Coming home, I turned at the of the drive and my power steering vanished.

I checked for leaks at the pump, the hoses and the steering box but found nothing. I figured it must have been the pump that had given up. I do so few miles in a year it would be uneconomic to fit a new one. I called the breakers year in Inverkeithing, they had three or four Discoverys in stock. So I nipped over and found one on a Disco with half the mileage on mine. For the princely sum of £17 it was mine.

Once fitted my power steering is back to one finger power lock to lock. Feeling chuffed I’d saved the old bus from an early grave.

I got to thinking even though bits fail here and there on these elderly Land Rovers, I’d imagine 90s and 110s will be much the same, they are so fixable. I somehow doubt their newer brethern or competitors will be anywhere near as field serviceable.

What did you last fix on your Land Rover?

On wednesday we had to do some headscratching to keep simply_oli_y off heres thunderbus going …. Ex mil v8 110with a 200tdi disco engine and lt77 transplant in .

His alternator light was on all the time.

So we did the usual checks and worked out that his exciter diodes werent working,

Rake round my gaff and find 5 alternators off various land rovers and 2 off peugeot vans.

None that would fit his engine.

We stripped down one of my good alternators off a v8 disco and rebuilt it into his casing so it mounted correctly.

Job done

Years ago a friend of mine owned a Defender, I think it was a 90 but I’m not sure. There was a point where the lights wouldn’t turn off until you hit the kill switch under the passenger seat. 😆

I love how LR owners discussing their old nags always say ‘Its remarkable really, theres nothing wrong with it, its just needs…..’ then list all the things that are wrong with it. 🙂

A friend of mine’s now accrued 5 or 6 series landys all of which ‘have nothing wrong with them really’ but non of which actually work and haven’t worked for years. I’ve driven his defender and the shocking condition thats in (it doesn’t really stop or steer but it was able to follow the ruts made by the tractor in front and you can rely on the boggy ground for it to stop going forward) makes me wonder just how bad the others are for him to keep using that in preference.

As regards the newer brethren and slightly OT, A friend hit a pheasant the other morning in his brand new Discovery, damaging the headlamp glass. The replacement complete unit, as they don’t sell the glass separately, is available for a mere £841 plus VAT… Company vehicle, otherwise he was saying he’d need to put an insurance claim through.

Madness, although it does house a lot of pretty little lights, rather than just one

The discovery/freelanders and range rovers are expensive trinkets compared to the proper land rovers, you know when it’s a proper 4×4 there is no carpet in the interior.

Welded up both the doors on a defender 90, they had cracked just under the window ledge, and broken a few door card clips as well.

What did you last fix on your Land Rover?

Asthma attack.

20 years ago i worked for a 4×4 specalist in Oxfordshire. We had a local Pig Farmer who had a 110 that was just used to haul (grossly overloaded) trailers full of pig feed from the Farm to the fields. It used to get through clutches every 3 months, and after about the 5th one, the Farmer got annoyed and chopped it in for an Izuzu Trooper. Well that lasted over 6 months before the clutch went, twice as long as for the Defender, but it cost over £800 in parts and had a 2 week wait while they were sourced! (compared to about £100 and off the shelf for the LR).

So Landys, yup, they break often, but they are cheap and easy to fix 😉

slackalice
As regards the newer brethren and slightly OT, A friend hit a pheasant the other morning in his brand new Discovery, damaging the headlamp glass. The replacement complete unit, as they don’t sell the glass separately, is available for a mere £841 plus VAT… Company vehicle, otherwise he was saying he’d need to put an insurance claim through

The old Lucas sealed beam units in the Defender cost less than a tenner………. (ok, a couple of candles would be brighter, but they are cheap!)

I’ve got a disco III, I counbt on a £800 bill every few months.

Last one was suspension compressor, I rebuilt one but that died too. Needed a new upgraded one from a specialist. With the ecu upgrade it didnt end up cheap.

10 year old disco 3. Fixed a wiring problem on the air suspension 18 months ago and not had to do anything since…..I may be tempting fate with this post though 😆

2006 Disco 3 has required

Turbo, inter cooler, gearbox, rear wheel bearings, air suspension compressor, sat Nav drive, comms module, rear tyres, electric parking brake module, and a new spare + winch when it was nicked in Coventry.

NEVER again.

The 110 needs a new head light. A tenner! I wonder if the breakers down the road has a used one? 😆

What a timely post. I’m not long home from helping a mate change the gearbox in his 110. Lost all but 4th (direct) on Tuesday night. Recon box sourced and delivered by Thursday, fitted today on his drive with basic tools and a trolley jack. Cross drilled input gear fitted in the transfer too for good measure.

Hi Mattsccm. Try Urban Trucks. They custom build stuff from new vehicles so have new take off pretty cheap

http://www.urban-truck.com/store/p62/Genuine_Land_Rover_Defender_90_%26_110_Headlights_with_Bulbs.html

Sorry, but I cant get past £841 for a headlight.
£841?
FOR
A
HEADLIGHT?!

841 for a headlight……

Ive replaced all my lights on the 90 for led units & fitted a heated screen, new doors ,new seats and all new brake system and have not paid 841 quid plus vat….

Yes, £841 plus vat. He negotiated them to £700 and then 2 days wait to get it supplied and fitted. Although he still claims the Discoveries are cheaper to own and run than the series of Landy’s that preceeded.

Having been given a 54 plate swb defender as a work vehicle about 7 months ago, I’ve found myself grown quite accustomed to its idiosyncrasies, knocks, rattles, intermittent switch gear and asthmatic blower. Actually, quite endearing, as our the other Defender drivers. I’ve noticed when another approaches from any direction, acknowledgement is passed with minimal gestures, in an understated empathic manner of sympathy and superiority. In stark contrast to the often manic waving of all limbs as was the collective need for all those 2CV drivers a number of decades ago.

The Defender is way cool, I would drive it all the time, so long as I don’t need to go any further than 20 mile radius. I’ve absolutely no idea if it’s a 90 or 110, whatever those numbers mean. It pulls trailers, it starts, it’s immensely practical for what I’m doing and where I do it and like it that its a bit of a bus to drive.

I am relieved that I don’t have to dip into my wallet or time to keep it going though 😀

Sorry, but I cant get past £841 for a headlight.
£841?
Don’t buy a mazda then,

I’ve absolutely no idea if it’s a 90 or 110, whatever those numbers mean.

90″ or 110″, it’s the length of the wheelbase, so either a short’un or a long’un.

Thanks CZ, it’s a 90 then 🙂

Speshpaul – Member
Sorry, but I cant get past £841 for a headlight.
£841?
Don’t buy a mazda then,

‘Cos it’s got fancy LED stuff built in, plus a Xenon lamp unit. Can be had fo a lot less on eBay.

Grew up wiv a mk2a as a kid 🙁

Nothing like your pimp boxes ….

Is that 841 +vat = £1000 to joe public….

CountZero

90″ or 110″, it’s the length of the wheelbase, so either a short’un or a long’un

Pedants corner. Defender 90s actually have a 93″ wheelbase (at std ride height) 😆

I expect they price them to stop people face lifting last weeks car to this weeks 🙂

Count zero you went to all that trouble to find a picture, but you didn’t read back a few posts. 😆

Defender 90s actually have a 93″ wheelbase

I think both figures are well within normal LR tolerance 🙂

nope its never over (thankfully), 24 years young and about to be rebuilt for another 24(+) years.

post images

Haha, that is what mine looked like 3 years ago. Now 32 years old and good for another 30

What did you last fix on your Land Rover?

New chassis. As a colleague once said ‘it’s a land rover, the chassis is pretty much a consumable’

Currently considering something like this with some big tyres on for site work, as my Navara is getting trashed in all the mud

What did you last fix on your Land Rover?

Not mine, but a hire 110 from Lix toll had a drive shaft go all clicky and knocky on me. I took it in there and then, they handed me a cuppa, and 12 minutes later(!) handed me the keys back with replacement shaft fitted that they ‘borrowed’ from one of the many out back….

Loving the 109 Station Wagon with the tropical roof.

Aye pete , that will fleg folk , assuming mr curtain supplys his passengers with ear defenders 🙂 has a full bhuna 200tdi under the hood and 4 on the floor with overdrive 🙂

Great Easter present – a mcmoonter Landy thread! (Some gratuitous shots of landy near wood stacks though, please)!

Last thing I fixed – many years ago when I was running it – starter motor. Cheap to buy but a pig to fit. At least it meant no more bump starts.

Aaaaaaahhh, I still hanker……..

A mate has a Series 1 87 inch Landy in his garage in bits ready to restore for his daughter. It’s been cut down to 80 inch. It’s on the log book as an 87 inch. Think it might of been a Dutch army one. Anyone have any info?

Fuel line on ’71 S3 lightweight with a low compression military V8 in (or V4,6,7 depending in how it’s feeling). Fuel line needed to move it so back chassis rails can be welded – why LR didn’t galvanise the chassis is beyond me. PS love the smell of gearbox oil that wafts through all series…

keeping the mcmoonter-easter-landrover gift giving for ononeorange…

down at the coppice last week

Since I finished building it a year ago, I’ve taken it in for some new swivels – I decided to pass on that job. But I did re-do all the trailing arm bushes, panhard rod bush and steering damper. And got some proper wheels for it. That were much better balanced too. Oh, and had to make up an inner-tube-based seal for the filler cap as it keeps pissing diesel everywhere.

Keep on top of fluid changes, grease the prop-shaft unis, and it seems quite happy. I do need to redo the earth strap to the chassis though – I think the galv has oxidised underneath the strap and Im losing grunt to the starter.

This is not helping my D3 or Defender decisions.

Wondering if I can make a 110 a comfy every day car that works on the farm too. Thinking some nice seats and sorting out the heater etc and just accepting I will have to pootle around and take a few minutes longer to get places.

Andy, mine is my daily runner. Fitted eberspacher diesel heater and heated Windscreen to cover winter comforts. New seat foam and covers from exmoor trim.

As mattoutandabout (I think) in an earlier thread said, it makes every trip an adventure even if just to the grandparents or shops, for little and big kids.