Series 1 noises, smells & fun!

[Scallops]

Folks - had some real fun this weekend gone. Kat and I took Matilda away to the Border Ranges to camp, which was the first time we have really gone any real distance and used the little truck for camping. Tea always tastes better served off a Series 1 tailgate.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/photongo.jpg/)

It was really lovely. I was very aware of the vehicle during this drive - perhaps a little over anxious; the last time I had an issue - the infamous water pump debacle, I could smell the vehicle getting hot - old car smell as Kat put it - this time, it was odorless! The vehicle went as it always does, but I thought I'd ask a few questions and report on what I found.....

1) We have done 260 km on just over half a tank of fuel - that seems very good to me. What do you think?

2) When we left home, the dipstick showed the oil level about a quarter below the full mark. It had dropped, when I checked it again, (120km later) - it was now about a quarter above minimum. :o That's driving it about 120km, some of it flat out.

3) I added oil to around the max line the next morning, checked once cold at home again - it doesn't seem to have used hardly any coming home? :angel:

4) When powering up hills etc, the engine makes a rapid clacking/clicking noise - I think this noise is the valves (or valve stems) - will an additive help with this? It does it to a much lesser extent just cruising along and has always done so.

5) It doesn't seem to blow any smoke - even chugging up hills. It always starts very easily. It doesn't seem to have much power, but seems to pull up hills, even in top gear, albeit slowly. I did have to drop back to 3rd from time to time, but it is a torquey engine. We also had all our camping gear so it was loaded up. My iPhone suggests top speed is about 80-85km/h.

Do these observations sound about right? I worry I should investigate the clicking noise from the engine under load, but no one who has driven it had really made mention of it - and these are folks who are used to driving these vehicle. And - how do I check the transfer case oil level and top it up if necessary? The gearbox has it's own dipstick and filler. :)

[Xtreme]

Folks - had some real fun this weekend gone. Kat and I took Matilda away to the Border Ranges to camp, which was the first time we have really gone any real distance and used the little truck for camping.
It was really lovely. The last time I had an issue - the infamous water pump debacle, I could smell the vehicle getting hot - this time, it was odorless! The vehicle went as it always does, but I thought I'd ask a few questions and report on what I found.....


1) We have done 260 km on just over half a tank of fuel - that seems very good to me. What do you think? Depends upon what size the tank is - better to quote actual consumption (l/100kms) after filling up.

2) When we left home, the dipstick showed the oil level about a quarter below the full mark. It had dropped, when I checked it again, (120km later) - it was now about a quarter above minimum. :o That's driving it about 120km, some of it flat out.
3) I added oil to around the max line the next morning, checked once cold at home again - it doesn't seem to have used hardly any coming home? :angel: It's been quite a while since I've had the pleasure of owning/driving any of the Series Landys but in my experience if the engine oil level was kept at the max indicated level (or even slightly above), then oil consumption was minimal.

4) When powering up hills etc, the engine makes a rapid clacking/clicking noise - I think this noise is the valves (or valve stems) - will an additive help with this? It does it to a much lesser extent just cruising along and has always done so. Sounds like pinging to me - try retarding the ignition timing slightly and try it out under load again.
Knocking (also called knock, detonation, spark knock, pinging or pinking) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine) occurs when combustion of the air/fuel mixture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-fuel_ratio) in the cylinder starts off correctly in response to ignition by the spark plug (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_plug), but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front. The fuel-air charge is meant to be ignited by the spark plug only, and at a precise time in the piston's stroke cycle. The peak of the combustion process no longer occurs at the optimum moment for the four-stroke cycle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-stroke_cycle). The shock wave creates the characteristic metallic "pinging" sound, and cylinder pressure increases dramatically. Effects of engine knocking range from inconsequential to completely destructive. It should not be confused with pre-ignition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking#Pre-ignition) (or preignition), as they are two separate events.

5) It doesn't seem to blow any smoke - even chugging up hills. It always starts very easily. It doesn't seem to have much power, but seems to pull up hills, even in top gear, albeit slowly. I did have to drop back to 3rd from time to time, but it is a torquey engine. Result of an 'undersquare' (??) engine - longer stroke than bore. Made for torque characteristics not speed! We also had all our camping gear so it was loaded up. My iPhone suggests top speed is about 80-85km/h.

Do these observations sound about right? I worry I should investigate the clicking noise from the engine under load, but no one who has driven it had really made mention of it - and these are folks who are used to driving these vehicle. Maybe they didn'yt subject it the load you did when travelling up hills with a load aboard. And - how do I check the transfer case oil level and top it up if necessary? Filler/level plug on rear near handbrake drum. The gearbox has it's own dipstick and filler. :)

Some possible suggestions/comments in blue.

Lovely photos (saw your other thread) and beautiful camp spot by the way - any hints on location -would like to visit when I'm next in the area.

[Scallops]

Some possible suggestions/comments in blue.

Lovely photos (saw your other thread) and beautiful camp spot by the way - any hints on location -would like to visit when I'm next in the area.

Andrew Drynan Park, Lyons Road - about 3 miles towards Rathdowney from the railway line loop at the border. :)

I'm unsure of the tank capacity - it's about 40 litres, I suspect. I'll check the TC level tonight - thanks.

[JDNSW]

Fuel consumption is about normal. Check as suggested for possibility of preignition.

Other possibility is tappets need adjusting.

High oil consumption on the outward leg followed by low consumption suggests that you had crankcase dilution due to short runs with too much choke, or could indicate the rings were bedding in now that it has been asked to work hard.

Performance is about normal, maybe down a bit - top speed should be around 100kph, but it certainly will not be very happy over about 85-90.

John

[Scallops]

Fuel consumption is about normal. Check as suggested for possibility of preignition.

Other possibility is tappets need adjusting.

High oil consumption on the outward leg followed by low consumption suggests that you had crankcase dilution due to short runs with too much choke, or could indicate the rings were bedding in now that it has been asked to work hard.

Performance is about normal, maybe down a bit - top speed should be around 100kph, but it certainly will not be very happy over about 85-90.

John

I'll ask Dave for a diagnosis regarding the engine noise.

Thanks for the explanation regarding oil consumption. But I never drive with choke - I can push the choke back in within 30 seconds of starting and she just gurgled along on idle. But maybe that is what happened - these drives are the first decent trips the engine has had in years.

Performance is definitely down if it should do 100km/h. 80 -85 is flat out and causes the driver to suffer from industrial deafness. I am running 6 X 16 tyres so maybe that partially accounts for this.

[zulu Delta 534]

A good habit to get into is to check your oil levels before starting the engine for the initial time of the day and where possible do this with the vehicle in the same place and conditions (like the garage) or if out on the roadside somewhere, try to emulate these same conditions, ie. flat and level and cold engine.
If you leave on a trip with the level (measured in the garage at home) on full, and the day after you get home and the engine is once again cold and you dip it once again (back in the garage at home) then, and only then, will you be able to glean what your engine oil consumption actually is by adding together what you may have added on the trip plus what you must add to regain the same "full" level you left with.
When the engine is hot, oil is still running around various galleries etc. and dripping off various internal bits and pieces and hasn't yet had a chance to accumulate in the sump where your dipstick measures it.
Watch for excessive blue smoke (burning oil gives off blue smoke) and always look under your vehicle every time you walk away from it and towards it, regardless of how new or old it is! In this way you will soon get to notice how much oil your vehicle is dropping and burning and you will soon (with experience) be able to judge when it is losing excessive amounts and a problem is raising its ugly head.
Gearboxes and transfer cases generally won't burn oil, only leak, so the golden rule of "looking under your vehicle every time you leave or approach it" applies here.
Get to know the difference of smell, taste and touch of the various oils in your vehicle and you will have no trouble analysing what is lying under your vehicle. (Be careful with the taste test if there are dogs in the vicinity)
Also take note of where you park your vehicle, that is, not over someone else's oil drop etc.
Rather than try to evaluate how far you have gone on what percentage of a tank via your gauge, once again, get into a habit of filling your tank at the end of a trip*, then dividing the distance by the actual fuel used and formulate an idea of the vehicle's economy from that. Get into the habit of running a book on all of your vehicles, any drastic variance of figures could warn of an impending problem!
(*Providing that you use the vehicle regularly and it is not going to stand idle for 6 months!)
The first half of a tankful on a gauge always lasts longer than the second half, because of the geometry of the swinging float arm on the gauge and secondly because of the drivers panicky concerns re the gauge's accuracy as the needle gets closer to empty.
Have fun with it, get used to its finicky ways, enjoy it, live WITH it and not against it, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the similarity between owning a Series Land Rover and being married.
The same rules apply!
Also I am delighted to welcome you to the wonderful world of "Torque", a much maligned and misunderstood factor amongst the majority of today's modern motorists.
Regards
Glen

[Scallops]

I went to check the Transfer case when I got home from work tonight - the level bung is rounded off. Killer managed to get the blasted bung out with some Vice Grips - note - buy some, Dan. ;) Good job I checked, as it needed a top up. Not that LR made it easy to check - got to remove the middle seat box panel to get at the filler and bung.

Still, driving back home into the setting sun, knowing all is well and driving a Series 1 - GOLD.

[numpty]

Comments much the same as above. Dont take much notice of the fuel gauge. Start with a full tank and check it every so often, then fill again. This will give you an idea of consumption. Tank size is 10 gallons BTW (or 45 litres for you metric people);) Mine does about 20/22 mpg. 70 to 80 k's is plenty fast enough in my humble opinion and I have done a few 300k plus round trips in mine.

Just enjoy

[JDNSW]

I went to check the Transfer case when I got home from work tonight - the level bung is rounded off. Killer managed to get the blasted bung out with some Vice Grips - note - buy some, Dan. ;) Good job I checked, as it needed a top up. Not that LR made it easy to check - got to remove the middle seat box panel to get at the filler and bung.

Still, driving back home into the setting sun, knowing all is well and driving a Series 1 - GOLD.

I've always checked it from below! One advantage of Landrovers is you can work underneath without a hoist or similar.

John

[numpty]

I've always checked it from below! One advantage of Landrovers is you can work underneath without a hoist or similar.

John

x2 ;)

[Scallops]

I've always checked it from below! One advantage of Landrovers is you can work underneath without a hoist or similar.

John


x2 ;)

You chaps must be contortionists to be able to top up a Series 1 transfer case from below the vehicle! :eek: :D

[123rover50]

You chaps must be contortionists to be able to top up a Series 1 transfer case from below the vehicle! :eek: :D

Why?

[Timj]

Why?

Because the earlier gearboxes and transfer cases both have the filler on the top. The transfer case has a level plug on the back while the gearbox has a dip stick. On my Series 1 the dipstick has to come out through the seat box, no other way to get to it.

I checked and topped mine up just the other day and I don't think I could do it from underneath either :). The later boxes have a larger fill and level plug on the side which means they can be done from underneath.

TimJ.

[numpty]

The comment was to do with "checking" the transfer box oil level, rather than topping it up.

You can fill them though from the level hole using an oil can. ;)

[Scallops]

The comment was to do with "checking" the transfer box oil level, rather than topping it up.

You can fill them though from the level hole using an oil can. ;)

Yep - but it's all just a lot easier to take the seat box cover off! Its also what the actual workshop manual tells one to do. ;)

[spudboy]

...Performance is about normal, maybe down a bit - top speed should be around 100kph, but it certainly will not be very happy over about 85-90.

John

I don't think my Series I would do anywhere near 100, even if I drove it with my pants on fire and down a steep hill with a tail wind. Like Scallops, I am running 6.00x16 tyres though.

I run out of pucker at about 80Km/h....

[Scallops]

I don't think my Series I would do anywhere near 100, even if I drove it with my pants on fire and down a steep hill with a tail wind. Like Scallops, I am running 6.00x16 tyres though.

I run out of pucker at about 80Km/h....

Absolutely screaming I can maybe hit 90km/h! But it's not fun.

[Larry]

Absolutely screaming I can maybe hit 90km/h! But it's not fun.

My 80" will do 100km/h (with the diesel screaming - does that at 60 km/h too:p) with 7.50 x 16s though. :angel:

[lyallthecrocodile]

Awesome photo Scallops! Cant tell you how much moitivation that gives me to get out in the shed and keep the resto rolling.

[mildred]

Folks - had some real fun this weekend gone. Kat and I took Matilda away to the Border Ranges to camp, which was the first time we have really gone any real distance and used the little truck for camping. Tea always tastes better served off a Series 1 tailgate.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9648/photongo.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/photongo.jpg/)

It was really lovely. I was very aware of the vehicle during this drive - perhaps a little over anxious; the last time I had an issue - the infamous water pump debacle, I could smell the vehicle getting hot - old car smell as Kat put it - this time, it was odorless! The vehicle went as it always does, but I thought I'd ask a few questions and report on what I found.....

1) We have done 260 km on just over half a tank of fuel - that seems very good to me. What do you think?

2) When we left home, the dipstick showed the oil level about a quarter below the full mark. It had dropped, when I checked it again, (120km later) - it was now about a quarter above minimum. :o That's driving it about 120km, some of it flat out.

3) I added oil to around the max line the next morning, checked once cold at home again - it doesn't seem to have used hardly any coming home? :angel:

4) When powering up hills etc, the engine makes a rapid clacking/clicking noise - I think this noise is the valves (or valve stems) - will an additive help with this? It does it to a much lesser extent just cruising along and has always done so.

5) It doesn't seem to blow any smoke - even chugging up hills. It always starts very easily. It doesn't seem to have much power, but seems to pull up hills, even in top gear, albeit slowly. I did have to drop back to 3rd from time to time, but it is a torquey engine. We also had all our camping gear so it was loaded up. My iPhone suggests top speed is about 80-85km/h.

Do these observations sound about right? I worry I should investigate the clicking noise from the engine under load, but no one who has driven it had really made mention of it - and these are folks who are used to driving these vehicle. And - how do I check the transfer case oil level and top it up if necessary? The gearbox has it's own dipstick and filler. :)
makes-one feel proud to be an Aussie in the best country in the world............Oi Oi Oi
ps : and I'm a pommy!

[Scallops]

My 80" will do 100km/h (with the diesel screaming - does that at 60 km/h too:p) with 7.50 x 16s though. :angel:

:lol2: Mine too! (the screaming at 60km/h bit! :p )



Awesome photo Scallops! Cant tell you how much moitivation that gives me to get out in the shed and keep the resto rolling.

Great - can't wait to see your progress. :)



makes-one feel proud to be an Aussie in the best country in the world............Oi Oi Oi
ps : and I'm a pommy!


:twobeers: Cheers to that! :BigThumb:

[Aaron IIA]

It sounds like you need to retard the ignition timing a degree or two. Knocking like you describe is bad for the pistons and cylinder head. This is also a symptom of poor grade fuel. How old is the petrol?

Aaron.

[Scallops]

It's running on new fuel pretty much most of the time these days - I test drive it regularly ;) - but I'm sure the tune needs a tweak, so I'll look into it.