First ever Landy

Hi all,

Having introduced myself some months ago on the forum (it was in the correct place - didn't want to make that mistake) and explaining that I have always wanted a Land Rover having grown up around them, I am pleased to announce i finally have one.

As my family and Girlfriend are already sick of hearing about me talking about it, I thought some of you lot might be at least marginally interested.

I have a 1995 white 110 300tdi SW - 53500 miles.

Good points:

• seems to drive well so far
• Interior is really nice Exmoor trim
• Engine seems to be in good order, previous owner was meticulous about servicing etc
• Gear box works well
• It's been partially prepared for overland which is what i plan to use it for
• It's all set for my winter search and rescue requirements

Bad points

• It needed a rear x member earlier this year (done by previous owners) which probably means other bits may need sorting at some point, however on exploring underneath with a hammer it isn't apparent to me.
• The rear propshaft UJ sheared on my driving home with it.
• The second row RH door is rusted badly on the base
• The tailgate door is split where the weight of the tyre was too much and so leaks and the windscreen wiper doesn't work.
• The wiring through to the spot lights and rear indicators are faulty.
• The brackets holding the second fuel tank on a rusted
• The Britpart suspension potentially sha**d
• There are other britpart parts inside her and I don't fully know where yet
• There is a bit of worrying oil from the transfer box.

There is a fair bit I want to do to it, with the grand plan being driving to Capetown for a fundraising trip. That's a way off yet and the main thing is learning the basics and maybe the intermediates.

In the near future, when I'm not working nights, weekends and lates, i shall work out how to and then replace - all the oils/fluids etc and probably change all the belts. (I have yet to figure out how many there are, but presuming two - timing and aux)

I think the two doors need replacing (or at least the tailgate - 2nd row ones are soooo expensive) and the capping is rusting.

It all comes down to money, time, space, tools and knowledge.

If anyone has anything they can offer in the knowledge/help/tools and space categories in south devon that would be much appreciated. Obviously if anyone can help in the money department - great but guess i'm on my own there.


Hope to get to know more of you over the coming months

Cheers

M

:welcome2:to the mad house makes me wish i still had my 110

You've bought a similar year landy to mine which also had to had a cross member just before I bought it. The reality is that the rest might be sound. Get it all cleaned off underneath and get it treated either yourself or professionally as soon as you can. Mine required a hole in the battery box doing, a 1" hole near the from bumper, the floor of the passenger side of the bulkhead and one tube outrigger as well but it is now absolutely sound everywhere.

Just my thoughts....

The rear door is actually quite cheap as it literally hasn't changed in donkeys and you can pick up a standard door for £115 or even less. Make sure you give it a really good rust treatment and spray it then it's quite easy to transfer the glass, wiper motor, hinges, door card etc etc over

Britpart parts can be very poor but some of their parts are actually ok. Their suspension is allegedly pretty good! I used a set of their door handles on each of my new doors but I wouldn't have one of their clutches.

The four doors are something you need to sort as soon as possible. You can get replacement door sections to weld in and again make sure you treat what is left for rust and use something like wax to prevent future rust as much as possible.

Fixing the wiring to the lights shouldn't be too difficult a job to do yourself but if it is more than you can manage an auto electrician should sort it pretty quickly. If you lived round here I'd do it for a bottle of JD There must be a friend/friend of a friend that knows about auto electrics.

UJs are not expensive.

Oil from the transfer box could be a simple fix or might be expensive.... Where is it leaking from and how much.... What level is it at now? If it has run low/out and not been topped up there could be permanent damage.

Look's/sounds ok for an 18 year old landy.Welcome and expect something of a love/hate relationship with it.[You will have to do most of the loving] keep up with the fix it's[get a proper manual]and much info can be found on this site,cheers.

Thank all.

Cowasaki

Cheers for the advice.

So far total replacement of the rear door seems best and hopefully between here and Haynes I can sort out reglazing and setting up the wiper. I think anything electronic will need replacing rather than transferring.

It is only one second row door that needs sorting but they seem very expensive to buy. So repair may be needed. But I don't have the tools to cut out the rusted frame and weld in a new bit. Or the skills.

The oil doesn't leak in the sense that there is a puddle on each new parking spot and I'm not needing to top up regularly.

The whole prop shaft has been replaced now so hopefully the end of it. For now.

I don't know how well I could re-wire. I don't understand the diagrams in Haynes and I don't have the space or gear to properly get under - just rolling on the floor at mo. Hope I can get some help.

Cheers all! Sure the resources here will be used a lot and I will try to search out the answer from a previous thread before I ask.

Enjoying things so far. Definitely love hate. I love - the gf hates.

M

Welcome and congrats on your first land rover.. Goodluck!!!!

300tdi are nice and easy to work on!

I have a 1990. 110. I had the rear cross member replaced about four years ago. At the time everything else was solid. I have recently had to have new foot wells fitted as they were rusting. Everything else is solid underneath. I to have a little leak from the transfer box. Been like that for the last four years. I just top it up every six months whilst greasing the prop shafts.
Occasionally I get an electrical fault with the spots, I just give the wires a wiggle and spray WD40 an its fine. It has crossed Morocco several times and next summer will be going off again. Things you need to keep an eye on are wheel bearing adjustments, hub and axle seals.

mikescuba said:

I have a 1990. 110. I had the rear cross member replaced about four years ago. At the time everything else was solid. I have recently had to have new foot wells fitted as they were rusting. Everything else is solid underneath. I to have a little leak from the transfer box. Been like that for the last four years. I just top it up every six months whilst greasing the prop shafts.
Occasionally I get an electrical fault with the spots, I just give the wires a wiggle and spray WD40 an its fine. It has crossed Morocco several times and next summer will be going off again. Things you need to keep an eye on are wheel bearing adjustments, hub and axle seals.

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Cheers for the tips! all very helpful the lot of you. quick broad question.... any idea why half the wheels on my Landy have little lead weights clipped to the hubs? I presume there must be a balance issue, but not heard of adding weight - are they twisted in some way? someone been knocking into curbs.

Buzzmf87 said:

Cheers for the tips! all very helpful the lot of you. quick broad question.... any idea why half the wheels on my Landy have little lead weights clipped to the hubs? I presume there must be a balance issue, but not heard of adding weight - are they twisted in some way? someone been knocking into curbs.

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I have my wheels all balanced up as mine often cruises at 70/75 mph. I think a lot of people cruise around 60 ish and might not notice if the balancing is out. I would imagine some weights can come off when in deep mud etc.
Don't think they would get knocked off when hitting kerbs as the tyres are quiet high in relation to the kerb.

mikescuba said:

I have my wheels all balanced up as mine often cruises at 70/75 mph. I think a lot of people cruise around 60 ish and might not notice if the balancing is out. I would imagine some weights can come off when in deep mud etc.
Don't think they would get knocked off when hitting kerbs as the tyres are quiet high in relation to the kerb.

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70mph? :O

Mine vibrates like mad at 50!!!

Maybe i should get her tracked and balanced!

Buzzmf87 said:

Cheers for the tips! all very helpful the lot of you. quick broad question.... any idea why half the wheels on my Landy have little lead weights clipped to the hubs? I presume there must be a balance issue, but not heard of adding weight - are they twisted in some way? someone been knocking into curbs.

Click to expand...

No need to worry - adding weights to wheels to balance them is a very normal thing. My new rims are covered in them!
The weights could be there due to warping of the rim, but I suspect it is due to slight variations in the tyres. Being a Defender, the tyres are quite tall with big sidewalls so I would guess they are more prone to needing wheel weights.

IamRobbie said:

70mph? :O

Mine vibrates like mad at 50!!!

Maybe i should get her tracked and balanced!

Click to expand...

Sounds like tracking and balancing needs checking. I drove from here in the south of France to Portsmouth. 70 mph most of the way. Coming back I did drop down to around 65 mph and noticed a big improvement in fuel consumption..
I put a load of carpeting down to try and sound prof it a bit but still couldn't really hear the radio. I was surprised how comfortable the seat was though.

mikescuba said:

Sounds like tracking and balancing needs checking. I drove from here in the south of France to Portsmouth. 70 mph most of the way. Coming back I did drop down to around 65 mph and noticed a big improvement in fuel consumption..
I put a load of carpeting down to try and sound prof it a bit but still couldn't really hear the radio. I was surprised how comfortable the seat was though.

Click to expand...

Think mine may need a bit of engine tuning. Really sluggish- but I suppose it is 2+ton
Vibrations aren't too bad at 65, and balancing was done few months ago, but last time I drove any distance that's when the propshaft sheared. Obviously with a brand new propshaft and UJ's it should all be fine now, but I get nervous about pushing too hard.

I find giving it a good blast now and again seems to clear it out. When I first got mine the previous owner rarely went over 50mph in it and it was sluggish and you needed a good run to get speed up. I haven't tuned it or anything like that but it picks up much quicker. I did renew the turbo hoses as one burst. Also renewing the Diesel and air filters helps.

Ha, I had my 200tdi at almost 90mph the other day and with Mud Terrains on. It's no wonder the new ones are restricted to 86mph! Mine has a disco engine and transmission though. Hope to get a larger intercooler and some tuning sometime