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The LandyOnline questions and answers is a list of
common Land Rover Problems and FAQs that we have received over the
years. You can browse through the list and see if your questions have
been answered. If you are experiencing a problem then check the
Land Rover Recalls to see if it is a
known Land rover or Range rover problem. Another great place to look for
answers to Landrover Problems is to visit our
Land Rover Forum.
If you think there is a problem that we should address
then mail us.
I have a Defender 110 CSW TDi and I am having problems getting a
belt noise eliminated.
Remove the
belt, carefully clean all the little grooves with a stiff tooth brush,
soap and water, then clean the grooves in the pulleys as well, Do not apply
any belt dressing or other spray/powder. Some vehicles
had alignment problems, ask your dealer if your vehicle falls in this
category. Also see
troubleshooting ribbed belt noise.
Is it worthwhile
getting Luminition electronic Ignition? Is this the "electronic
ignition" where the points are replaced by this gadget? Does it really give better performance and fuel
consumption? What's the situation with water around it as with river
crossings ?
The Luminition electronic ignition
replaces the points in the distributor with a optic sensor and a chopper
that fits around the cam inside the distributor. Once installed it is set
up for life and is also much less effected by distributor wear than a set
of points.
The electronic box is the size of two match boxes and
completely sealed and can be immersed in water with no ill effects. The
Luminition was one of the first electronic ignitions around and were
designed around the standard coils available at the time. If you use one
of the new generation high voltage units with it the current draw is too
high and it can fail. Rumor had it that they were built to military
specification although nowadays automotive specs are tighter than mil
specs.
Once set up the Luminition keep going for ever.
Some Land Rover gearboxes use engine oil, is that true ?
The LT85 has an oil pump
inside, the reason for the 15W40 is that the pump cannot handle the
thicker oil and will be damaged. A good choice of oil
is Futron or Magnatec
or as close as possible to 15W40. More on Land
Rover Oils
Problems with R6 Rims
Since leaving JHB over a
month ago on our trans-Africa trip I’ve had two rims fail in exactly the
same way: through the welds between the dish and the rim.
There is no obvious problem with either the rims (both only had about
10 000 km on the before the failures) and there’s no problems with the
axles or any other part of the drive train: no overheating, no wobbles, no
noises, no leaks.
 Stuart, who runs a
Livingstone 4x4 Hire and Foley’s Land Rover workshop here in Zambia, tells
me he’s seen this often when R6 rims are used with vehicles that are
heavy. The dish is set deeper,
pushing the tyre about one inch further outward (makes the vehicle look
better), thus allowing for slightly more flex between rim and dish.
Over long kilometres of corrugated roads and bouncy sand tracks, a
heavy Landy will cause these fatigue failures.
I estimate the life wheel life under these conditions to be about
4000 km.
In my case the back left
wheel came off the first time in Cape Town at 20 km/h.
The capstan saved the wheel from coming off completely and the brake
drum from gouging a furrow into the tar (there’s a new use for a recovery
capstan !). The second time (30
km outside Walvis Bay) we heard the wobble on the back left wheel once two
welds had given up and changed the wheels before any damage occurred.
I’m advised that the
older versions or series vehicle rims are better because the disg is not set
as deep. The best to date are apparently the “wolf” rims,
identified by the 5 mm thick steel and 12 or so 1” holes in the dish.
The flip side of these wolf rims is that Stuart manages to import
them from the UK (when available) at approx R 1000.- per second-hand rim
(before duties and taxes).
My Land Rover diesel is smoking at the exhaust, what
is the problem?
Black smoke is mainly attributed to over
fuelling :
- The injector pump is set too rich, there is an
excessive amount of diesel being sprayed into the cylinders.
- The turbo charger is not supplying sufficient
pressure (air) into the engine.
- The injectors may be worn, posibly linke with
some white smoke.
Blue smoke is only caused by oil in the wrong
places:
- Blue smoke while idling and low revs, or a
puff if smoke when accelarating from idle means the valve stem seals are shot.
- Blue smoke while driving shown the rings are
worn, usually harder to detect than in petrols but always linked to higher oil
consumption.
- Blue smoke on decelleration on long slow
downhills, shows valve stem seals are shot.
White smoke is a result of incorrect
injection pump timing, foreign fluids and air :
- Constant thin white smoke on idle, puffing
when revving the engine.
- Water in the fuel system - Maybe from a bad
tank of fuel ? Been wading in deep water lately ?
- Air in the fuel system - a badly sealing
filter, or joint or tank return blocked.
The steering wheel of my SIIA gets sticky and grimy in damp
weather.
This is this common in old Landies and there
is a way of solving
it other than hunting for a steering wheel cover which will fit such a
large narrow steering wheel
You
can remove it, then sand it using about 300 sand paper, wash it in
a
very strong caustic solution (to get the 20+ years of goop off. Spray
paint
the wheel with lots of coats of paint.
or
Go to
Midas, buy a genuine leather steering wheel cover for 16"
steering
wheel, wet it thoroughly, gently and with lots of patients
fiddle it over the
wheel and lace it on neatly - works very well. This
one has no padding but
has holes punched in it.
or
Order
the genuine leather steering wheel cover from the UK via the
LROi
magazine and fit it, it is a million times better than anything
else and
feels oh-so-nice. This one has a foam padding and no holes
punched in. - it
gives a softer more comfy feel while the Midas ones
are very hard once
fitted.
What are wading plugs ?
Wading plugs are used to block the seepage
drain holes in the bell housing and timing cover on Land Rover engines
before wading in deep water. These are usually 1/4 NPT threaded plugs.
Leaf Sprung vehicles have only one fitted at the bottom front most
point of the flywheel housing.
Engines using a timing belt
(2.5P/D/Td/Tdi) have one at the bottom of the timing belt housing, just
behind the crank shaft pulley. These plugs must be fitted when wading and
must be removed immediately after wading. If water comes out when the bell
housing plug is removed, the vehicle should be driven a fair distance to
dry the housing out or the clutch assembly will become rusty and sticky.
If water comes out of the timing belt housing, the timing belt could get
damaged or oily - This can have severe consequences.
How to waterproof a
V8 New plug/coil wires. NOT champion red ones they are useless.
Genuine black ones are pretty damn good in the wet, yellow Silicone Bougicords are also
great.(Ed)
High power coil.
Plugs gapped right.
Transistor assisted ignition.(Electronic Ignition)
Large piece of plastic over the radiator grille to keep the water out of the radiator when
bow-waving.
Tie up the viscous unit so the fan doesn't rotate, or disconnect if electric. You
won't overheat too quickly. This makes a hell of a lot of difference.
Condom over the coil, tie wrapped to the leads.
Rubber glove over the distributor, 2 wires per finger with the
exception of the coil lead. Zip tied around base of distributor and leads.
Copious quantities of WD40/Q20/DWF/Silicone spray inside
everything.
Oh and raised axle breathers. And wading plugs in. LT95 leaks water in slowly
to the bellhousing whatever you do so make sure you take the wading plug out ASAP.
Most important... Keep that (sensible) bow wave going.
No
splashes. Gently gently. Extra Q20. Make sure a companion is there to pull you
out when you drown it.
Oh and practice makes perfect. Particularly when you are draining the oil for the
umpteenth time!
- Andy Grafton
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