So I've fixed the battery problem and I'm starting properly again. I did notice some squeal from the alternator belt the day before the battery failed but it's been fine with the new battery. Questions... Does the alternator give more resistance to the belt when the battery is knackered/low...

I think that's pretty much it. I've been fine in colder weather, but it's probably that combined with several short trips over the past few days. I'll try the agricultural route although I'm not sure I know of anywhere reasonably close (Abingdon, Oxfordshire), perhaps I'll pop into Frog Island...

Had a spot of trouble with a flat battery in my 200tdi this morning, and with no one around to help had to come and get the AA man to come and give me a hand. Once started he pointed out that my battery which is rated at 520 CCA is barely up to spec for the vehicle. Now I don't run any winches...

I meant stripping the dash down to get at the wiper wheelboxes, not the motor.

It's been slowly getting worse over the last year. It's the noise of it hitting the window edge that annoys me more than anything else. I'm happy getting back to the motor; it's removing the steering wheel, instruments, center console, radio etc. and then working out what order the rest of the...

The rain on my drive home reminded me; there's a lot of play in my ('93) Defender's wiper blades; the passenger side one flops over the windscreen seal at the extent of it's travel. When I had it in for service a few weeks back the mechanic blamed it on wear in the wiper wheelboxes. Replacing...

My next little project is to add some driving/spot lights under my A-bar, to switch with my main beam. I guess the easiest place to put the relay and other gubbins is under the wing near the existing bullet connectors behind the headlight. What's the best way to run the extra power cable...

Ended up doing a combination of everything. Brushed as much of the layers of waxoyl and grim off as I could, then used a newly bought 17mm spanner and some WD40, and my foot to assist my wrench. Got them off in the end - the nuts aren't much use for anything any more but that'll not be a problem...

Oh it's coming undone just very slowly as it strips the waxoyl off. I'm using a 17mm socket on the nut and an adjustable spanner on the nut (as it's all I have in that size) and it's slipping off and rounding down the nut. If all else fails I'll be grinding it off to get my jate rings on...

Anyone know what the size of this bolt is? I've got a stubborn one covered in layers of waxoyl and other muck, and want to make sure that it's the the muck and not the bolt that I'm mashing as I struggle to tease it off.

It'd probably be more productive. I knew I was missing the obvious :rolleyes:

I decided to take a look at the jack that came with my 200tdi 90. It appears to be an official Land Rover part, consists of a long screw which is turned with a wrench at the top, with a tubular bar which hinges downwards. It doesn't look like the most useful thing, ripe for replacement with a...

Thanks. I thought I was going to have to do something silly and destroy them :D. I'll have a go on one ASAP. Knowing my mechanical feebleness I'll be back here in no time.

Thinking about tidying up some of the external fittings on my defender. What's the trick to removing the plastic wheel arch extentions and then refitting them? I see they're fastened by some sort of plastic rivet (I presume that the removal necessitates new rivets - what's the magic word I need...

I was thinking that, perhaps in combination with the cold - although I did change the filter a few hundred miles after switching to B100. No harm in changing it again I guess.

This week my 200tdi Defender 90 has been losing power at higher revs (say 40mph in 3rd). The power feels like its pulsing up and down by about the same amount as when the turbo kicks in and out. :confused: Now it is cold and damp this week, and I usually run on B100 but I've mixed in a quarter...

I think I'll remove the foam and replace the mat. Thanks - found a copy. It's interesting :) My particular leak either where a work lamp was once mounted or around one of the sliding windows.

The rear of my 90 has a rubber mat ontop of a thin layer of foamy sound-proofy type stuff. It's a pain when water gets in the back as water seaps under the mat and soaks into the foam where it a pain to dry out. Having just found the latest leak I'd like to make things easier to dry out after...

Thanks. I thought as much. Whilst picking up a new sealed headlight this afternoon I spoke to the guy at the garage who suggested that if I wanted to switch then it's what's commonly sold as a "Halogen conversion kit" for around £40-50 that I'm looking for. He also recommended replacing the...

I'm not entirely sure, but after looking up these things on the web, I believe so.