Driven ours 2WD since we got it. It's a still a capable machine. Forget the completeness, pull the rear diff and drive shafts off and stick 'em in't boot as ballast. There's still plenty of other potential for tinkering ;)
I sat thinking If I need a non working rear diff recently also..
but then what happens If the madness of me goes and buys all the missing parts needed for 4 wheel drive..
OH NO
lol.
I had a very shiny rover 75 a few years ago, done a head off and rebuild after taking out its LPG in its entirety, was the petrol 1800 rebuilt with hippo H/D gaskets, new water pump, belts and Idler, drove very well, most impressed, but sold it on when my late wifes Skoda Yeti 1.2 SE arrived with its very good 7 speed auto box (motability car) arrived for her / our use, If only for just 18 months till she left us all/ Yeti went back..
 
I sat thinking If I need a non working rear diff recently also..
but then what happens If the madness of me goes and buys all the missing parts needed for 4 wheel drive..
OH NO
lol.
I had a very shiny rover 75 a few years ago, done a head off and rebuild after taking out its LPG in its entirety, was the petrol 1800 rebuilt with hippo H/D gaskets, new water pump, belts and Idler, drove very well, most impressed, but sold it on when my late wifes Skoda Yeti 1.2 SE arrived with its very good 7 speed auto box (motability car) arrived for her / our use, If only for just 18 months till she left us all/ Yeti went back..
Kudos for being a genuine racer :)

If you remove the rear diff, I'd recommend you split the outer CV joints on your driveshafts and put the splined sections into your hubs to support the rear wheel bearings. If you are still undecided, you'd need to consider why the propshaft was removed in the first place, usually it is yanked out if the transmission is in trouble, usually IRD (front transferbox whatsit) or rear diff or both. You could ascertain the health of your IRD and diff in a morning on car ramps by removing the back diff pan to inspect the gears - remember to have some silicon gasket type gunge on hand to refit the diff pan, and at the front its 5 nuts to remove the driveflange/pinion assembly on the IRD and you can have a mooch about at the internals. Might be worth looking at changing the oils on these components while you are there, as running the oil out to see if its all glittery would also let you guess the condition of them and help inform your decision/options as to whether to reinstate the 4wd, or to go proper full on 2wd. Might be worth buying an IRD blanking plate if you are going 2wd?
 
Bought another one!!
2004 V6 3 door sport with engine failure.

Woops......

Yep, went looking for a scrap V6 with a good engine and running gear and bought a V6 sport with a scrap engine - oh well, I'll make something out of it.
What to do? Rebuild engine, use front and rear end to facelift my trusty TD4 or use as a parts car?
 
My missfire returned today with avengance. The reason?....vvvv

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I'd like to repair it properly if possible so does anyone know if these connectors are available new anywhere? If not I'll be heading down to the scrapyard with some wire cutters.
 
Took the blighter up a couple of cheeky little unsurfaced, rutted and potholed green lanes on the outskirts of town. Just to keep the old haldex unit honest.
 
I'd like to repair it properly if possible so does anyone know if these connectors are available new anywhere? If not I'll be heading down to the scrapyard with some wire cutters.
Yes. They're quite a common environmentally sealed vehicle connectionor. They're made by Tyco (search Ebay for Tyco sealed connector), or look like the one linked. The pins vary in design, and the seals are colour coded for size.
https://www.vehiclewiringproducts.c...ctors/p-619-superseal-weatherproof-connectors
I've probably got one somewhere, but my "stash" is in a right old pickle, so wouldn't be able to find it easily.:mad:
 
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Wasn't today but these few days combined.

New tyres toyo proxes cf2 sv
New iridium spark plugs
New cyl 2 and 4 coils
New k&n filter (I see no difference whatsoever)
New rocker cover and replaced all bolts with a2 stainless
New camshaft oil seas, right side for now left side when I do the timing belt
New coolant reservoir
Philips whitevision ultra h7 fow low beam
4300k LEDs for high beam
All w5w are now osram LEDs 4000k
Speakers are now Alpine S-S65C
New gearbox real leather gaiter
B1W Dashcam fitted

Replaced the duct taped passenger mirror with a nice powerfolded one from scrappy coco.
Removed and sold the roof bars, not needed.
Removed and put for sale the chromed side steps, not needed.

This weekend will be busy like a bee, replacing the whole dashboard as some apes worked on it, broke it and it's making sounds.
I like this petrol engine, seems like less things to go wrong on it, head gasket aside which has been done properly may many miles ago.
 
I like this petrol engine, seems like less things to go wrong on it, head gasket aside which has been done properly may many miles ago
The petrol engine is simple and cheaper to maintain, by comparison to the more complex and costly TD4.
 
Heard a bit of rubbing on rhs front brake. Checked and one caliper slide had seized causing the inner pad to wear low. As the discs were due for changing (it was on my list!) the metal edge of the pad was just catching the wear and rust ridge on the disc. Had a spare couple of hours so fitted the new discs, pads and caliper slides with correct grease. All quiet now and brakes are sharper too.

I had the parts as they were waiting to be fitted in the summer but the car demanded earlier attention!
 
Had a busy looking day yesterday. Would be ferrying our daughter to and from the beer festival in town (she was working in her company's tent) and got an early call from our son to say his Beemer has spewed its guts over the road. So with a forecast of 32 degrees and the potential of needing to be out in it a fair bit, I topped the coolant up - took a litre.

The message from our son was that as he turned into his road he heard a 'pop'. His house is the first in the road, the 'pop' happened as he turned into the road and as he turned onto the drive he could see a trail of water and steam in his mirrors. When I got there it had cooled down and as we poured water into the expansion tank, we could see it falling out the bottom almost as quickly! We got the tank out, its a 'box' type affair rather than round, and it had split down 1 edge. I hear stories on here of pathetic bits of BMW plastic used on the TD4 engine - I now have complete sympathy for you all :D
 
Was going to remove front wheel bearings on mine, didn't get far with that for an idea...at least that was the plan until I had a look at the bottom balljoints. The minute I put a spanner on them I knew they were going to be trouble, ridiculously tight, like hurting my hands pulling the spanner and still not moving kind of tight. So I put a cheatah-tube on the other end of the spanner and the open end spanner rounded the nuts rather than turn them. Those front wheel bearings and bottom balljoints have been given a reprieve, later on I'll get a pair of wishbones ordered and cut the balljoint off the wishbone, remove the hub, and cut the nuts off and press out the balljoints on the bench, do the front bearings and reassemble with new wishbones. To make sure that goes better than todays shennanigans I have removed copperslipped and refitted all the fastners for the wishbone.

On the otherhand, I did get as far as getting the brakes off the hub, drivers side disk took an hour to extricate from the spiggot, but both calipers are off and they will bet stripped, cleaned, greased and painted, I've got new drilled and grooved disks and mintex pads for the front, so that will be good.
 
About those leds, are they bright enough for full beam? I always thought aftermarket led kits weren't bright enough yet?

LEDs are plenty bright enough these days. The beam control isn't good, so the light doesn't go where it's needed, oh and they fail the MOT. ;)
 
Gave the rubber mats a clean and the carpet a hoover, it's ready for the Congleton rattle and roll

Oh, and we visited a Shrek themed takeaway
20200125_162054.jpg
 
About those leds, are they bright enough for full beam? I always thought aftermarket led kits weren't bright enough yet?

They are bright enough and oem look. However, I would not fit them on low/main beam because of the glare. It will spread the light everywhere but on the road.
For high beam is fine with me and won't fail the mot either. I rarely use the high beam.
Even the ones with casper sheilds still glare, but not as much. I have a pair of H4 4300k of those around the shed.
 
So I put a cheatah-tube on the other end of the spanner and the open end spanner rounded the nuts

Best thing I ever got myself was a set of 3/8 drive impact six sided sockets and a 1/2 inch set too. These on an impact gun or a wrecker bar can undo anything.

I have only had one bolt that was so badly damaged by a po that I didn't stand a chance, tried bashing on a smaller size but no good. Didn't damage the impact socket though.
 
Thanks for the advice Andy, but I've got tons of sockets, like for 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" I have single and double hex shallow and deep sockets, in 3/4" drive its just shallow single hex, and air impact guns for 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" & 3/4", and a dewalt cordless 1/2". I do agree that impact guns are game changers. However, because the bottom balljoint comes in from the bottom of the wishbone and the nut is very close to the underside of the driveshaft's outer CV joint as it enters the hub, all you can get in there on to the nut with is an open end spanner.

I might get a ringkey over it it I skimmed it with a grinder to make the ring thinner so it can get between the nut and the CV joint, or if I cut the balljoint off the wishbone, and removed the hub with balljoint still attached to hub then I could get a socket on it and rattle gun it off, or slice it off as I like playing with the powertools, but rattle gunning it off would be the more sensible solution as it would then leave the pin intact and give me somethin for the balljoint splitter to press down on.

If you mind the pictures of my driveshafts earlier, where you suggested I find a parking space that wasn't in the north sea, the bottom balljoints threads are like that as well, so between the size of it, the inherent torque, compounded by 18 years of scottish rusting, its taking way more force than an open ender is able to exert.
 

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