secondjeremy

Ah yes - the Salisbury axle. This is rather different to the 'Rover' axle - and was fitted to the rear of late 109 Land Rovers. The immediate problem is finding a front one. I think Salisbury's were used by Triumph (on proper cars before the TR7) and Jaguar - even with independent rear suspension. They are recognisable by the detachable back cover and the claim that a spreader is needed to get the things apart.

I'd be most surprised if MGB crown wheels and pinions would fit a Rover axle. Rover was an independent company till the mid/late 60's when it was first amalgamated with Leyland then BMH to become British Leyland. Rover unusually made their own axles. MG were a division of Morris which amalgamated with Austin at the start of the 50's to become BMC (BMH after amalgamating with Jaguar in about 1967) I mention the history to show that each vehicle was developed by separate companies - so there were no common bits except electrics and small components supplied by others. Rover made only large cars - BMC made a whole range - and I'd expect an MGB rear axle to be smaller and lighter than a Rover one - as well as being designed and probably made by entirely different people. (you're never quite sure who made what in the British car industry) All Rover axles are simple spiral bevel with the input and output shafts in the same plane. MGB's may have hypoid axles with the input shaft lower than the axle shafts. If this is the case the tooth shape will be entirely different. If they do fit I'd be very interested to know. Pair of 4.11's for sale here - http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=54536

Simplest way would be to weld a rod or bar nearly sticking up from the pedal - and attach the inner cable to it. The cable will sit happily in something simple like a saw cut 1/2 in long - and a dimple drilled at the end of the cut on the cable nipple side might be a nice touch. I've seen them fitted so that the outer simply rests on a hole drilled in the bulkhead, the hole being just big enough to allow the nipple on the cable end to pass. You may find a cable with a nice screwed ferrule for the outer. The rod or bar welded to the cable is simply positioned so that you get full travel on the pedal and the cable doesn't kink. The other end is something similar - and really depends on what scrap bits are to hand. The proper S3 diesel cable basically used all the throttle rods formerly used for the rod setup with a cable connection between the car linkage and the pump linkage. The actual cable is only about 1 foot long. The 90 cable simply comes off a bar welded to the pedal and used a much longer cable.

While you've got it out its probably worth replacing the top and bottom seals (cost a few pence) and refilling it with EP90 (can take a long time) before re-fitting it. Clean it up and grease the body and refit it. When replacing the seals do one end at a time. There is a strong spring inside which can cause damage if liberated but it won't come out that easily and if you keep one cover on - you won't be able to accidentally push the shaft out while working on the other end.

The correct fuse box for a Series 3 has 4 x 35 amp glass type fuses and it should be under that nasty plastic steering column surround - as the bottom - as fuses are something to be ashamed of and not seen. Having just removed some joker's circuit breakers and re-instated the fuse box as being the easiest way to get the heater fan and other ignition-controlled items back off direct supply I have to say that it wasn't the easiest of jobs (but coping with a previous conversion from petrol to diesel and some axillary lighting didn't help. My experience is that the wiring is a bit tight especially when its all hardened over the years. If someone's pruned the original lucar connectors off you may have real problems. The proper fuse box is one of these: http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?sg=1&pgCode=084&sgName=Electrical&pgName=Control+Boxes&agCode=0458&agName=Fuse+Boxes&pCode=37416

Of course if you get stuck you can always hot wire it. Do thieves still have this skill? Remember that an electric pump will probably still work if it shares the same supply circuit as the coil (or other item which which would be hot-wired)

Also worth checking the mains plug and any extension lead - and trying it in another socket - preferably elsewhere.(I blew part of my house wiring with my welder which was a little less powerful than yours.) Take the plug to pieces and look for burning etc.

My 'X' reg 109 does not have the servo warning sensor. I think it was a 2.25 petrol originally which may have something to do with it and it seems to be a fairly basic spec. So far as I know Land Rover never fitted fluid warning sensors to Series vehicles - which I find a bit strange as they were fitting them to saloons from at least the middle 60's (Mk11 3 litre?) and coupling the light to the hand brake warning light. The 3 litre used a 'Baked Bean can' type reservoir like Land Rovers.

There are in fact a number of versions of the brake system - and curiously the later one (which I think was introduced with metric pipe connections) only has the pressure differential warning light actuator as the source for the light - the low vacuum and excessive pedal travel warnings having been deleted. The parts list for the earlier version is in the OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT parts book (a separate publication) I think the later one (metric) is in the normal parts book. Currently I have 2 diesels (76 and 79 I think) with the 2 line servo brakes and 3 point warning system - and a SWB petrol Safari (76 or 77) with no servo or twin system! Presumably 7 lives and a more powerful engine didn't merit better brakes!

No need to remove the steering gear from the chassis - I just undo the bolts securing the steering box brackets to the footwell and the column to the bulkhead and lift the bulkhead over the column leaving the steering on the chassis. If you want to remove the column break one of the drag link balljoints - either from the relay or the drop arm, undo the 3 bolts securing the box mount to the chassis and take the thing off the bulkhead - or leave it on and separate it from the bulkhead when you've taken the whole thing away. (Its heavy - and if you put it flat with the column on the ground oil will out of the column)

The first question is how much do you need to replace - and what's the easiest/neatest way of doing it. So what are the door pillars like? Are you going to use the existing ones in which case you're going to have to remove all traces of the footwell from them. What's the top face of the original bulkhead footwell like? Sometimes they are OK in which case you can cut through the fold and make the join there leaving the top face in place together with its re-inforcements. Don't worry about cutting the repair panels - you may only need part of them. How much re-inforcement do you think there should be? there's a bit on the original round the pedal box that won't be on your repair panels - do you think its important? Only do one side at a time so you've got the other for reference. Cut cardboard templates if you think it'll help get it all to fit. If you have to do the pillars as well its worth tacking it all up with the pillar feet and fitting it to the chassis and seeing if the doors line up properly. Have a very good look/prod/wire brush of the whole bulkhead to make sure you don't miss any holes.

Your Series 2a should have an oil bath type of air cleaner (Big black or silver greasy cylindrical thing behind the battery) - and should be emptied out, cleaned and refilled with oil to the level mark. Any cheap oil will do. ejparrot is quite correct but is referring to a paper element type of air cleaner - as fitted to more modern vehicles. These should not be blown out with compressed air and re-fitted.

I'd take the main loom, stretch it out and identify where everything goes. Threading the bit through the chassis is no problem - simply feed a length of mig wire through the chassis and look for it with a torch at the front (or back - it makes no difference) and pull it through the hole with a wire hook. If its a Series there is one one limb which goes rounh the off side of the engine via the oil pressure switch, through the hole between the block and the waterpump and to the dynamo (alternator) Most of the rest run round the left side of the engine bay but the fun bit is getting the runs round the off side of the bulkhead right as you have to contend with brake and clutch pipes ad the throttle linkage. I'd suggest feeding the instrument and any cab wiring partly through the bulkhead first then spreading out the engine bay limbs - then when you're satisfied start connecting it up. You'll probably need a tool to fit the bullet connectors tightly in their sleeves (current sleeves are a very tight fit) as well as a supply of bullets, sleeves, insulators (and/or heatshrink) terminals . . . .

What colour is the smoke? For a petrol engine blue is likely to be lubricating oil. white is possibly steam - from a leaky head gasket but it will steam a bit until the exhaust is warm as there's loads of water vapour in exhaust fumes which will condense in the system. If its black then its excessive petrol.

I had a Series 11a with well bolstered car seats in it (may have been Montego) and there were a number of issues - like everyone seemed to hit their head on the gutter over the door when getting in, and the driving position seemed cramped as the seat pushed you forward into the steering wheel (small Montego one) On getting out of it into a Series 11a with standard seats I was immediately struck by how spacious it was in the cab! I'm not saying the Freelander seats won't be an improvement - just saying - make sure they will be before going to a lot of trouble to fit them - and when you do don't be too clever about hiding the bolts as you may be the unfortunate person who has to remove them. (These were held down by M6 bolts and rivnuts and several bolts would only come out 1/2 flat at a time with an open ended spanner!) The thing was in fact very good to drive with parabolics, a Prima turbo engine, Range Rover diffs and 206 x 16 tyres.

If it makes the noise in top its unlikely to be the layshaft as its idling and not part of the drive train (these gearboxes get top by locking the mainshaft so it acts as a solid shaft) I'd look at the transfer box intermediate shaft and bearings which wear badly on these boxes. In fact you can change it without removing the gearbox. To check take off the top cover of the transfer box and with a back wheel jacked up and the main box in gear (2wd - so transfer box in high) push and pull on the handbrake drum. If you can see the front end of the intermediate gear move around - you've found your problem. While you've got the cover off see if the strange looking nut of the back of the main gearbox is tight. It should be 100lb ft. On just about every box I've dismantled its loose. If its severely loose the mainshaft will move backwards and forwards but I don't think this is your problem as it would probably jump out of gear rather than make the noises you describe and the lever would tend to feel as though it was moving in your hand as you changed from drive to overrun. To replace the intermediate shaft - remove the handbrake backplate and the transfer box bottom cover. The end of the shaft can be seen locked by a bolt and plate. Undo the bolt and lever the shaft out, catching the gear as it falls out. In fact you may have to turn the transmission to get it out. The bearings will probably need replacing as well and the thrust washers should be checked. The noise is probably there in second - its just you don't notice it or decelerate much in second. Later boxes have a much larger shaft which seems much more robust.

If you want to find out how much the current air cleaner reduces power - simply disconnect it and go for a drive (obviously not across a dusty desert).

3rd/4th gear crunching probably means the 3 flat springs in the synchro unit are causing problems (RTC1956). They're available for £1 or £2 genuine. Its supposed to be possible to replace them in situ - but I've never done it. (take top off gearbox and you may be able to get at it.) Noisy gearbox suggests the bearings are failing. Not expensive to replace all and to overhaul the box. Its worth draining the gearbox and identifying any teeth and other chunks of metal that come out with the oil.

I think you'll find that most British cars use the Laycock overdrive - which is a rather different thing to the Land Rover one. Briefly the Laycock uses epicyclic gears (like an auto box) and the gears are locked/unlocked by a cone clutch which is hydraulically operated. In turn the hydraulics re operated by an electrical circuit with the control somewhere convenient to the driver (Steering column control - elderly Triumph, Rover, Jaguar, Rootes; - gear knob switch - later Triumph and Jaguar. These boxes used the gearbox oil and did not require separate filling. The Land Rover one uses normal gears with mechanical engagement by what I believe is a Rover 2000 synchro clutch (much the same as a Series 3 1st/2nd synchro unit). The Land Rover unit has its own oil supply and should be assembled with anti-scuff paste as the lubrication of the clutch arrangement fitted to the LR gearbox is inadequate. EP 90 is the normal lubricant.

I've had a very high rate of problems with Series 3 repro parts. http://www.lrseries.com/ supply genuine as well as repro - find out what you're getting. While you've got the thing in bits be sure to replace the 3rd/4th synchro springs - they fall out for fun and can jam the box if they turn over, and may have been responsible for the breakage of the layshaft in a Series 2a box. Be careful ordering. The number you've quoted is indeed a number for an early Series 3 box - but of course its on the transfer box. Its possible that the main gearbox doesn't belong and may be later. There's one like this sitting on my workshop floor!

Black smoke under maximum power - try turning down the maximum fuel delivery a little (basically throttle stop - look at the pump and you can probably work it out.) There are full instructions in the Series11a book - may be in the series 111. Basically remember what you have done (eg 2 flats) so you can reverse it if you need to. Diesels will fire anything except air and water. So oil leaking past valve won't cause a misfire - but air in the fuel will. Air will get in and fuel will not leak out of the same joint - so check all input pipes and joints for leaks - I'd normally say for a CAV/Lucas/Roto-diesel - don't bother with the leak-off system as they just leak and smell but on the Land Rover system the return seems to go to the filter or something - so look there as well. And before someone picks me up on it - engine oil coming down the valve stems will still burn with blue smoke.

Get hold of the instructions and the gearbox isn't desperately difficult. A little heat helps if things won't move easily. Sounds like problems with the synchroniser unit - be careful - the Britpart one I purchased was rubbish - with the spring holes bored off centre. The problem is that there are about 4 different sets of innerds - and for your greater convenience some clown decided that the serial number should be stamped on the transfer box arm. No problem when you're making it - but main gearboxes go wrong and transfers don't - so they get mixed up and the number means - well - not much.

You can't see what the wheels look like when you're driving it!

When your Land Rover was designed those doing the job as well as just about everyone in the Motor Trade worked by a theory that a line drawn through the king pin should extend and meet the road at the centre point of the tyre. If this theory is followed there is no torque from the wheels fed into the steering. Look at your vehicle and imagine a line through the swivels and see where on the tyre footprint it hits the road and then go out and get yourself some wheels to correct the problem.

Why not do up the handbrake adjuster tight - then leave it on a high spot between clicks while you tighten the output flange nuts? - Usually works when I do it. Its much easier to do with the box out of the vehicle as you have to fit the split pin. Torque setting is 85 lb ft for both output shaft nuts and 100 for the castellated nut at the back of the mainshaft. I can't find this figure quoted in the official manuals but is what is quoted in the Fairey overdrive instructions.