Hi and some advice please

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J

James S

New Member
Posts
21
Location
North West
Hi there

Im 17 and just learning to drive and i would like to get myself a landy i do not wish to go down the route of a little 1.1 Clio or something rubbish like that. I have been looking at Series 3 landys budget is about 3K. I have had an insurance quote and know that will be ok. I have a few questions:

I have quite alot of tinkering experience and general engineering knowledge but how much work does it take to keep one running. As i would probably be using it every day.

May sound stupid but can you take them on the motorway and go at a reasonable speed.

And what do you have to look for if i was to go and buy one.

Thanks and i would appreciate any advice you have to give.

Great Forum btw.

James
 
Your buying a 20/30 yeat old car so for a daily runner you need to keep ontop of any little things that crop up. Where as with a newer vehicle you can leave em for a while before they become urgent. For 3K you'll get a decent 90/110 or even a defender which will need less maintenance and will be better on a long run, and will keep up with other traffic om Mways.
 
redhand said:
Your buying a 20/30 yeat old car so for a daily runner you need to keep ontop of any little things that crop up. Where as with a newer vehicle you can leave em for a while before they become urgent. For 3K you'll get a decent 90/110 or even a defender which will need less maintenance and will be better on a long run, and will keep up with other traffic om Mways.
Click to expand...

Thanks redhand

What are the things that tend to crop up day to day.

Thanks

James
 
gear levers dint rotate and they break, i think what pikey meant was if it on the vehicle it can break... make sure the chassis int full of rust or if th erust is real bad, make sure it int full of holes. and generally makes sure every thing works cept fer the heater cos they just dint.

small oil leaks are built into landies so dint worry if the leaks int visible dripping. couple of drops now and then ok but puddles forming as soon as yer stop then check where its coming from. places like the rocker cover are easy to fix but from the rear of engine/front of g/box and you'll have to seperate injun and box to fix it.
 
ive got a series 3 which i use as a daily runner they do break down but they tend to be cheap and easy to fix, i woudnt spend 3k mine was £2000 with 12 mts mot and 6 mths tax, get one with overdrive if yove got a distance to drive mine does 60 mph down hill without overdrive, if it doesn't leak oil you have got a problem or there's non in it, as long as the chassie and bulkhead are good every thing else is easy to replace as long as you have a good socket set
 
Thanks Simon thats very helpful.

I have seen one for 2600 that looks to be in very very good condition but it has been running on veg oil the guy who is selling it says he can take it off for -£300. Should i be concerned about the engine after been running on veg oil or should the engine be ok.

It is also a soft top. Are they at all waterproof. Sorry if that is a very stupid question.

Thanks

James
 
James S said:
Thanks Simon thats very helpful.

I have seen one for 2600 that looks to be in very very good condition but it has been running on veg oil the guy who is selling it says he can take it off for -£300. Should i be concerned about the engine after been running on veg oil or should the engine be ok.

It is also a soft top. Are they at all waterproof. Sorry if that is a very stupid question.

Thanks

James
Click to expand...

The engine will be fine on Veg oil. the diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil anyways. there can be problems with the fuel pump if you run em on cold vegoil. but if a decent heated twin tank setup has been installed then it should be fine. and at 75ppltr instead of £1.05 you'll save a fortune on your fuel bill.

If the canvas tilt is in good condition and properly fitted then it won't leak anymore than a hardtop will. (all series landys leak). If your not sure what your looking at when you goto view a landy. Then I;m sure someone off here will go with you to have a look and advise you as to it's condition.
 
Thanks redhand.

So do landys that have been converted to run on veg oil usually have another tank installed so that you can fill up on diesel and veg oil and switch between both.

James
 
James S said:
Thanks redhand.

So do landys that have been converted to run on veg oil usually have another tank installed so that you can fill up on diesel and veg oil and switch between both.

James
Click to expand...

Yes the idea is that you start on diesel and once the enjine and veg oil has warmed up you switch over to using the vegoil. Then a couple of minutes before shutting down the engine you switch over to diesel to purge all the veg oil out of the sytem so that your not starting on cold vegoil. Some sytems are automatic and switch over when the engine/oil reaches a set temperature. (obviously if your engines warmed up and your only gonna be stopped for a few minutes you don't need to worry about purging)
 
redhand said:
Yes the idea is that you start on diesel and once the enjine and veg oil has warmed up you switch over to using the vegoil. Then a couple of minutes before shutting down the engine you switch over to diesel to purge all the veg oil out of the sytem so that your not starting on cold vegoil. Some sytems are automatic and switch over when the engine/oil reaches a set temperature. (obviously if your engines warmed up and your only gonna be stopped for a few minutes you don't need to worry about purging)
Click to expand...

Thanks thats cleared things up.

James
 
i Run my series 3 on a 50/50 mix of diesel and veg oil i use the original fuel tank and have no heater for it seems to run ok if the fuel pump goes i will just replace it, mine starts ok in the mornings considering its 32 years old

with the roof i pretty sure its just canvas you could just buy some water proofing from any camping shop or you often see hard tops on eBay you can usually find one for about £50
 
Hi Guys

I have been looking for series III's over the last few days. I have looked on autotrader and ebay is there anywhere else that is good to look.

Thanks again

James
 
My mate runs a garage, does a lot of Land Rovers. He bought in a 90TD with a knackered engine to rebuild which was run on veg oil. The injector pump had siezed which in turn stripped the cam belt and did huuuge damage to the top end. He has seen other engines do this and so advises anyone running on veg oil to have at least a 50/50 mix with diesel to ensure proper lubrication of the injector pump. Diesel has sulphur which is essential to lubricate the internals of the injector pump. Apparently the older Lucas injector pumps are more prone to siezing when run solely on veg oil.
 
BoomerV8 said:
My mate runs a garage, does a lot of Land Rovers. He bought in a 90TD with a knackered engine to rebuild which was run on veg oil. The injector pump had siezed which in turn stripped the cam belt and did huuuge damage to the top end. He has seen other engines do this and so advises anyone running on veg oil to have at least a 50/50 mix with diesel to ensure proper lubrication of the injector pump. Diesel has sulphur which is essential to lubricate the internals of the injector pump. Apparently the older Lucas injector pumps are more prone to siezing when run solely on veg oil.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Boomer. There is one that i am potentially looking at that has been run on straight veg oil mabye i should steer clear of that. Is there not additives and things you put in the oil to prevent that?

Thanks

James
 
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