geoffbeaumont Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Been crawling around under the truck this evening looking for the source of its current tendency to wander around, and generally looking it over while I was at it. I can't rock any of the wheel bearings or swivels, but there's a worrying smear of grease on the left swivel (the one I had rebuilt by Town and Country last summer, to make sure it got done properly - looks like they may have done only slightly better at that than the wheel bearing outside it, which came loose the following day ). Maybe it's nothing There's a bit of movement in at least one of the A-Frame bushes, which MJA Land Rover insisted never need to be replaced when I had the polybushes fitted (they handed the supplied bushes back to me - I suspect they either ran out of time or couldn't be bothered...). All the ball joints on the steering have split boots and have done for some time - I can't detect any movement in them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're well past their best too. It's also leaking power steering fluid from somewhere - have to get some tomorrow because the tank's nearly empty - but I can't see where it's coming from. It's always had a slight leak (so slight I've never had to top it up) but I guess we disturbed it when we changed the engine. Found where it's loosing coolant from though - when I pushed the top pipe out the way looking for the power steering leak there was a distinct his from the header tank...looks like I need a new cap. Still don't know where the water under the carpet in the drivers footwell is coming from - maybe the door's not sealing properly since I thumped it on the Gap Road? Or maybe it's just damp from standing for four months and I need to get the carpets up and dry them? It's never been damp anywhere inside before, but the soundproofing is utterly sodden. Add that lot to the bits I already knew about - wing and door to replace, boot floor to replace, lower tailgate to sort out and put back on (or failing that put some number plate light wiring in the temporary one before the MOT...). Sort out the rust on the bonnet. Tyres are getting to the end of their lives, and I want to paint up the three spoke alloys for the new ones. Oh, and fit the Megasquirt and EDIS (admittedly not a repair). It never ends, does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 Oh, and the rear diff looks to be weeping EP90 There's a rough looking weld round the bottom of the cover, which I suspect is over a crack. There's oil at either end of it. Not good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish13 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 If you're losing coolant and have a damp footwell could it not be the heater matrix leaking? Or would that usually show in both footwells? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 If you're losing coolant and have a damp footwell could it not be the heater matrix leaking?Or would that usually show in both footwells? Um...haven't got round to pulling the carpet up in the other footwell...don't even want to think about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 Idle thought...if I got hold of an A-Frame, I could get the old bushes pressed out and polybush it and fit it myself, instead of paying someone else to do the whole job. Any idea what an A-Frame would cost, and whether there's any difference between the A-Frame on a coil (with self leveller) and EAS (without) Range Rover? Is it just a daft idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 getting the old one off can be a labour of love believe me the bolts will want to stay where they have been for a long time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minivin Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Is it just a daft idea? For some reason a South Park quote just jumped into my head There's no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people <cough> Anyhoo, car breakers or someone on here or LROi must have one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 getting the old one off can be a labour of love believe methe bolts will want to stay where they have been for a long time Bolt, meet Mr. Angle Grinder... I suspect one or two of the bolts might be a bit tricky to get to, at the ball joint end, but I have another job lined up which can be conveniently combined with this one - replacing the boot floor. That should make access considerably easier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niall_CSK Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Bolt, meet Mr. Angle Grinder... I suspect one or two of the bolts might be a bit tricky to get to, at the ball joint end, but I have another job lined up which can be conveniently combined with this one - replacing the boot floor. That should make access considerably easier The side arms are exactly the same on all models. Don't think the EAS models had the Boge, correct me if I am mistaken. Yours will have the pivot lugs welded to the tubular chassis cross member unlike the older ones which were bolted to the square cross member pivot brackets which are easier to take off. They are a pig to get at with an angle grinder and even a power saw takes ages and several blades to get through. Best I have managed is gas cutting the nut end off then try to turn the bolt head, it's usually hot enough by now. you can't get in on the outboard side to puch out because it's too close to the chassis. If you cut the bolt head and try to punch it out you will have to cut it agin as the bolt is too long to come out in one shot. Be careful whatever you do, petrol tank off course, and as the welded on lugs are thin compared to the earlier cast ones and hence easy to cut if you are not skilled with a gas axe and even a saw blade can wander off line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 The side arms are exactly the same on all models. Don't think the EAS models had the Boge, correct me if I am mistaken.Yours will have the pivot lugs welded to the tubular chassis cross member unlike the older ones which were bolted to the square cross member pivot brackets which are easier to take off. They are a pig to get at with an angle grinder and even a power saw takes ages and several blades to get through. Best I have managed is gas cutting the nut end off then try to turn the bolt head, it's usually hot enough by now. you can't get in on the outboard side to puch out because it's too close to the chassis. If you cut the bolt head and try to punch it out you will have to cut it agin as the bolt is too long to come out in one shot. Be careful whatever you do, petrol tank off course, and as the welded on lugs are thin compared to the earlier cast ones and hence easy to cut if you are not skilled with a gas axe and even a saw blade can wander off line. Mine does indeed have the tubular cross member - can't say for sure whether the lugs are welded on but I don't remember seeing any bolts. You're correct - EAS Range Rovers do not have a self leveller, the suspension is self levelling anyway. I don't run to a gas axe - a small cheapo angle grinder is about it I'll have another look under there tomorrow, but I don't recall it looking too hard to get at. On the plus side my petrol tank is well out the way in the wing, I've got much less explosive LPG tanks under the boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Oh, and the rear diff looks to be weeping EP90 There's a rough looking weld round the bottom of the cover, which I suspect is over a crack. There's oil at either end of it. Not good... Well, that one's obviously not too bad yet. Changed the diff oil at the weekend and there was still plenty in there If you're losing coolant and have a damp footwell could it not be the heater matrix leaking?Or would that usually show in both footwells? If my cooling system isn't currently properly pressurised, what nasty side effects would this have? Coolant not running through some of the smaller passages properly? Just wondering, because until I know whether the water inside is coming from the heater matrix I quite like not having any pressure...I'm not in a tearing hurry to have several litres of scalding hot coolant dumped over my feet while I'm driving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEANO3528 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Water under pressure boils at a higher temp, that, as far as I am aware, is the only reason for pressurising a cooling system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Water under pressure boils at a higher temp, that, as far as I am aware, is the only reason for pressurising a cooling system. So as long as it's sitting at a nice sensible temperature and not boiling up I'm okay. Good - I'll leave it alone until I've traced the source of my wet footwell then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 So as long as it's sitting at a nice sensible temperature and not boiling up I'm okay. Good - I'll leave it alone until I've traced the source of my wet footwell then. I have a warm wet feeling Although fortunately only when I stick my hand under the carpet after a long run. Looks like my heater matrix has gone south How big a job is it? Dashboard out, I presume, and then there's getting hold of the right replacement in decent nick. My threats to break the wretched thing are starting to get serious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish13 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I too am near attempting this. Can't really say from the horror stories and barely muffled sniggers of people that have done it, that I'm looking forward to it in all honesty! If you give me your email address then I'll send you a pdf I was shown as a step by step (48 pages!!!) It's a bit more extreme than needs be (they remove the doors?? ) but it's a good enough guide as any. We should arrange a meet of all the Rangies in the UK needing this job done and share tales of woe etc and then try and do the jobs as one! We could print t-shirts..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 I have a warm wet feeling Although fortunately only when I stick my hand under the carpet after a long run. Looks like my heater matrix has gone south It occurs to me that I may be jumping to conclusions... If my heater matrix was leaking that much, I'd be losing a lot more coolant that I am (which isn't very much at all), and the fact that the water is warm on the inboard side of the footwell could well be down to, well....there's this big V8, and an autobox...and an exhaust downpipe...on the other side of the floor Course the water still came from some where in the first place, but I guess I'm just going to have to strip the carpets out, get everything dry and see if any more appears I too am near attempting this. Can't really say from the horror stories and barely muffled sniggers of people that have done it, that I'm looking forward to it in all honesty!If you give me your email address then I'll send you a pdf I was shown as a step by step (48 pages!!!) It's a bit more extreme than needs be (they remove the doors?? ) but it's a good enough guide as any. Well, I was going to take the doors off anyway...they need a lick of paint (well, nearside does - offside needs a new door). Sounds a bit OTT to me, though! PM on the way - sounds like a useful PDF to have on hand, even it doesn't turn out to be the heater this time. We should arrange a meet of all the Rangies in the UK needing this job done and share tales of woe etc and then try and do the jobs as one! We'd never actually make it there, something'd break... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niall_CSK Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 We'd never actually make it there, something'd break... Oh Shurely you would have fixed all the bits by then Geoff I think you could be right about the warm rather than scalding carpet. The foam rubber seal where the pipes go through the bulkhead is another usual suspect. One tip I have used for finding leaks is this, get an old (or new if your feeling flush-no pun) bycicle inner tube, cut it in half, fill the offending article with water, hot usually is better, pop the cut ends of the tube over the inlet & outlet pipes, secure with hose clips and pump it up with a hand pump. DO NOT be tempted to use a compressor as 10 bar (145 psi) will soon turn your heat exhanger into a rugby ball if the inner tube doesn't burst in your face first. You will easilly be able to see rapid deflation, you can use a guage if you want to, and hopefully see any leakage in a more controlled manner, it does work quite well. Be warned about water loss and temperature indication, you can end up with an air lock and no pressure in the system. This leaves the sender in air rather than water due to it's position, then it reads a good deal lower than the actual remaining water temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Geoff If you are looking for a heater matrix I got mine from here. £76.65 for a brand new one including VAT and p&p. Mine was for a Discovery but I suspect the Range Rover ones will be the same. When my heater matrix went the interior filled up with steam from the vents. Rather than spend days sitting on my driveway trying to take out the dash board myself I found a guy near Luton who fitted the new one for around £250 including VAT. Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 28, 2006 Author Share Posted February 28, 2006 The foam rubber seal where the pipes go through the bulkhead is another usual suspect. And not an unlikely one considering I had the pipes off when we changed the engine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niall_CSK Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 And not an unlikely one considering I had the pipes off when we changed the engine... Silicone sealant from the engine bay Bring it to me for 250 quid I will valet it as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish13 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 So how much does it cost to ship a Range Rover to Indonesia nowadays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish13 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Geoff, Have sent the pdf to your email address, Cheers, Hugo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 28, 2006 Author Share Posted February 28, 2006 So how much does it cost to ship a Range Rover to Indonesia nowadays? Never mind that - cost enough to drive it up to Ayrshire when he's back home! Have sent the pdf to your email address, Thanks Hugo! Very useful guide to stripping the dashboard down generally as well as the heater itself. Reading that I'm very glad I haven't got to do it... I've been pulling the interior of the rangie apart this evening so I could get the carpet up enough to see where the water was coming from. Aside from the foam on the back of the nearside side panel everything above a couple inches off the floor is bone dry (we're talking proper dusty dry - and there're are still mud streaks from shipping water in the vents at Billing last year). It's also definitely not got coolant in it, so cooling system leaks are out of the picture. I vaguely recall Rob telling me it had been out in a heavy rain shower with the windows open when he first got it over to Wales - have to ask him. Looks like it was a proper flood in the footwell job... If it was summer I could probably get away with propping the soundproofing up off the floor and sticking plenty of newspaper under it, but at this time of year I'll never get it dry that way. Guess I'm going to have to take a bit more of the truck apart and get it right out. Still, it would be daft not to put shag pile carpets in when I put it all back together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niall_CSK Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 So how much does it cost to ship a Range Rover to Indonesia nowadays? OK I deserved that after winding you up I think I might be tempted if I was likely to be here any longer Hugo, how is the progress, guess you came to the conclusion it was the fan motor in the end. That seems like a good price, what did that include? Geoff, bit of good news at last, pity WD40 doesn't work on carpets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish13 Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 On your next time off Niall, you could drive your Rangie back to Indonesia overland and make an expedition out of it! That would be cool. But long. I have been hoovering up all things heater related from word of mouth and ebay! I am taking no chances, if this dash is coming to bits then I'm damn sure I'm gonna have enough bits in front of me to make at least one work! I have an almost new heater motor and my second complete heater unit should be arriving as soon as the snow permits! I should therefore have enough bits to bodge and butcher a working heater and matrix! The Series is due it's chassis swap (I'm overloaded with joy) as it's MOT is out. I have use of a barn from my cousin (near Stephen) and shall start stock piling many many bits in preparation (maybe parabolics ). Going to take a week or more in the summer to get a really good crack on with it. Won't finish it most likely, but should get a lot done! Geoff, very glad you don't have to strip your dash! And glad you like the pdf. If anyone else wants it, just pm your email. Cheers, Hugo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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