one up for Defender

[newhue]

Folks, get out there and just use them.

Just completed a trip with 6 Defenders, all travelling from 5 to 7K over large amounts of rocky, corrugated, sandy, dirt roads. All at GVM or a touch over.

The group had
:2 tyre issues on two separate vehicles.
:two clogged fuel filter stoppages on the one vehicle. Du to a surprise discovery of a rusted fuel tank. Tank was repaired in Birdsville.
:1 midshaft bearings failure in a LT230 transfer case. Possibly caused by wrong torque setting from work done 18 months earlier re sleeving the output shaft bearing and seal. Work was done in Alice. Sutton motors say the LT 230 is one part of a Landy that rarely gives trouble.

The line up was
2010 130 Puma, probably fool hardy, but I didn't even lift the bonnet once.
2002 Td5 110
2003 Td5 110
1996 Tdi 110
2 x Isuzu Parentie 110's

We cam across several stories of other brands experiencing issues due to the roughness of the conditions, even some of those land cruise things that never break apparently.

So don't be put off buy the amount of people working out their specific issues on the forum. My truck has had it's share of hassles, but I have clocked two central Aus desert trips in two years now and the 130 goes better than ever when it's out there being used for what it was made for.

[goingbush]

Agree wholeheartedly. I was just thinking the same today. Get out and use them

looking forward to some photos. :D




Just out of curiosity what brand/type of tyres gave trouble. Tubed or Tubeless??

I'm running BFG AT's and the rear treads got chewed up on the Gregory Downs - Camoweel road but other than that have not lost a single PSI. Mine are running tubeless on 130 tubed rims.

If Sutton say that about the LT230 it implies they think the rest of the car pretty ordinary, or that they dont know what they are talking about.

[Chops]

G'day Jason,
Glad to see you've had a good trip with the boys and not had too many dramas. (trip report coming?;))
As you imply, all too many of us seem to have had a few issues which make us wary of getting out there. I reckon this type of work was what the Defender was specifically built for, harsh, arid conditions. Awesome.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

2010 130 Puma, probably fool hardy, but I didn't even lift the bonnet once.

Are you referring to the vehicle or the driver ;):wasntme:

[justinc]

Looking forward to using mine more for what it was intended, although it is 28 years older It has still got a full life ahead of it :) :)


JC

[Bushie]

About the only problem I have had with getting out and using my defender, has been the lack of time to do it properly.


Martyn

[manic]

I spend 75% of my defender time doing 'preventative maintenance' - I've come to realise that this mostly consists of breaking stuff that isn't broken. Am I battling defender hypecondria!?

I will use it more... In fact I will take it out this weekend and give it a damn good thrashing!

[justinc]

I spend 75% of my defender time doing 'preventative maintenance' - I've come to realise that this mostly consists of breaking stuff that isn't broken. Am I battling defender hypecondria!?

I will use it more... In fact I will take it out this weekend and give it a damn good thrashing!


:o:D

Basil thrashes his car - Fawlty Towers - BBC - YouTube


jc :p

[Will Wallace]

I spend 75% of my defender time doing 'preventative maintenance' - I've come to realise that this mostly consists of breaking stuff that isn't broken. Am I battling defender hypecondria!?

I will use it more... In fact I will take it out this weekend and give it a damn good thrashing!


I was the same when I my 110Td5. "oh it's running well, better find an excuse to break/upgrade/fix something." Hahaha

[newhue]

Agree wholeheartedly. I was just thinking the same today. Get out and use them

looking forward to some photos. :D




Just out of curiosity what brand/type of tyres gave trouble. Tubed or Tubeless??

I'm running BFG AT's and the rear treads got chewed up on the Gregory Downs - Camoweel road but other than that have not lost a single PSI. Mine are running tubeless on 130 tubed rims.

If Sutton say that about the LT230 it implies they think the rest of the car pretty ordinary, or that they dont know what they are talking about.

One had a large piece of wood spear it on the Fiiinnnkkk road. It was a Maxxis Bighorn. Amazing really, 150km on the States worst road, littered with old Ghan Rail spikes and a lump of wood does the damage.
The other was an 11 year old General Grabber. Side wall spike at 12psi going cross country to Madigans first camp. It was plugged and gave no further issue.

Really all tyres, BFG, new age coopers, XZL's and the above did an excellent job. All tubeless. 15 and 20psi was common with heavy laden trucks up to 80klm/h at times. If you have been you will know, if you haven't it's all part of the amazement of a road trip.

Yeh not sure exactly what Sutton implied as the vehicle owner was telling the story. I got the impression Suttons felt the previous work on the LT230 was most likely for the current issue. Over talked nut putting excess tension on bearings which caused the failing of them. Odd noises were happening and bits of metal were retrieved from the oil. A second hand replacement with 140K on it went in an the cars was good as gold again.


I spend 75% of my defender time doing 'preventative maintenance' - I've come to realise that this mostly consists of breaking stuff that isn't broken. Am I battling defender hypecondria!?

I will use it more... In fact I will take it out this weekend and give it a damn good thrashing!

I'm not really at that stage yet. But I find 4x4 parks breaks things, touring with some 4x4ing chucked in seems to break very little or nothing. I do find comfort however that you break things trying to fix things......small world.

[Westie]

If Sutton say that about the LT230 it implies they think the rest of the car pretty ordinary, or that they dont know what they are talking about. A word in their defence: they've been working on Land Rovers for over 25 years to my knowledge and given the conditions that the vehicles that they see operate in I'm guessing that what they don't know about Land Rovers probably isn't worth knowing. (the guy in the workshop owns at least 2 of them!).

I imagine that the comment was in that context - if something is going to go wrong with a landy it's unlikely to be the transfer box. And yeah, probably a back handed go at the mechanic who over-torqued it.

[2stroke]

Well you've got me interested, so make with the pics and details already. With 10 weeks to go till I'm in the middle of the Canning, the itch is starting.
Oh and I'm nearing the end of the paranoid overmaintenance stage.

[newhue]

2stroke, it may take me a while but I'll do you a deal. I'll knock up a decent trip report if you do one for the canning.

I'll give you some stats of our trip for a tease. I was popping pellets like a goat before we went. The dynamics were huge but I am very happy and proud to say we all made it work.

We had 12 adults two of which were unknown to the group. 10 children aged from 1 to 8, the average was 4-5.
The guts of the trip was Birdsville, Inside track, Rig Road, WAA, Alice, Madigan, Birdsville. Some came up through Walkers Crossing from Innamincka and Coongie lakes. We would be together anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks.

[goingbush]

A word in their defence: they've been working on Land Rovers for over 25 years to my knowledge and given the conditions that the vehicles that they see operate in I'm guessing that what they don't know about Land Rovers probably isn't worth knowing. (the guy in the workshop owns at least 2 of them!).

I imagine that the comment was in that context - if something is going to go wrong with a landy it's unlikely to be the transfer box. And yeah, probably a back handed go at the mechanic who over-torqued it.

My apologies, I guess I'm just smarting over my current R380 issues, after just having had the LT230 rebuilt 15000k ago.

But even so, only a small hiccup in the scheme of things, and Defer will be out of the sick bay soon and back doing what its built for.
If you were worried about what could or might go wrong you would never go anywhere !

[ProjectDirector]

Great to see some positive stories like this. This forum seems to me at least as a place that puts the -ve spin on defenders.
We need to see more of the +ve's.

I had some some water ingress issue during the first week I bought the new 110 but all sorted now and doing well.

Am off for a day trip tomorrow together with a 70 series cruiser and next week for a 4 day trip together with a Pajero.

Keep Smiling :D

[Pickles2]

Great to see some positive stories like this. This forum seems to me at least as a place that puts the -ve spin on defenders.
We need to see more of the +ve's.

I had some some water ingress issue during the first week I bought the new 110 but all sorted now and doing well.

Am off for a day trip tomorrow together with a 70 series cruiser and next week for a 4 day trip together with a Pajero.

Keep Smiling :D
Where was the water coming from, & how did you rectify?
Cheers, Pickles.

[juddy]

Same as you Jason, never lifted the hood on the last 2 trips... Ran perfectly...

[2stroke]

2stroke, it may take me a while but I'll do you a deal. I'll knock up a decent trip report if you do one for the canning.

I'll give you some stats of our trip for a tease. I was popping pellets like a goat before we went. The dynamics were huge but I am very happy and proud to say we all made it work.

We had 12 adults two of which were unknown to the group. 10 children aged from 1 to 8, the average was 4-5.
The guts of the trip was Birdsville, Inside track, Rig Road, WAA, Alice, Madigan, Birdsville. Some came up through Walkers Crossing from Innamincka and Coongie lakes. We would be together anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks.
Wow, still yet to do the Madigan, envious! We've only seen the couple camps etc that intersect the Hay River track. Guess I better get a few snaps while we're away then. Ours should be interesting, 7 people, all know each other well, straight to Halls Creek, Wiluna to Yulara via the Gunbarrell and Great Central, Kulgera to Mt Dare via Finke, then WAA and QAA. My '95 130, a '04 100 series Cruiser and a '84 40 series.

[Bushie]

One had a large piece of wood spear it on the Fiiinnnkkk road. It was a Maxxis Bighorn. Amazing really, 150km on the States worst road, littered with old Ghan Rail spikes and a lump of wood does the damage.
The other was an 11 year old General Grabber. Side wall spike at 12psi going cross country to Madigans first camp. It was plugged and gave no further issue.

Ain't that the truth, our group also did a general grabber early in the madigan line. I suppose it's just the way the cookie crumbles.


Martyn