Sean J's Defender 90 300 Tdi Project and Work Vehicle

Coming along nicely. It's great that you're painting everything and putting new nuts and bolts in. There's a chance that things will come apart again in the future and it'll be easier to maintain.

Brown said:

Coming along nicely. It's great that you're painting everything and putting new nuts and bolts in. There's a chance that things will come apart again in the future and it'll be easier to maintain.

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Thanks very much, I spent years working around race, rally and classic/prestige cars so its embedded with me!! And I'm sure it'll have to come part again at some point!!

Managed to grab a few hours on the defender today and got a few things done. Got the metal work behind the dash cleaned and some soundproofing/insulation stuck. A good amount of the dash cleaned up and re-installed and a lot of the wiring rectified as the previous state of it left a lot too admired.




All cleaned up and soundproofing/insulation cut to shape and stuck on.


All the wiring for the stereo, amplifier, aux switches, 12v sockets etc laid into place.



Some more of the dash installed, I did get more done but light had faded pretty rapidly so I called it a day. I hope to get a few more hours on it this week and get the dash finished so its at least drivable, but I'm still a long way off really. I've got to strip down all the cluster instruments to drill out the inserts that make the lights there green. I was hoping it was going to be a case of just removing a green tinted cover of some sort but the bulb holder screws onto the green inserts. I then have the rear to soundproof/insulate and then the speaker boxes to make so plenty more to be getting on with!!

Made some really good progress with the Landy lately knocking a lot off the ole to do list. The dash is all back together, all the rattles from it fixed and a lot less noise being transferred through and a lot less water. I replaced a lot of panel seals/gaskets through out the vehicle and after two jet washes I've yet to find a single leak at all any where on the vehicle which I'm very happy about. The entire rear is now sound proofed, ply-lined and acoustic carpeted and that has made such a difference to the noise levels in the cab, its now a much more pleasurable drive. The stereo has been improved massively too, the old speakers were just crudely installed into the head lining by the previous owner so if the music was turned up it was blasting right into your ears. I've installed new speakers to the rear in custom boxes and wired them up to an amp, at last I can enjoy my music again!! One of the best mods I've done though is to convert the seats into heated seats, it was a super easy conversion and its transformed these winter mornings and evenings out lamping!!


Dash all reinstalled bar the instrument cluster and steering cowel.


Carbon heat pad being installed into the lower seat base. I didn't even un-bolt the seat to fit the pads in the top half, just unclipped the covers enough to slip the pads in and peel off the sticky backing.


I installed the switches for the heated seats into the fuse box cover.

All wired up and heating my cheeks!!


10 mm insulation stuck the side panels, same stuff that was used behind the dash, fantastic stuff but my god was it sticky stuff!!




Side panels all cut to shape and carpeted up.





I covered the sides with a camping mat as I'd ran out the insulation and covered them in some laminate flooring and topped off with some chequer angle. I've still got to add some more to finish it off at the back and the edges you can when the doors opened. Having the speakers there has made such a difference, sounds so much better.


I also mounted a pair of lights I've had kicking round from my old 205 gti tarmac car, I need to get them wired up which I'm hoping to do this weekend. I need to also get an interior light sorted out as at the moment I'm using an led worklight!!

Where did you get the 10mm sound proofing stuff from? It looks like it's some good stuff!

I got it of eBay, 18 sheets 30x50cm for about 25-30 quid if I remember correctly, works really well but so sticky, should I ever need to remove it I think it's gonna be a nightmare!!

Well I haven't done much to the Defender lately, all I have gotten done is to get the new interior light working. It's five metre led strip that goes in the inside roof channel so it can't be seen, it starts a few inches back from the front of the passenger door right round the back to the drivers door.

Pictures poor quality due to the lights being so bright!! It works fantasticly, perfect amount of light especially in the rear.
It made the drive back to Bristol faultlessly too, and several laning trips so far so fingers crossed for today's trip too!!

Now I've a spare few hours and some bits gathered up to replace I'm going try and get some work done on the Defender. Its developed a few annoying problems as a result of a few laning trips over the Christmas/new year break and then finally let go on me the other day when the aux belt tensioner pulley siezed and snapped the bolt, a little annoying seeing as I'd just ordered a new bearing to replace the old one!!
So my list of jobs as follows;
Replace broken hazard light switch
Fit new aux belt tensioner and pulley
Rectify sticking throttle linkage
Fix wiring to 12v cigarette lighters
Extensive check round of bearings, joints and grease up etc
Replace a prop uj
Replace gearbox mounts
Fit HD drive flange kit to front hubs
Replace thermostat and adjust heater cables

Should keep me busy for a few hours.
Here's a pic of most of the parts,


It's a shame I've had to buy new tensioner as I'd got the broken piece of bolt out okay but where the bearing of the pulley sits was cracked.


So out with the old and in with new!!

Had a productive few hours yesterday, got to the bottom of a few problems and niggles but of course found more along the way!!
Went straight in for the hazard switch as the first job, nice and easy. Fixed a loose connection on the 12v cigarette lighter circuit and on the amplifier for the stereo too.
Turned my attention to the sticking throttle next, turns out it's the cable so oiled up between the cable and it's outer casing which improved it but not cured so I rigged up a little helper spring on a bracket.


Thermostat next, my heaters always taken along time to start working, normally have to drive about eight miles for it start giving some sort of luke warm heat out. I was expecting to find it siezed open but no...

Some plum had cut the middle out!! Anyway with the new stat in the heater works a charm now.
Auxiliary belt tensioner next, nice and easy.


Got it jacked up and on stands for a good check round and grease up. All was well apart from the steering drop arm balljoint has seen better days and still had to much play once it'd been pumped full of fresh grease.
Decided to fit the drive flanges to the rear in the end as I'd noticed a few clunks from the back when taking up drive, turns out it was a wise move.

Fairly sure their not the correct bolts for the job!! Flanges were knackered but the wheel bearing, that was rough as fook so will need replacing.

Got the new flanges installed and they've made a fantastic change to how it drives, on the nearside though the half shaft felt like there was a bit to much play between the spines where it goes in the diff so I may order a pair and change them when I do the bearing.

Still got the gearbox/transfer box mounts to do but they'll have to go on the list for now.
Next time round I'm going to -
Strip and insulate the front doors
O/S/R wheel bearing
Halfshafts
Gear/transfer box mounts

Haven't got half as much done on the landy lately as I'd of liked, works been busy, split with the missus and a whole host more!! But with a nice trip to make at the start of March I've had to find time to get the spanners out!!
I started off by replacing the straight through exhaust pipe for a centre box, I did like the sound of the straight through diesel grunt but I found it quickly gets boring!! Second job was to change the transfer box mounts, who ever owned it before had obviously changed them before as the mounts were on the wrong sides. To get the one on the drivers side to fit they had smashed the lip off of the mount to get it to sit on the bracket. This caused the rubber to be pulled horrendously to one side causing it to fail quickly!! I'll add pictures later for theat. Third job was to strip down the doors sound proofed them, clean and grease the window mechs, replace a few broken door lock parts and to stop the door cards rattling. Easy peasy. Fourth job was the o/s/r wheel bearing as it was noisy as anything. Straight forward job came apart and went together with ease.






I've got a tool for installing bearing races of all different sizes, makes the job alot easier and guarantees the race going in square everytime.

All ready to go back on.
Took the landy for a test drive after, like a different vehicle, no jumpy gearbox when changing gear, nice quiet exhuast, doors close with nice modern clunk, windows glide up and down, no bearing howl from the rear and the engine starts rattling, feck sake!! It's never done it before but I swear it knows it's going for a trip soon so has to play up!! It's a rattle more towards the top end of the engine, not there at idle but as the revs increase the rattle starts and keeps pace with the engine. Number one suspect is the basically new lift pump as the priming arm is well a little limp shall we say!! But I'm going to start with the tappets as they need doing anyway and work my way down from there.

Here's the old tranny mount, it's in a right state. Fitted by some utter plonker.



Did the tappets, all in spec bar two valves so that's not my rattle. Now it gets interesting, fired up after doing the tappets, it ran lovely for all of about thirty seconds then it cut out....great..... After cranking for a bit it fired back up but running rough not wanting to rev and chucking white smoke out the back end....yay.... now already expect the lift pump I removed the bleed screw from the filter housing and attempted to prime the fuel system with the lift pump, no fuel nothing, turned the engine over by hand a little and tried again nothing again. Thus happened till I'd done two full revolutions and not once did I get any resistance from the lift pump. I may be wrong but when the lever arm is pressing against the cam lobe the pump shouldn't be able to be primed? Any way I removed said pump and it seems to be blowing fine but doesn't seem to suck anything up at all. Not bad for a four month old part!!

Done some more playing around today as I wasn't entirely convinced by the lift pumps failure being the cause of my troubles. Here are a list of the symptoms, any input is much appreciated.
1/ top end rattle that was in time with the engine speed.
2/ lift pump not pumping fuel to filter
3/ horrendous idle
4/wouldn't rev up
5/white smoke from the exhaust

So I've rechecked my tappets all good there and checked the crank and fuel pump timing and that's fine, obviously don't know about the cam as the cover hasn't been off.
I then started playing around with lift pump, it's a delphi replacement, came in delphi box etc.

I then noticed this little hole on the side so I stuck a pick in it and wiggled it about amd something went click....

And now the pump seems to be working, it's actually got suction so I'm going to put on in moment amd find out if it works.

Well low and behold the pump works!! Couple of cranks of the key and I had fuel out of the bleed screw on the filter housing and after nipping it up it fired straight up, ran lovely and revved up smoothly. Haven't had a chance to road test it yet but it'll be driven tomorrow to see if the rattle is either still there or gone.

Road tested the landy yesterday and fecking hell it's like a new vehicle, it's never ran so well and so quiet. Power delivery is incredibly smooth and there from the offset. In all honesty if it wasn't for the hum from the mud tyres you'd not know you were in a defender!!

Decided to give the landy a quick wash and clean out and then couldn't help but polish it as it hasn't had any of the above since summer last year and I was fed up of seeing the scratches from some laning trips all down the sides.



Then for the cutting compound and polish.

Lots of scratches came out.

Some didn't!!


Happy with end result, it hasn't looked this good in a while.
Also treated myself to a high lift jack, about time I had one really!!

So where to start, after all the work done the past few weeks/months it's never driven better, powers up, fuel economies up, comfort levels up so I had every confidence in it making a 250+ mile round trip...... so of course it let me down!! Stopped in a service station and when I came started it back well it sounded as I'd no oil in the engine!! But as soon as the noise appeared it went and the engine sounded normal again. Im not sure if the noise was from the engine or the gearbox, as soon as I heard the noise I did put my foot on the clutch and the noise did dissappear, coincidence maybe don't know. Either way had to to get a tug back the rest of the way.
Started it twice since and either time it's been fine but it's bugging me so I'm going delve around and see what I can find, I'm a big believer in preventative maintenance.
So order of the day,
Drop the sump check the big ends, will replace the shell bearings whilst there regardless.
Replace oil pressure relief spring and plunger.
Remover oil filter housing and clean out.
Clean out pipes for oil cooler and oil cooler itself.
Remove and clean out turbo oil feed/retuen pipes.
Obviously clean sump out as its off.
And whilst at I'm going to do some jobs I've been meaning to do for a while like cleaning the intercooler out.

Hi
Just to say I have just found your thread and really enjoyed seeing the work you have done, nice job and very interesting write up.
Where did you get the heated seat pads from?

Made a decent start this morning, boss went out so like any good employee with a broken landy I abandoned post and grabbed my spanners!! Oil out, filter out and sump off, no nasty surprises in the bottom just to tiny pieces of what I think may be plastic.

Pick-up return pipes off next, nothing wrong there so cleaned up and put to one side.

Straight to number 4 big end next as its furthest from the pump.


Nothing wrong there but still putting a new set HD kingbearings in.
Oil pressure relief valve next,

I'm hoping here that I may of found my problem, I laid the new pressure relief spring against the old one and there's a considerable difference in the length of them.

So hopefully that'll be cause of the problem!!
Still alot more to do but the boss is back!!

Also managed to get the intercooler cleaned out so it's in the oven drying at the moment.


And the sump cleaned out and painted up ready to go back on.

@purplemk thanks very much, the seat pads came from eBay, I'm well impressed with them.