Major problems 2 hours after buying series 3 :/

Hi all, really need some help and advice. ok, heres the situation. I have just bought my first Landie, a 1982 Series 3 88'. I was driving it back home quite hapilly for about 3 miles when all these problems started to happen. I am a mechanic, but I dont really have any idea where to start with a vehicle like this, and its upsetting me already that it has problems. So it would be fantastic if you could help me out. I'll list the problems as follows:
1. There is an awful, loud knocking noise on the front nearside (left) wheel (thats where it sounds like anyway), it is there in both low/high range, at pretty much all speeds, and gets a quicker beat the faster you go....it also gets really fast knocking when....
2. Braking. I press the brake pedal and it goes straight to the floor, needs pumping a few times to get it to work. Then when it does and i put my foot down, it swerves to the left so violently I nearly lost control a few times. also when I brake the knocking noise seems to get very high tempo and still from the nearside (left) wheel. this and the knocking noise are the worst problems and are really worrying me. Texted the bloke i bought it off and said the swerving could be that it needs new U bolts?
3. not a major issue, but still: No matter how hard or softly i press it, or hold it down, i cannot engage high range 4x4 with the yellow knob. It just springs back up whatever gear im in, or neutral, moving or stationary. low range 4x4 works a treat tho.

Any ideas??

Get the wheel hubs off and check the brakes. I take it you are a fitter and not a mechanic?

oh, and :welcome2:

Sounds like firstly there is something amiss on the hub assembly. Also that the brake system needs bleeding and that if it's swerving to the left then the right brake is not working at all.
Don't get upset fella. Ladies ALWAYS have problems. Mine has too many to list. The secret is to prioritise them in order of safety and importance and start working through them. Rest assured, the list will constantly grow. It's all part of Landie ownership.
Loads of help and guidance on here. Welcome to the addiction.

cheers, well thats made me feel a lot better already. will have to have a good look at work tomorrow when i get some free time. Ive read that its a nightmare bleeding series brakes, or is it just about taking your time?

Knocking could be a whole load of things - wheel bearings, swivel bearings/bush, driveshaft, brakes. Brakes can be an issue to bleed - depends on what braking system you've got. Please read the sticky about what the knobs and levers do. Don't drive on tarmac in 4wd hi or lo box. Sounds like the 4wd selector in the transfer box has siezed - easy enough to access from the outside. You'll need these:-
pdf Land Rover Manuals | Landroverweb.com

Mechanic ehh :confused2:

so your a mechanic then ..........you been driveing her fast in low and high range ...? .on tarmac to ... ?

first on the brakes

really bad swerving can often (and usually is) attributed to the rear brakes on one side or the other failing, i wore out the friction material on the offside rear brake drum on my 88", this rapidly ate the drum and scrapped it but even worse was that it made it swerve violently to the left, plus my brake travel grew at an alarming rate, when a front brake fails it only pulls gently and a lot easier to control

one moment i had brakes that worked brilliantly, the next i was driving a dangerous motor that i had to limp home carefully

knocking "could" be U bolts but not too likely (loose U bolts allow your axle to float on the spring, check them) but i'd also suspect the wheel nuts need nipping up

there is another knock you can get which can come from worn out spring bushes allowing the spring to move around between the shackle plates, one plate has a shoulder on it which the spring has to ride over when the bush has worn out, this gives an intermittent knock, mostly on cornering, this can also allow the curl on the end of the spring to strike the chassis

i'd also jack one front wheel up and with it in 4x4 try to rotate the wheel by hand to see if you can hear any clunks from the halfshaft, the front ones have UJ's in them and if you're unlucky you may have one of those gone, don't forget to check the props

also have you got freewheel hubs ?? if one is only half engaged that could be generating noise, bouncing in and out

your yellow knob problem sounds like the mechanism has stuck/corroded a little in the front of the transfer box, there's a tin cover over the shafts that needs removing and everything cleaning, wd40 and operate a few times whilst you can get at it to clean it up, remove the drivers side floor panel for easy access

personally i'd take it off the road for a day, strip all brake drums off to check and replace parts as needed, brakes are always the first thing to examine on a secondhand Series landrover as they're so often ignored/worn out/badly adjusted, a couple of hours to sort out the 4x4 lever (most of that time will be taken up removing and replacing the floor panel :doh: )

i hope that helps and gives you a little more peace of mind

NiteMare said:

first on the brakes

really bad swerving can often (and usually is) attributed to the rear brakes on one side or the other failing, i wore out the friction material on the offside rear brake drum on my 88", this rapidly ate the drum and scrapped it but even worse was that it made it swerve violently to the left, plus my brake travel grew at an alarming rate, when a front brake fails it only pulls gently and a lot easier to control

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With the greatest of respect that is complete b*llocks :doh:

you're entitled to your opinion BB, i've experienced both on my 88" thank you

NiteMare said:

you're entitled to your opinion BB, i've experienced both on my 88" thank you

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So have I.....in 88's and 109's.

Failure on one side at the rear tends to lead to sliding and yawing, failure on one side at the front leads to violent swerving......thank you

You could give your UJs on the props a check for play, they can cause all kinds of odd noises.

Agreed beasty ^^^

NiteMare said:

you're entitled to your opinion BB, i've experienced both on my 88" thank you

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blue beasty said:

So have I.....in 88's and 109's.

Failure on one side at the rear tends to lead to sliding and yawing, failure on one side at the front leads to violent swerving......thank you

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No matter what you've experienced NiteMare, blue beasty is spot on.

BB is correct. If one wheel is slowed down the other will want to keep going, causing the vehicle to pull to the side where the brake is working. How can you argue with this basic fact?

bennybenny said:

so your a mechanic then ..........you been driveing her fast in low and high range ...? .on tarmac to ... ?

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Yeah I am a mechanic, but theres a lot of difference between a 30 year old Landie and a 2 year old car, I mainly work with cars only as old as 10 years or so. Just wanted to check before I did something stupid, or if there was something I might have overlooked.

And no I havn't been driving it in 4x4 or fast in low range on tarmac, I took it off road (plenty of that round my way) to get used to all the controls ect. Also we have about 6 inches of snow so low range has come in very handy, and thats how I realised high range 4x4 won't engage.

the pedal going to the floor could also be a bummed master cylinder, the car diving to the left could be badly adjusted brakes or knackered wheel cylinder on the opposite side, if i was you i would have the whole braking system to bits check clean and adjust and replace as required, you dont get ****ter than a kwik fit fitter

blown wheel cylinder my guess

leg oot the bed said:

the pedal going to the floor could also be a bummed master cylinder, the car diving to the left could be badly adjusted brakes or knackered wheel cylinder on the opposite side, if i was you i would have the whole braking system to bits check clean and adjust and replace as required, you dont get ****ter than a kwik fit fitter

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All this advice plus dont take it to your garage, take it to a garage where mechanics work, not fitters.