pugwash Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 i've spent a couple of hours today stripping down my rear calipers and replacing the pads on my lardcruiser. this vehicles is basically a bigger classic range rover- slightly bigger diesel engine but the same toys, same suspension, same drivetrain configuration. It's as if the japanese guys just copied landrover (hmmm i wonder ) not a single bolt was seized, or even rusted, the spacer plates are made of stainless, the caliper bolts are passivated and also have rubber shoes round both ends, the pistons (again stainless) were free moving and showed no dirt engrees- the banjo bolt undid with no undue pressure, and the copper washers were still in good condition. Bleeding the brakes took all of 20 minutes as the ABS isn't obstructive as it can be with a range rover. Working on the landcruiser is both a joy and manically depressing- last time i stripped the calipers of my 1993 range rover it took me all day because everything was seized solid- i now look forward to working on the cruiser. On the flip side i find it so depressing that landrover can't do things to the same standard- i don't feel any particular emotional connection to the cruiser (as i did to the range rovers i have had), but the pros of owning this piece of "jap carp" so far outweigh the pros of owning an old range rover. The cruiser feels like it could do another easy 200,000 miles as it is still so solid, whereas all 3 of the classics i have had have fealt buggered after 120k miles. why can't land rover steal japanese work practices just like the japanese stole land rover ideas? it's not like the new stuff is even better- a certain forumeer has a G4 sport which has "interesting" electrical gremlins- and despite protestations to the contrary i still feel like the door handles are going to come off in my hands if i tug too hard. LAND ROVER SORT IT OUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 a certain forumeer has a G4 sport which has "interesting" electrical gremlins- and despite protestations to the contrary i still feel like the door handles are going to come off in my hands if i tug too hard. A tad harsh Jim, its been fine, ,,,,,, over Christmas Talking about "electrical gremlins",, twas 50/50, on Sunday, whether it was a AA job to get the Toyota home,, have all your dash warning light now gone out ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj_110 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 A tad harsh Jim, its been fine, ,,,,,, over Christmas Talking about "electrical gremlins",, twas 50/50, on Sunday, whether it was a AA job to get the Toyota home,, have all your dash warning light now gone out ?? All dash lights on on a Toyota mean your alternator is gone...only £80 reconditioned of your local motor factor, and they really don't like water, with mud in it... JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Yep,, deduced a dicky alternator on the way back,, Jim, being Jim.. enjoys water,, and we found some on Sunday,, so glad it screwed up whilst Jim was driving and not me,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 You haven't got a land rover Jim, so why worry ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 i've spent a couple of hours today stripping down my rear calipers and replacing the pads on my lardcruiser. not a single bolt was seized, or even rusted, the spacer plates are made of stainless, the caliper bolts are passivated and also have rubber shoes round both ends, the pistons (again stainless) were free moving and showed no dirt engrees- the banjo bolt undid with no undue pressure, and the copper washers were still in good condition. Bleeding the brakes took all of 20 minutes as the ABS isn't obstructive as it can be with a range rover. You have to strip the caliper just to change the pads? And that is progress? despite protestations to the contrary i still feel like the door handles are going to come off in my hands if i tug too hard. To be fair Jim, I reckon if you pulled too hard, any car might lose it's handles! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 i've spent a couple of hours today stripping down my rear calipers and replacing the pads on my lardcruiser. this vehicles is basically a bigger classic range rover- slightly bigger diesel engine but the same toys, same suspension, same drivetrain configuration. It's as if the japanese guys just copied landrover (hmmm i wonder ) not a single bolt was seized, or even rusted, the spacer plates are made of stainless, the caliper bolts are passivated and also have rubber shoes round both ends, the pistons (again stainless) were free moving and showed no dirt engrees- the banjo bolt undid with no undue pressure, and the copper washers were still in good condition. Bleeding the brakes took all of 20 minutes as the ABS isn't obstructive as it can be with a range rover. Working on the landcruiser is both a joy and manically depressing- last time i stripped the calipers of my 1993 range rover it took me all day because everything was seized solid- i now look forward to working on the cruiser. On the flip side i find it so depressing that landrover can't do things to the same standard- i don't feel any particular emotional connection to the cruiser (as i did to the range rovers i have had), but the pros of owning this piece of "jap carp" so far outweigh the pros of owning an old range rover. The cruiser feels like it could do another easy 200,000 miles as it is still so solid, whereas all 3 of the classics i have had have fealt buggered after 120k miles. why can't land rover steal japanese work practices just like the japanese stole land rover ideas? it's not like the new stuff is even better- a certain forumeer has a G4 sport which has "interesting" electrical gremlins- and despite protestations to the contrary i still feel like the door handles are going to come off in my hands if i tug too hard. LAND ROVER SORT IT OUT Now i thought that this was part of the fun,owning a LR, to take hours doing what should take minutes! The reason LR can't do it properly is the same reason why british industry has gone down the pan. PLain LAZY. Thats why i have 3 VW vans and a VW company car! but they're no good off road so i got a LR and maybe a vitara mod to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Jim for you what do you really expect from a L/R? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Jim have you not thought that the reason it all came undo so easily to do the pads and looked so fresh was that the vehicle is so heavy that it gets through pads quicker than a D3 and hence they had only recently been changed. or maybe they handn't even been done up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 You have to strip the caliper just to change the pads? And that is progress? Nope- but it was so easy to do that i stripped the calipers just to see what condition they were in. the Alternator has given the ghost that's true, but it was on the way out anyway- and it's managed 14 years without being changed so that's not too bad- it did also get a very very deep dunking - a certain bomb hole on salisbury plain was deeper than i expected! i still love landies (after all that's what the vapour build is, and the landcruiser just isn't the same) but working on this thing it is clear just how much better say a range rover classic could be if it was just exectued properly and with care- built up to a level of performance and not down to a price. as i say i still love land rovers and will have them again in the future, but they really aren't executed as they should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas90 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Back in 1979 my Dad bought a new Mitsubishi 4 door saloon, 1.6 litre. Having bought Hillmans and Rootes group and Morris Minor vans and Standard vans this was a new dimension! Upon opening the bonnet I was amazed to see plated screws, God knows now I won't take all day to undo the usual Hillman mess! The electrics wern't there, well they were but so neatly packed away they were obviously gonna be reliable. The body panels fitted, shut lines all the same width. However, it drove like any other Jap cr*p, reliable though, so reliable I never did have to undo those plated screws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Its funny reading this thread. After 19 years of LR ownership I am looking for my next 4x4 I am looking at LC . Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrfarmer Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I have to do the work on my dad's 1998 shougun it's on 195000 miles and yes the engine starts every time. but the rear anti rollbar bushes go every year. and smoke, i have to turn the pump down every year to get it to pass the mot, this year i could only get 50mph out of it on the motorway and the hills were a joke. it did pass mind you, well after i got the switch to turn the rear lights on. i'll stick to carrying my tow rope in my landy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 30 years ownership of Land Rovers of various models and I'm still buying them. True I've tried a few foreign 4x4's too inc Jap, Russian & Yank, none have been perfect, they all have their faults. Land Rovers fit my requirements and in an ever changing world the familiarity appeals to me. I've liked them since I was a kid in shorts and snotty nose when everything was in black and white and the only ones I saw belonged to the local farmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 30 years ownership of Land Rovers of various models and I'm still buying them. True I've tried a few foreign 4x4's too inc Jap, Russian & Yank, none have been perfect, they all have their faults. Land Rovers fit my requirements and in an ever changing world the familiarity appeals to me. I've liked them since I was a kid in shorts and snotty nose when everything was in black and white and the only ones I saw belonged to the local farmers. Part of the advantage that Toyota have are the ancillary components are higher quality. Brakes are usually Akebono. Alternators are Nippon Denso or Hitachi and so it goes on down the line. Add this to Toyotas engineering AND production expertise and there you have it. Landrover component stuff is run of the mill...whatever is available cheap and local. You therefore get a great idea on paper slightly spoiled by poor production and components....simple as. Despite all this they can give good use......and there aint nowhere they aint been Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Jim - talking of maintenance dont suppose you know the estimated against actual man hours for an alternator change do you. Which reminds me i have that Toyota alt here i was going to put on the 90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istruggle2gate11 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 why can't land rover steal japanese work practices just like the japanese stole land rover ideas? iLAND ROVER SORT IT OUT I think we stole 6 Sigma a little too late Jim, or at the very least we did not fully understand or know how to use it This is a quick summary of 6 Sigma I was given on a training course about 5 years ago (it or similar is widely used): By adopting 'Six Sigma', many companies perform better in every key business metric; whether return on investment, return on sales, employment growth or share price increase. Sadly it seems BMW and then Ford chose the Return on Sales and Share Price option rather then finding returns on investmet Shame we never tried it at the Birth of the Series 2 (IMHO I just the love quirkiness of a Series 1, by Series 2 they should have learnt their lesson!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Jim - talking of maintenance dont suppose you know the estimated against actual man hours for an alternator change do you.Which reminds me i have that Toyota alt here i was going to put on the 90. YTS hours about 2 pugwash hours......about 9 it's not that hard- i'm just a complete f*ckwit. All you've got to is remove the a/c pump (4 bolts), loosen up 3 drive belts, undo 2 bolts for the Alternator, take it off and attach the new one. Not rocket science, but that lot took me 3 hours the other day and that was without putting the new one on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MogLite Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 YTS hours about 2 pugwash hours......about 9 it's not that hard- i'm just a complete f*ckwit. All you've got to is remove the a/c pump (4 bolts), loosen up 3 drive belts, undo 2 bolts for the Alternator, take it off and attach the new one. Not rocket science, but that lot took me 3 hours the other day and that was without putting the new one on. Is the Jap stuff for you - my Isuzu is the same. Compared to a LR, the alternator costs twice the amount, lasts three times longer, but takes four times the time to fit !!! With a basic toolkit, I reckon it would take the best part of a day to change my Isuzu 3.1TD altternator. Less with a good socket set and ratchet spanners, but a field repair would be a PITA. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istruggle2gate11 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Is the Jap stuff for you - my Isuzu is the same. Compared to a LR, the alternator costs twice the amount, lasts three times longer, but takes four times the time to fit !!!With a basic toolkit, I reckon it would take the best part of a day to change my Isuzu 3.1TD altternator. Less with a good socket set and ratchet spanners, but a field repair would be a PITA. Andy Or is just the modern way? Had to change the alternator on swmbo Arsta over xmas, before you even start to check out the Torx head bolts you have to take off the auxillary belt, which means taking off the off side engine mount!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Spot on i recon Andy Will give Jim his due,, was dark, outside, freezing !! and only with the add of a led lamp, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRWOO Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Land Rover's, there either in your blood and keep putting up with them and stay loyal to the cause or you jump ship it's simple. Yes they can be a ****** at times I've had 4 x S3's 2 x S2A's 1x300 1xPuma and I have no regrets whatsoever. For me they are part of my life I don’t go and watch football at the weekends I end up fixing something on a Land Rover. I can't imagine what it must be like to own a Jap 4x4 that doesn't have the British following and forum support that we all get on here, but then again I don’t suppose they need it. I've had Jap car's, you get in and drive them that's it! A Land Rover you get in and tune into what might be the next problem to solve, even on my new Puma I can't drive it without thinking a drive shaft is going to seize or the clutch is going to fail but that's what owing a Land Rover is all about. I think when you have driven a 20-30 year old series on a daily basis you soon realize that you spend more time actually fixing and replacing things than you do driving it, but hay ho there brilliant Stay loyal, if you want a jap 4x4 go and get one and sing and dance about them on their own forums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 oh I'll never stop loving land rovers- i grew up driving and repairing a series 2, i've had a stage 1 v8, numerous range rovers and my vapour build is based on a range rover. it's just so annoying that they could be the most amazing vehicles in the world- there is NO reason for them to have lost market share to the Japs apart from the fact that they won't execute their designs properly. If this doesn't upset you then you really can't call yourself a landrover enthusiast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hmmm. I think after 30 odd years of actually owning enough Land Rovers to run into double figures and working on a whole lot more I suppose could be classed as a bit of an enthusiast. To be honest nothing is perfect save ...perhaps my wife who sometimes likes to think she is. God dammit even the last Rolls Royce I owned had water pump failure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.