn't easy to keep going on tickover when its cold, unless the idle speed is kept a bit higher. Is this just bits missing, or is there a reason why someone would have done this?

I wondered if it would be any good for that price. I'll make sure I keep the old 25D as a backup. In case I don't get on well with the new distributor, has anyone converted a 25D to electronic ignition (those cheap kits that replace the points and condensor) ? Just wondered if removing the points would mean the worn shaft was less of a problem. Kit here http://www.mm-4x4.com/britpart-electronic-...nsor-2721-p.asp - but that is for a 45D.

Decided to put a new distributor on whilst doing the rest of the ignition. Mine has a Lucas 25D on it at the moment, and has seen better days. Got a new one coming from Paddocks, but looks like the Lucas 45D type, but they said they are interchangable. They seem very cheap at £16.95 +VAT , but Paddocks said they haven't had any problems with them - anyone used one? Are they interchangable?

Thanks Guys, I've also managed to find an "8" stamped on the raised head bolt lug (found some info on www.expeditionlandrover.info/landRoverFAQ/FAQ_head.htm )so looks like like an 8:1. Also - how much lateral play is acceptable on the distributor shaft. You can wobble mine side to side by about 1mm. New distributor ? If so what are the best ones to fit, was thinking about one of the electronic ones.

Hi, looking for a bit of advice for a standard 4-cly petrol 2286 engine. Just got a nice series III 1972, that i'm very pleased with. I'm not sure at the moment if it has an unleaded head, but suspect it hasn't. Should be able to find out soon from former, former keeper who rebuilt most of the vehicle but is away in France at the moment. Is it better to use lead replacement additive in case its not an unleaded head & is the "octane boost" version worthwhile. I guess it wouldn't do any harm even if it turned out to be an unleaded head? Also, its running pretty nicely when its warm, but is running on a bit when switched off when fully up to temp. Also not very easy to keep running on tickoever when cold - not that bad but could be better (increasing idle speed a bit has helped). I was going to change plugs, leads, dist cap, rotor arm, condenser, points - just so I know this is all OK, then live with it for a few weeks to see how it went with regular use. Also want to check timing - does anyone know what engine numbers relate to 7:1 and 8:1 and what the best timing settings are (Haynes manual gives different settings for 7:1 / 8:1 & different octane fuels etc). Any other tips would be good Thanks, Steve

nas90 - thank you so much, that explains everything. Cheers, Steve

Diesel Jim - thanks for the reply, that probably explains why I felt such a difference between the series and defender. For the record, I wasn't bitching, just felt his reply was a bit ubrupt and not overly useful. Yes a 4x4 driving course would be good, but would be a bit of a luxury for me at the moment, as my most extreme offroad activities includes occaisionally driving over damp grass - hence my asking for some simple advice so I could understand the workings of the diff lock a bit better.

Thanks Sparq, if it does lock front to back that would explain it. With my old Series III, when in four wheel drive I never seemed to lose traction in this situation (with no diff lock in sight) - thats what made me think about it. Is there a difference between series III in 4 wheel drive and the defenders permanant 4 wheel drive. Pongo - how about answering the question, rather than getting on your high horse

Hi all, hope someone can help. Yesterday I was pulling a heavy trailer up a damp grassy slope (or trying to) with my '95 300TDi, so had a lot of weight on the rear wheels, little on the front. Kept grinding to a halt with just one wheel spinning (front nearside), all others staying still (got the wife to watch from outside as wanted to know what was happening). Then i remembered I had a diff lock - engaged that and no more wheel spin. My question is this - I seemed to be losing all power through the one spinning front wheel - I always thought with with 4x4 you only get into grip problems if you get one front and one rear spinning. Does the diff lock just lock side to side, or also lock front to back aswell? Is what happened to me normal, or is something not right Apologies for my ignorance in this 4x4 grippy stuff:rolleyes: Cheers, Steve

Thanks everyone, that gives me a good idea where to start looking. Looks like another busy (& oily) weekend.

I have 2 doors and a tailgate for sale........ Only trouble is they're attached to a series III i'm selling Sorry, not very helpful. I know what you mean about getting the roof off, I've always fancied doing that as soon as the sun starts shining. Best be quick though, as I think we just had summer.

Sounds like mine may be fairly normal then and nothing too much to worry about ?

Just got a new '95 300tdi defender which i'm still checking over (read getting paranoid about yet to be discovered problems) My question is how much "play" is normal in the drivetrain. Its done just under 110k. If you put you foot down quickly on the accelerator, or lift it off quickly there is quite a noticeable "clonk" - best i can describe it as is it feels like there is a area of slack between power on and power off somewhere in the drivetrain - nothing too bad, but quite noticeable - just want to know if its normal. Wasn't like that at all in my old series III.

Mike - I'm in Sidmouth, Devon Alan - I know what you mean. My wife thought I was obsessed with the Series III and was looking forward to a more modern Land Rover that doesn't need as much TLC !!!

The two holes are very localised and about 1" diameter, in the middle of the crossmember, at least 1" away from the edges / welds. The rest of the crossmember does look solid enough and withstands a good poke with a screwdriver / hammer. Trouble is I don't weld (keep meening to learn) so may take it to my local LR garage and see what he thinks. Don't mind getting it replaced if it needs it, just trying to decide whether its worth trying to salvage. If I do get the crossmember replaced, are there any pitfalls I should know about eg poorly made replacements, weakening of chassis if not fitted correctly ? Cheers, Steve

Hadn't thought about towing, but yes that would put a lot of strain on it. So looks like replacing it has got to be the best option. I guess i was just was hoping someone would say "mine was was like that 5 years ago - never caused any problems, just slap some waxoil on"