How to tell what year Defender?

[Siska]

Im now in New Zealand and the guy I'm currently working for has a 110 Defender he purchased a couple of years back. He thinks its a 2003 model. Driving it today the water pump died on me, I popped the bonnet and its a 300tdi. It also has a standard Rover rover diff in the rear.

I'm thinking it maybe a 98-99 model imported from the UK and first registered in NZ in 2003? Is there some way I can find out?

[Blknight.aus]

check the chassis number/vin number or compliance plate, they'll either gonkulate out via the internet with the info you need or in the case of the original compliance plate list the year of manufacture in MM/YY format.

[Westie]

check the chassis number/vin number or compliance plate, they'll either gonkulate out via the internet with the info you need or in the case of the original compliance plate list the year of manufacture in MM/YY format.

type the VIN into the box on this site:

Clifton Scientific Text Services, the Netherlands (http://www.clifton.nl/index.html?calvin.html)

the MM/YY on the compliance plate is not necessarily the model year e.g. my 200TDI was manufactured in 05/93 but the model year according to the VIN is 1994.

[ramblingboy42]

gonkulate? hmmmm......

[Blknight.aus]

it was that or look it up on the intergoogle.

[ramblingboy42]

gonkulate? hmmmm......

......knowing of a gonkulator pedal for guitar effects I googled it.... surprise surprise.....


Gonkulate....to process something in an unknown or indefinite manner, usually related to an internal thought process.

.....I might gonkulate on this for a while....

[Siska]

type the VIN into the box on this site:

Clifton Scientific Text Services, the Netherlands (http://www.clifton.nl/index.html?calvin.html)

the MM/YY on the compliance plate is not necessarily the model year e.g. my 200TDI was manufactured in 05/93 but the model year according to the VIN is 1994.

Thanks for that :)

This is the info that the site gave me:




SAL

Manufacturer code: Land Rover



LD

Model: Defender (for early models: Ninety, or One Ten)



H

Wheel base: 110 inch



M

Body type: 4-door station wagon (LWB)



F

Engine type: 2.5 litre Tdi diesel, model 11L (200Tdi) or model 16L (300Tdi)



7

Steering and transmission: Right-hand drive (RHD), 5-speed manual (LT85, LT77, LT77S, R380 or other)



3

Model year: 2003



A

Assembly location: Solihull, UK



651433

Serial number





So how many 2003 300tdi's are there out there with standard rover diff in the rear? Would this have been a special order?

[goingbush]

Rear Rover diff is correct for 2003, Salisbury finished up in 2002 :mad:

They must have still been using Tdi's in countrys than didnt need EU2 emmissions compliance (NZ ??)

Same as South African Landcruisers still use the 1HZ and not the V8 diesel.

[frantic]

I think I remember reading an ad years ago for either ex military Defenders that where never used(1-5yr old zero k's) and had the tdi to standardise parts or, as someone else said, they could only be sold as an export vehicle, not to be rego'ed in U.K/E.U . This was in either LRO or LRM.

[TonyC]

Snip
It also has a standard Rover rover diff in the rear.



Rear Rover diff is correct for 2003, Salisbury finished up in 2002 :mad:
Snip


It is unlikely to be a rover diff, most likely a P38A/Wolf diff.

Looks similar but not interchangeable.

Tony

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Some people in Oz get confused with Land Rover Model Year (which is something like September to August) and the manufacture date affixed by Land Rover Australia on the compliance plate.

On a MY13 vehicle built in October 2012 at Solihull arrives in Australia in December and gets a MY12 compliance date.

For registration and insurance it's a 2012 model and for Land Rover parts its a 2013 vehicle.

[goingbush]

It is unlikely to be a rover diff, most likely a P38A/Wolf diff.

Looks similar but not interchangeable.

Tony


yes your right of course, a seniors moment !

[Siska]

Thanks for all the helpful info.

This is a vehicle that I may have the opportunity to purchase in the future. Being an '03 with the 300tdi does that make it more or less disireable?

Also what are the pro's if any of the wolf/p38 diff in the rear? I have a brand new Detroit Locker for a 'rover' type diff, would I be able to put a disco rear housing under it and use that? Or are there lockers made for the wolf/p38 housing that would be better?

TIA

[Loubrey]

I'd say very desirable...!:D

The 300Tdi is in general a very desirable car and to find a genuine 2003 model is unique.

It would be very much worth buying the workshop manual in the UK applicable to that model though. In the UK the 1998 and 1999 300Tdi's were pretty unique as they started having some Td5 R&D parts fitted to them. That 2003 will no doubt fall into that group and spares should not be a problem at all.

I used to have a 1998 Defender 90 Hard Top and it was an absolute gem. If I knew what I know now about importing cars to Australia I would never have sold it.

Cheers,

Lou

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It is unlikely to be a rover diff, most likely a P38A/Wolf diff.

Looks similar but not interchangeable.

Tony
yes your right of course, a seniors moment !Now just to enlighten the uninformed among us, who manufactured the P38 diff if not Land Rover? :confused:

[TonyC]

Now just to enlighten the uninformed among us, who manufactured the P38 diff if not Land Rover? :confused:

Hi Diana,

As far as I know it's made by Rover, for the P38A Range Rover.

I looks similar to the "Rover Diff" that is used in SI, II, III, 90 RR classic, Disco, 110/130 front., but it's not interchangeable.

I has been used in the the rear of 110/130s since the Salisbury was dropped in about 2001?
I seems has caused much grief to some people in the rear of Puma Defenders, so much so that Ashcroft has built a bolt in hypoid replacement.

See the the last few pages of this thread.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/144708-life-puma-rear-diffs.html

Tony

PS
I'm surprised that this is news to you! Given your amazing technical and historical knowledge of all thing LR