Thread: What did you do on your Defender today ? (well, this week anyway)

This is Zikali. 1992 110 tdi. That makes her 27 years of age. Still on it's original engine, chassis and springs.
I vaguely remember when the wife had a 27 year old body but I don't recall her looking as good as this.
And yes the wife still has her original chassis, suspension and body work......but I chose to photograph the Defender.
IMG_7025.jpgIMG_7030.jpgIMG_7035.jpg

Originally Posted by spudfan

This is Zikali. 1992 110 tdi. That makes her 27 years of age. Still on it's original engine, chassis and springs.
I vaguely remember when the wife had a 27 year old body but I don't recall her looking as good as this.
And yes the wife still has her original chassis, suspension and body work......but I chose to photograph the Defender.
IMG_7025.jpgIMG_7030.jpgIMG_7035.jpg

hahaha. I bet your wife isn’t on the forum 😂😂😂

A few minor repairs after a 22,000k trip to W.A/NT/SA & home towing a pop top van with the TD5 Deefer.
Mostly corrugations related.
A fusible link (100 amp) blew which I believe was caused by a broken off glow plug lead. The only casualty was no horn..- couldn't toot hello to other Landies..Unnecessarily relaced the column stalk with a new one while finding the fault by elimination process..
Replaced the rear suspension fulcrum bush. Wasn't chronic but a bit clunky.
Also the aftermarket Salisbury H/D cover worked loose & I suspect the bolts supplied were wrong thread. Replaced them with slightly longer ones with Loctite & spring washers.
Previously bought full suspension bush components, but the old girl took the punishment well & doesn't need them.
Next parts to be fitted is a full starter refurb kit as it got "clicky" at Uluru on a freezing morning, so I assume its sending me a warning.
Final job is to hook out the UHF radio from where it vibrated out of sight into the dashboard & do a better job of securing it.
Not bad considering that we covered a lot of rough roads & tracks- around 4000k's. Notable ones were a track from Cocklebiddy to the ocean, Steep point ( most Westerly point on mainland) Pilbara, Cape Leveque, Gibb River/Drysdale Station & track in to Purnululu - couldn't call that a road..
David

During the last part of a 10,500 km trip to Perth and back the gearbox developed what sounded like a bearing noise.

I assumed it was the same bearing on the layshaft in the 5th/reverse extension housing that I had replaced a couple of hundred thousand kilometres previously.

However it was the bearing on the mainshaft in the extension.

Since the Defender had done 315,000 km, I decided a few other things should be replaced as I had already removed the transfer case and the extension housing.

So I removed the gearbox as well to replace the clutch and associated parts.

I was quite surprised that after 315,000 km, the clutch lining was still almost exactly the same thickness as the new heavy duty clutch. Similarly, the pivot point on the fork looked good for at least another 300,000 km. However, the springs in the friction plate were in very poor shape.

The transfer case had been leaking, so I'm hoping the new intermediate shaft o-rings will cure that. The seals on the mainshaft where the transfer case and the gearbox meet were replaced.

Fortunately I had read somewhere on the forum that the screws that secure the gearbox oil pump often need to be drilled out, so I didn't panic when they refused to come out. What I don't understand is why after drilling out the heads of the screws, the remaining threaded section was easily removed with my fingers.

Lifting a gearbox or transfer case into place by myself without an engine hoist involved some ingenious use of ropes, levers and wooden blocks, but it all went quite smoothly albeit very slowly.

It is back on the road and all seems good.

Finally found and picked up my first Defender. Started the road trip back to Sydney from the Claire Valley South Australia. Places you got to go to get a good one. Anyway made it to Balranalds tonight. Sydney tomorrow. With the biggest grin on my face. Only problem haven't passed another Defender to get that warm fuzzy feeling wave.

Originally Posted by plusnq

hahaha. I bet your wife isn’t on the forum ������

Actually I have to get the wife to upload the photos. I add the text once she has left the room.

Replaced the rear shocks on the County. Took about an hour. Would have been less, but I don't have a socket deep enough to undo (and do up) the bottom nut with the rattle gun - nor a ratchet/ring that size (19mm). So had to do it with an ordinary ring spanner, which is slow, and being a Nyloc is spanner all the way. And found when I parked it that the LH low beam is not working. I'll fix this when the blast from the south pole is finished!