Loss of drive when carrying a lot of weight

Evening all,

I'm not the most experienced DIY landy mechanic and need some advice...

2 problems I've had with my landy for a while now really need sorting but I'm not sure what the problems are!

1: my battery warning light comes on when I've got the engine running and it dims as I rev the engine. At night when I have my lights on, the battery level goes into the minus side on the gauge but the more I put my foot down, the more it goes back over to the positive side. It does only go just over half way though. It literally responds instantly in relation to the foot pedal. I have heard a bit of a were-ring sound over the last 2 months since it's started doing it. A mate of mine suggested that the fan belt could be loose or need replacing? The battery does hold a charge still and it always starts no problem.


2: My engine is a 200Tdi with just over 230,000 miles on her. She always struggles on hills but over the weekend I went to Wales mountain biking with 5 of us in the car, the back loaded to the roof with bags and 5 bikes in total across the roof rack and in the back. On the way there she was very sluggish on hills that weren't that big but after the first 45 mins of driving she seemed to pick up a bit.

On the way back the power loss problem got much worse. The engine was revving no probs but it was like the drive wasn't being transferred to the wheels. It got so bad as we went over the Pennines on the M62 that I had to crawl most of the way at 30 to 50 mph. We stopped for a good ten mins too to see if she needed to cool down as the temp gauge was high but not into the red but it didn't make any difference. It felt like I had to try and catch the 'bite' almost as I was putting my foot on the gas. It would only go so far and then start over revving? Like I say, she's and old bus but I've not had problems as bad as that before. A mate who was in the car said he thought the clutch need adjusting/replacing? I am planning on gettin my injector tips replaced next year as I've read that it can help revive the engine a bit!

Sorry for the lengthly post but I can't sleep at night knowing she's poorly!!!

She's a J reg 110 county. Clutch was done about a year a go by my brother in law who is a landy mechanic but I only paid about 80 quid for the clutch so I'm wondering if I need to invest in a better quality one if it is the clutch. We also put a disco box in it which was the worst thing I've ever done as she really doesn't like it! Planning to switch back to a defender on after Christmas too! It doesn't feel or sound like a gearing problem though but I could be wrong!

Any advice would be much appreciated, cheers, J. :whoosh:

Bad alternator or earth for the first bit I'd think ?

And for the second when was it last serviced etc



Someone with better answers may be along later

Sounds like a slipping clutch to me!

Dr_evil said:

Bad alternator or earth for the first bit I'd think ?

And for the second when was it last serviced etc



Someone with better answers may be along later

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+1 on a bad earth but worth checking the belts on the alternator and sticking a multimeter on to see the output of said alty.

Shifty1962 said:

Sounds like a slipping clutch to me!

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+ 1 defo sounds like the clutch is slipping or on its way to being fubarred.

Shifty1962 said:

Sounds like a slipping clutch to me!

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What shifty said ^^^^^^^

defo bad earth on the first thing check main earth and if its ok add another one box to chassis engine to chassis etc and id go with a good service and fuel system cleaner.

wot they ^^^^^ said

Thanks for your responses.

Changed the fuel and air filters about a year ago and oil + filter about 2 months ago. I've put a few bottles of different fuel cleaner in over the past 4 months to try and help!

Do you folks change your air and fuel filters every 12 months?

2nd is a clutch, if the revs rise without the speed rising its the clutch...

Was it just the clutch disc you replaced? Sounds like you need a new disc,pressure plate and fly wheel, and while you got it apart new main seal, don't forget heavy duty clutch fork reneforced. with that may miles. Flywheel will be smooth as a babies arse with oil on it. Called glazed and with hard spots, not good

jaykingfunk said:

Thanks for your responses.

Changed the fuel and air filters about a year ago and oil + filter about 2 months ago. I've put a few bottles of different fuel cleaner in over the past 4 months to try and help!

Do you folks change your air and fuel filters every 12 months?

Click to expand...

air filters unless it is soaked with water are good for 50-70,000 miles. unless you are in the desert

jaykingfunk said:

Thanks for your responses.

Changed the fuel and air filters about a year ago and oil + filter about 2 months ago. I've put a few bottles of different fuel cleaner in over the past 4 months to try and help!

Do you folks change your air and fuel filters every 12 months?

Click to expand...

Will be doing.
If its revving ok, its not yer filters, blocked fuel filter feels like a brink Under the accelerator, air filter wouldnt be as noticable, but same thing.
if revs rise, but no cahnge in speed, like has been said, its clutch related.

Any oil under it round the bell housing?

My money is on an alternator and clutch.

Thanks again for all your help folks.

Yes there is oil around the bell housing underneath. I assumed it was related to one of the seals on the transfer box? I can never remember which way round they are, is seal on the hand brake drum side the output seal? Because I reckon the one on the gear box side needs replacing.

What exactly does the clutch fork do?! I know what they look like but I'm not sure how they work?!!

Just wondering if a seal has gone/is going and contaminated your pretty new clutch, hence the slipping after 12months.
what colour is the oil, if its a reddish colour its ATF from the gearbox, mineral looking but clean transfer, black and engine oily, engine (not always easy to tell, give the area a good clean and check the fresh stuff)

Looks black and enginey! I'll spray the underside with degreaser and give it a good wipe down and see what I can find out.

Feel very out of my depth with this sort of stuff! As I mentioned before, my brother in law is a landy specialist but he moved 3 hours away earlier this year so it's a right ball ache trying to get him to have a look at the 110 for me these days!

enginy, crank shaft seal... did it get changed when you did the clutch??

I'm not sure, I'll ask my brother in law but I reckon he will have done with having the box out.

Did you put the Disco transfer box on as well as the gearbox?

If so then the higher gearing will explain a general sluggishness on hills (or more so than a 200Tdi would exhibit anyway!). The revs rising without the speed following suit is most likely the clutch slipping though, as others have pointed out.

if you have oil leaking out the bell housing I would suspect either a rear main or a gearbox seal is leaking onto the clutch plate, the friction plates absorb the oil and will just slip after a while, whatever it is you will be needing to take the box out, an easy(ish) diy job...