New member in need of advice on a 90

Hello,

I'm Dan and have been a long time lurker always wanting to own a Land Rover. I have randomly been offered a 1990 90 2.5na diesel, however it has a few possible faults and I just wanted to sound them out to see if its worth buying or not.

The car is very straight and original, has done 197,000 miles but has an ex MOD rebuilt engine (according to the plate on the engine). The chassis has lots of surface rust which has been reported as an advisory on the MOT, and also needs a new rear cross member. I can see that the chassis will need some patching in the next year or two, but I can weld and I’m not looking for a show winner.

The front bulkhead has rust near the vents under the windscreen, however further down seems solid enough. I’m thinking a couple of repair sections for the vents will do the trick.

I’ve driven the vehicle and it drives ok, however there is a whining noise from the transmission when you change up to third and remains there through 4th and 5th as the speed increases. It sounds a bit like the whine you hear when you reverse. Is that normal for a 90? I’ve only ever driven this one so I don’t have a comparison. The clutch feels heavy too. Also, when pulling away, there is what appears to be a transmission shunt/knock. Again, its not a huge, just a knock when letting out the clutch and the drive engages.

The good points are that the car has had lots of the bushes changed underneath on the various tie bars, has new top spring mounts, new lights all round plus 5 new tyres. The bodywork is straight enough (it’s a van) and everything electrical seems to work.

I wasn’t really looking to buy a Land Rover at the moment, however this one has come up and I’ve been invited to do some green laning, so I figured it could be a good first Land Rover to do 2 or 3 thousand miles a year in. The owner wants about 2.5k for it with a new MOT. The garage owner who is MOTing it is a friend of mine who seems to think its in reasonable enough shape for the age/mileage.

Any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Dan.

2.5k seems fairly cheap for a 1990 90 that has a legitimate fresh ticket along with running and driving okay. Are there any pictures? That will help folks give you a better opinion, as at that price with the description given i'd just buy it and then worry about the welding and driveline issues later.

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I have some pictures of the vehicle now - hopefully they will upload.

I decided to buy the 90 as it seems straight enough. Also found out that its had all the fluids changed and new shocks too.

Looking forwards to my first Land Rover experience in the coming weeks.

Thanks,

Dan.

Looks to have been well worked,however also signs of some care and attention.Base for a good usable truck I recon.

enjoy it

As I may have said somewhere else recently:
It's addictive
It's a money pit
It's fun
Enjoy!!!!!

Seems like paying 2500 for any condition seems a good deal these days and yours does look pretty straight. Now the spending starts. if it's only for laning then it's only the mechanical side will need looking after .

It's seems well worn but quite straight looking, it's a nice project truck.

Looks dandy, stick some of this in the back grooved side up and it will look even better.
https://www.polymax.co.uk/rubber-ma...MI--bf0JWz3gIVrr3tCh1EaQB1EAQYBiABEgIOovD_BwE

Thank you for the comments and advice everyone.

I ended up paying £2250 for the 90 and the seller is also letting me have a few extra bits too, namely a "bedstead" type roof rack, steering box guard (?) and some matting for the back. It already has a ladder on the back going to the roof, so maybe its destined to have a roof tent at some point...

I'm a bit nervous of buying it if I'm honest. The last few cars I bought on a whim have ended up being complete pups so I'm worried that this will be the same. I'm reasonably mechanically minded and I like that all the bits on a Land Rover can be unbolted and replaced without needing a welder. I know the chassis and bulkhead will need some attention next year, but if I can sort the mechanicals bits out so that they run nicely then I don't mind stripping it all down for some patching. I figured that taking the rear body off to get to the tops of the chassis rails wouldn't take too long, then repeat the exercise with the front end too. I'm really not looking for perfection, just something to trundle around in and keep running.

Fingers crossed!

Thanks again,

Dan.

Post photos once you have picked it over and we can all point you right

Hi everyone,

I now have the 90 and have been having a play with it. So far my first 50 miles or so have been so much fun. Apart from being 68bhp slow and having at least 10mph knocked off the speed everytime there is a slight incline, the car seems to be in good shape. There are some extra holes in the bulkhead that I need to plate over, but other than that its all solid. I'll upload some more pictures when I can. For a 200,000 mile vehicle, I really can't complain.

After driving around for a bit, I'm pretty sure the whining noise coming from the drivetrain isn't normal. It sounds like the reversing whine on older cars and becomes pretty loud in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear. After doing a search on here, I put the transfer box in netural and "drove" the car up through the gears. It made the same whining noise so I reckon I can rule out diff/UJ noise? If you coast with the car in gear the noise continues, so I'm thinking its going to most likely be a gearbox fault, or possibly a problem with the transfer box. Is there anything else I can try to eliminate one or the other?

Assuming its the gearbox, are there any do's and dont's regarding finding a replacement? In an ideal world I would try to find a 200tdi engine and box, but for now I want to continue with the old 2.5na as it runs really well and is a rebuilt MOD engine with a 2008 date code on it. Doesn't anyone in the Norfolk area have a working box or should I just put something like an Ashcroft recon unit it?

Many thanks in advance,

Dan.

bugsnwedges said:

Hi everyone,

I now have the 90 and have been having a play with it. So far my first 50 miles or so have been so much fun. Apart from being 68bhp slow and having at least 10mph knocked off the speed everytime there is a slight incline, the car seems to be in good shape. There are some extra holes in the bulkhead that I need to plate over, but other than that its all solid. I'll upload some more pictures when I can. For a 200,000 mile vehicle, I really can't complain.

After driving around for a bit, I'm pretty sure the whining noise coming from the drivetrain isn't normal. It sounds like the reversing whine on older cars and becomes pretty loud in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear. After doing a search on here, I put the transfer box in netural and "drove" the car up through the gears. It made the same whining noise so I reckon I can rule out diff/UJ noise? If you coast with the car in gear the noise continues, so I'm thinking its going to most likely be a gearbox fault, or possibly a problem with the transfer box. Is there anything else I can try to eliminate one or the other?

Assuming its the gearbox, are there any do's and dont's regarding finding a replacement? In an ideal world I would try to find a 200tdi engine and box, but for now I want to continue with the old 2.5na as it runs really well and is a rebuilt MOD engine with a 2008 date code on it. Doesn't anyone in the Norfolk area have a working box or should I just put something like an Ashcroft recon unit it?

Many thanks in advance,

Dan.

Click to expand...

James Martin is in the Norfolk area. Send him a pm, he won't do you wrong.

Try putting some oil in it. Or if there is any already in it replace whats in there. Start with the easy stuff before pulling out a gear box.

Im in Suffolk , if you are close I can have a look over it for you.

I live just on the Suffolk/Norfolk border close to Brandon/Thetford etc. Always happy to have a meet up and chat with anyone local to me.

I'll check the oil levels tomorrow, although the previous owner told me that all gearbox/drivetrain fluids were changed recently. I will check it for myself however as there is a weep of fluid coming from the transmission brake drum so there is a chance that its low.

One more question if I may - where is the best place to buy spare parts from reasonably cheaply? I've had a Google and can see 100's of different places selling parts, but just wondered if there was a prefered go to place thats stocks everything. I need things like seat bases, a rear wiper motor assembly, the matting that goes over the transmisson tunnel, door hinges, windscreen rubber etc. Looks like Rimmer Bros sells most stuff, although seems slightly expensive?

Thanks again, and sorry for all the questions. Hopefully when I get up to speed with Land Rover stuff I'll be able to return the favour and offer advice to future newbies!

Dan.

bugsnwedges said:

I live just on the Suffolk/Norfolk border close to Brandon/Thetford etc. Always happy to have a meet up and chat with anyone local to me.

I'll check the oil levels tomorrow, although the previous owner told me that all gearbox/drivetrain fluids were changed recently. I will check it for myself however as there is a weep of fluid coming from the transmission brake drum so there is a chance that its low.

One more question if I may - where is the best place to buy spare parts from reasonably cheaply? I've had a Google and can see 100's of different places selling parts, but just wondered if there was a prefered go to place thats stocks everything. I need things like seat bases, a rear wiper motor assembly, the matting that goes over the transmisson tunnel, door hinges, windscreen rubber etc. Looks like Rimmer Bros sells most stuff, although seems slightly expensive?

Thanks again, and sorry for all the questions. Hopefully when I get up to speed with Land Rover stuff I'll be able to return the favour and offer advice to future newbies!

Dan.

Click to expand...

If you want to buy online, or mail order, Paddock motors are pretty good. Ask for genuine or OEM for safety critical parts.

Or look for a local landrover parts specialist if you want to buy over the counter. Google search and talking to local owners are useful.

bugsnwedges said:

I live just on the Suffolk/Norfolk border close to Brandon/Thetford etc. Always happy to have a meet up and chat with anyone local to me.

I'll check the oil levels tomorrow, although the previous owner told me that all gearbox/drivetrain fluids were changed recently. I will check it for myself however as there is a weep of fluid coming from the transmission brake drum so there is a chance that its low.

One more question if I may - where is the best place to buy spare parts from reasonably cheaply? I've had a Google and can see 100's of different places selling parts, but just wondered if there was a prefered go to place thats stocks everything. I need things like seat bases, a rear wiper motor assembly, the matting that goes over the transmisson tunnel, door hinges, windscreen rubber etc. Looks like Rimmer Bros sells most stuff, although seems slightly expensive?

Thanks again, and sorry for all the questions. Hopefully when I get up to speed with Land Rover stuff I'll be able to return the favour and offer advice to future newbies!

Dan.

Click to expand...

Couple of local places to get you started, I have never used them, but they should be OK for parts supply.

http://www.jsf4x4norfolk.co.uk/

http://www.mansfield4x4burystedmunds.com/

mick the builder said:

James Martin is in the Norfolk area. Send him a pm, he won't do you wrong.

Click to expand...

James lives near Louth, Lincolnshire. But he does know his stuff about Landrovers.

bugsnwedges said:

One more question if I may - where is the best place to buy spare parts from reasonably cheaply? I've had a Google and can see 100's of different places selling parts, but just wondered if there was a prefered go to place thats stocks everything. I need things like seat bases, a rear wiper motor assembly, the matting that goes over the transmisson tunnel, door hinges, windscreen rubber etc. Looks like Rimmer Bros sells most stuff, although seems slightly expensive?

Click to expand...

Second vote for paddocks for things that you need new. If you download a copy of the parts manual you can then search their website by part number as well as description. If you add a "g" to the end of the part number you will get oem parts.
I am also a big fan of ebay and the various shows which have an auto jumble section. Things like your wiper motor assembly will be expensive new but should be straight forward enough to find a decent used one. Even if you have to buy a complete door which has rusted to nothing.