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Pin 3 is an input which connects to the starter motor solenoid- the idea being that if you leave the ignition on and the relay times out, it will energise the glow plugs again when you crank the engine. Pin 5 is for the switched output for the warning light on the dash- on older models this...

I reckon once you've taken the bits you want from it and rebuilt it as a hard top (so no originality points left to add value) you're probably better off building a trailer and breaking the remains for spares. A 110 hard top makes a great box trailer for camping, especially if painted to match...

I reckon so. My assumption is it originally had a 13-pin socket, previous owner for some strange reason decided to rewire it to a single 7-pin rather than plugging in an adapter like a sensible person. Refitting a 13-pin socket would be the simplest and neatest way of terminating the currently...

There should be a space behind the middle of the lower dash, which you can access by removing the pod which covers the clock/lighter/rear wiper switch. If you can get the wire to there behind the facia vent grills, you should be able to poke it down there. When I had mine apart I took out the...

The 13-pin socket replaces the old black and grey sockets in a single connector. If all the wires are there, you're better off just installing the 13-pin socket rather than messing around trying to insulate the unused connections. A simple plug-in adapter will convert it to a black 7-pin socket...

Far better to recondition the original seats. Retrim kits are available, and if the covers are in a good enough condition you can just get the internal foam parts. Decades of age and drivers' arses sliding in and out causes the foam to crumble and go lumpy. When they're in a good state they are...

I would be thinking about doing a major service if not a full rebuild on any Tdi as well. It's not 2006 anymore, and the days of being able to buy a rotten Discovery, driving it home and swapping out the engine (which could be fairly guaranteed to be in reasonable condition) are more or less...

Also, too much rear brake bias (e.g. by fitting uprated disc brakes) will actually increase stopping distance- the rear wheels lock up before you can apply full braking with the fronts. It's one of those things that initially looks like a good idea and is relatively simple to do (just bolt on a...

Had it up in the air to replace an exhaust mount. While it was up there, I checked the fuel sediment/water trap. Nothing at all came out of the little tap, so I took it off to find it almost full of congealed orange gunk. Looks like no one has checked it since the 1990s! Also tried to do the...

Unless you are desperate for a Defender, have you considered a Discovery 1 or 2? They are fundamentally the same vehicle underneath, and are objectively better in a lot of ways. I have a 3-door Disco 1 and it's quite compatible with small people. Particularly for a rear-facing child seat, we...

My first thought is to not drive in London if at all possible! But that may not be viable given that the ULEZ now reached out to the M25. I would perhaps look out for a petrol model instead. It will have enough 'go' to be adequate without having to resort to major modifications. Fuel economy...

The thread for the plug on the radiator is the same as the bleed valve on the radiators in your house. I replaced it with one of those, which makes it very simple to bleed the system with the engine running. Same goes for the bleed screw at the high point in the system on a tdi.

I flushed mine out with clean water and there was an impressive amount of crap that came out. With that, plus sealing up the gaps so it actually directs warm air into the cab and not the engine bay, it was quite good in the end.

I have the same problem with the tailgate on my 1998 3-door. It worked once or twice, but usually it refuses to do anything.

It's also no longer 2006, and there just isn't a ready supply of Discoveries with good engines available for next to nothing anymore. The Tdis are good engines, but they too are getting on a bit now and would need some maintenance before even thinking about swapping it over. The Discovery has...

I don't think a Tdi will "drop in" as it does in a 2.25. In any case, a rebuilt 2.6 will be a much nicer engine. Slightly tangentially, it's a shame Land Rover never made use of the Santana-built 6-cylinder variants of their own engines.

Auto boxes are normally a bit longer, and for example the LT77 manual conversion is troublesome in a 88" due to the rear prop length. On a 109" it should be doable. You get an overdrive gear with a 4-speed auto, so should be a better drive on the road too. If you could lift a 300tdi and gearbox...

One method of implementing dim-dip was to have a big resistor in the wiring, so that it was placed in series with the headlights when the engine is running and sidelights switched on. The current passing through the resistor drops the voltage to the headlights and they come on dimly lit. Now...

The thing with retrofitting seats into the back of a 90 is they often end up very close together, such that it's difficult if not impossible to get in and out without folding one seat first. This is actually very dangerous as any seat from which you can't rapidly exit the vehicle in an emergency...

The connection to the oil pressure switch is a relatively crude way of switching the dim-dip based on the engine running. Normal operation will be sidelights and tail lights only when the engine is off, dipped beam at reduced intensity when the engine is running. Some systems use a resistor to...