Power Clutch & Air Con on Defender 90 with N/A Diesel

I Posted a few days ago with a question about my choice of Land Rover.
Today I went to see the car and dragged a mechanic along. I kept the
tips some of the fellow readers posted in mind, but the Landy seems to
be in very good shape. The engine does sputter a little bit of oil from
Dip Stick hole, but there are no leaks.

The one problem I found with it (which seems to be a problem on all
Land Rovers I drove) is that the clutch is quite hard. It is not really
a problem for the occasional drive, but if I'm stuck for hours in the
traffic, I guess it could be frustrating.

Does anyone of you know of a method to fit a power clutch to it (if it
is at all possible)? It has the standard gearbox with 5 gears fit in at
the moment.

Secondly, the heat will definitely be a problem in summer. Any good
reason why I should not fit an AC unit in it? If it is OK, do you have
any particular experiences/ Recommendations etc? Please Note I live in
a warm/hot country and sometimes have to drive around in a suit, so an
AC is not a luxury.

Thanks once again,

Richard

> The one problem I found with it (which seems to be a problem on all
> Land Rovers I drove) is that the clutch is quite hard. It is not really
> a problem for the occasional drive, but if I'm stuck for hours in the
> traffic, I guess it could be frustrating.

Not a problem just a feature, I've done 90k in mine and no problem. Good for
leg muscles !!

>
> Does anyone of you know of a method to fit a power clutch to it (if it
> is at all possible)? It has the standard gearbox with 5 gears fit in at
> the moment.

Change to auto if you're desparate
>
> Secondly, the heat will definitely be a problem in summer. Any good
> reason why I should not fit an AC unit in it? If it is OK, do you have
> any particular experiences/ Recommendations etc? Please Note I live in
> a warm/hot country and sometimes have to drive around in a suit, so an
> AC is not a luxury.

Depends where you are and what you want it for. In Africa you will be hard
pressed to beat it off road, open windows !

If you dirve roads mostly then perhaps with all the problems you may have,
get a Jap 4x4 with all mods

>
> Thanks once again,
>
> Richard
>

LR 90/ 110 are real off roaders for serious play. You get what it was
designed for.
Although capable, Jap versions have lots of added goodies to go wrong.

Remember after all that of all LR Series/ 90/110 etc made a large proportion
are still driven, I wonder how many Jap equivalent reach that %.

Richard Hi,

the hard clutch pedal may be due to the clutch being in need of replacement
or one of the pumps being in need of repair/replacement. Another reason may
be old clutch fluid or the system being in need of a good bleeding.
Those three last reasons usually lead to the clutch not engaging properly
and not been much harder than normal but it would be a good thing to test
them anyway.

An A/C is one of the best things/accessories you can fit on a Defender if
you live in a hot climate region (Greece falls into this category and I
speak from experience)

The 2.5 N/A diesel engine may need a few special bits in order to mount the
A/C compressor and most probably those bits are no longer available off the
shelf from LR dealers.
There is a possibility that the compressor, belt tensioner etc from the
200Tdi may be used on your engine but you will have to check about it with
an A/C specialist.
The A/C radiator and evaporator (the unit inside the cabin) are the same
with those units on Tdi, V8 and TD5 vehicles or can be made to fit.

Only true problem is that complete A/C kits are very expensive.
But once fitted you will really enjoy it.

One added bonus is that you can also use the A/C during winter to easily and
quickly demist the passengers cabin and the windscreen and side windows.


Take care
Pantelis



"Richard Muscat Azzopardi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I Posted a few days ago with a question about my choice of Land Rover.
> Today I went to see the car and dragged a mechanic along. I kept the
> tips some of the fellow readers posted in mind, but the Landy seems to
> be in very good shape. The engine does sputter a little bit of oil from
> Dip Stick hole, but there are no leaks.
>
> The one problem I found with it (which seems to be a problem on all
> Land Rovers I drove) is that the clutch is quite hard. It is not really
> a problem for the occasional drive, but if I'm stuck for hours in the
> traffic, I guess it could be frustrating.
>
> Does anyone of you know of a method to fit a power clutch to it (if it
> is at all possible)? It has the standard gearbox with 5 gears fit in at
> the moment.
>
> Secondly, the heat will definitely be a problem in summer. Any good
> reason why I should not fit an AC unit in it? If it is OK, do you have
> any particular experiences/ Recommendations etc? Please Note I live in
> a warm/hot country and sometimes have to drive around in a suit, so an
> AC is not a luxury.
>
> Thanks once again,
>
> Richard
>