stumonkey17

Thanks Snagger. I thought there would be a simple reason but hadn't considered lubrication and cooling. One of the best thing about this forum is people's willingness to share their knowledge.

Sorry for the slight sideline for this question but I've always wondered why diesels need a return pipe. I assume it's something to do with a petrol carb only pulling the required amount of fuel so there is nothing to return. If this is so then why does a diesel injector pump pull excess fuel? I'm sure there's a simple answer that more knowledgable souls know but prior to my current experiences with land rovers I'd only ever worked on petrol engines so it's still a mystery to me.

In the case of my series 3, everywhere! Actually that's not totally fair. The previous owner had also just used insulation tape, but only where he attached hidden bell push wire to live circuits for unknown reasons.

Although it's been a while since the original post I'm in the process of designing a loom for my series 3 with a 200tdi conversion. Old wiring had been messed around with by previous owners so I've decided to start from scratch. Whilst re-learning my secondary school physics I came across this calculator. Thought it might be of help to others so here's the link. http://www.solar-wind.co.uk/cable-sizing-DC-cables.html

Can't help with location but DVLA still has the vehicle registered with the details you mentioned. Tax is due for renewal on 1st may so looks like it's still out there somewhere. Sorry I can't help more.

I found that adding an extra hinge helped a lot with the extra weight. The door was starting to sag on it's hinges when open with only two hinges. I added an extra one between the tub and the top of the door bottom section and it helps a lot.

I received a small set of 12 teng sockets as an introductory offer for a subscription to a well known lr magazine a few years ago. Even when using them with cheaper ratchets they have worked brilliantly. I also still use a set I bought from halfords 16 years ago and although they aren't marked professional the ratchets and sockets are still working (although they don't seem to click much any more). Very solid kit even after a lot of long term abuse.

As Les said that's how mine came off. Seemed odd to need a really small hex head tool to get access to a massive nut. Wierd design. Guy in the motor factors thought I was having a laugh when I asked if they stocked both.

I'm planning on removing the free wheelers from my series 3. It has the later type of axle. Which parts will I need to fit to go back to how it should be?

An official tom tom mount is available from apple. It is a sucker type mount but is great for using with a gps application as it boosts the signal reception. Only down side is that when I last looked they were £100 so unless they come down in price or can be found somewhere else, possibly used, then they are ****** expensive.

Just a very quick note to mention that whilst working on a friends BMW recently I needed a 32mm offset spanner for the viscous fan. I knew that this was the same size as the one I would need for removing the fan on the 200TDi that I have waiting to go into my series. I had read previously of people hunting to try to find these but found that they are actually sold in Halfords for £11.99. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_214258_langId_-1_categoryId_165469 Might save a couple of people the hastle of looking to hard if they need to get one. Big plus for me was that my friend had to buy one so it's now available for me to use when I need it!

Loop 2 zip ties together with one around the bottom part of the belt near to the bottom seat belt mount. Put the second zip tie around the seat runner so that the bottom of the belt is held next to the seat base but further forward than it would usualy fall. Then when the belt reels back in it is held further forward than it normaly falls and held away from the door catch. Sorry if the explanation isn't great but if you try it hopefully it will make sense. Works well on my series 3 so should be effective on any series or defender. HTH Stu

I used to have a list of the spec of Tonks 2A but lost it when my computer died . Would love to have it again as it was a sort of wish list for my re-build aspirations. As far as I remember it had a 200TDi with most of the other things listed in your original post and a few extras. I think it is now owned by some other lucky forum member now. If anyone has the spec and any info on how it was achieved I'm sure it would help you with your ideas (and mine as they are pretty similar). I'm also pretty sure that it was running on the original plates as well so I'm guessing that it would be possible to keep the tax free status.

Mine is a 1982 series 3. I guess it's basically 10 spline at the diff so I'm thinking of going for the toyota option. How much work is it to swap it over and any idea how much I should expect to pay for the parts?

How much better are 24 spline axles than 10 spline and how do they compare to toyota internals? I know this is a pretty wide ranging and subjective question bug as I'm in the process of a rebuild I'd like to have the opinions of people who have taken each route before I decide which way to go. Thanks in advance.

Good to see someone else in th 'pool with a series on the forum. Very nice looking motor, think you've got a lot less work on your hands than me. Like the idea of the tdi though. Have thought about it myself but haven't got the funds right now. Best of luck with your plans. Hope to see you around town soon.

I've got a heater from an old ford granada fitted but it would probably be too big for the space left after fitting the 200tdi. In the process of fitting a small electric heater in the cubby box between the front seats. Hoping that this will mean I dont have to wait for the engine to get hot before I stop shivering. With the batt fitted under the drivers seat the wiring is easy and if the heater doesn't have an internat fan you could use a couple of the small fans found on pc's to blow. Hope you get warm soon.

Thanks for all the advice. It's great to find so many well informed people who are willing to take the time to share their experience.

I'm in the process of rebuilding my 88" series 3 and need to re-wire the whole vehicle. Can't really afford a whole new loom from the likes of Autosparks and want to do the job myself encorporating an EDIS system and mega jolt. I realise that this is a big job but still want to give it a go as once completed I'll be able to modify or repair relatively easily. Should also mean that i can make the electrics relatively waterproof to take advantage of the EDIS. The engine is a 2.25 petrol. I know that whilst I'm planning the wiring system I need to calculate what cable to use. I know that i can culculate the ampage of wire required but need to know the watts consumed by the equipment to be supplied. How can i work this out so that I can work out what wire to use? Any help would be really appreciated.

For the bolts that are still stuck try an impact driver. Basically it's a screw driver that you hit with a hammer that will take the force of the smack and make it turn the screw at the same time as making the driver bite into the screw head so that it doesn't slip. Great bit of kit that costs about a tenner and sorted a lot of bolts on my series 3 saving a hell of a lot of hastle. Could try a bit of releasing oil (or wd40 if you want to be cheap like me) sometimes helps a bit but to be honest I always found the impact driver to be best, just watch your fingers.

Had the same problem. It was the synchro which was knackered. The box had only been refurbished about a 1000 miles earlier but had been used off road a lot since. Apparently it's a common problem and one of the things that makes people consider the series 2 box to be stronger. Easy to fix though and although the whole vehicle's currently in bits box seemed fine up until I took it all apart. Seemed possible that it might have been a problem with the rebuilding of the box not being done too well.

That's looking reallly good. Like the intercooler mounted to one side, good solution that allows space for the in the grill lights. How have you found the wiring? Seems from all that I've read that it is easier than the old wiring for the petrol. Very neat and impressive instalation. Congrats. (Why doesn't mine look like that?)