What have you done to your DEFENDER today?

[4RF RDS]

Recently I drove across North America, 7600 kms to New Mexico and back to my home in Canada for some on trail instruction and education with I4WDTA, Safe Extract, Chris Cole and Bill Burke (some of the best in the world). My 110 Td5 didn’t skip a beat and ran flawlessly. During the trip, in Texas, she turned over 210,000 kms.

When anyone says the Td5 motor or Defenders are unreliable… I say meh! 🤷‍♂️. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Now for some oil and fluid changes.

Love my 110 CSW😉

 

[WreckITFrank]

Recently I drove across North America, 7600 kms to New Mexico and back to my home in Canada for some on trail instruction and education with I4WDTA, Safe Extract, Chris Cole and Bill Burke (some of the best in the world). My 110 Td5 didn’t skip a beat and ran flawlessly. During the trip, in Texas, she turned over 210,000 kms.

When anyone says the Td5 motor or Defenders are unreliable… I say meh! 🤷‍♂️. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Now for some oil and fluid changes.

Love my 110 CSW😉

Awesome trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Just a micro-project. Added a sticker to the rolling sticker collection that is my Defender 90. Oh, the places we've been.

 

[Priapus]

I didn’t think I’d be posting much in this thread again. During the Winter it was too cold to work out in my driveway and I made the decision to pay a local shop to just replace the engine with a rebuilt one. They have been dragging their feet with scheduling it and meanwhile prices have increased, so I am increasingly inclined to just button things up and see how she runs.

I have a huge pile of fresh parts that were intended to go on the new engine that I am now installing, starting with the lift pump. I did this job a few hundred miles ago and hated doing it then. I hated it nearly as much this time around, and it wasn’t made any easier even with no head and no hard lines running from the FIP in the way. I hope I never do this job again.

There is definitely a fueling issue with this vehicle, and before dismantling the engine there were clear signs of air in the fuel. I have new fuel lines from Pioneer 4x4 ready to install when I have some more time.

Opening up the old pump showed some debris in it, despite having a new fuel tank and only having run it perhaps 300 miles since new. Hope between this, the new tank and the new lines, that the fueling issue will be settled for good.

 

[Priapus]

I finally had a day to grind out some amateur car repair and after five months, the cylinder head is back on the Land Rover of Theseus. Everything was pretty straightforward and I got the manifolds on, head torqued down, glow plugs in and connected, and maddeningly when I was using a torque wrench set to 10 ft-lbs, snapped off a brand new genuine lr injector stud.

Surprisingly I got the stub out with no trouble and replaced it with a grotty one from the old head. But despite this, the injector clamp flew off to who knows where. I spent 30 minutes looking for it and could not locate it. Of course this part is basically unobtanium in the U.S. right now, so I spent $70 buying two used ones from Turners. Hopefully it arrives quickly.

Beyond that I really just have to hook up the injector lines, spill rail, install the new fuel hoses, air cleaner, coolant, push rods and rocker assembly. Just a solid few hours of work and I can find out how badly my cylinder honing, re-ringing and new bearings job actually went.

 

[erover82]

I finally had a day to grind out some amateur car repair and after five months, the cylinder head is back on the Land Rover of Theseus. Everything was pretty straightforward and I got the manifolds on, head torqued down, glow plugs in and connected, and maddeningly when I was using a torque wrench set to 10 ft-lbs, snapped off a brand new genuine lr injector stud.

Surprisingly I got the stub out with no trouble and replaced it with a grotty one from the old head. But despite this, the injector clamp flew off to who knows where. I spent 30 minutes looking for it and could not locate it. Of course this part is basically unobtanium in the U.S. right now, so I spent $70 buying two used ones from Turners. Hopefully it arrives quickly.

Beyond that I really just have to hook up the injector lines, spill rail, install the new fuel hoses, air cleaner, coolant, push rods and rocker assembly. Just a solid few hours of work and I can find out how badly my cylinder honing, re-ringing and new bearings job actually went.

Some days are like that. Last week I spent two hours tearing the shop apart looking for a part that I never actually purchased. Good luck with the final assembly.

 

[Mirrajumper]

The aftermarket injector studs always break. MD now use normal bolts in this application.

 

[Priapus]

Not much progress yesterday, but I did get the rocker assembly on. I ran out of good weather so I haven’t done the valve adjustment yet, but that’s okay.

I also began the process of replacing the fuel lines, and somehow ended up removing the fill neck and hoses. Very clearly this is where debris has been making its way into the fuel system, as the fill hose had significant dirt in it. In addition, the gasket for the filler neck had completely perished to the point where there was just a hint of it left. I think the main culprit is the gasket in the gas cap, but I have a brand new one ready to install.

 

[Priapus]

Just got my shipment from Turners, so the injectors are all installed, and I also finished the filler neck refresh with a new gasket, cap and label.

The next job is to drop the tank to get at the return line, replace with new, adjust the valves, and then I guess I can either try to run it and see how it goes, or be patient and swap out the injection pump for the rebuilt one I have sitting on my shelf.

 

[Mirrajumper]

Can you access the return line from under the pass seat lid cubby? ….didn’t think the tank has to be dropped for that repair.

 

[Priapus]

Can you access the return line from under the pass seat lid cubby? ….didn’t think the tank has to be dropped for that repair.

On a 110? I don’t think my arms would reach

 

[hillstrubl]

Replaced the generic android radio with a newer much improved wireless android auto radio. Added a backup camera as well.

 

[Priapus]

This was a fun journey. I learned that you should install the feed line after mounting the tank. This plastic piece of garbage set me back quite a bit after the nub snapped off. Then getting the tank mounted, running the Pioneer 4x4 braided lines etc was another hateful job.

I also adjusted the valves and installed the spill rail.

At least this thing is getting very close to a first start.

 

[Priapus]

She works! First start today with no drama, to my very great surprise. I’m no mechanic and haven’t done a whole lot of auto repair prior to owning this, but honing the block, replacing a piston, bearings, dropping the tank, etc has been a huge learning experience and confidence boost.

Ignore the puddle underneath. I had a bit of a struggle getting the coolant topped up and bled, but got there in the end. Drove it down the driveway and back and will change the oil tomorrow before taking it out on the road.

There’s nothing really left to do, though I did end up not replacing the injection pump. I just don’t have the energy. She runs better than before but I don’t really know how they’re supposed to be. It seems more powerful, quieter and smoother, so I didn’t make it worse at least. And there is definitely significantly less blow by.

 

[WreckITFrank]

Nice work. Driving it is the best part....

Be careful where you say this...."There’s nothing really left to do"

 

[rocky]

Saga of the Grote flasher unit failures. Seems water or rain is a factor. It poured on Saturday and I left vents open. It was acting weird so I pulled it. Let it dry out and all good now.
Time to investigate
Photos from overgrown Maine Winter Romp trails.

 

[Priapus]

Well my mechanic prowess is certainly in jeopardy. I should have read the workshop manual better when torquing my head bolts, as I neglected to repeat the second 60 degree turn and final 20 degree turn for the ten long bolts. This was definitely making the car unhappy, so I removed the head and there were clear signs of a head gasket failure (in this case not a gasket failure per se, but the tops of the pistons were steamed).

I got everything buttoned up today, sounds good and when I was bleeding the coolant with the heater on saw coolant streaming out of the heater box like crazy. With the heater off, no coolant leaks. What could be the cause? I replaced the heater matrix a year and a half ago and knowing that it’s just a small radiator, I cannot make sense of this at all. There should either be a constant leak once the thermostat opens or no leak at all. This is truly bizarre. Any ideas?

 

[uc4me]

Rounding out some new camping gear. These stair treads from iKamper are genius.

 

[uc4me]

Oh and btw..if anyone is interested in a set of these rtt treads for their pop up ladder, they're now 20% off.

They are sturdy and most importantly let's face it, when retiring after a night by the campfire and a few under the belt, a ladder isn't always a safe endeavor. Sometimes in the mornings too..😉

HC Steps | iKamper

Our patent pending HC Steps convert the traditional ladder to a stair case for a more comfortable and secure climb in and out of your RTT. *Ladder not included

ikamper.com

 

[Mirrajumper]

Slick !