Expedition spares for Defender Td5 110

[popotla]

By the time we leave on our overland trip, which might be for 40,000 / 50,000 km., our LR Defender 110 Td5 (2.5 litre diesel engine) CSW will have done about 60,000 km. It has been well taken care of and serviced every 10,000 km.

I plan to carry a well-stocked supply of spare parts, including what will be needed for routine services. I would like to know “what might be likely to break first” i.e. what are the essential non-routine parts we should take, which parts would be “a very good idea to carry” and which parts “could well be needed”??? I’m assuming, which I think is a realistic assumption, that if and when we break down, this will not be near a Landrover dealership.

One thing I’m wondering about is the suspension. We are only two people, but I envisage carrying a fairly heavy load and wonder if the suspension will be OK carrying this day-in, day-out.

All advice appreciated.

[Godlykepower]

Assuming everything is in great condition to begin with, I would take: Propsahft UJ's, track rod ends & a couple of wheel bearings, not including service items. The list of spares you could possibly take could go on forever. Depends on how adept you are at fitting all the parts when something breaks. You could take a trailer with enough spare parts to build a whole new Defender, but if you dont know how to fit every single one yourself, then there is no point. Generally limit your spares to those parts that can guarantee forward motion.

There are 2 trains of thought regarding LR suspension for overlanding, namely the standard is good enough to get you anywhere in the world adequatley; or upgrade to something better. I personally think the latter is the better of the 2 options - the standard set-up will probably make it in one piece, but a good suspension upgrade can make your vehicle more comfortable & capable & maybe better your chances of completing the trip without anything going wrong.

A set of Koni dampers and a set of Old Man Emu springs is a match made in heaven for a heavily laden overland vehicle. If you do upgrade your suspension, then keep a couple of the old dampers to take as spares.

HTH

Martin

[hobson]

Have a look at www.brownchurch.co.uk -they're expedition specialists and have a lot of good info, including downloadable vehicle and health manuals.

[Mo Murphy]

A set of Koni dampers and a set of Old Man Emu springs is a match made in heaven for a heavily laden overland vehicle. If you do upgrade your suspension, then keep a couple of the old dampers to take as spares.

I've been looking at this setup, Martin, how are you getting on with it ?

Mo

[Godlykepower]

I really like it Mo.

The set-up was recommended to me by Paul Marsh at Footloose 4x4, so I thought I would give it a punt, as his reasoning was sound plus I used to run Koni's on a heavily tuned Eunos Roadster I used to have, so I already know & trust the product.

When I initially started looking, I had the fright of my life, as there are 2 types of Koni damper available, the most expensive of which is around £200..PER SHOCK These are the Koni Heavy track "Raid's" and is the sort of thing you would find on something big & heavy racing the Dakar rally.

These are overkill on a Defender, no matter how heavily laden.

Therefore the standard Heavy Track's are adequate. These cost around £65 per damper

You then need to find the correct OME springs to match to the vehicle. By this I mean, you have to work out your vehicle weight & match accordingly.

As I dont have a garage & can not take my rooftent and/or roof rack off, I already have a heavier base vehicle and this will only get heavier when the trip eventually begins.

What I am saying is: try and get springs matched to roughly an average vehicle weight. If you can completely off-load your vehicle when not on a trip, and you are running springs for a vehicle carrying a half ton more, your ride will be awful.

Dont know if that makes any sense?

Either way, I am happy with my set-up!

Martin

[Diff]

By the time we leave on our overland trip, which might be for 40,000 / 50,000 km., our LR Defender 110 Td5 (2.5 litre diesel engine) CSW will have done about 60,000 km. It has been well taken care of and serviced every 10,000 km.

I plan to carry a well-stocked supply of spare parts, including what will be needed for routine services. I would like to know “what might be likely to break first” i.e. what are the essential non-routine parts we should take, which parts would be “a very good idea to carry” and which parts “could well be needed”??? I’m assuming, which I think is a realistic assumption, that if and when we break down, this will not be near a Landrover dealership.

One thing I’m wondering about is the suspension. We are only two people, but I envisage carrying a fairly heavy load and wonder if the suspension will be OK carrying this day-in, day-out.

All advice appreciated.

There are loads of spares lists out there, and I am not 100% familiar with the specifics of a Td5, but here are a few points to bare in mind:

Never choose your spares based on what you are capable of fixing/repairing yourself.

Even if you don't have the skills to replace a specific part, someone somewhere will, and having the correct part will save a lot of grief.

Take a workshop manual and a parts manual. These can be very useful either to yourself, or anyone working on the LR for you. Be careful that they don't get 'lost' when someone else is working on your LR though!

Suspension, like everything, is a very individual choice. GENUINE land Rover springs and shocks get my vote. Whether you choose heavy duty or not depends on the total load you will be carrying. I would not recommend any kind of suspension lift.

Regards,

Diff

[gilloverland]

For td5, take an air flow meter. I know these tend to be a problem causer (though it can also be the wiring loom to it which chafes on the engine).

Likewise maybe an injector harness, though Im not sure if you need a computer to replace these parts...

Make sure all your suspension bushes are top notch before you set off.

[popotla]

From where, exactly, do I get the part number of each item I want?

[mmgemini]

This is what I carry, you will need to change a couple of things from my 300Tdi to your TD5.

Wheel bearings I understand are the same. I would suggest a full set of bearing shims or change to the earlier two nut type.

http://www.landroveraddict.com/smf/index.php?topic=348640.0

HTH

[popotla]

Thanks for all contributions and comments, which I'm following up on.

[Mark90]

What I am saying is: try and get springs matched to roughly an average vehicle weight. If you can completely off-load your vehicle when not on a trip, and you are running springs for a vehicle carrying a half ton more, your ride will be awful.

If your weight differences are that big keep a set of standard rear springs for when you are not on 'expedition'. Only take 1/2 hour to swap.

[muddy4x4xfar]

Assuming everything is in great condition to begin with, I would take: Propsahft UJ's, track rod ends & a couple of wheel bearings, not including service items. The list of spares you could possibly take could go on forever. Depends on how adept you are at fitting all the parts when something breaks. You could take a trailer with enough spare parts to build a whole new Defender, but if you dont know how to fit every single one yourself, then there is no point. Generally limit your spares to those parts that can guarantee forward motion.

There are 2 trains of thought regarding LR suspension for overlanding, namely the standard is good enough to get you anywhere in the world adequatley; or upgrade to something better. I personally think the latter is the better of the 2 options - the standard set-up will probably make it in one piece, but a good suspension upgrade can make your vehicle more comfortable & capable & maybe better your chances of completing the trip without anything going wrong.

A set of Koni dampers and a set of Old Man Emu springs is a match made in heaven for a heavily laden overland vehicle. If you do upgrade your suspension, then keep a couple of the old dampers to take as spares.

HTH

Martin

hi not puttin you off ugrading your suspension. just a thought to consider when upgrading. buy parts that you can also get in other countries. if you brake a damper thats for a 2'' suspension lift for example. can u get that part where ever else your going?

just something to consider.

hope that helps.