Looking after my new 1987 Landy 90 2.5 DT

[sapwood]

Bought a great new and first Landy 90 2.5 DT, only 105,000 miles since new and full service history and all receipts. Shes a great example.

Im wondering if you guys in the KNOW could tell me what you would be checking if you'd just purchased this and then what would the service intervas and schedule of jobs be thereafter to keep her A1 and MINT!

Im doing the timingbelt as their is no sign of it in 8years so says these receipts and MOTS, though I know shes only 105,000 miles, though 8years to my experience and its needing changing? Or am I wrong?

The only other thing is small oil leak from both rear hubs, not on the inside of brake, just the outer and outside of the wheel, very slight. Also how do you top up this diff/axle oil? How do you check its level? As obviusly when I change the seals and possibly the bearings whilst im at it, im going to have to top up the axle/diff oil?

Also any tips on keeping her running forever and more?

Someday she will become a TDI or even a TD5 it simply depends how long she lasts as she is? If it aint broke! Dont fix it EH!

[Quagmire]

Dunno about diesels but I will say that you have made the best first move possible to keep her running in tip-top fashion by posting on here - lots of knowledgeable people around - they are usually a friendly bunch too.

Change all fluids as a first step- and keep a note of when you did them. That way you know all has been done and when.

Diffs - drain is on the bottom, filler should be on the front face of the axle casing. Just refill until the oil starts to come out the filler plug hole.

Top tip- don't drain any fluids until you have proven that you can undo the filler first!

EP90 goes in diffs/axles, swivels and transfer box.

ATF Dexron III (Red, fishy smelling stuff) goes in the main gearbox.

Have fun!

[mudmuncher]

Keep it Waxoly coated underneath chassis etc, i do my 1986 90 (same age as yours) every year i swear it keeps the rust at bay !!!!

There are some good 'how to guides on here'

Chris

[Ian Barrett]

Thats a very nice and very original looking Ninety. I like it a lot

The leaks you have on the rear hubs could be a very simple thing.

The rubber centre caps on the end of the drive shafts fit into a groove on the end of the shafts. If crud gets into this groove they will leak slightly which then flings all over your wheels.

Gently prise them off - be ready with something to catch the small amout of thick oil which will come out - and thoroughly clean the caps and the groove.

They should then pop back on nice and snug.

Its also worth just checking the 5 bolts are all still tight. If someone has been in there recently its possible they weren't pinched up enough.

[mickeyw]

Welcome to the club, and LR4x4.

Indeed you seem to have found a tidy unmolested example. We had a D reg TD 90 CSW in white. Sold with 141K it was on its second engine but did us well in every other way.

The TD receives a great deal of snide remarks but I always felt that in a 90 it was a reasonably spritely performer, and a huge improvement over its normally aspirated predecessors. The Tdi was another great step forward for landrover, and if you ever need to replace the engine a 200Tdi is a relatively straight forward fit.

As a new car to you, I'd check everything, bit by bit. Engine oil changes are vital in the TD, so I'd start there.

The canister can be a right wotsit to get undone, so a tool like this used on a 1/2" drive socket extension bar is a worthwhile investment, as will be a boilersuit and some rubber gloves. Once you loosen the oil filter, the oil will do its best to run down your arm, normally inside the sleeve

As already said, spend a few evenings reading through the tech archive, you will learn lots. Good luck.

[nickwilliams]

With regard to the oil leak from the rear hubs, in addition to the comments from Ian above, it's also very common for the plastic caps to split. This will frequently be invisible since it's usually just a short split in the centre of the cap, but it's enough to let a visible amount of oil out.

They are cheap enough to buy new that it's not worth putting an old one back unless it's pristine.

Nick.

[Maverik]

Liberal application of blood, sweat and tears... Welcome to Land rover Ownership and LR4x4, Haynes manual is a good start for service tips, rather than getting many disjointed answers from a very big question you just asked chances are haynes will make you ask more questions but that not a bad thing as you'll probably get most of your answers on here.

Mav

[western]

Tidy 90 you have there, Trident green is the body colour I believe,

you will find this link worth having 90 parts book & workshop manual can be found on ebay.

& welcome to LR4x4.com

[sapwood]

Keep it Waxoly coated underneath chassis etc, i do my 1986 90 (same age as yours) every year i swear it keeps the rust at bay !!!!

There are some good 'how to guides on here'

Chris

I have a schedule as follows to get her back to tip top condition, shes mechanicaly sound, but is crying out for bodywork to be spent a little time on, knocking out small dents, treating and dealing with a few rust blebs and then a rub down and re-spray in bottle green.

Though my plan is something like this.

The mucky stuff first! 1) Ive spent all day today rubbing down the underside with a course bristle brush and a wire brush in areas, the old wax was falling off very easily. Once the whole underside is done I will be wax oiling her once again.

BUT! IVE BEEN WONDERING, SHOULD I TREAT EVERYTHING WITH SOME RUST REVERSER, THE STUFF THAT HALTS RUST AND TURNS IT INTO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT IT IS? SHOULD I PAINT THE AXLES AND THINGS LIKE THE BRAKE COVER METAL DISKS (NOT THE DISKS OR DRUMS) BASICALY ANYTHING THAT IS STRUCTURAL TO THE VEHICLE.

2) Sort all mechanical jobs.. fluid changes. check sparkplugs, check all brake pipe conditions and replace both front pipes as their recomended in the MOT it passed in November gone. Sort the minor outer hub leak thats splattering a small amount of oil on both rear wheels.

3) Timing Belt Change!!!

4) Treat all rust blebs on bodywork, hit with flap disc innitialy, work the rust back, paint with rust reverser, filler where neccessary or fabricate new section with sheet metal.

5) key up bodywork surface with wet n dry paper and water, preparing surface ready for re-spray in bottle green.

6) Wire up a split charge system for Aux Batt to run winch that ive just installed.

7) Re-Trim Seats (Can do this myself)

8) Build a gun cabinet type affair for the rear, though this is to function as a custom toolbox, with a 240V 750watt inverter supplying a mains socket built into the cabinet. Mount a small 240V air compressor nehind a front seat.

9) New shocks and springs, feel she could benefit from this. Im not talking about a 24" lift kit with 44" wheels and shod with some £600 per wheel tyres that a small family could convert into a detached home. I honestly prefer a landrover to be exactly what it should be, ORIGINAL! The amount ive seen with massive tyres and lift kits and snorkels not fitted right, or the ones that are fitted right dont even have raised axle breathers, therefore completely rendering the point of the breather USELESS ANYHOW! Just keeping her with original clearances and the original steel Landy wheels, just uprating the shocks and springs.

ONE FINAL THING! WOULD IT BE WORTHWHILE TO GET A FULL GASKET KIT AND DO ALL THE GASKETS? aLSO WOULD IT BE WORTHWHILE CHANGING PISTON RINGS WHILT THE HEAD IS APPART DOING A FULL GASKET CHANGE? WOULD THIS BENEFIT HER AT ALL OR SHOULD THIS SIMPLY BE LEFT AS ITS FINE AS SHE STANDS? IF IT AINT BROKE, THEN DONT TRY TO FIX IT I SUPPOSE?

[sapwood]

Welcome to the club, and LR4x4.

Indeed you seem to have found a tidy unmolested example. We had a D reg TD 90 CSW in white. Sold with 141K it was on its second engine but did us well in every other way.

The TD receives a great deal of snide remarks but I always felt that in a 90 it was a reasonably spritely performer, and a huge improvement over its normally aspirated predecessors. The Tdi was another great step forward for landrover, and if you ever need to replace the engine a 200Tdi is a relatively straight forward fit.

As a new car to you, I'd check everything, bit by bit. Engine oil changes are vital in the TD, so I'd start there.

The canister can be a right wotsit to get undone, so a tool like this used on a 1/2" drive socket extension bar is a worthwhile investment, as will be a boilersuit and some rubber gloves. Once you loosen the oil filter, the oil will do its best to run down your arm, normally inside the sleeve

As already said, spend a few evenings reading through the tech archive, you will learn lots. Good luck.

Yes she is a good example.. Drives very very nicely... Looking through the pile of receipts and MOT's given to me by the owner. It reads of a Landy that was very very well looked after and no esxpense spared. Considering I paid £1650 for her, when I collected her last Thursday in Wales, the old couple I bought her from filled her with Diesel for me, how sweet. Not many would have done that. Also considering just the past 12months receipts for her include a new £60 bettery, BOTH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS (EXPLAINS THE LEAKING HUBS EH! POOR MECHANIC ON THIS JOB), ALSO A NEW FRONT AND BACK BOX, REAR BRAKE PADS, SOMETHING OF A ROD KIT? FOR STEERING DAMPER?, AIR AND OIL FILTER, PLUS OIL CHANGE (ALSO STATES ENGINE FLUSH? WHATEVER THIS MAY BE? POSSIBLY A CHANGE OF ALL FLUIDS?), NEW SPARKPLUGS, FAN BELT. Errrrrrrrrrm? I think thatsw prettymuch it, off the top of my head?

As you say, original is best and she is completely that! Even has all the original tools that are supplied with the new vehicle, such as large farm jack a few other things im not sure about and a wallet of spanners and wrenches.

She will benefit largely from some bodywork time spent and a re-spray though.

[mickeyw]

Hmmmm, last mechanic must have been quite a chap to have fitted spark plugs to a diesel I'm sure he meant to write glow plugs

I wouldn't be surprised if this old couple have had your 90 since new, and looked after it like only people of their generation do.

[SmasherWebbs]

Ive just done a engine change on my 1988 TD. If your stripping the chassis back why dont you slap some 2 pack on (paint for metal boats). Belive me it better than any waxoil as mud and road dirt cant stick to it very well. Alot of work but worth it if u dont want to climb under every year.

Also check your shock tops (under the bonnet two plastic blisters/covers) had a shock to find one of mine were knackered yesterday.

And flexy break hoses just after calipers. cheap and easy fix often over looked.

Anywhere hard to get to is always worth looking at or at least slapping some paint on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its all down to your own piece of mind how much you want to do.

[SmasherWebbs]

Also if you planning on making it a daily run about removing the visco fan and suround to replace it with a small electric fan will improve your MPG by ALOT and cool the engine better!!!

[CwazyWabbit]

Also if you planning on making it a daily run about removing the visco fan and suround to replace it with a small electric fan will improve your MPG by ALOT and cool the engine better!!!

That's a can of worms and a debatable claim.

[mickeyw]

Have to agree with CW

[sapwood]

Ive just done a engine change on my 1988 TD. If your stripping the chassis back why dont you slap some 2 pack on (paint for metal boats). Belive me it better than any waxoil as mud and road dirt cant stick to it very well. Alot of work but worth it if u dont want to climb under every year.

Also check your shock tops (under the bonnet two plastic blisters/covers) had a shock to find one of mine were knackered yesterday.

And flexy break hoses just after calipers. cheap and easy fix often over looked.

Anywhere hard to get to is always worth looking at or at least slapping some paint on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its all down to your own piece of mind how much you want to do.

Would this be simply for chasis? Is it a good idea putting this paint onto axles and transmission parts?

[sapwood]

Hmmmm, last mechanic must have been quite a chap to have fitted spark plugs to a diesel I'm sure he meant to write glow plugs

I wouldn't be surprised if this old couple have had your 90 since new, and looked after it like only people of their generation do.

Yeah! I meant glowplugs...

It has been very very well looked after and every receipt and MOT has been documented and I have them in a file here.

The plan is to run it until the time may come when I have to drop another engine into it, that may never come? I supose you just never know.

I have been receiving comments as to changing this and that, though im really not interested in replacing anything, shes staying as original as the day she was made and the way she was when the lovely old couple in Wales handed her over to me. I like the originality of this Landy and if you look on Ebay and elsewhere, these original vehicles are seldom hard to find. I think many read too many Landrover mags and see big wheels and tyres, snorkels and cheap winches and have to be modifying in some way. Then after a few years its almost impossible to find a 90 or defnder over a decade old that is still completely original. IF IT AINT BROKEN, THEN DONT TRY TO FIX IT! If anything does break then I will have an option to upgrade or replace, but im sure not going to start tearing her appart and be told something will be better when the original is doing quite fine as it is.

Looking at the DVLA web site, their are only 157 1987 landy 90's registered in the UK. That tells me one huge factor and thats to keep this vehicle as original as she is, simply kep her treated underneath, keep the rust at bay, treat the bodywork and sort the few rust blebs and give her a re-spray. For the £1650 I paid for this 90, ive seen the same spec and a year younger, with 74,000 miles more on the clock than mine selling for £3500 at a dealership, though the bodywork was in better condition than mine, but thats easy to sort out on my behalf, mechanicaly I bet that the one for £3500 isnt as good as this one, nor has it a full service history.

[sapwood]

My next move over the coming days will be to clean off the underside completely. Then do the following.

1) paint everything underneath with a rust killer. Everything that isnt a moving part. Though mainly chasis, underside bodywork and axles and transmission/gearbox.

2) Finaly wax oilo the whole underside.

The only doubt that I have is whether im wasting my time and money with the Rust Killer, or will the waxing be suffice?

Once this is done I will move onto the bodywork, knocking out the few Dings shes had, filler/sanding and sanding back the laquer coat to give a new spray a key surface.

[SmasherWebbs]

I have just 2 pack my engine bay in a dashing moave (looked more pink by the time it was dry) and then put a top coat of hammerite black

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwebber/7175553030/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwebber/7175528278/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwebber/7175509674/in/photostream/

Its up to you what you paint but i would only do axles if you were spending alot of time in salt water otherwise I wouldnt worry.

[sapwood]

I have just 2 pack my engine bay in a dashing moave (looked more pink by the time it was dry) and then put a top coat of hammerite black

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

Its up to you what you paint but i would only do axles if you were spending alot of time in salt water otherwise I wouldnt worry.

Looking at your Flickr pics.. Seems your a resident of the Scarbrough area? I was living in East Yorkshire too up until January gone, was living in Foston on The Wolds, near Beverly. Moved back up to the N.E. though desperately want to be back in East Yorkshire, I had to move back up because of personal situation.

Ive given the whole underside of this landrover 90, 2.5DT a good good wire brushing, got her up on fashioned ramps made of rail sleeper sections, didnt have any proper ramps. Got under her and cleaned off a lot of old wax and obvious coats of yearly wax dumped straight ontp of old muck buildup, was over an inch thick in some corners. Though cant complain, better than not having any. After a good wire brushing I powerhosed the whole thing with a Karsher Washer.

Now im at the treating stage and dont know whether to treat the chasis with rust converter to kill the surface chasis rust, then wax oil tis, or simply paint the chasis with 2 pac, then wax oil this?

Once the timingbelt is done and the bottom treated and finished, I will do the bodywork some justive, work on a few rust blebs, knock out a few DINGS and respray the body with british racing green so her body resembles how mechanicaly sound she is too. Paintwork is very tired afterall.

[SmasherWebbs]

Mother lives in Lincoln and I 2pac'd and then slapped the wax oil on mine. Worth the effort of getting filthy you wont have to do it again for a looooong time.

2pac is ok direct to light rust as it warms due to chemical reactions and forces water out.

[gavin.]

Thats a very nice and very original looking Ninety. I like it a lot

The leaks you have on the rear hubs could be a very simple thing.

The rubber centre caps on the end of the drive shafts fit into a groove on the end of the shafts. If crud gets into this groove they will leak slightly which then flings all over your wheels.

Gently prise them off - be ready with something to catch the small amout of thick oil which will come out - and thoroughly clean the caps and the groove.

They should then pop back on nice and snug.

Its also worth just checking the 5 bolts are all still tight. If someone has been in there recently its possible they weren't pinched up enough.

I'd second this. I had the same issue a while back and was relieved when I realised I didn't need to rebuild the hub.

[Quagmire]

Also check breather on top of the axle casing is clear. I usually check mine as soon as I get any spotting on the rear door and find one of them is always clogged. Not sure why this happens - both have nice nylon pipe fitted that is extended up high out of the crud. Does do a fair amount of mileage though.