Newbie Questions

[FridgeFreezer]

4 minutes ago, Bowie69 said:

Then.... with a flat house battery, the DCDC will raise the charging voltage (allowing higher current input) so it is able to charge the house battery faster than it would do otherwise.

It'd be quite a chunky DCDC that can do better than a chunky split-charge relay with a 100A alternator behind it

[Chainlinephil]

That escalated quickly!  Without having designed it the current main battery will be an AGM/Lead Acid. The Anker 767 is as referred to a very different LIFeP04. It has an MPPT as I also will have 400w of operable solar.

Thus, to charge it while driving I either need to plug it into a 12V port (This may be the easiest to wire up as the portable battery will be in the back powering the fridge) but the charging amps are limited to 15a or so I think.

OR  I have a separate connection that charges it directly from the alternator on DC to DC basis (Does anyone change that main battery for a deep cycle LiFeP04?) which means that I think separate split charge would not be needed and is the more elegant solution (was this the source of confusion? my fault if so) it would need to be a plug in solution not permanently wired.

I will try to be more clear and do more research before making such bold statements. 

 

 

[muddy]

That is a very smart 110, almost too smart to use! Number one I would be fitting a tracker.

235/85 ET0 steel wheels would be a sensible option I think if you are planning on doing considerable mileage outside of Europe. Im not really a fan on BFG AT I think they are far too hard and on road grip is seriously compromised as a consequence. Tyre choice is a HUGE subject but I would think something like a KM3/falken wild peak/Toyo open country MT are all fairly mild well behaved mud terrains.

If the isolater in the passenger footwell takes a plastic key I would upgrade this as soon as possible these have a nasty habit of failing. Durite do a range of replacements.

[Chainlinephil]

11 hours ago, muddy said:

That is a very smart 110, almost too smart to use! Number one I would be fitting a tracker.

235/85 ET0 steel wheels would be a sensible option I think if you are planning on doing considerable mileage outside of Europe. Im not really a fan on BFG AT I think they are far too hard and on road grip is seriously compromised as a consequence. Tyre choice is a HUGE subject but I would think something like a KM3/falken wild peak/Toyo open country MT are all fairly mild well behaved mud terrains.

If the isolater in the passenger footwell takes a plastic key I would upgrade this as soon as possible these have a nasty habit of failing. Durite do a range of replacements.

Many thanks. I have fitted the usual forms of security; ardcase, hinge bolts, hinge plates, isolation switch and added a rudimentary tracker for now.
I hope its a goodone, it will soon look less ‘clean’!

 

[Chainlinephil]

@Escape many thanks for the Rave link.

on a Mac I’ve struggled to see anything. 
the files downloaded but pages mostly blank. I can see .exe files and such included.

Am I being dumb? Any help to unlock/use would be greatly appreciated.

I don’t mind paying for a nice user friendly pdf but seem to be struggling to find one that I know is legit and the 1999/2006MY.

Is the Brooklands paper copy any good?

Many thanks.

[Escape]

Most of the RAVE copies are best run from the executable, though you should be able to access the .pdf files directly as well. I don't really do modern tech so can't help you with specific Mac issues. But if you search for 'rave on Mac' or similar, you're likely to find some pointers.

[Anderzander]

I never got it to work on my Mac - if you figure it out, please do let me know. 

[FridgeFreezer]

On 10/8/2023 at 10:04 AM, Anderzander said:

I never got it to work on my Mac - if you figure it out, please do let me know. 

Tried using Oracle Virtualbox or similar to create an old Windows 95/XP Virtual machine and run it inside that? Also means the virtual machine can be duplicated &/or moved across machines with no problems.

[Bowie69]

Parallels is waaaaaaaaaay better than any of the virtialising solutions, and well worth the cost of you need to run windows on a mac regularly. 

[Chainlinephil]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:06 PM, Bowie69 said:

Parallels is waaaaaaaaaay better than any of the virtialising solutions, and well worth the cost of you need to run windows on a mac regularly. 

Used parallels before. Probably try that

[Chainlinephil]

Small progress.

Fitted a hitch receiver in place of towbar, wolf ‘style’ steels at 1600kg load rated on KO2s. 
Set up my ISI bike rack on it.

Lots to do yet. Really enjoying driving it.

roof/awning/rack next in a couple of weeks👍🏻

I have a Safari RAI, thinking of the sealed airbox kit from nugget and a wading kit. More to avoid worry of potential damage from ineptitude than any desire to go deep! In many ways I prefer the look without snorkel/RAI but my plans include heading to places where crossing water is necessary so concluded better safe. 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Chainlinephil

[Chainlinephil]

Maybe this should be come a newbie build?!

Norris is in with TuffTreks for his roof swop to pop top this week. Hopefully picking up on Friday after the storm has mostly passed as the original roof will be coming back on the roof bars fitted to the new roof! Drive slowly, use at least 6 straps! 

I will have some photo's and video's so maybe new thread time.

[Chainlinephil]

For anyone interested I have a reply from Exmoor on the Premium rear seat and distance from the floor. 40cm. This should work as the Oryx rear camper storgage for the arches comes up at 32.5cm, meaning that a mattress/seat cushion/back rest size of approx 10cm should work well to create a downstairs bed with the seat folded.

This build also means that with 4 seats still inside outside storage and cooking will be the go to, particularly for mtb or canoeing and other outside activities.

Here are some photos of the roof fitted and the front roof box load bars. Plan is to utilise some ARB storm type bags on the load bars for clothes and such behind the box as they won't be too heavy. 

The Alucab box is very secure can be easily padlocked and watertight. I'm sure people have seen similar before but indulge my excitement! 

 

[Peaklander]

We have slept for a total of 12 weeks in our Icarus this year and it has been across about 9,000 miles. It was fitted in 2018 and is still going strong. The inside is a very simple diy installation; not like any of the specialist ones.

The box looks good. We use a Thule plastic one, with light and bulky stuff in it. It still makes the roof harder to lift.

Some people change the two pairs of longer gas struts for ‘stiffer’ ones, to help this. You can get the specs easily enough.

You will have a great time with it. It really is a one up, one down camper and most people on campsites are amazed at the instant bedroom upstairs which leaves the downstairs totally undisturbed at night. 

[Chainlinephil]

I suspect 90% of the time it will be two of us but I hope to be out with friends a fair bet hence carry 4.

9k and 12 weeks of camping, this is something to aim for.

Mechanical stuff next for me, some mods to try to support engine reliability, inttercooler, hoses and such.

[Peaklander]

59 minutes ago, Chainlinephil said:

9k and 12 weeks of camping, this is something to aim for.

It's only possible when you are fully retired. Before that I grabbed a max of two weeks, 10 working days, where two of them were needed as part of the calm down from work and two more getting stressed ready for going back.

[Chainlinephil]

On 10/5/2023 at 9:13 AM, Chainlinephil said:

@Escape many thanks for the Rave link.

on a Mac I’ve struggled to see anything. 
the files downloaded but pages mostly blank. I can see .exe files and such included.

Am I being dumb? Any help to unlock/use would be greatly appreciated.

I don’t mind paying for a nice user friendly pdf but seem to be struggling to find one that I know is legit and the 1999/2006MY.

Is the Brooklands paper copy any good?

Many thanks.

Just a note to say that individual download of pdf's rather than bulk appears to work on a Mac. I still cannot find an online version of the Defender td5 1999/2006 MY and supplements that is clearly available in a4/a5 print form. I do now have the MY 2002.

I would be happy to have it in print I just don't want it as small as A5! Anyone know where I can get/buy this manual in an online form or an A4 full form?

Cheers.

[Chainlinephil]

Is it me or does 1999-2006 MY Defender, despite being identified as one of the best Defender/ Defender Engines and almost feel like no mans land for digital manuals! The earlier/simpler (tho parallel production) 300tdi is far better served unless my browsers are rubbish!

I think I will have to resort to Haynes at this rate to get TD5 data or buy the  print version and get a magnifying glass!

IT is slightly less frustrating than dealing with Adrian Flux, who were recommended for a camper modded Defender and appeared to be helpful but now appear to be changing their tune, requiring it to be immobilised/tracked over and above factory and wanting far more money plus their beloved admin fees, suddenly not impressed! Already got quite a lot of mechanical hardware fitted that means a tow/low loader is the only likely means of theft and trackers are easily blocked. 

I may have to resort to accepting the 'market value' although I am digging into what that means, how it is assessed and by whom and if its higher than my stated value, which should not be relied upon,  what that means for any payout. 

sigh

[FridgeFreezer]

Is there any good TD5 stuff in the Disco 2 RAVE manual?

As for Adrian Flux & camper conversions, they've not asked for any of that stuff for our 127, maybe we're on a different sort of policy.

[western]

For paper manuals look at Brooklands Books

https://www.brooklandsbooks.co.uk/product-category/a-z-cars/land-rover-a-z-cars/

[Escape]

I've found the info on the TD5 in Rave (the Defender/P38/L322 version) very useful. But it is true it doesn't include a section on engine rebuild for the TD5, only for the 300Tdi and V8. Same problem in the D2 version.

[Chainlinephil]

Heater fitted today in mud under cubby, seems all good.

ORE step arrived (to allow use of hitch) this will have to wait a week.

Some stereo tweaks also here and a rear facing camera.

Engine optimisation next week, around standard ancillaries.

the heater fit enabled me to have a right good root around under as it was fully lifted.This confirmed the body and chassis condition is great 👍🏻 but also that the bushes are very perished even though all feels tight and the spring coatings are somewhat corroded /shocks similar.

So pretty close to as far as I want to go bar some decisions on suspension and then rustproof when finished underneath.

Decided not to fit the safari snorkel for now, but just higher level breathers and remove std steps, maybe consider some precautionary sliders.

Then the adventures begin for real👍🏻

[Chainlinephil]

I can’t for the life of me figure out why but the heater seems decent!

[Snagger]

10 hours ago, Chainlinephil said:

I can’t for the life of me figure out why but the heater seems decent!

They are if properly cleaned and configured.

[Chainlinephil]

4 hours ago, Snagger said:

They are if properly cleaned and configured.

Just read so many horror stories. Its not really cold currently but I have to turn the fan and heat down as gets too hot! 

Autoterm/Planar parking heater fitment by Autoterm was straightforward, didn't drop the tank but used a pick up. Works well.