What have you done to your Landie today.

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Restored the old Shelley Jack. Stripped old paint and took any surface roust back to shiny metal. Couple of coats of Hammerite satin black. Lightly sanded the handle and applied 3 coats of beeswax. A nice steady job done whilst sitting in the garden with the family.

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A parcel came today. There was a service filter kit as I'm getting close to my next service interval, but there was also one of these:

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It's a fuel cooler, because I'm getting a suspicious rusty stain under the existing one that keeps coming back after I wash it off. So i might as well fit a new one. Plus I got one of these:

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It's a bonnet switch because my old one seems to be falling to pieces:

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So I've been out and put it on. I haven't done the fuel cooler just yet, because I haven't any coolant. I ordered some pink OAT stuff off Amazon but it hasn't turned up yet. I might as well replace all the coolant and hose out the engine a little, because the existing stuff has been in there so long I've forgotten when I last changed it.
 
My antifreeze came today so I've been out and changed my fuel cooler over. Aside from the fiddle of getting the spring clips off, which Land Rover uses instead of Jubilee clips, it wasn't to bad. One of the bolts succeeded in cross threading itself on reassembly but fortunately there was room to get a tap in to clean up the threads in the alloy. Refilled with antifreeze - which seemed to be a lot more straightforward than people say it is with the TD5 - and all seems well. Engine runs with no leaks. I shall keep an eye on it over the next few days or so to see if any more needs adding.
 
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Repaired / bodged the windscreen washer bottle cap. New ones seem no longer available and none split ones are like rocking horse poo. Some aquarium grade silicone and a stainless steel washer was in order....before & after pics

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Fitted new screenwash switch onto the back of the wiper switch.

Swore at it a bit...does that count?

I think I need a new switch for the blower motor as well, can get full speed, or half speed, but only if connected to the same lead. Switch seems the best option...the wires work and the motor works from either side.

Fitted the elephants trunk and air cleaner, and went round checking fittings and nuts and bolts for tightness.

M.O.T soon, hopefully. Once I sort the Speedo...
Should have new seats arriving tomorrow.
 
Land Raver said:
Restored the old Shelley Jack. Stripped old paint and took any surface roust back to shiny metal. Couple of coats of Hammerite satin black. Lightly sanded the handle and applied 3 coats of beeswax. A nice steady job done whilst sitting in the garden with the family.

View attachment 130318
Click to expand...

That looks good. I should do mine! I need a handle like that. Never had one!

Incidentally, where do you store the jack in the vehicle? In the underseat toolbox?
 
Big Sandy said:
That looks good. I should do mine! I need a handle like that. Never had one!

Incidentally, where do you store the jack in the vehicle? In the underseat toolbox?
Click to expand...

I suspected it would probably be kept secret there. I carry a bottle jack for 'real' use in the tool box, I just wondered if there was a designated spot behind the seats. Seems a shame to hide it away after poncing it up!
 
After driving around today I have looked under the bonnet and see there are no rusty stains under the new fuel cooler so it seems to have done the job. Coolant level has gone down a little, but is still above the halfway mark. Slight leak from the bleed screw on the top radiator hose, but with the engine warm it could be done up another half a turn so that should cure that. It all seems to be good under there.
 
There's always something to do. My windscreen wipers stalled today in mid wipe. I've got as far as checking the fuse but that's about it. More investigations to come at a later date.

The Land Rover is also making peculiar smells. It's a bit like soap powder with an edge of burning. A bit like if you baked soap powder in the oven. Xylia said it reminded her of anti freeze but I can't see anything leaking, and the coolant in the header tank is warm with a little bit of pressure after a run to the shops so all's well there. I wondered whether it was anything to do with the wipers not working but it doesn't smell like wires getting hot. Again, more investigation needed.
 
Had a go at the wipers this afternoon. On dismantling the dashboard and getting a meter on the wires I discovered electricity was getting as far as the motor. Something in the region of 8 volts. Switching the stalk to high gave me about twelve and a half volts. So that's how they do it. The motor itself wasn't doing much, apart from the fact that it was getting hot. Then I smelled the smell again. Who would have guessed? Overheated windscreen wiper motors smell like burning soap powder. I got a spare motor out of the shed (I'm accumulating a lot of bits of Land Rover round the back of the house) and tried that. It's little bendy wire 'rack' went in and out appropriately at the relevant stalk positions so I fitted it. Then when everything was back together it all jammed with the wipers in mid stroke. The driver's side wheelbox was a bit slack, so with the resistance provided by the wiper, the rack attempted to jump a tooth on the cog, thus jamming it. That might be what burnt out the other motor. I took the dashboard completely to bits and got the wheelbox out and banged it with a hammer until the rack was a bit more snug. Oops, too far, it wouldn't move at all. Gently opened it up a fraction and it was just right. All back together and wipers working. Went for a drive and happily washed and wiped the windscreen at every set of traffic lights. Some of the dead flies are starting to come off now.
That motor was new in April 2014, so I'm not best pleased with it. In fact the windscreen wipers are turning out to be the least reliable part of the Land Rover. Even more faulty than ECUs.
 
I've been out and changed the oil and filters on it this afternoon. Coolant has gone down a little over the past week so I put a bit more in. I have also changed the clips on the back axle brake pipe. The plastic ones that Land Rover gives you have got a little tired - their jaws had spread so as to no longer grip the pipe, so I've put rubber covered P clips on, with little nuts and bolts through the original holes the clips went in. Feels more secure.
 
Topping up the steering relay - a few drops a day with a syringe. I don't need it until next weekend so can afford the slow process. In warm weather oil seems to push out of the top of the relay somehow and seep down and drip off the bottom nuts - only about a drip every 3-4 days when parked in the garage. I wonder if this is trapped air in it that expands and pushes oil out of the top? I fully filled it last year in a similar way of adding a few drops a day for about 2-3 weeks!
 
took it for its MOT it failed :( two things 1, headlight flickering on and off and beam slightly high. 2. when hazards activated the dash does not blink the indicator lights ,so
not to bad:)
 
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