101RRS
17th June 2010, 01:16 PM
Being a member of the Landrover Club of ACT which organised the Outback Landrover Heritage Drive from Bourke, Cameron Corner, Innaminka, Hungerford and back to Bourke http://www.aulro.com/afvb/upcoming-events/79910-outback-heritage-drive-2010-may-june-nsw-corner-country.html I signed up for the trip which was the 101s first long trip in my ownership. This is not a trip report as such but more some commentary on my 101 experiences. Juddy has done a bit of trip report on the last page of the above link which has now been locked.
In planning for the trip I did the usual things such as changed oils, fan belts replaced obviously worn bits and pieces etc and bought spare parts. I was initially worried about the wheel bearings and tyre wear. But given the rear bearings are oil fed and the cost of replacements are expensive I decided to risk not replacing or spares. The fronts are greased but seemed OK. My tyres had worn heavily on the fronts so I decided that on the way home to have them replaced at Moree at Ag Tyres which are a major distributor of my MRF tyres. However they had none in stock so that detour was off the agenda - the rear tyres were wearing well so if the fronts got down I would swap them around. I put the 101 in for a wheel alignment but it could not be done due swivel pin slop in the front left wheel. Safe to drive on for the trip but no point in doing an alignment.
The engine had not been running well so it went in for a tune up - again could not be done as the engine was sucking air through the inlet manifold - so the weekend before leaving the manifold was changed and two days before leaving in for the tune up. It was found that the ignition was not in top condition with only about 10,000v getting to the spark plugs - however engine was now running well and would be OK to do the trip. (these thoughts would come back to bite me). My aux alternator was only putting out 13v but was agreed it should be able to handle the load of the fridge for then trip.
On Friday morning 28 May I set off from Canberra for the 420km drive to Newcastle to drop my doggie off at my Mums.
My 101
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
My doggie
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
I drove up on LPG and was running went well except that it started missing at low speeds but on gas only - no issue on petrol - with hindsight, ominous indications that all was not well with the ignition system. In late afternoon peak hour traffic the 101 died :( on Pennant Hills road - I managed to get it off the road and pulled out the coil.
101 Coil
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
On removing the low tension leads (outer holes in the pic) I found that one of the spring contacts had somehow broken and causing a break in the circuit. I made the remaining bit of the spring longer and put it back together and she fired up. The rest of the trip to Newcastle was uneventful but running on LPG at low speed was poor. As the ignition was running OK I decided not to fix the spring but gathered up a selection in case of later problems. I averaged 10.5mpg on LPG running in overdrive for this leg.
On Saturday I left Newcastle for Bourke via Dubbo a distance of about 880km. No trouble all the way though LPG was still rough at low speed. Arrived in Bourke about 6.30 and met the other participants in the event.
Vehicles ranged from two 1942 Jeeps, a 48 80" series 1, 107 and 109 series 1 utes, a number of series 2s shorties, a series 3 lightweight, other series 3s, mil series versions, 2 door rangies, discos, up a D4, Defenders and counties and a mix of other support vehicles. There were 3 101s. Mine, an Aussie GS Rapier Tractor,
Michaels ex RAF 101 (pic courtesy of Juddy)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
and an interesting camper conversion with a Mazda 3500 Diesel
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
On reviewing the condition of my 101 after over 1300km in two days it was holding up well. Tyres were showing no wear at all, as I was now going to be running on petrol, poor running at slow speed on LPG was no longer an issue. Fuel consumption was still about 10.5mpg and no issues had popped up. The engine had struggled to pull overdrive against a strong head wind on the flat road into Bourke but I was impressed at the 101s ability to cruise easily just under 100kph. Ride in the lightly loaded 101 was very good and I do not see the need to replace the original setup for road use. Hystee springs might give better flex offroad but on the road I doubt they would be an improvement.
Leaving Bourke on Monday and heading for Wanaaring the 101 ran extremely well. In fourth gear overdrive I just loped along at 60kph with about 1200rpm and pulled the small hills easily. The ride on the dirt roads was really good and the cabin very quiet without tyre noise and low revs. I carried enough fuel to cover the longest two legs of the trip but as a contingency decided to fill at each stop. Fuel was about $1.35 at major centers and in out of the way places between $1.55 and $1.75 with Cameron Corner being the worst at $2 a litre. The fuel guy at Wanaaring was concerned about his fuel supply and was only rationing 30l a go but I managed to get 40.
At Wanaaring
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Leaving Wanaaring all started well with the first dunes being crossed but about 2/3 of the way to Tibooburra the 101 missed a beat or two but then kicked up her heals and continued on but a couple of km later started to miss badly and the going over a dune let out a huge backfire :o and got really noisy and then stopped dead. The muffler had a huge huge split in it.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Everyone focussed on the muffler but I suspected the fix I had given the coil in Pennant Hills but it had lasted neally 1100km. I pulled the coil out and put in a new spring one relevant low tension lead. It would not start on petrol but I did manage to get it going on LPG and we were off :)- well for only 500m :( and she dies again with no spark. It is about this time that the dummy spitting started.:mad:. However a 101 with no muffler did sound really cool :cool:.
The organisers had anticipated issues and had good support for the event. Rick (Toad) had pulled his car trailer with his Defender all the way from Canberra and was providing backup. Noting that the last support vehicle cannot proceed ahead of the last participating vehicle we decided to load the 101 onto the trailer and take it to the next stop in Tibooburra and fix it there.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
We had about 60-80km to go and the defender towed the 101 well though I did get a smashed headlight. Also the ride of the defender did not seem to be all that different from the 101. On reaching Tibooburra I pulled out coil and put in an old spare 101 coil that I had. It started first go so I decided to reset the points just in case they were out. I should have also replaced the condenser as well - though both the points, plugs, condenser and rotor button were all replaced before the trip.
A pic of the insides of a 101 24v dizzy - mechanical advance only no vacuum and it has twin points.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Unfortunately when resetting the points I broke half the head off one of the adjusting screws - I fished out the loose bit but was satisfied that the points were all OK. Next morning the engine fired and then died - again no spark. Rick (Toad) had a look and found that the broken screw head had in fact broken into two pieces and one bit was still there shorting out the dizzy. When removed all was well.
Setting off for Cameron Corner through the Sturt National Park all was well and Rick had decided to ride with me. Unfortunately 15km out of Tibooburra the 101 once again started to miss under load:mad:. At a stop it was decided to remove the 101 coil and install a Bosch GT40R coil running direct off the 12v system bypassing the 24v ignition switching system. It took about 30 mins and the result was a sweet running engine with a separate switch to turn on the ignition and the normal key to start the starter motor. Switching off no means turning the ignition key off that shuts all 24v systems down leaving the engine running and shutting the engine off via the second switch. Immediately I noted that fuel consumption improved by 40% from 10.5mpg to just under 15mpg.
The engine ran really well to Cameron Corner and then up to Innaminka and then into Qld on the way to Noccundra. At this time I noticed that the coolant level had dropped a little and that there was some coolant under the water pump though not dripping to the ground. Also the rear main seal on the engine started to leak a bit more than usual - annoying as it had only been replaced in March. Also I noticed a lean beginning to develop on the passenger side - the drivers side is now about an inch higher than the passenger side.
40km out of Noccundra the engine started to miss again :mad: but would often recover for a while and then start playing up again but was not as bad as earlier and I could still cruise at 100kph with the miss being really noticeable without the muffler. When I arrived at Noccundra I was running Ok and even missing was developing power so just left it. From Noccundra on to Thargomindah and then on to Hungerford the same issue played out but she just kept on going and going and going with a few hiccups but still giving 14.8mpg (19l/100km). At Hungerford I noticed that the rear passenger side wheel was leaking some diff oil into the brakes - not a lot but noticeable - also noticeable was that the brakes no longer pulled to the left and for the first time pulled up straight up :).
From Hungerford to Bourke, as it was the last leg out in the bush I ran on gas - still running badly at low revs and also fuel consumption was back to 10.5mpg (actually 8mpg on this leg as I was pushing it). The improved fuel consumption seemed to only apply to petrol. As I arrived at Bourke early I decided to push on the Newcastle which would make it in the order of 1050km in one day in the 101.
On the open road I found that above 2500rpm the missing stopped and was worst around 2000rpm. So cruising in overdrive had some missing but in fourth (no O/d) it generally did not occur. LPG still played up at low revs. I have never had a backfire on LPG but after filling up in Nyngan (back to 10.5mpg on gas) I had three backfires through the induction system blew off the rubber pipe joining the air filter to the gas mixer. As It would take some time to fix I continued on as there were no dirt roads and the air was cool and still with no dust.
I drove the rest of the way to Newcastle on petrol and averaged 14.5mpg on petrol cruising at 95-100kph with O/d on - the missing continued but did not seem to impact performance.
The next day I decided to fix the issue once and for all and ultimately decided to completely change the ignition system. This is the 24v dizzy https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Back in January I drowned the ignition and it was difficult to diagnose where the water had got too - as a backup I bought a Holden Bosch dizzy, coil (the one now in the 101) and electronic ignition from Bee Utey that had been in a 3.5 Range Rover. I installed this and as I did not know what to set the static timing for dual fuel so I set it to the standard 3 BTDC. It ran like a charm - maybe a little down on power because of the timing but ran really well - no missing and would now run on LPG well at low speeds indicating that the problem had been spark intensity related right from the start. I got a new sports muffler put on but it doesn't sound as nice as it did.
Now that I am home (oh with the new dizzy etc LPG is now up to 14mpg nearly as good a petrol) I will replace the second ignition switch with a relay and the conversion will be basically seamless.
Despite the ignition problems the 101 was a great pleasure to drive over the total 4400km in the two weeks. Below about 70kph it is quite economical but above that the brick aerodynamics kick in. Fuel consumption is an issue, particularly out in the country so a diesel conversion would be a good option for those travelling in a 101.
Noise is actually quite low on the dirt and shows how much noise the tyres generate. Prior to the trip my front tyres were half worn with only 6000km use, yet on this trip of over 4400km and about 3000 of that on bitumen additional wear is barely noticeable.
The seats though have to go - just as well I have amble padding on the rear end:angel:.
Sorry for the long post but I hope some gain benefit from it - lets get out and start using our 101s - they are a top vehicle.
Garry
In planning for the trip I did the usual things such as changed oils, fan belts replaced obviously worn bits and pieces etc and bought spare parts. I was initially worried about the wheel bearings and tyre wear. But given the rear bearings are oil fed and the cost of replacements are expensive I decided to risk not replacing or spares. The fronts are greased but seemed OK. My tyres had worn heavily on the fronts so I decided that on the way home to have them replaced at Moree at Ag Tyres which are a major distributor of my MRF tyres. However they had none in stock so that detour was off the agenda - the rear tyres were wearing well so if the fronts got down I would swap them around. I put the 101 in for a wheel alignment but it could not be done due swivel pin slop in the front left wheel. Safe to drive on for the trip but no point in doing an alignment.
The engine had not been running well so it went in for a tune up - again could not be done as the engine was sucking air through the inlet manifold - so the weekend before leaving the manifold was changed and two days before leaving in for the tune up. It was found that the ignition was not in top condition with only about 10,000v getting to the spark plugs - however engine was now running well and would be OK to do the trip. (these thoughts would come back to bite me). My aux alternator was only putting out 13v but was agreed it should be able to handle the load of the fridge for then trip.
On Friday morning 28 May I set off from Canberra for the 420km drive to Newcastle to drop my doggie off at my Mums.
My 101
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
My doggie
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
I drove up on LPG and was running went well except that it started missing at low speeds but on gas only - no issue on petrol - with hindsight, ominous indications that all was not well with the ignition system. In late afternoon peak hour traffic the 101 died :( on Pennant Hills road - I managed to get it off the road and pulled out the coil.
101 Coil
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
On removing the low tension leads (outer holes in the pic) I found that one of the spring contacts had somehow broken and causing a break in the circuit. I made the remaining bit of the spring longer and put it back together and she fired up. The rest of the trip to Newcastle was uneventful but running on LPG at low speed was poor. As the ignition was running OK I decided not to fix the spring but gathered up a selection in case of later problems. I averaged 10.5mpg on LPG running in overdrive for this leg.
On Saturday I left Newcastle for Bourke via Dubbo a distance of about 880km. No trouble all the way though LPG was still rough at low speed. Arrived in Bourke about 6.30 and met the other participants in the event.
Vehicles ranged from two 1942 Jeeps, a 48 80" series 1, 107 and 109 series 1 utes, a number of series 2s shorties, a series 3 lightweight, other series 3s, mil series versions, 2 door rangies, discos, up a D4, Defenders and counties and a mix of other support vehicles. There were 3 101s. Mine, an Aussie GS Rapier Tractor,
Michaels ex RAF 101 (pic courtesy of Juddy)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
and an interesting camper conversion with a Mazda 3500 Diesel
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
On reviewing the condition of my 101 after over 1300km in two days it was holding up well. Tyres were showing no wear at all, as I was now going to be running on petrol, poor running at slow speed on LPG was no longer an issue. Fuel consumption was still about 10.5mpg and no issues had popped up. The engine had struggled to pull overdrive against a strong head wind on the flat road into Bourke but I was impressed at the 101s ability to cruise easily just under 100kph. Ride in the lightly loaded 101 was very good and I do not see the need to replace the original setup for road use. Hystee springs might give better flex offroad but on the road I doubt they would be an improvement.
Leaving Bourke on Monday and heading for Wanaaring the 101 ran extremely well. In fourth gear overdrive I just loped along at 60kph with about 1200rpm and pulled the small hills easily. The ride on the dirt roads was really good and the cabin very quiet without tyre noise and low revs. I carried enough fuel to cover the longest two legs of the trip but as a contingency decided to fill at each stop. Fuel was about $1.35 at major centers and in out of the way places between $1.55 and $1.75 with Cameron Corner being the worst at $2 a litre. The fuel guy at Wanaaring was concerned about his fuel supply and was only rationing 30l a go but I managed to get 40.
At Wanaaring
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Leaving Wanaaring all started well with the first dunes being crossed but about 2/3 of the way to Tibooburra the 101 missed a beat or two but then kicked up her heals and continued on but a couple of km later started to miss badly and the going over a dune let out a huge backfire :o and got really noisy and then stopped dead. The muffler had a huge huge split in it.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Everyone focussed on the muffler but I suspected the fix I had given the coil in Pennant Hills but it had lasted neally 1100km. I pulled the coil out and put in a new spring one relevant low tension lead. It would not start on petrol but I did manage to get it going on LPG and we were off :)- well for only 500m :( and she dies again with no spark. It is about this time that the dummy spitting started.:mad:. However a 101 with no muffler did sound really cool :cool:.
The organisers had anticipated issues and had good support for the event. Rick (Toad) had pulled his car trailer with his Defender all the way from Canberra and was providing backup. Noting that the last support vehicle cannot proceed ahead of the last participating vehicle we decided to load the 101 onto the trailer and take it to the next stop in Tibooburra and fix it there.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
We had about 60-80km to go and the defender towed the 101 well though I did get a smashed headlight. Also the ride of the defender did not seem to be all that different from the 101. On reaching Tibooburra I pulled out coil and put in an old spare 101 coil that I had. It started first go so I decided to reset the points just in case they were out. I should have also replaced the condenser as well - though both the points, plugs, condenser and rotor button were all replaced before the trip.
A pic of the insides of a 101 24v dizzy - mechanical advance only no vacuum and it has twin points.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Unfortunately when resetting the points I broke half the head off one of the adjusting screws - I fished out the loose bit but was satisfied that the points were all OK. Next morning the engine fired and then died - again no spark. Rick (Toad) had a look and found that the broken screw head had in fact broken into two pieces and one bit was still there shorting out the dizzy. When removed all was well.
Setting off for Cameron Corner through the Sturt National Park all was well and Rick had decided to ride with me. Unfortunately 15km out of Tibooburra the 101 once again started to miss under load:mad:. At a stop it was decided to remove the 101 coil and install a Bosch GT40R coil running direct off the 12v system bypassing the 24v ignition switching system. It took about 30 mins and the result was a sweet running engine with a separate switch to turn on the ignition and the normal key to start the starter motor. Switching off no means turning the ignition key off that shuts all 24v systems down leaving the engine running and shutting the engine off via the second switch. Immediately I noted that fuel consumption improved by 40% from 10.5mpg to just under 15mpg.
The engine ran really well to Cameron Corner and then up to Innaminka and then into Qld on the way to Noccundra. At this time I noticed that the coolant level had dropped a little and that there was some coolant under the water pump though not dripping to the ground. Also the rear main seal on the engine started to leak a bit more than usual - annoying as it had only been replaced in March. Also I noticed a lean beginning to develop on the passenger side - the drivers side is now about an inch higher than the passenger side.
40km out of Noccundra the engine started to miss again :mad: but would often recover for a while and then start playing up again but was not as bad as earlier and I could still cruise at 100kph with the miss being really noticeable without the muffler. When I arrived at Noccundra I was running Ok and even missing was developing power so just left it. From Noccundra on to Thargomindah and then on to Hungerford the same issue played out but she just kept on going and going and going with a few hiccups but still giving 14.8mpg (19l/100km). At Hungerford I noticed that the rear passenger side wheel was leaking some diff oil into the brakes - not a lot but noticeable - also noticeable was that the brakes no longer pulled to the left and for the first time pulled up straight up :).
From Hungerford to Bourke, as it was the last leg out in the bush I ran on gas - still running badly at low revs and also fuel consumption was back to 10.5mpg (actually 8mpg on this leg as I was pushing it). The improved fuel consumption seemed to only apply to petrol. As I arrived at Bourke early I decided to push on the Newcastle which would make it in the order of 1050km in one day in the 101.
On the open road I found that above 2500rpm the missing stopped and was worst around 2000rpm. So cruising in overdrive had some missing but in fourth (no O/d) it generally did not occur. LPG still played up at low revs. I have never had a backfire on LPG but after filling up in Nyngan (back to 10.5mpg on gas) I had three backfires through the induction system blew off the rubber pipe joining the air filter to the gas mixer. As It would take some time to fix I continued on as there were no dirt roads and the air was cool and still with no dust.
I drove the rest of the way to Newcastle on petrol and averaged 14.5mpg on petrol cruising at 95-100kph with O/d on - the missing continued but did not seem to impact performance.
The next day I decided to fix the issue once and for all and ultimately decided to completely change the ignition system. This is the 24v dizzy https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
Back in January I drowned the ignition and it was difficult to diagnose where the water had got too - as a backup I bought a Holden Bosch dizzy, coil (the one now in the 101) and electronic ignition from Bee Utey that had been in a 3.5 Range Rover. I installed this and as I did not know what to set the static timing for dual fuel so I set it to the standard 3 BTDC. It ran like a charm - maybe a little down on power because of the timing but ran really well - no missing and would now run on LPG well at low speeds indicating that the problem had been spark intensity related right from the start. I got a new sports muffler put on but it doesn't sound as nice as it did.
Now that I am home (oh with the new dizzy etc LPG is now up to 14mpg nearly as good a petrol) I will replace the second ignition switch with a relay and the conversion will be basically seamless.
Despite the ignition problems the 101 was a great pleasure to drive over the total 4400km in the two weeks. Below about 70kph it is quite economical but above that the brick aerodynamics kick in. Fuel consumption is an issue, particularly out in the country so a diesel conversion would be a good option for those travelling in a 101.
Noise is actually quite low on the dirt and shows how much noise the tyres generate. Prior to the trip my front tyres were half worn with only 6000km use, yet on this trip of over 4400km and about 3000 of that on bitumen additional wear is barely noticeable.
The seats though have to go - just as well I have amble padding on the rear end:angel:.
Sorry for the long post but I hope some gain benefit from it - lets get out and start using our 101s - they are a top vehicle.
Garry