Nessie...

£150 on a new front diff ....and that odd noise is the propshaft....I think!

Had an odd humming from somewhere up forrard' for the last few weeks which had been narrowed down to a defunct bearing in the front diff. Basically it's there at about 30mph and more prominent when pulling uphill etc. Drop into neutral on both gearbox and transfer box and its still there, quietening as the speed drops off. Therefore either: wheel bearing, diff bearings or propshaft...or very end of transfer box.

So the old man and I have just spent all weekend underneath attaching a shiny new (well, a decent 2004) front diff, including getting rid of all the wierd (like a sickly burnt oily/eggy) smelling (but not emulsified) gloopy black oil...and its still there! After a good few cups of tea, much head scratching and a good poke around its looking like it could only be the propshaft UJ's as they're the only thing left unchanged (im pretty sure the rear end is fine as the oil looks nice and clear)...?

Anyone seen this before (its a 110 td5 btw) or any other suggestions......?!?

Cheers!

Sounds a bit like the strange noise that accompanied us down the French motorway on Day one of Landy rally (see photos on the news page) last year! Any more info has to come from Mr D D or Kieran (not much chance of that at the moment as he's on the Recce with Tom)as I only make the tea or take photos at these moments !!

Dan White wrote:

Had an odd humming from somewhere up forrard' for the last few weeks

a bee in your bonnet?

Quote :

Anyone seen this before (its a 110 td5 btw) or any other suggestions......?!?

Red's had a strange humming noise since I put MT's on

Are the brakes solid, drilled or vented? When one of my bikes started humming at the front end, it was one of the pistons in the caliper sticking.

Can you feel the hum in the steering, brakes or gearsticks?

Tried driving with diff lock in and the propshaft removed?


At 5pm on Sunday, while changing the brake discs and investigating a louder than usual humming, I found Red's rear offside hub contained a watery bearing soup - the last person to have the hubs apart didn't put gaskets in. New stub axles, bearings, seals, drain plugs, discs, pads, pistons, caliper seals, brake lines this week... Hopefully ... public transport's crap.

How did you get on Dan? Did you change the wheel bearings? Like Andybloke said if you disconnect the propshaft and drive with diff lock in, it should tell you whether it's the UJs or not.

Lu and T :bom:

Sorry all, got recalled back to the 7 seas (well north actually) a bit early.

It was the UJ's! The cheapest option to fix but of course we bypassed that! duhhhh.

Nevermind, dashboard is finished, all the electrics, fridge and bed going into the back now !

Welcome back to dry land - for the mo.

Best install two fridges, one big 'un for beer, another mini version for food.

Ha, cheers!

Its really only an overblown coolbox, in a sale in halfords + me old man's trade card = tidy bargain!

In other news it had been looking bleak on the rally front for the last few weeks, with pulling out almost considered.....but, due to a few strokes of luck and me being medcally downgraded for a month over a pair of buggered knees, i wont be back at sea till mid august, so rally preps and fundraising will be go go go! unfortunately it means i'll be getting off for the rally on the 18th of september, racing home then about turn to dover!

Strewth, surprise you have time to do anything. The medical thingy certainly is a blessing in disguise. Pull out? You'd regret it forever more!

Have you read my post about Holland? Although we'll still include it as one of the 11 countries, it's 90% certain we won't be starting from there as it doesn't look as though the 4x4 show in Eindhoven is taking place this year - awaiting confirmation about this. This now means a 9am start in Calais as opposed to a 1pm start in Eindhoven. Swings and roundabouts, but this way we won't have to drive up along the coast before we start, but the Dutch leg will be incorporated into the actual Road Bookd as part of Landy Rally itself. Adaptable we certainly are!

yeah i did see that, bit of a bummer but nevermind, looking forward to whatever you have planned for andorra.....as long as i dont get arrested (again)!!
Hopefully we'll get to talk about it at billing...if i can get in at this late stage of the game!

You will no problem. See you there.

hmmm, the UJ's have lied, its still there.

Wheel bearings being changed this afternoon.

How'd it go?

Nessie update! Ladies and gents, lend me your ears for i have an essay!

I'm off to the falklands at the end of may, and as ive already said somewhere, nessie's coming too!

however she needs a bit of TLC before we go...so, in no particular order here's the post i've already written on difflock.com! Any ideas/criticism is more than welcome:

Prior to starting any work, strip out carpets/seats etc and steam clean as much as poss.
Full service, change all filters, look for and stop any leaks. – New hoses?
Wheel tracking once I’ve fitted a new set of MT’s (possible new damper) – currently pulls left on hard braking.
Replace UJs – currently clonking unless v careful with clutch.
Recondition Rear crossmember and rocksliders/sills as they’re starting to go.
New door hinges alround - starting to contract the inevitable defender door hinge disease.

Camping/External:
I’m going to make my own awning, but I’m going to invest in a roof tent, after a year of shows and lots of debate I’m set on a Hannibal opening over the rear for a multitude of reasons.

Currently I have a home made set of shelves in the left hand side of the rear loadbay, with a water jerrycan (+ electric pump!) in the space left by the angle of the rear seat. (And the standard rear door fold down stove.) What I want to fit is an opening locker door where the left hand rear window is, turn the shelves around and fit it out as a kitchen. I saw these last summer on the front runner stand I think? I cant find much info on these but I believe there may be 2 types, the main one being a square fit which means I would have to cut a square hole, or one which fits into the existing rounded corners. The latter being preferred as it leaves me the option of returning it to a window. Any info on these would be brilliant!?

Underneath this I’m going to cut down an existing ally table to make one that slots onto the side of the truck with legs that prop onto the wheel (again knicked from front runner!).

Swing away rear wheel carrier + highlift mount ( I want as little weight as poss uptop so the jack wont be going on the roof and my current stowage, under the rear seats, is about to be filled with speakers and electronics!)

This is possibly for another post entirely, and I’ve read the current ongoing debate in another thread but…recovery? The terrain down south is a bit like dartmoor, so whilst I’ll be avoiding any peat as much as possible for all the ecological reasons, I need to consider possible recovery – Waffle boards or sand track style? And/Or ground anchor? – challenge type or hammer in posts? After function, my main consideration here is cost and what I can make myself?

finally i have an idea for an onboard computer which i may need to pick andy's brain on! but i'll put that in another post!

any thoughts?!

Yes on question

Have you got enough shore leave between now and then ??

Cos you sure look like your going to be busy !

Dan White wrote:

New door hinges alround - starting to contract the inevitable defender door hinge disease.

My, you've set yourself a task and a half! I will tackle bits and bobs as I thnk of them, here's my first contribution:-

Regarding your rusty door hinge problem, two solutions I can readily think of –

First the ‘cheap option’ is to replace the stupid OE steel nuts & bolts with stainless steel equivalents

Defender Stainless Steel nuts & bolts
www.flatdoguk.com/ssbolts.htm

Also on their home page, it states "COMING SOON ... Zinc Plated Hinges. No more rust runs, these will last for years". Best phone Steve or Barry and ask how far advanced they are in stocking these. Sounds a good solution if the price is right. The next option is expensive!

By the way, please mention it was through the Landy Rally forum and Tom McGuigan that you heard about Flatdog. Know the lads well, they are well into 4x4/off-roading/motorsport/etc.

or

the ‘expensive option’ of complete hinge kits. To quote the suppliers …

“The hinges are a high quality machined assembly and are anodised to aerospace specification for maximum corrosion prevention. We have added a grease a nipple to help maintain the hinges along with a stainless steel hinge pin to reduce corrosion within the hinge, giving years of service. The hinges come with stainless alan key screws washers and nylock nuts”. http://www.croytec.co.uk/products.htm

As for recovery options, I'd go for waffle boards, much stronger, you can use them even as bridge if needed. Groundanchor: you better use the hammerstyle, this one you can use on your own, as for the ploughanchor you need a second person to guide it in the ground. Other benefit of the hammerstyle: it will hold better in different groundtypes.
Good Luck

Care of the Ministry Of Defence, another White family change of plans...I'm no longer going to the Falklands!

Looks like I'm changing Ships in June/July instead of May and getting onto a real warship! Its sort of a promotion and hopefully I'll end up as Intelligence Officer (ha!) on a Frigate or Destroyer!

Good: No Falklands, Likely to spend the Summer in the UK
Bad: I was looking forward to the Falklands & I cant plan anything past June (including LR10)!

Nevermind.. the list of things to do remains the same, and now I've got more time to complete it. Fingers crossed now that I'll get an early heads up on where I'll be come September!

Well, the door is always open Dan (as you know), and that includes shows and events.

If you're around, fancy popping over to Holland in May. Haven't finalised plans yet, but it will be for the weekend of 22-13 May to see the Dutch nutters, sorry - friends - who entered LR`09.

Quote :

it will be for the weekend of 22-13 May

Tom have you discovered the secret of turning back time ?






If so let me in on the secret !

Doh!

Tom Mc wrote:

Well, the door is always open Dan (as you know), and that includes shows and events.

If you're around, fancy popping over to Holland in May. Haven't finalised plans yet, but it will be for the weekend of 22-13 May to see the Dutch nutters, sorry - friends - who entered LR`09.

Possibly! Looks like I'm on leave for something for once! And if the 'rebuild' stays on schedule Nessie should be able to come!

It started today with a mass strip out of everything back from the front seats, including the rear seats, seat-belts, trim & all and then we're off to Nene Overland to get the rear side window taken out & replaced with a locker tomorrow!

The problem I'm having is as soon as I take something off/out I find another problem underneath, if I'm not careful there's going to be just a rolling chassis left in my mum's stables!

I'll keep this page updated too as the rest of the week also has such exiting things as sills, roofrack and bumpers coming off and going to get re powdercoated and new stereo& dashboard going in!

Do you reckon I can get the MOD to pay me in Landrover bits and i can just cut out the bank/buying bit!

The rest of t

Don't know why you don't get the entire vehicle shot blast then power coated? All you'll have to do then is scrape the black stuff off the windows ... to reveal opaque windows where they've been sand blasted.

Doh! Forgot about that, perhaps it's not such a good idea after all. Back to the drawing board mate!


BTW, it'll be great if you can make it to the Neverlands, probably one of the only countries in the whole wide world you've never been to as it's so close to home!

Awesome Idea, Stealth Landrover!

I've been to Amsterdam/Schipol airport, but I don't remember much of it!

tom got the idea from us, we have been quoted 100 pounds for the whole of our ambulance to be shot blasted and we have brught a powder coating machine and will one day try it

Forgot about that, must have been lurking in my subconscious; scary what resides in there!