Thread: Choosing a Defender ?

Originally Posted by newhue

IMO if any front axel aid was to be installed, a "soft locker" as they are known would be a good choice. True-trac by mob who do Detroit, or Ashcroft's ATB. They are effectively Limited slip diffs.

They do affect the steering in low traction situations (mud, sand, river stones). You turn the wheel and the LSD tends to plough straight ahead.

Originally Posted by PAT303

The trouble with going to a Tdi is it's age,it might be easier to fix than a TDCi but a 15 year old vehicle is going to have more problems than a new one regardless of the non electrics simply because it's 15 years old.................................. Pat

Exactly .

The problem is Iunderstand how every part of my 4WD works and this gives me piece of mind when I'm a long way from support. It's a major leap of faith for me to rely on a vehicle in which I know I've got no hope of fault diagnosis / repair. May not be an issue for most but the safety considerations / worry is something I need, or feel I need to take seriously. Just being able to jump on the HF or satphone to whistle up help feels irresponsible not to mention very expensive.

Essentially, my head tells me go new or near new, ie. TDCi, do it once and it will last me out and with the benefit of a bit of luxury. (I don't really need air flaps under the windscreen). But my heart tells me go old style then at least I've control on the outcome, even if wearing a Tdi hair shirt.

Other issue is cost. Roughly $60K new, $40K 4 yo, $20K 10yo and cheaper,
and while cheaper is good it is not always the least expensive.

Thanks again for the input

Deano

Originally Posted by PAT303

The trouble with going to a Tdi is it's age,it might be easier to fix than a TDCi but a 15 year old vehicle is going to have more problems than a new one regardless of the non electrics simply because it's 15 years old.I had that problem with mine,spend some coin on it to bring it up to standard or buy a TDCi,it won't matter how much you pay it's still an old vehicle so I bought new. Pat

I agree with Pat for the most part, except that, a newby although I have not looked would be between what, 50 60? Then you start adding extras.

I paid 12k for my 98 110, I have a budget of 20k to bring it back up to scratch, including some nice things. Even if I blow out by 5k(found a few more nice things), I'm still only in for 37k. This way I also get what I want and know I can fix it myself.

When I went looking I knew I was buying a shell. As Pat quite correctly said, 15 years old.

For me it is also part of the adventure, build the truck and go.

After owning a TD5, I upgraded to a Puma130. The TD5 was quite modified and could go most places, though was a bit brittle. The sale of the TD5 funded mods to the Puma. I have now clocked up 120k of some of the hardest tracks Australia has to offer from the high country to the Cape. Having new car reliability backed by factory warranty gives great piece of mind. The gearing in the Puma will crawl the steepest inclines or coast the open road with ease. The TD5 revs higher on open road and wants to stall if the revs drop below 1500rpm. Bottom line so often is dollars. Though to build a car, could the same satisfaction/ ownership value be gained from customising a solid base unit rather than a ground up rebuild and be back on the tracks sooner.

Originally Posted by tonic

...........................................
For me it is also part of the adventure, build the truck and go.

I've done this over the years. First the SIIA then the SIII then the RRC then a Troopy and a Jeep even the OKA. A lot of money can be saved buying a run down or broken 4WD and then re-building/fixing it up. And at the end of it you know EXACTLY what you've got. But the 'gloss' of re-building wears off after a while and it's a real delight to buy a 4WD that actually needs nothing done at all. Was like this with the P38a and SWMBO's D2a. Nice but boring.
Might even buy a 300 Tdi 110 and make it how I want for my run around and a 'decent' 130 TDCi to set up as our 'camper' tourer . I wonder if Pat's moved on enough from his old under powered noisy uncomfortable 110 to let it go for a song ?. Just thinking of the possible route(s) home from Newman is pure bliss.

Deano

Mate my Tdi is going to my Boss,he has been hounding me for over 6 months to sell it and it has been sitting in the drive doing nothing,I really don't have a need for a Tdi,TDCi and Prado,our new 150 Prado is turning up in 6 weeks,really looking forward to that!!!,overpriced,overrated POS.So I'm spending a bit of coil to make it presentable and the old girl will find a new home.The memories will stay. Pat

Well I've bought a Defender. Not a fancy new one but an older 130 Tdi. Ultimately I'll probably go for a near new TDCi twin cab to replace the OKA, but for the time being I'll have a play with this.



1995 Land Rover Defender 130 Tdi, one owner, 319,000 Km.

Couldn't help myself, well actually I did help myself. Body and interior are in really good condition. Tray finishes at the end of the chassis and comes with a frame (upside down in photo) and good canvas canopy as well as the drop sides.
Has been a 'farm' ute for the last few years and has been a bit neglected. A lot of little things need doing. No lights working at all!, tie rod end (at least one), drivers seat upholstery etc. A bit of a general clean-up.
Drives and runs OK, nothing obviously wrong, rear pinion seal doesn't leak!, no leaks from swivel pin housings , uni's and rear drive shaft OK, rear springs are doubled, an inner and an outer (like double valve springs), is this normal ?, engine bay was absolutely filthy. Gerni'd up OK (removed cover for clean up).



But underneath the engine, well, lets say it will NEVER rust. There is obviously an engine oil leak somewhere and has been for a long time. Rocker cover has been leaking but Gerni'd up OK, but underneath is very 'carbon rich' , lucky not to be included in the Governments top 1000 . I reckon it's a small leak for a long time as oposed to a large leak, I'll Gerni it up tomorrow and have a look.

Oil is pretty black and needs changing. I've got (at least) 20 litres of SAE 30 motor oil and I was thinking of replacing the oil with this and 'Wynn's Engine Flush" with a Z89, run for half an hour and replace with HD oil filter and Castrol RX Super. Will the mono 30 be OK or is this a bad idea ?

These are probably the first of many questions, for which I apologise in advance. I've no idea what the engine life is of a 130 Tdi ( I just hope it's not 320K Km ). There are a number of parts (hopefully minor) that I will need to obtain, I can use eBay but I feel it would be 'proper' to support fellow forum members/supporters as a first option. I would appreciate a bit of direction here but don't know if this comes under 'touting for business' or such, if so a PM would be good.

A couple of issues that I know of



Drivers door needs a internal door handle



This ones a bit more interesting, the 'joining strip' has come adrift and moved, havn't had a good look yet, is this a common problem/solution?

Though on the plus side, this is good I figure.



The previous owner had an over heating problem 10 years ago when this hose met the pulley and lost! Head gasket etc at the time but still looks a bit dodgy. Even with a new hose, is it likely to happen again ?



As for the electricals, that's tomorrows entertainment. No headlights or side lights, no blinkers, got the brake light going (blown fuse). The front BIG fuse is missing from the fuse panel near the heater, looks like a 30 Amp, but a wiring diagram would be handy. Are these on line somewhere or do I need to buy/obtain a manual for this ?

The brakes need a fair bit of pedal pressure, they work fine, but I'm unsure if this is a vac pump or booster problem or just normal. Do these have 'heavy' brakes?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm looking forward to getting this 'on the road' and could use a bit of advice.

Thanks
Deano

Great ute, yep all 130s run an inner helper coil on the rear, it also looks like they have put some maxi drive flanges on the axles...