Meet my 90, and share the adventure.

[Toxic_Avenger]

As it turns out, my plan to go to cameron corner over easter has been put on the back burner due to my partner's work commitments.
Nevertheless, I'm embarking on a road trip with the muppet to head to Melrose for the gathering. O Hai Guys!

For the occasion I picked up a few cooking items to make the cooking at the event a little more enjoyable:

Stanley Cook and prep set (not my pic):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/846.jpg

Stanley camp cup set (also not my pic):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/847.jpg

Both items nest very well, and allow basic cooking and eating in a compact package.

But I cannot leave anything stock!!! :twisted:

The camp cup has a spring loaded handle as such:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106465&stc=1&d=1456917466

Which works well for placing it on a stove burner or similar, but won't work for hanging it over a fire.

So I modified it by dremeling a pair of new notches into it so that it now looks liek this:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106466&d=1456917057

And allows the handle to sit like thus:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106467&stc=1&d=1456917466


Also spending some time in the kitchen experimenting with dehydrating pasta sauce, for the inevitable overnight roadside stop along the barrier highway on the way to melrose. I might even get to do some balcony cooking to 'test it out'. I'll report back...

[debruiser]

I've got one of those little gas burner stove things, they go pretty good as long as you can keep the wind off them.

[Toxic_Avenger]

My cooker is a dual fuel coleman like this:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

With a wind deflector thing from ebay like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/841.jpg

[debruiser]

My cooker is a dual fuel coleman like this:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

With a wind deflector thing from ebay like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/841.jpg

Very nice! But not what I thought it was.... sorry. I've got a little hiking propane burner. I do like your wind-shield though.

I like the direction your going with your gear, all nice and compact! I have a couple of hiking bits that are nice and small, they are great for space but I do like my big coleman 3 burner gas stove with a bbq plate connected to the ol' 9kg gas bottle :D pity it takes up so much valuable space. I'm just resigning to having to pull a trailer :(

[Toxic_Avenger]

Also spending some time in the kitchen experimenting with dehydrating pasta sauce, for the inevitable overnight roadside stop along the barrier highway on the way to melrose. I might even get to do some balcony cooking to 'test it out'. I'll report back...

So it happened.

Round 1 was just some Beef / veg pasta sauce I had in the freezer.
About 1L of sauce was spread onto the dehydrator sheet, and dehydrated on high for about 18 hrs.
After the time was up, the sauce had turned dry to the touch, but not completely brittle. Somewhere between the consistency of a soft muesli bar and toffee ;)

After all was said and done, this is what i was left with:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

I added approx 800ml of water to the camp stove, and brought it to the boil, then added the entire pack (1 pack was about 1L before dehydrating).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Seemed that I added too much water to the mix, butin the end, I added some risoni pasta to the mix and it absorbed the extra water no worries.

No noticable loss of flavour.

Use in the field may involve adding a can of tomatoes or something else to bulk it out a bit more. Likewise I'd think that any recipe specifically for dehydrating would probably have a bit higher salt and meat content than the recipe I dehydrated down.

[debruiser]

So it happened.

Round 1 was just some Beef / veg pasta sauce I had in the freezer.
About 1L of sauce was spread onto the dehydrator sheet, and dehydrated on high for about 18 hrs.
After the time was up, the sauce had turned dry to the touch, but not completely brittle. Somewhere between the consistency of a soft muesli bar and toffee ;)

After all was said and done, this is what i was left with:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106544&stc=1&d=1457078955

I added approx 800ml of water to the camp stove, and brought it to the boil, then added the entire pack (1 pack was about 1L before dehydrating).

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106545&stc=1&d=1457078955

Seemed that I added too much water to the mix, butin the end, I added some risoni pasta to the mix and it absorbed the extra water no worries.

No noticable loss of flavour.

Use in the field may involve adding a can of tomatoes or something else to bulk it out a bit more. Likewise I'd think that any recipe specifically for dehydrating would probably have a bit higher salt and meat content than the recipe I dehydrated down.

Thats an excellent idea! Would be heaps cheaper than buying those 'hiking' meal things. AND for anyone with dietary requirements you could add/remove whatever! nice. I'm gluten intollerant so that's always a pain when travelling.

[cuppabillytea]

Where could one acquire one of these Dehydrator Gizmotrons pleas Mitch?

[Toxic_Avenger]

I've got a sunbeam one which was a hand-me-down from my partner's parents (they never used it, taking up kitchen space etc).
Before that I had a lumia one which we picked up rather cheap from aldi on special. Before that I used my parent's fowlers vacola.
There is also heaps on ebay, I think harvey norman can get them, etc. The ducks nuts would be a commercial grade one, but they are big, cumbersome and very expensive. If you wanted a DIY solution, a blow heater, ducting and a suitable box with sufficient airflow would be an easy weekend project.
...Or you could usse an old fridge and some computer fans and 75W light globes, like this bloke:
Food Dehydrator (http://www.instructables.com/id/Food-dehydrator/)


Like any kitchen gadget, it's only worth it if you use it. So I make the occasional batch of dried fruit (apples, banana chips etc), and make a pretty mean Beef Jerky, with chilli, soy and all the other good stuff! You can make fruit Leather - roll-up style snacks too if you wish.

The dried pasta sauce was the first time I've tried doing it, and I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Today involved a few little mods, nothing major, mainly just tying up loose ends from other jobs.

1) Deutsch plug for rear work light
The rear work light is basically hard wired, but I'm looking to gain the ability to easily remove it. Deustch plugs to the rescue!

The wires were crimped to the pins with the tool, and it was a relatively easy way to get the 3-pole connector assembled. The longest part was removing the rear tyre off the carrier so I didn't have to contort myself behind there to do the crimps.

For now the connector is zip tied to the lever catch. There are some cool deutsch mounting clips which will work with the connector, but no one has them locally, and I'll probably source via snail mail from some far flung corner of the globe.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106570&stc=1&d=1457165473


2) New handle for rear bar latch
I'm no softie, but the rear latch on the jerry can holder was always a bit of a battle to get right. I believe the rubber bump stop is probably still wearing in, but the profile of the handle was always a bit difficult to use with any force.
This was solved by melting on some 34-39mm glue lined heat shrink, applied in 2 layers to the offending handle. Now there is a good 4mm of plastic and glue making the handle much easier to reef on without a moment's hesitation. I'll probably look into trimming up the skinny end of the heat shrink at a later date.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106571&stc=1&d=1457165473



3) Re-fitting Sub woofer RCA cables

About 8 months ago, in a fit of wiring rage, I cut the RCA cable to the sub woofer shorter, as the stereo install used about 11ty billion meters of cable for a 1.5m run between the sub and the head unit.
Being a smart bugger, I thought it would be an easy matter to use an off the shelf RCA plug end kit to re-solder a new end on the shortened cable.
Oh, how wrong I was...
The cable was made up of the tiniest little wires with an imperial ass tonne of foil shielding, and a big rubberized insulation sleeve. I made a bit of a dogs breakfast of it soldering it up in the vehicle in the confined quarters I was working in.

When it came to install, the barrel length of the RCA plug was too long, and was stopping the passenger seat from being reclined back or moved...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/787.jpg

Needless to say I retired to the house for a beer.


Cue today, I removed the centre panel, and jerry-rigged up the cables using a new belkin cable and a right-angle RCA adaptor. It all works now, and I have fully sick bass.

All is now good in the world.

[cuppabillytea]

jerry-rigged

Mitch. Unless you are wishing to imply that you are some kind of Bodgee , which I don't think you are by any stretch, the term I think you want is,"jury rigged".

[Toxic_Avenger]

Mitch. Unless you are wishing to imply that you are some kind of Bodgee , which I don't think you are by any stretch, the term I think you want is,"jury rigged".

It's bodgee.... it's definitely not pretty!
I've got to go back and run the cable under the vinyl carpet and back thru the split loom and re-tape it all up. Until that day it will be jerry-rigged, jury-rigged or jerry-built (apparently all synonyms (http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/132868/jury-rigged-or-jerry-rigged))

[debruiser]

When you get bored of wiring your own can, feel free to come round and wire my Series3 wipers and winch, my D90's rear work light and another cig on the dash, and my camper trailer. I'm happy to have your level of "Jerry-rigging" :D

[Toxic_Avenger]

Intermission

The sound track to this post is below. Hit play and sit tight!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUDgtt-f5h0

As a Land Rover Intermission, I've spent some time working on the whip. My 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106931&stc=1&d=1458032894


I've had a long association with the 300zx, after I found the light coming from Commodores (My first car was that VN Calais)

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106930&stc=1&d=1458032894

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106929&d=1458030943

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106931&d=1458032842
The silver one was my first, and probably cleanest (Unmolested) Z- A Series 2, 1993 model non turbo, slicktop. Most have the removable targa top.

To this date, I'm still hanging onto the Black Twin Turbo, and have been (suffered) through many tials and tribulations with the vehicle.

This particular vehicle was purchased some time in 2009 from the previous owner, who had spent considerable money and time rebuilding the engine, paint work, exhaust, suspenstion etc. She is a well modified beast.
It's from (IMO) the golden era of japanese sports cars, the time where power ruled, when emissions were not as big a deal, and having a 3L V6 with two turbos strapped to it was a recipe for a desirable grand tourer. I'm not complaining, as it's a great ride, comfortable even with the lowered bilstein coilovers in it, and still modern enough inside to be considered bearable (I daresay moreso than the defender!). It's been the primary vehicle with which I've learned to work on and modify cars. There is not much on the Z that I have not unscrewed, removed, worked on, sworn at, spilled blood over or cursed when no one was around.
Factory specs for this particular 1991 model included Fuel injected, 3L V6 DOHC engine with Twin Turbo / intercooler engine, power seats and mirrors, climate control, cruise control, 4 wheel steering, (optional) bose stereo, targa top roof, 5 speed manual, and no cupholders :p

Being that this vehicle is now 25 years old, some of the features require some work. Cue today, where I've got annual leave up my sleeve, and the annual pink slip rego check is looming...

The last few days were spent changing fluids and overhauling the power steering pump, which sounds simple on face value... until you see an engine bay like this (stock image):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/483.jpg

I'm not fishing for sympathy (but if you got any to give, please send my way!), but the power steering overhaul was a pain in the ass to do. The Factory 4 wheel steering system is hydraulic (later models with 'Super HICAS' used an electric rear steering rack) and runs off a dual circuit power steering pump. This powers a rear steering HICAS solenoid seen on the guard top on the LHS of the photo, and runs back to the rear subframe and rear steering assembly. To get to the pump, it sits right in the middle of the engine, in front of the turbo, above the alternator, and below all the turbo pipework which includes no less than 8 separate pipes and joins...

Steps involved adding the radiator flush and oil flush fluids, warming the car up and then draining both engine and oil. The radiator needed to come out, as well as all the associated power steering reservoirs, and other paraphernalia... which led to me getting a shower of Dextron 3 on two seperate occasions :(

After a good few hours of swearing and busted knuckles, laying uin a puddle of Dexron ATF, and getting continuously dripped on by a radiator pipe that just wouldn't drain completely, the deed was done.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106937&d=1458034661

I now have normal 2 wheel steering in the vehicle, with a simple pump, and a simple reservoir.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106938&stc=1&d=1458034852

[Toxic_Avenger]

Proof that I actually drive it...
107078

More pice to follow

[cuppabillytea]

Sympathies extended. My Nephew has a Nissan thingy like that. I'll find out if it's the same one. My brother has done a fair bit of work on it.

[Toxic_Avenger]

60 bob
107129

The usual suspects
107130

The jerry holder also doubles as a muddy max trax holder. Somehow these ended up car not in the back of the owners ute :confused:
107131

107132

[Toxic_Avenger]

So the weekends festivities took place in the Sugarloaf state conservation area, muddy hole road is what i believe it was called. Just off the m1 and near Freemans waterhole (the Toronto exit of the freeway).
The usual suspects were myself in el burro, my mate in his shortened 60 series, shrek the fj 40, and a navara with a 4" lift.
The start of the track was near Freemans waterhole, and was just mud holes which we slogged thru with winches and max trax for 3 hours, even though there was a perfectly good chicken track nearby. The holes were full of a clay mud which stuck to everything.
The landy proved competent in most obstacles but fell short in the deep mud due to clearance and clay clogged tyres.


The remainder of the track was a good mix of rocky steps, mud ruts and shallow water holes. All up about 6km and lots of fun for a Saturday afternoon.

[Toxic_Avenger]

It's been one month since my last confession...

After the shennanigans up sugarloaf back in march, I noticed that my track rod was FUBAR.
This was perfect timing, just a few days before I was due to depart to Orange for the cannonball run to Melrose for easter.
Being between a rock and a hard place, I toddled off to a tyre shop for a wheel alignment.

This is what they had to work with:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/



This is what I ended up with:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Despite all the metal grinding noises where the track rod was grinding against the diff guard, things were workable. A few minutes with the elusive 15mm spanner had it removed in no time, and off I went to Orange bound for Melrose shortly after. Admittedly I asked the tyre shop to have it drivable until I could get a replacement item for them to fit. The vehicle had 10mm of toe out, which wasn't doing my tyres any good...


Throw more parts at it!
Had a good yarn to Ben from APT fab at Melrose, about his products, what in the pipeline, and how my gear has been holding up. What a top bloke. I'd recommend anyone who is building their own defender to get to know our talented local fabricators and support Aussie manufacturing.

Ben put me onto his 4130 cromolly track rod which is a beefier version of the factory item. It works with his existing diff guards and is significantly (i think up to 5 times?- don't quote me) stronger than the OE track rod. Seeing how easily I bent my stock rod tells me this will be a good investment.

Spent today doing the car shuffle between work, the tyre shop and doing my usual travel duties for work, but ended up with a fresh APT track rod and alignment.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


Now I get to test it out at Taylors Arm this weekend!

[debruiser]

It's been one month since my last confession...

After the shennanigans up sugarloaf back in march, I noticed that my track rod was FUBAR.
This was perfect timing, just a few days before I was due to depart to Orange for the cannonball run to Melrose for easter.
Being between a rock and a hard place, I toddled off to a tyre shop for a wheel alignment.

This is what they had to work with:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108363&stc=1&d=1461062635



This is what I ended up with:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108362&stc=1&d=1461062635

Despite all the metal grinding noises where the track rod was grinding against the diff guard, things were workable. A few minutes with the elusive 15mm spanner had it removed in no time, and off I went to Orange bound for Melrose shortly after. Admittedly I asked the tyre shop to have it drivable until I could get a replacement item for them to fit. The vehicle had 10mm of toe out, which wasn't doing my tyres any good...


Throw more parts at it!
Had a good yarn to Ben from APT fab at Melrose, about his products, what in the pipeline, and how my gear has been holding up. What a top bloke. I'd recommend anyone who is building their own defender to get to know our talented local fabricators and support Aussie manufacturing.

Ben put me onto his 4130 cromolly track rod which is a beefier version of the factory item. It works with his existing diff guards and is significantly (i think up to 5 times?- don't quote me) stronger than the OE track rod. Seeing how easily I bent my stock rod tells me this will be a good investment.

Spent today doing the car shuffle between work, the tyre shop and doing my usual travel duties for work, but ended up with a fresh APT track rod and alignment.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108360&stc=1&d=1461061871


Now I get to test it out at Taylors Arm this weekend!

This makes me excited! I ended up ordering one as well... must mean that mine isn't too far away either! :D:D :banana::banana:

[cuppabillytea]

I was looking at my Steering Guard today. There's not much paint left on it and its a bit bent and stressed at the welds. I might have to have a chat with this Ben bloke myself.

[debruiser]

I was looking at my Steering Guard today. There's not much paint left on it and its a bit bent and stressed at the welds. I might have to have a chat with this Ben bloke myself.

I have the APT steering guard as well, just bolted right up there easy as, no fuss, no modifications or swearing or anything. Nice piece of equipment.

The track rod however is not shielded by the steering guard because it's behind the front axle - stick ur head under the car and check it out. Seems to be the weak point under the defender. Even with the APT steering guard, I bent my track rod. I'm replacing both the track rod and drag link with upgraded APT units.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Any protection items like that I see as sacrificial.
Id much rather scratched paint on a protection plate than broken suspension and steering parts!

I've got a fist sized ding in the fuel cooler guard plate (pete simpson's one), and also have some scuffing on the steering guard. Things like that reassure me that they are paying for themselves.

[debruiser]

Defender fuel Cooler???? where is that????

[cuppabillytea]

Yes. Could we have a pic please Mitch?

[MarkM]

APT sells them, the link has photos


Land Rover Fuel Cooler Guard | Defender TDci - APT Fabrication Custom Land Rover Parts & Accessories (http://aptfabrication.com.au/browse-catalogue/defender/product/290-land-rover-fuel-cooler-guard-defender-tdci/category_pathway-13)

[cuppabillytea]

I could kick myself into Christmas for not Finding APT before I started tacking stuff to Biddy. :(

[AndyG]

My Defender spent a day in it's first week in Brizzie at APT, and ended up on his Facebook page ;) But im running out of things to add :(

[cuppabillytea]

This feels a bit like hijacking Mitch's thread but I could see myself staying a few days in Brisie with my brother in Wynnum, whilst Biddy had a holiday at APT.

[Toxic_Avenger]

This feels a bit like hijacking Mitch's thread but I could see myself staying a few days in Brisie with my brother in Wynnum, whilst Biddy had a holiday at APT.

It's actually (and probably refreshing) for many readers knowing that I'm not the only one who talks in this thread!

Definitely consider it Billy.

Thread details for the fuel guard are below. There is a good pic of the fuel cooler as well.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/195674-custom-puma-fuel-cooler-gaurd.html#post2127676

[Tombie]

APT Fuel cooler - took 5 minutes to install..

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/04/256.jpg

Steering guard [emoji41]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/04/257.jpg

As you can see only protects the front end - nothing behind the diff or the diff itself.

[Toxic_Avenger]

So,
Warranty has finished on this vehicle now, so this could mean a bit more 'hands on' time with the spanners for me- both in maintainence and mods.

The car, electrically, is more than covered to allow any future gadgets, mods or changes to happen very easily. Only other changes on the cards here are a potential removable 3rd battery (like an arc pak or similar) charged by an anderson plug point in the vehicle, and some kind of battery voltage monitoring- Literally a 3 hour job to do when I get around to it.
Mechanically el Burro is still stock. Suspension and tyres are still LR factory, and tyres are factory optioned (MT's). They are showing their age at 30,000 km.

As it stands, the follwing mods are on the cards (in no real order, and with no real deadline)

1) rock sliders and removal of the factory flip steps
2) Additional diesel fuel filter - probably a fuel manager one from diesel care.
3) Headlight wiring upgrade
4) The usual tuff axles and flanges (haven't had any issues with the standard ones for now!)
5) Drawer system- gain storage space, remove rear 2 seats
6) Canvas seat covers
7) Need new tyres within the next 12 months - not sure if I stay with factory sizes or the biggest legal size without requiring too many suspension mods.
8) Lots more Km's

I'd like the idea of a tuff suspension and tyre setup, but to date, I've been happy enough with how it performs, and would not want to make changes that have issues with legality or even the hige cost of getting it set up right.

So apologies if the mods and updates get a bit slower from here on in. There will be less innovation and thinking outside of the box, and probably more 'this bolt on bit happened' and trip report posts in the future of this thread.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Just got back from the ANZAC weekend event at Taylor's arm.

On the way back I managed to get a few snaps of interesting things along the Armidale Kempsey road.

Obligatory photo (FYI, there was beer there, and it was good)
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108533&d=1461583220

Pics of Georges Junction camp ground
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108534&d=1461583220

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108532&d=1461583220


The climb up the mountain in the misty rain (Maybe 15km north of Georges junction). This was a kilometer or so after we passed some people walking horses and donkeys up the mountian, on some kind of trek- I was thinking this was part of the Bicentennial National Trail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicentennial_National_Trail)?.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108535&d=1461583220

A moss covered cattle yard in a TSR up the mountain. It was rather cold and bleak up there.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108536&d=1461584036


Campsite near the Styx river
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/04/138.jpg
(The river always reminds me of the 70's samurai film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx)

[Toxic_Avenger]

Had another play up at Nundle state forest today. It's such a large place, there is always something new to drive.
It was a slightly wet day, so I donned the wellies and jacket and called a mate in his BT50 to tag along.


The trip up- ominous cloud cover in the hills. This was the Duncans Creek Road entry to the forest
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/865.jpg

Airing down as the dirt starts. It's raining steady at this point.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108767&d=1462098351

Many of the tracks are like this- pine needle cover on rock or clay. Slippery when wet. Choose your own adventure.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/866.jpg

Parked up on a hill for a photo op...
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108768&d=1462098351

Before driving this rocky, slippery section up and out of the gully. It's actually a moderately steep off camber rocky path. Doesn't show well on the pic though. dealwithit.jpeg
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108765&d=1462097930

Up on the hill, where boundary road meets verden road, there was quite a lot of mist. The surface here was incredibly slippery red mud, but relatively hard packed underneath. There was lots of drift action getting up the section uphill of this... the landy conquered all, where the BT-50 failed (admittedly, he is on AT's and is auto. It handled everything else I drove equally well).
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108769&d=1462098351

Also dropped back to the mine shaft I explored a few months earlier...
Real life minecraft.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/867.jpg

Crouching photographer, hidden deefer...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/868.jpg

[El Rey]

Good on you - that's what they were made for.

Nice photos too. Very atmospheric.

[cuppabillytea]

So Mitch. Less mod more adventure. Less time on the Laser Cutter. More time on the tracks. Excellent.
I love watching your triumphs and tribulations from the comfort of my lounge. :p

[Disco Muppet]

Autos are better for Mud :twisted:

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app

[Tombie]

Autos are better for Mud :twisted:

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app



Unless you're Habib the 90 pilot [emoji41]

[Toxic_Avenger]

Oh my god Tombie!
You know the 90's get all the babes. It's all that turbo flutter when I'm riding the limiter bro!

[cuppabillytea]

Where are the pics for that episode please?

[Toxic_Avenger]

Bro, this is not mist.
It's oil smoke from crank case blow-by after a solid 5 minute limiter-bashing the mighty tdci. Tough as mate. Tougher than the VL turbo bro. Chicks dig it.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/90-110-130-defender-county/108769d1462098351-meet-my-90-share-adventure-20160501_133959.jpg

In the words of David Rock "A bit of redline for a good time" :twisted:

[cuppabillytea]

Fully sick....................Time for your Meds.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Picked up a diesel filter kit yesterday for the deefer. Going to try and put some reliability back into the common fail diesel!

I raised some questions about diesel filters and flow rates (and found very little tech advice out there) in this thread (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/235144-2-2-tdci-puma-tank-fuel-lift-pump-specs.html). I was ultimately trying to ascertain what flow requirements the secondary filter needs to handle, and if the smaller micron flow restriction can cause damage to the lift pump. The sales clerks at Diesel Care believe this is a non issue.


The kit in question is a 2micron secondary filter kit made by diesel care, part number DCS029.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109100&stc=1&d=1463000936

The filter element is 2 micron, a fuel manager 100 series unit. In addition to the nifty plastic bowl to view water and residue that drops out of the filter (no more rusty filters guys), it has a completely superfluous hand primer pump (not needed on the 2.2 tdci). NB The Clarcor box is just packaging... no part number/ brand relates to the actual product.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109101&stc=1&d=1463000936


Mounting bracket- this bolts to the LHS chassis rail, just aft of the fuel cooler.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109102&stc=1&d=1463000936


This is the bash plate... it sits in front of the filter to protect from stone damage, sticks, etc...
Still undecided if I'll mod this to work with my fuel cooler guard, or leave it off (I have Pete Simpson's big full length fuel cooler guard plate), which is ample protection for this area of the vehicle.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109103&stc=1&d=1463000936


Going thru the contents of the kit, everything I should need is there and ready to go... down to the last barb fitting, hose clamp and zip tie.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109104&stc=1&d=1463000936

If all goes to plan, Install will be this weekend. As per the standard of this thread, I'll take plenty of poorly lit, blurry and crappy camera phone pics with my grubby diesel-soaked fingers. Stay tuned!

[cuppabillytea]

I like that very much Mitch. I also like your Knife One like that would be Perfect for my Work Kit.
Back to the Filter. How Much did it set you back?

[Toxic_Avenger]

PM sent with the price... very reasonable given the 'complete kit' and plug and play nature of it...

Good spotting - The knife is a spyderco paramilitary 2. Great little folder for everyday tasks. It's a bit big and menacing for an EDC (I've got a raindrop damascus and cocobolo wood Chris Reeve Mnandi that takes that role), but works great for slicing open packages.

[cuppabillytea]

Crikey!!! The name is longer than the blade. For mine it has to cut through any 30 MM rope ( except wire of course) before it looses its edge.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Crikey!!! The name is longer than the blade. For mine it has to cut through any 30 MM rope ( except wire of course) before it looses its edge.

IIRC you work in a marine environment?
A spyderco Salt (https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=40) would be ideal. Comes with a wicked serrated blade option which would make easy work of the spectra and other fancy cored ropes on a boat. Highly corrosion resistant H-1 steel which holds a good edge to boot.
Customs is a little iffy on the spyderco knives because of the spyder hole, which makes them think twice about their 'single handed opening' rule...

Can usually find them easily on ebay or the knife forums though.

[carlschmid2002]

i carry a similar spyderco in my bottom pocket of my flying suit at work. It is the only knife we have found that will cut through seat belts and harnesses like butter if you end up in the drink. Great bit of kit.

[Toxic_Avenger]

There are much fancier knives out there (with some rediculous price tags) but the spyderco is a great value knife for the coin. Good choice Carl!

[Toxic_Avenger]

I have just finished the install of the secondary fuel filter kit which I showed above. Here's some pics of the process for those interested.

The set-up

The kit required some prep work to the filter- the supplied blanking bungs and barb fittings needed to be installed, and sealed with pipe thread sealant. I opted to do this a few days in advance to give the sealant some time to set and plus it was easier to do it at my clean desk than in the dirt in the car port. Since I'm working with the fuel system on a common fail diesel, I wanted to keep things as clean as possible.

Loctite 567 was the preferred lilbation for the thread sealing.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109177&d=1463209280


Blanking plugs installed
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109178&d=1463209280


Barb Fittings installed.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109179&d=1463209280

Tip for young players... the 90 degree barb fitting will need to be installed first, as it will be blocked by the straight fitting otherwise. I worked this out of a 'dry install'.


All done. Let it cure for 36hrs while life got in the way.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109180&d=1463209280

[Toxic_Avenger]

Today went off with a good start, had plenty of time to kill and was keen to do some wrenching.

First step was to remove the fuel cooler guard. This involves lowering the front sway bar and a bit of spanner gymnastics with stupid 15mm sockets. I have an enviable tool collection, but I'm lacking in the 15mm size which has only ever been an issue since owning the landy. Every. freaking. time. I need to do some work, that stupid spanner size is needed in multiples. Curse you land rover.

A treasure trove of dirt awaited me underneath.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109182&d=1463209890

I will need to make sure I remove this when doing services from here on in, as mud and dirt seems to pool against the X member and will rust / cause issues over time. I might even consider adding some more 'speed holes' next time to aid in draining of mud etc.

The filter will sit in this location- aft of the fuel filter, and directly above the gearbox x member.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109183&d=1463209890

The filter mount and bash plate attaches via the fasteners on this cross member. In the pic below, I've already started removing the nut for attachment. Interestingly, the factory installed one nut on the inboard side of the chassis rail, and one on the outboard side. I put both nuts on the inside for ease of removal.


The filter assembly takes advantage of a joiner that lives within the supply hose that runs to the high pressure pump. The secondary filter gest its feed from this connector's male side fitting, and the female (engine side) fitting taked the secondary filtered diesel to the HP pump. The secondary filter, in a linear sense, fits between this connector.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109184&d=1463210111
This fitting is some kind of 'quick release' fuel line connection, but sadly, it only lived up to half it's name... should be '1 hour of ****ing around before release' connector.

What happened for me, was the connector was caked with mud and dirt, and was a royal PITA to remove. I did the usual silicone spray trick to make It all work nice and smooth like, but the real problem was me being a ham fisted numpty and breaking stuff. I initially thought it was one of the horseshoe style connectors, where the retaining clip needs to be fully removed from the connector before it can be slid apart. Do not do this. In my case, the blue plastic clip snapped, and I spent an hour trying to dig it out with a pick, pliers and a barrage of swearing. It was highly effective.

This was all that was left after I got the little bastard hose free:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109185&d=1463210487
I believe the connector uses a ring of plastic which needs to be compressed to an oval shape before the fitting can be undone. Unlike the other common styles of connector, there is only 1 'button' on the connector... and there is 2 holes in the bottom of the connector which led me astray to think it was a removable clip. Either way, this simple task took an hour of my time which I will never get back... FML.

This is the bracket installed, awaiting the filter to be fitted to the top mounting holes.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109186&stc=1&d=1463211065

[cuppabillytea]

Note to myself: Give this area a good scrub before this installation. Thanks Mitch.

[Toxic_Avenger]

After all the swearing subsided, it was time for the easaiest part- adding the fun parts.

Filter ready to be installed with all the accoutrements. 3/8" hose was used for the install and was supplied with the kit.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

The factory hoses appear to be the poly tube style hose, which are a bit more difficult to work with. Due to my F up with the connector, I will likely need to renew / replace the connector at some stage. The broken part was easily reinserted into the connector to lock it all down, and it's secure, but something like that will keep me awake at night...

Here is the filter fully installed. Very easy to view the water trap. There is plenty of room above to actuate the hand priming pump and approx 10mm below the water trap to the cross member, which means it can be unscrewed to drain. Space constraints mean that to remove the filter proper, tho whole assembly will need to be removed from its bracket to remove the bowl, or filter cartridge. No Biggie... I'll just need to buy a 15mm flexy head ratchet spanner and it will be a walk in the park (a socket won't fit past the pump assy on top, so fastening needs to happen from the side, plus normal spanners are so mainstream).
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/90-110-130-defender-county/109191d1463211617-meet-my-90-share-adventure-20160514_135837.jpg


The bash plate was also supplied in the kit.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
I wasn't sure that I'd need it, but because racecar, I installed it anyway. This area is well protected by the big underbody fuel cooler guard I have. Some pinch seal was added for good measure, as the hoses need to pass thru this opening, and no one likes a diesel leak (even though it is the primal essence of manliness).

This is what it looks like installed.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109198&d=1463213066

Help needed!
Help needed to ID the CORRECT way to unclip these fuel connectors..
If anyone has the details of what the ID of the stock fuel hose is, then please also let me know so I can arrange some new connectors to replace the one which is FUBAR.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109196&stc=1&d=1463212367
(Pics is upside down. Aulro does this regularly. Deal with it.jpeg)


Booze revooz

I'm getting Naked.
A few months back I joined naked wines, which is essentially crowd funding scheme for small wine makers. I pay a monthy amount, and get some free bottles swung my way, as well as some interesting wines by honest aussie wine makers at good prices. Plus I get the warm and fuzzies knowing that it helping these people makes the wines they want to make.
Drinking a Butterfly effect shiraz, because nothing says 'I kicked the arse of mechanicing' like drinking a red that punches you in the face sip after sip.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/556.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

Firing the car back up after the install
I did some reading about this, and it seems to be an area of common confusion :p
After a filter install, the fuel system needs to be primed to give the HP pump enough pressure to do its thing without air locks. On the 2.2 tdci, there is a lift pump in the tank. On the 2.4, there is not, meaning some people have had issues after doing this type of service. Lucky I own a 2.2 ;)

In my instance, I primed the secondary (new) fuel filter using the primer pump on top of the unit, and the air bleed screw. Worked OK, albeit a bit messy.
After thinking I was good to go, I fired the car up and it ran for all of about 10 seconds, before sputtering to a halt. Bricks were promptly ****, thinking that I'd done something stupid and got an engine full of mud or something.
After the initial panic, I did the standard bleed procedure- keyed the vehicle to ON, and cycled this on and off about 10 times, each time hearing the lift pump gurgling the diesel and air voids back into the tank. After this process was completed (when no firther gurgling noises are heard) then the vehicle was started and allowed to idle. There were a few misfires and rough operation to start with, but it worked as per normal after that.


Bum dyno
After a brief test drive, I can say this has completely changed the vehicle! It's like getting a 1500HP BAS retune running nitrous- the last of the big V8's!
No, actually I lie.
Feels the same, if anything I've lost performance from the extra few kilos of weight that is hanging off it now... It's a longevity mod, and I'm cool with that.
I've written the date and Kilometers on the filter and will put this on a 20,000km service interval, assuming there is no contamination events.
The factory filter is 5 microns, the secondary is 2 microns.

Hopefully others have found this interesting.

Until next time... Cheerio.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Dem feels when I work on my defender:

http://i.imgur.com/5TLFvBK.webm

[ozy013]

Thanks for the great write up Mitch, I still haven't got round to putting a secondary filter on mine yet.

I'm just in the process of making an inline hand primer for my 2.4, and have been looking around for some male and female quick connects.
Whilst looking I came across these special tools that are used on certain so called quick connectors. They slide over the fuel line and then into the coupling. When pushed fully in they unlock the plastic clip.

Car Repairing Fuel Lines Quick Disconnect Tool Set New: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

https://youtu.be/vRTjYAxvaCs

[Toxic_Avenger]

I had a discussion with one of the guys at repco about those disconnect tools. Most people refer to the quick connectors as 'ford style' or 'GM', but in reality there is a number of styles, and I'm not sure which style Land rover has used.

Below is the connector I will henceforth refer to as the bastard hose. As you can see, it's got a flange on the left (male) side of the fitting that stops any such tool being used by sliding along the male end, and under the catch mechanism on the female side.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/90-110-130-defender-county/109184d1463210111-meet-my-90-share-adventure-20160514_105423.jpg

I'm leaning towards it being a button type... but I was having very little luck using it that way. Maybe it would be worth digging some of the mud and grit out of the connections with a pick, brush and some kind of spray lube or soapy water first...

I guess the take home message for everyone playing along at home is that if you force this kind of stuff, and it breaks, a simple task can become an epic fail of an afternoon.

[ozy013]

The workshop manual makes it sound so easy. I guess they don't take into account that after a few years of using your Defender as nature intended, a quick connect can turn into a bastard coupling. https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/541.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

Some more digging into the craziness that is Quick release fuel connectors...

One spec that seems common is the SAE J2044 Style, which is all imperial sizes.

The workshop manual ststes that a damaged connector should not be repaired, so I'll need to look into replacing my damaged one before too long.

For interest's sake, LR have no specific part for the connector in the areas of the microcat that I've looked at (it could be a part elsewhere though).

There is a P/N for the intermediate tube (fuel filter to fuel cooler section, highlighted part #2) and the fuel hose which runs from the HP pump back to the fuel cooler (it's a part which has both supply and return hoses as one part # 3).

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109223&stc=1&d=1463276000

Interestingly, It looks like LR has used 3 different 'parts' with changes across the VIN range. The part I'd need is LRO31348

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109224&stc=1&d=1463276000
I wonder if this could this be a change in the connector type, as the hose itself is not something that changes with the wheelbase model...

As Ozy shows above, the 2-button type connector IS present in my vehicle (it's on my factory fuel filter), along with the single button type which gave me all this grief (on the fuel cooler and part #3).
If I can ID the hose inside diameter I'll probably go to the most generic fitting that is used by holden or ford, as these will be the most readily available in auto stores / mechanics workshops etc.

Does anyone know when the VIN on the pumas changed? 9A to BA to CA etc?

Mine is AUG 2012, CA42XXXX

[Toxic_Avenger]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
TOOL REVIEW





Wera Joker Wrench


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glx-X-JcIRc

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109346&d=1463472376

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109347&d=1463472376

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109348&d=1463472376

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109349&d=1463472376

I spotted these at my local Bunnings a few months back, and had a bit of a read of the marketing guff, and thought 'it's just another tool gimmick' and didn't think too much of it.
In my recent wrenching adventures, I'd noticed that I had very little capabilities in the 15mm and 16mm wrenches that I currently have... leaving an annoying hole in the tool set which leads to slow jobs and frustration. Although I've got 3 sets of ratchet spanners in the tool box, most of the sets do not have the 15mm or 16mm sizes which are a bit more common on the landy.

The irresistable urge to go tool shopping dawned upon me.
The offerings at bunnings were limited. There was some craftsman wrenches which didn't appeal at all. Then there was the pressed steel ratcheting offset box wrenches which were also only in a set. I thought I'd give the jokers a go as they were sold individually, and a probably a higher level of quality than the Kincrome and Toolex brands that I've been using to date.
The steel used is chrome molybdenum, with a nickel chrome coating. The tool is german designed and manufactured in europe. I guess it's price point is less than the stahlwillie offerings, but of a quality and innovation level which is competitive as a professional tool.

Initial thoughts
Fit/finish
The tool appears to be a high quality design and finish with a bit more thought put into its design than the average spanner. The material is lightly stonewashed, and provides a bit of grip that I'd need beyond the chrome plating that the other spanners always have. I've found that the smooth chromed wrenches are difficult to handle when covered in oil and fluids, and it becomes a strain to handle my tool when in these situations.
So I did some bench testing. When used dry, the Joker is clearly grippier than my chromed spanner.
Using some nitrile rubber coated gloves, grip levels are similar between the two in the dry.
In a 'wet' test using some food grade grease I had lying around, both gloved and ungloved grip was in favour of the Joker. Funny that (bad joke... crickets chirp).

The dimensions of the joker are a little larger than the Kincrome offering (about 0.2mm handle thickness and ring width), but given the extra features of the joker are to be expected (finer tooth ratchet, ergo benefits etc- more on this later)

The 15mm spanner I have tested reads as 15.07mm on the verniers between the jaws of the open end, whereas the opening on a kincrome 14mm spanner comes in at 14.12... Although different size spanners, the variance between nut size and the jaw size seems to show a higher manufacturing tolerance on the joker. Coupled with a good alloy / metallurgy, I'd caution a guess that the Joker would perform better in regards to spreading and rounding off nuts under use / abuse.

Design / ergonomics
The handle design on the joker is well thoguht out with plenty of depressed grip points and a bulge in the centre of the wrench to get better purchase. The spanner size indicator makes a good rest point for a thumb when you are choking up on the wrench for detail work, and the centre W logo is a good grip point when your hand is further back for maximum leverage. Throughout use, there is little in the way of rough / sharp endges which may cause issues during long periods of use.

The Joker is a flat wrench- the open end of the spanner is aligned with the centre axis of the handle, not offset the 22 degrees that some spanners are. Thsi negates the need to flip the spanner to get a different grab on the fastener. This is not a problem, because it works in conjunction with the 12-point notch design within the open end of the spanner, a style that allows some features of the spanner to be exploited (no need to flip the spanner to get a grab on a fastener in tight quarters). The nut locking feature will also prove invaluable for getting a nut into that awkward spot. The spanner swing angle is 30 degrees for the open end, les than a conventional cranked open ender.
The Joker is also flat along the handle axis- the ratcheting head is not cranked at all unlike my toolex and kincrome spanners- I'm not sure how I feel about this, given that tightening a fastener solid against a surface will leave no room for my meat hooks to grab the spanner... Time will tell on this one. This is however a necessity of the ratchet design- flip the spanner to change the ratchet direction (as opposed to the flip switch on my other spanners).


Using the tool

I spent some time earlier this week testing the spanner and using / abusing it around the home and workplace.
Use is effortless, but requires a bit of 'getting used to' the features which are outlined in the above video. It takes some effort to remember the features of the tool to get the most out of it, but I'm sure it will become second nature over time (you have to think a bit out of the box, as it's such a different design to other spanners).
The fine (80 count) tooth ratchet mechanism is great to use, with a pivot angle under 5 degrees. Unlike my toolex spanners it's a much tighter tolerance to use, meaning less swing angle and slop between backing off the torque and finding the next tooth. Years of working on my 300zx tells me this will be a good benefit. Effort needed to twist the ratchet mechanism is also slightly less on the Joker. This is good, as I would expect that the kincrome comparison wrench is worn in, and getting looser in the mechanism. What the ratchet twist force benefit means in real world terms is that there is often the time when the torque to turn the ratchet mech is higher than that needed to fasten the nut or bolt- ie the bolt spins instead of the ratchet when you want to back the wrench off to get another power stroke out of the tool (meaning you often end up putting a finger on the bolt to hold it down while the ratchet clicks).

I have yet to use the spanner in a situation where I've needed to hold a nut captive in the open end of the wrench using the locking feature, but I can see this being valuable in some situations. An example on the fuel filter install was undoing the gearbox cross member bolts. A nut on the inside of the chassis needs to be held fast while a bolt is removed from the outside of the chassis rail. A normal ratchet spanner wouldn't be possible to use, as the open end would slip off, and the ratchet end would be anhilated by the impact gun unscrewing from the other end of the bolt. I used a offset ring spanner in this case, but if it comes down to using less tools for a job, this will save a trip back to the toolbox or a extra set of tools needing to be purchased.

Hard use testing
I spent some time beating the hell out of the 16mm wrench yesterday, using the open end and ratchet sides to tighten a nut to failure on a grade 8.8 bolt. I can say that the strength of this tool and the confidence it inspires is far greater than the kincrome and toolex spanners I have. The gripped insert on the open end of the spanner also noticably resisted flexing when compared to the (non ratcheting 16mm) toolex spanner I have.
I'm looking forward to beating the heck out of this spanner in the future. My only regret is that I don't have more of them... my set only consists of a 15mm and a 16mm so far.
Stay tuned for the next tool review installment, and possible review of this tool after it gets some more hard use!


Until next time,
Watch out for sneks
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/05/450.jpg

[Babs]

Awesome ✅

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Toxic_Avenger]

There is always one nut-bag on the track who takes the 'pro line' and ends up getting stuck.
Today, that person was me.

It's been a while since I'd visited the Moonbi hills, 15 minutes from Tamworth NSW, and just north of the township of Moonbi. There's a heap of tracks going thru the mountains which are mainly rutted, sandy granite type surfaces, with sections of loose dry dirt.
After a bit of a mess about in the lower sections (a few little hill climbs and some side tracks- videos below), I came across a nice little gully / creek bed section which I scoped out and decided to drive. Seeing that I could actually get to it further along the main track, I thought I'd have a go in the uphill direction, rather than the downhill direction from which I scoped it out.

Keen to get to the business end of the track, I spotted a sandy ledge in the track, which led into a fairly seep rut along a fairly flat section of the track and thought "I can take this!"

Well... this happened:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109471&d=1463828111

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109472&d=1463828111

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109473&d=1463828111

I ended up jamming the diff and the APT track rod hard against the ground, and getting no traction on opposite corners... meaning no forward or reverse worky worky.
I ended up using the shovel and the winch to pull the diff off the ledge, getting me into a nice angle almost hard up against the soft sandy granite wall of the rut. A second adjustment of the winch line helped to pull me away from the rut wall while I drove out of it.

Ended up driving the creek gully and blitzed it. The BT50 I was with is so long that it really struggled with the tight track, as well as having less clearance and wheel travel. But it's got a factory locker in the rear which really helps it out.

All in all it as a good afternoon out, and a good drive with a good crew (all bar that peanut who got stuck in a rut)


Video of a little side track that we played on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRC1xoU3xY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g8J4_hwPQk

[Toxic_Avenger]

Gentlemen, it has been a long time between drinks...


Turns out Hanging rock might get snow <900m elevation.
Time to go get stuck.

Hold my beer and watch this!

[cuppabillytea]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. :eek: You can have that on your Pat Malone.

[numpty]

If it does, we might have to pay a visit.

I'm off up to Nundle today actually.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Well, unfortunately I didn't get stuck.
Can't say the same for the BT-50 and D-max that I was playing with.
Something about their slush-box automatics and the descent into the mud didn't make it an enjoyable day. The landy was on winch duties pulling them back up a hill section and away from the edge that the mud, sludge and incline was pointing them towards. I on the other hand, managed to drive the same sections of mud with no dramas. Not sure whether it was due to the line I took or the extra momentum I hit it with, but the mule performed well.

Another issue of the day was all the fallen trees over the tracks with all the rain we've had after a long dry spell. The land up at hanging rock is like a shale and rock base with a good layer of thick mud from all the pine needed which have decomposed over the past 100 years of forestation. So when we get a bit of rain, all the trees just seem to fall down the hills and over the tracks. Managed to move what we could with the bush saw and tomahawk, but the 2-foot diameter trees were a turn-around job.

As for the snow, we found some icy slush on the shaded side of a hill around 3pm, but nothing much to look at after the fact.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110618&stc=1&d=1466858873

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110619&stc=1&d=1466858873

[cuppabillytea]

Thanks Mitch. I'll pass that on to a work mate on Monday. He owns a Pine Forrest in Latvia. I think he'd better get a Land Rover for when he next has to do some timber getting.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Made some soft shackles.
Much fun. Very concentrate.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Banana for scale.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/




More info to come!

[cuppabillytea]

Hi Mitch. May I ask what kind of Knot you have in the end of that device? I ask because Dyneema is very slippery stuff and knots which normally work well in most other fibres, can fail in Dyneema. The usual way to make a sling or strop in our game is to make a very long splice. So that Knot could be a very handy one to know.

[Toxic_Avenger]

It's a button knot with the ends fed back thru the middle of the knot and tapered, spliced into the core of the other 2 strands of dyneema.
Apparently some grand-master of knot karma sutra designed the knot, and it's commonly used in a number of applications with good success.
Some slackline people tied and tested this design to give approx 218% if the single line strength of the dyneema.
The loose ends are tapered and fed back thru the middle of the 'tail' end, which you might be able to see it's a bit chunky in the pics.

[Juniorgc]

Billy, have a look on YouTube, there are some great videos on making these. I will be make Ng some too but still researching the safety of them over d shackles

[Toxic_Avenger]

I know a bloke who has a 12T forklift and lots of heavy things that should be able to give it a good workout too...

[cuppabillytea]

It's a button knot with the ends fed back thru the middle of the knot and tapered, spliced into the core of the other 2 strands of dyneema.
Apparently some grand-master of knot karma sutra designed the knot, and it's commonly used in a number of applications with good success.
Some slackline people tied and tested this design to give approx 218% if the single line strength of the dyneema.
The loose ends are tapered and fed back thru the middle of the 'tail' end, which you might be able to see it's a bit chunky in the pics.
Looks good. Sounds good.

Billy, have a look on YouTube, there are some great videos on making these. I will be make Ng some too but still researching the safety of them over d shackles
Thanks for that.

I know a bloke who has a 12T forklift and lots of heavy things that should be able to give it a good workout too...
As you describe it, it should easily be good for 12 T. Please don't forget to take videos of the test.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Video might be incriminating.

I'm more concerned with the dynamic loading of the soft shackle- I'd think twice about using it with a snatch strap (kinetic recovery).
Winching would be fine as it's static, but There is still lots of psychological comfort in something that's made of metal.

[cuppabillytea]

Video might be incriminating.

I'm more concerned with the dynamic loading of the soft shackle- I'd think twice about using it with a snatch strap (kinetic recovery).
Winching would be fine as it's static, but There is still lots of psychological comfort in something that's made of metal.

I'm not sure how sensitive the use of your mates forklift might be, or how much you paid for the materials, but there's nothing criminal about experiment.
I always seem to shy away from Kinetic Recoveries. The whole idea sends shivers up my spine, like people playing with knives or broken glass. But. I can tell you, I'd rather cop a whack in the Mellon with your soft shackle, than the ones in my Recovery Kit. :eek:

[Tombie]

T.A. Where is your expected use for the Soft shackle?

[Toxic_Avenger]

Mainly expected to be used during winching, along with my existing hardware. Like I mentioned, I'd prefer not to use it for kinetic recovery (rightly or wrongly), just a personal preference.
I'm thinking that it will be another arrow in the quiver if it's ever needed, rather than needing to rely on it all the time.

I'm planning to take the flatlink shackle off the winch line and use just the tube thimble that's on it with a soft shackle and a few big trees to put some strain on the knot and my splicing.
I gave it a once-over with the hi-lift last night, but ran out of muscle before the soft shackle gave way.

[kogvos]

I always seem to shy away from Kinetic Recoveries. The whole idea sends shivers up my spine, like people playing with knives or broken glass. But. I can tell you, I'd rather cop a whack in the Mellon with your soft shackle, than the ones in my Recovery Kit. :eek:

I'm similarly nervous about kinetic recoveries, but i have no friends so it's rarely a problem.

I've got two soft shackles now, but both are commercial ones from Bubba Rope (because I'm a lazy, inner west tosser). I'm very comfortable using them in situations where I was nervous using steel shackles (although I still have a bucket load of "normal" shackles as well).

I think the soft ones are awesome, yuppy-ish and really light, which is the best thing in my 90.

[Tombie]

Only challenges I see with soft shackles is angle and strength. Rope has strength to a certain angle only. So wrapped around a thimble may be too tight and angle.

I like them, but as most recoveries I've done are kinetic they aren't a good thing. (Most are quick easy snatch recovery and keep going; anything heavier is winch use).

I do like the concept though and have considered them.

[cuppabillytea]

Dyneema doesn't have terrific sheer strength either, so bending it to sharp edges is a no no. Lashing or mousing it to a thimble would be fiddly at best. I see limited applications but I'd still like a couple.

[carlschmid2002]

Dyneema doesn't have terrific sheer strength either, so bending it to sharp edges is a no no. Lashing or mousing it to a thimble would be fiddly at best. I see limited applications but I'd still like a couple.

That's interesting because all of our new ADE (Aerial Delivery Equipment) is made out of it. Cargo nets etc and it gets bent over all sorts of surfaces. Helicopter longline load lifting equipment (http://amsafebridport.com/cargo/husle-aviation/)

[Tombie]

That's interesting because all of our new ADE (Aerial Delivery Equipment) is made out of it. Cargo nets etc and it gets bent over all sorts of surfaces. Helicopter longline load lifting equipment (http://amsafebridport.com/cargo/husle-aviation/)



Interesting... Thanks for the link...

Looked from the limited data that they have anti-abrasion pads recommended for certain surfaces etc...

It's strength likely comes from the load sharing construction..

[Juniorgc]

There are also some commercial available ones on the market which are rated. - Gator Jaw - Soft Shackle - Snake Racing (http://shop.snakeracing.com.au/gator-jaw-soft-shackle/) However it appears they are out of another type of rope - Plasma rope. This seems to be a competitor to Dyneema

For those wanting a long read - this is an article on the technical differences between the two -http://www.plasmarope.com.au/plasma-vs-dyneema.html

[Juniorgc]

There is also an older thread http://www.aulro.com/afvb/recovery/181206-dyneema-soft-shackles.html on this topic that has some links and discussion on ratings.

[Toxic_Avenger]

I bought 5metres of 10mm diameter, 12 strand dyneema off ebay. Total cost about 35 clams.
Cut to 2m length:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110763&d=1467285556

Fold in half to find your centre, then calculate the size of the loop you want to splice into the end. This is recommended to be approx diameter of 2 strands of the rope. Mark where the rope needs to be spliced thru the other rope, and make a hole with a fid. I used a combination of a knitting needle from the missus' sewing kit, and a taper punch from the man-cave.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110764&d=1467285556


Tie the button knot. BAM!
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110765&d=1467285556

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110766&d=1467285556

I tensioned the knot with the knitting needle fid, and the taper punch, working the knot around until it was tight.
Extra tension was put on the knot with the jack:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110767&d=1467285556


With the two 'legs' of the knot, you need to taper the dyneema, and then feed it inside the main section of the loop. This acts like a chinese finger trap, and keeps the loose end contained, and adds to the strength of the whole arrangement. Here is a pic of picking out a strand to cut it, and taper it down.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/06/6.jpg


I've made 3 so far. 2 out of 10mm dyneema, and a small one out of 2mm dyneema.
The first one took about 2 hours to do, but this was while following a few different online instructions and taking my time, scratching my head when tying the knot etc. The second one was much quicker at about an hour. I reckon with some practice I'd get one out every half hour.

This soft shackle design is a more resource hungry design, using a lot of rope, and using some funky and time consuming knots and splicing, but has a great level of strength over other designs.

Overall, for a modest price and a few hours work, not a bad result.

Stay tuned for some testing / recovery work using them in the future!

[cuppabillytea]

It would be good for everyone to have a good read of these articles.
These fibres are becoming more and more common in the Maritime world.
For Mooring lines, which are paid out, sleeved at the Fair Lead, loaded and set, the favourite seems to be Dyneema.
For Tug lines, which are fed to the Ship through often gnarly, rusty Fair Leads. The favourite is Plasma. These lines are made up as Strops and attached to heavy winch lines with a Cow Hitch, then the sides of the Strop are whipped together at intervals along its length (about 10-15 Meters). They cop a fair old flogging and are sacrificial. They serve a set number of tows and are then discarded.
Plasma and Dyneema, although essentially the same material, are manufactured in entirely different ways which gives them different properties. So it's good to read as much as you can before you decide which will be the one which best suits your needs.

[Toxic_Avenger]

So this is the ghetto way of seeing what tyres will fit.
I asked the masses about tyre fitment here (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/237952-tyres-again-255-85r16-defender-90-a.html), but results were inconclusive.
One thing about being a web-wheeler is you often spend more time looking for answers online than it would take to actually get out there and suss it out yourself.
So I flexed it up as best I could within a 10min drive from home, and came up with this. For science.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110817&stc=1&d=1467447523

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110818&stc=1&d=1467447523

The bent track rod debacle caused quite a lot of tyre wear before I noticed it. As a result, the Goodyear wrangler MT's in 235/85/R16 are below the Tread Wear Indicators on the inside edges. They are approx 35,000km old. So new rubber is on the cards.

I ideally want to run a larger diameter wheel for additional clearance to the diff. I've pretty muich settled on a 255/85/R16, which is a 33"x10" wide wheel in the old money. This is not a common size, but will be a good tyre until any lift or more serious suspension mods are done. All being said, these will be 20mm wider than the stock rubber, and about 40mm or so larger diameter. Divide this by 2 and you get the additional clearnace requirements for around the tyre and in the wheel well.

If anything, this serves as a good chance to showcase the look of the car as it stands, as I've noticed I'm not one to take full car shots that often.
Bonus points to the person that spots the most recent battle scar on the vehicle!

[Disco Muppet]

Mudflap?
Scraped something on the passenger side of the bullbar?

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

Mudflap?
BINGO! You get the prize!
It didn't last too long. Came off up in the forest a while back. Must have got snagged on something and got plucked off.
Mud flap death count is 3 now.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Took a picture today.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110827&stc=1&d=1467519085

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110829&stc=1&d=1467519306

[Toxic_Avenger]

One of the first 'bolt-on' mods I did to the defender was an Air compressor, back in August 2014. I never really documented the install, as it sort of slotted into a hiatus I had in this thread towards the start of my ownership. I glossed over it in this post, (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/197704-meet-my-90-share-adventure.html#post2276455) but never really elaborated.. maintly because the shabby wiring job I did to get it working would make a finger painting by Michael J fox look good in comparison.

I mounted an ARB CKMTA12 compressor on the passenger side rear guard, beside the rarely used rear seat. It's easy to get the air hose connected thru the rear window, or from behind the passenger seat as needed, and is fairly central to all the wheels on the vehicle so hose length can be kept to a minimum (I can get the 6m hose out the passenger door, and stretch around the car to the rear driver's side wheel without too much drama).
Looks like this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/07/1039.jpg

One thing that bothered me about this compressor was the ARB supplied tyre inflator air chuck. It's a pain to have to push on the air chuck and wait around kneeling in the mud to pump the tyres up... even with a relatively fast air compressor. Then the problem of having to use a second pressure gauge to check the pressure, and rinse and repeat on all 4 corners until the right pressures are had.
So I picked up a Jamec Pem tyre inflator for the task. Looks like this but with a longer hose so I can clip it on, and be a comfortable distance from the schrader valve while inflating.
http://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-j9gfl/products/1551/images/3244/JMC02.0315_1.JPG__41454.1419902770.500.659.jpg?c=2

It has an integral pressure gauge that lets me know what pressure the tyre is at, and also allows tyre deflation with a half-press of the trigger. Winning. I did, admittedly, need to change the quick release coupling on the back of the inflator to with with the ARB air hose I have. FYI ARB 'american industrial standard' quick release coupling is the same as is used with Bostich brad nail guns. So any nail gun shop should have a good supply of (IIRC) 1/4NPT air fittings to suit adapting any air inflator to an ARB hose.

I'm no old fart, but even still, the gauge that was on this inflator is absolute crap to read. Whoever decided that a tyre inflator should have a 50mm diameter pressure gauge with a scale of 170psi is dumb. Each little graduation about 0.5mm apart on the gauge was 2psi. Makes inflating a tyre even in good lighting a guessing game, at best. Just because a compressor can go to 170psi, doesn't mean it's a usable scale for inflating tyres. So after putting up with the gauge for about 18months, the hunt begun for a beter gauge.

After some searching I found a Wika gauge, p/n 111.10.050 which will do the trick. Only a 6 week backorder at blackwoods! How awesome is that!
The gauge is a direct replacement 50mm gauge with a scale of -30 to 70psi- MUCH better for tyre inflation. Admittedly I might have messed up with the negative scale of the gauge, but I can't justify another 6 week wait again...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/07/1040.jpg

The new gauge fits in the factory rubber dongle cover that came with the inflator, and the hose is re-secured with an EFI hose clamp. I'd love to use the Oetiker style (double ear) clamps that were originally used with it, but I don't have the tooling or the clamps to use. So far it's been rather useful, and makes the inflator much more user friendly.

[cuppabillytea]

Thanks Mitch. Mine is still bouncing around In the cargo area. in It's case of course.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Today's little project was installing an earth bus in the battery box.
One of the issues is all the lug connections everywhere. The starting battery negative terminal is probably the most cramped, with 3 lugs stacked on the 1 post. Not bad, but not ideal either.
The little job today involved bolting a Blue sea systems bus bar to the inside front of the battery box. You can see it on the top left of the pic below:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

This bus bar was a spare bus bar from the ex box project that had been clogging up the parts cupboard at home. So this was put to use in the battery box. The unfortunate thing about these 'never ending' projects is that I often hang onto too many things after they are removed, or don't plan properly and over-purchase parts or end up changing my mind and not using them entirely. My 100+ trips to bunnings, and a case full of nuts and bolts are testament to this phenomenon.

The bus bar arrangement will also help me trouble shoot a bit of a bug I have with the existing setup- for some reason, when disconnecting the starting battery from the main power feed (to the starter motor and fuse block), the aux battery is somehow powering the dome light... so there is power leaking between the 2 battery systems somehow... I ideally want the systems to be isolated from each other, with only the ACR (charging relay) being between the batteries. Any ideas on troubleshooting this would be welcomed!
On a plus side, having the earths laid out on a bus will mean that I can disconnect one lug connector without having to remove the whole stack of earths. Plus it will look neater, and pull more babes.

Some might ask why I am back to old tricks messing about in the battery box...
I'm making some changes in this area to accommodate a new electrical addition in the engine compartment. It's still in planning, but I will be installing a headlight wiring relay kit, plus an additional (small, max 4 circuit) fuse block in the engine bay for incidental additions in the future. One of the goals with the electrical mods was to make easy access to points of power and earth for future additions. I've got this squared away in the ex box, in the rear speaker panel, but the engine bay is the only place that I have not yet molested with additional wiring :twisted:. I am looking forward to tidying up some of the previous spot light and LED light bar install work that was done before my purchase of the vehicle. The tell-tale bundles of wires zip tied and stuffed into odd places are still there, as are the scotch locks on the headlight circuit to power the in-cab switchgear.
Wish me luck... there is not much spare space in the puma engine bay...

[Toxic_Avenger]

...and if you're a nerd like me, then here is the battery box schematic I drew up using SchemeIt, which is a free online circuit diagram tool.


Most of the components are there. Hopefully I haven't omitted anything.

When I get around to it, I might draw one up for the Ex Box layout.
It's deceptively simple when you look at it on paper. :eek:

[jon3950]

Like your work Mitch.

This is an area I'm desperately trying to put off tackling. SchemeIt may be my next way of procrastinating.

Cheers,
Jon

[Toxic_Avenger]

Cheers Jon, glad to hear you are enjoying the thread. Your defender is coming along very nicely too, I've been following with interest.

Not a big update, but got some parts in the post to play with. Cue puma engine bay tetris.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111639&stc=1&d=1469011509

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111640&stc=1&d=1469011509

I've got a carling switch panel for the dash, a midi fuse holder and a split bus bar.
This will be for the power feed to the engine bay, in prep for the headlight wiring upgrade kit.


Last Saturday I spent a few minutes installing Nugget's seat box things. I'm not sure if it was sheer luck or what, but the screws were within millimeters of the fuse panel I have within the battery box, and all cabling I have in there. I'll count that as a win. If only I was always so lucky.

So it went from this:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111641&stc=1&d=1469011509

To this:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111642&stc=1&d=1469011509

The mud cleaning fairy hasn't visited in a while... so disregard the mess :p

I was considering drilling and installing riv-nuts for these corner protectors, but as it stands, the clearances are SUPER TIGHT between the fasteners and the door card when closed... so I might not risk it. Admittedly on one side the protector stands off the panel by about 3mm due to a nut I installed underneath. Furthermore, due to the height of the riv-nut and the way they meet at 90 degrees inside the battery box, I might also run into clearance issues if they don't compress down enough or if the fasteners I use are too long.

If I get some time this weekend I might do some wiring, or at least run the power feed to the front. Failing that, I'll have to wait until after the weekend of the 30th, as I'll be down newcastle way for a family gig and some 4-wheeling at the Watagan state forest.

[numpty]

Love your work Mitch.

Did you know that Narva also make Carling switch holders as single units which dovetail together, allowing one or multiple switches to be ganged together. Tis how I mounted my compressor and diff lock switches.

[Tombie]

Love your work Mitch.

Did you know that Narva also make Carling switch holders as single units which dovetail together, allowing one or multiple switches to be ganged together. Tis how I mounted my compressor and diff lock switches.



Did you know you can buy them from the Chinese manufacturer for $1.00 each [emoji41]

[Toxic_Avenger]

I did notice the delicacies being bartered from Fling-Woo's plastic foundry...
but since I'm drilling a sizable hole in a very large piece of plastic that is is front of me whenever I'm in the Land Rover, I spent the extra 20 bucks to get something that I KNOW will be good quality. I hate chintzy chinese plastic, moreso if I have to look at it and be reminded of my mistake buying it... or having to buy twice because the first wasn't up to par.

[Tombie]

I did notice the delicacies being bartered from Fling-Woo's plastic foundry...

but since I'm drilling a sizable hole in a very large piece of plastic that is is front of me whenever I'm in the Land Rover, I spent the extra 20 bucks to get something that I KNOW will be good quality. I hate chintzy chinese plastic, moreso if I have to look at it and be reminded of my mistake buying it... or having to buy twice because the first wasn't up to par.



Good news. Same factory for Narva (which is the bottom end of domestic quality IMO - never fit a Narva bulb!)

Quality is A1 surprisingly. Better fit and finish than most items...

[AndyG]

Today's little project was installing an earth bus in the battery box.
One of the issues is all the lug connections everywhere. The starting battery negative terminal is probably the most cramped, with 3 lugs stacked on the 1 post. Not bad, but not ideal either.
The little job today involved bolting a Blue sea systems bus bar to the inside front of the battery box. You can see it on the top left of the pic below:
H
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=111075&stc=1&d=1468050463


The bus bar arrangement will also help me trouble shoot a bit of a bug I have with the existing setup- for some reason, when disconnecting the starting battery from the main power feed (to the starter motor and fuse block), the aux battery is somehow powering the dome light... so there is power leaking between the 2 battery systems somehow... I ideally want the systems to be isolated from each other, with only the ACR (charging relay) being between the batteries. Any ideas on troubleshooting this would be welcomed!

.

Methinks you have inadvertently cracked the Tesla patent for wireless electricity. :p:p
The original Tesla that is.

[AndyG]

Have you considered buying a decent boat. Then you could have 240V 24V 12V. Solar generators alternators and anodes in all their myriad glory. And let's not forget radar, sonar, epirb, comms, it just keeps getting better :angel:

[cuppabillytea]

Have you considered buying a decent boat. Then you could have 240V 24V 12V. Solar generators alternators and anodes in all their myriad glory. And let's not forget radar, sonar, epirb, comms, it just keeps getting better :angel:

Or worse, if it's your actual job.:angel::wasntme:

[Toxic_Avenger]

Methinks you have inadvertently cracked the Tesla patent for wireless electricity. :p:p

I was wondering how long it would take one of you smart alecs to point out I hadn't connected it yet :p
The theory is there, but the execution is lacking (AKA I'm too lazy to make up the cables).


Have you considered buying a decent boat. Then you could have 240V 24V 12V. Solar generators alternators and anodes in all their myriad glory. And let's not forget radar, sonar, epirb, comms, it just keeps getting better :angel:

It would be cool, but I have a distinct lack of water out here.
I think my fascination with the marine stuff is that it's got a level of quality that is often lacking in the run of the mill 4wd equipment. And that's before we get into the level of water-proofness that I'm after for many applications.

Electrically, boats can be very sophisticated (as you've pointed out), but much of the systems would be useless on my old landy.

I've offered to re-wire my old man's boat, but he prefers people they call 'professionals'. Something about a boat being 'stranded at sea' and impending 'death and destruction' from fires. I don't get it, but each to their own I guess :confused:



Or worse, if it's your actual job.:angel::wasntme:

I'll trade you! You come and sell propane and proapne accessories, and I'll play Captain Pugwash for a day. That sounds almost ideal!

[Tombie]

I'll trade you! You come and sell propane and proapne accessories, and I'll play Captain Pugwash for a day. That sounds almost ideal!


Toxic Avenger in office mode...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/07/281.jpg

[cuppabillytea]

I'll trade you! You come and sell propane and proapne accessories, and I'll play Captain Pugwash for a day. That sounds almost ideal!
Sound's like it could be a gas. You'll have to do 4,500 Hours as Seaman Stains first. :p

[Tombie]

Sound's like it could be a gas. You'll have to do 4,500 Hours as Seaman Stains first. :p



He's a GD, Laundry duties I believe.

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'm well versed in the role of Master Mate, having crewed on a NS14 and an i550.

Have not yet learned the duties of Tom the cabin boy... :eek:

[karlz]

I'm well versed in the role of Master Mate, having crewed on a NS14 and an i550.
:

Helloo Sailor

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'm not much of a sailor... more like 'ballast'.
:eek:

[Toxic_Avenger]

Yesterday was a very eventful day at the watagan state forest. Difficult tracks. Plenty of winching, and a few breakages.
More info and pics to come when I get the photos and video together.

[Disco-tastic]

Oooh looking forward to those :D

Cheers

Dan

[cuppabillytea]

Ditto.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Another teaser. Still uploading images, and doing some ghetto youtube clips.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

More to come, stay tuned

[Toxic_Avenger]

On Sunday, I attended a gathering which was organised by southcoast syndicate and Belmont Recovery Service via Instagram. So shout out to those guys I guess. On face value, it was of about 7 cars, and 11 bodacious dudes and dudettes pitting diesel, steel and rubber against some challenging terrain in the forest.

The plan was to go wheeling at the watagan forest around the Prickly Ridge Rd area. We met at the muster point ready for a 0930 kick off, and started off along the graded track.

The first track we did (I think?!) was CPT 80 Rd, which is on google maps.
From there (I think?) we did Sauls Gully Rd, which turned out to be a dead end, and almost overgrown with Lantana.

The second track was dense brush, with plenty of bush pinstriping had by all. The lower sections were sloppy mud, and deep mud holes. A number of the guys there were running 35"s lift and all the other usual mods, and it was tough. The winch earned its keep and assisted with a few self recoveries, and a few recoveries of other vehicles.

I'll let the pics do the talking, and then get to the nitty gritty where I can after that.

Imgur album:
A day 4-wheeling at the Watagans - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/lYRad)

Selected pics for you lazy folks who won't visit the link :p

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1126.jpg
Awww yeahhhh!


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1127.jpg
Uh Oh...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1128.jpg
Whoops.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1129.jpg
Melting mudflap problem solved!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1130.jpg
Should have bought a Jeep

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1131.jpg
Out of the frying pan...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1132.jpg
Into the fire...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1133.jpg
Just waiting for a mate

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/1134.jpg
New exhaust mod.

The good parts:
1) The soft shackles I made work well. I will likely make some more, or offer this as a service to others if they are interested.
2) The winch performed well. More than enough grunt to get the job done. The remote unit is a great option, if anyone is unsure about whether to get one with a wireless remote or not, go the wireless. Messing around with cables on the dontrol box while in meter-deep water or mud is no fun at all.
3) The little landy held its own against some very big trucks. Other players were 2x 80 series cruisers on 35"s, 2 big lifted BT-50 and Ranger, my mates 60 series cruiser on 33"s, and a older hilux on some big wheels. While I was not the most competent driver or vehicle there, it was a great day out.
4) I think I found the solution to the D90's melting mudflap...


Now, the bad part.
While messing about, I managed to snag the exhaust pipe of the 90 on an obstacle, causing it to bend down and restrict the exhaust flow. Engine was running, but probably 50% restriction to the pipe. Managed to effect a track-side repair and unbolt it at the flange just after the main muffler, and remove the offending section after removing the passenger rear wheel.

To get me back home (300km trip) the offending section was given a bit of grinder surgery, and el burro now has a donkey schlong. The exhaust is temporarily now exiting near the rear diff. I had to cut the exhaust pipe and turn it on the flange to get the exhaust semi-operational again.

[D90 orkney]

Looks like an awesome day out. Great stuff TA!

[Tombie]

Excellent. Just goes to show you should always wear protection around the Prickly Rim!!

[Toxic_Avenger]

Some videos from the day


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAsgTQUx7OM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WEExjuigbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-59gtdt8LI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo6aYJZxg-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNKRotRmWJs

[Toxic_Avenger]

Following on from the shennanigans above, the exhaust was in need of repair.

This job was done today at the local muffler shop:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113043&d=1472118671

The new section is stainless mandrel tube, and goes over the diff, and has a deleted rear muffler. After the diff, there is a flange, and the rear section exits on the LHS in front of the mud flap.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113045&d=1472118671

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113044&d=1472118671
They apparently 'only had' the shiny pipe... but I don't mind the bling bling.

The good news is that the flange I had installed will allow for easy replacement of the rear pipe if ever damaged, crushed or defected (although I'm told a LHS exiting exhaust is not a porblem from the exhaust shop).

Next step is to see how it goes offroad.

[cuppabillytea]

I had SS pipes on my Moto Guzzi. I painted them black and it worked well.
Nice Mod by the way. No more melted Mud Flaps.

[carlschmid2002]

You could possibly order UK version mudflaps without the hole now.

[Tombie]

Excellent. Great idea... why didn't I think of...[emoji6]

[cuppabillytea]

Excellent. Great idea... why didn't I think of...[emoji6]
He owes you a slab. I'm a witness. :p

[Toxic_Avenger]

Guilty as charged Tombie. Maybe when muppet does his next cannonball run to SA I might tag along. Maybe he'll even let me drive the disco this time :D
Or I could try convert him to the dark side of 90 ownership :twisted:

A different mud flap is surely on the cards. Might plasma cut a new bracket and use one of the cheapies that won't hurt as much when they get ripped off off-road. Genuine are stupidly expensive to get locally.

[Disco Muppet]

Might be sooner than you think :p
Let's see how defender drivers look after 12 hours behind the wheel :twisted: :p
Looks good! How's it sound?
I've decided I like my exhaust, but the drone annoys me.
Solution? Dynamat the rear. Quiet inside and **** everyone else :p

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

The rear (small) muffler does SFA for the sound.
I removed it mainly just to simplify the exhaust build for the shop, as the old one was punctured by something when I bent it. I was quietly hoping for a change in sound when I removed the rear section for my track-side repairs, but it was a bit of a let down.

[Tombie]

Emmas is a straight through. Cat fell off. And hardly a noise. Certainly as quiet as stock.

You drove it!

[cuppabillytea]

Those Cats are normally so sure footed.:o Did it land on its feet?

[Tombie]

Those Cats are normally so sure footed.:o Did it land on its feet?


Poor thing! No, unfortunately just collapsed and fell to the floor...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/281.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

Emmas is a straight through. Cat fell off. And hardly a noise. Certainly as quiet as stock.

You drove it!

This I did not know / recall.
So do you have the centre muffler in Emma's 90? Or just 2/5" piping from turbo to tail pipe?

[Tombie]

This I did not know / recall.

So do you have the centre muffler in Emma's 90? Or just 2/5" piping from turbo to tail pipe?


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/276.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/277.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/278.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

MISSING- PLEASE RETURN IF FOUND!!!
1 rear step. Wanted dead or alive.

Turns out some time during "dirty weekend 2" I lost the rear step off el burro.
There were a few steep departures which dinged up the rear a bit, including the latch mech for the rear jerry carrier. I thought it was the rear tow bar carrier that was taking the brunt of the hit, but it appears I was mistaken. I'm now short 1 rear step, sacrificed to the gods of 4x4 on a dusty track up a mountain somewhere.

When I was washing down the car, after the dirty weekend, I noticed there was a bit of a rough rusty section on the rear cross member, which I put down to land rover QC.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113109&d=1472292802

Today, in my meanderings, I opened the rear door, and kicked my foot around the usual spot to get the rear step down so I could climb in the back of the vehicle. Alas, the step was gone, and the two rusty spots I'd noticed before were in fact the remants, and last known location, of the rear step!

There's a big empty space in my life where that step used to be. RIP step. 2012-2016.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113110&d=1472292802


Deez Nuts
I was playing around with my nuts today. Removed the old locking ones, and installed some good ol' honest normal ones. Fitted some anti sieze to the wheel studs while I was at it, I know there is some conjecture out there as whether this is a good idea or not, but meh. Sue me. The wheel nuts I hadn't yet removed in my ownership were rather tight, and it took all of my 80kg frame on the tyre iron to shift them. One of the few times that I yearn for the all the weight I've lost over the past 18 months or so...

Removed these:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113112&d=1472292802

Fitted a shiny one to each wheel:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113113&d=1472292802


Doing some house work
I thought it was time to pay some attention to the winch line. I always give it a bit of a blast with the pressure hose when I clean the car after a muddy trip, but I was going to give it a relaxation spa in the laundry bucket.

After unravelling the winch line and undoing the flimsy feeling M4 allen bolt holding the winch line to the drum, I bundled it together for its wash. I'll let you know how it goes, It's a tedius task, but hopefully it's a bit easier in the comfort of the laundry rather than hunched over a bucket in front of the car. I should also be able to be much more thorough this way.


http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113116&stc=1&d=1472293402


Booz Revooz:
Another naked wine- Jen Pfeiffer's "Rock it like a redhead" Cab Merlot '14. Cherries, plum, mint, ethanol, you get the drift. I'm drinking it out of the bottle, because I'm classy like that.

[Toxic_Avenger]

I've made a tribute to the step I grew to know and love. Please follow the link and show your support.
So long good friend

RIP Step. 2012-2016
unnamed masterpiece - makeMeGoogly.com (http://makeMeGoogly.com/13UQE)

[Babs]

Ha ha ha :) Mitch. Always entertaining reading your posts.

My condolences on the rear step :(

Cheers, Babs :D Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Tombie]

Mmm Naked Wines [emoji41][emoji106]
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/222.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

Took a few pics yesterday afternoon.
Inlet Road, Attunga. (About 20km from Tamworth).
Had a scratch around at the Attunga state forest and saw a bit of a photo op. I'm no shutter bug, but they turned out OK.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/217.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/188.jpg
Had an audience of cows at the time.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/218.jpg

Imgur albumn if img links break Attunga NSW - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/gallery/YtoyP)

[debruiser]

hahaha I was wondering how often those rear steps went missing!

[Toxic_Avenger]

Yeah. I guess now we know!

[debruiser]

I've been waiting for my step to get hung up on something and damaged beyond repair. But simply tearing it right of is far easier. ☺

You need to get a mate with a 110. That way u can follow him around and check to see you won't bottom out lol

Sent from my SM-A300Y using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

Or collect all the parts that fall off his! :twisted:

[Toxic_Avenger]

Had another 'easy' job to do this weekend. Simple task of drilling a hole in the dash, and installing a switch panel. Easy, huh?
It still gives me the heeby-jeebies having to drill into parts of the car which are visible. Those big, irreversible mods make me think twice, three, or twenty-three times about whether I'm doing the right, or wrong job. This was one of those times...


I made a thread >here< (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/240191-puma-dash-switch-measurements.html) about placement of switches in the puma side dash panel.
On face value it's an easy job, but messing it up will give you a very long period of regret when you have to stare at it whenever you are behind the wheel. The side panel is slightly curved, and has a angled top section which is not square to the vertical lines on the dash. For placement on one switch panel, it's not much of a big deal where it is placed in this space, but when you start adding additional switch units, it can lead to some funky alignment issues.

I ended up aligning the switch panel with the vertical edge of the dash. This leaves a 'crooked' look relative to the top edge, but any other mods below this unit will be easily aligned.

Marking out
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1045.jpg

Cut out
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1046.jpg

I used a mini hacksaw blade to get the rough cuts, then trimmed up the rest with a knife. The dash is made from a very forgiving and soft plastic. I was expecting it to have at least some percentage of glass fibre or other stiffening components to it, but not the case. Be wary of the ribs that sit behind the panel, as they wil also need to be cut and trimmed to suit any locking tabs on the switch panel.


It's hip to be square
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1047.jpg

Much switch. Very click. Wow.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1048.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1049.jpg

All in all I'm happy with the result. Despite the curvature of the panel, the switch sockets I used have gripped very well into the material with no slop whatsoever. There is a fraction of a mm of gap on the steering wheel side of the switch panel, and looks about as close to OE as you could expect.
The switch height should be sufficient to allow single handed operation of the high beams and spot lights. The existing location of the spotties and light bar controls were on the RHS of the steering column, which was awkward to operate at the best of times.

10/10 will cut again.

Carling switch install on Land Rover Defender 90 - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/6IGeq)

[nate_110]

Looks great mate, but better you than me!

[Tombie]

A blade? Where's your sense of adventure!
I went the Dremel [emoji48]

[Toxic_Avenger]

I wasn't close enough to a power point. I'm still living in the 90's with a corded dremel.
The plastic melts, even with the hacksaw blade. The knife was the easiest way by far.

[Tombie]

These are brutally effective [emoji48]
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/1040.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

So, I, Ummm, need to amend the record.
I once mentioned something along the lines of making the most bomb-proof mother-flippin' winch install ever.
Today that notion came grinding to a halt when I was giving it a once-over inspection during some routine maintenance, where it failed to chooch.

Initial thought are that this had something to do with it:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=112066&d=1470050845
That bog hole was like soup- full of leaf matter and other junk.


Some may recall that I pulled off the winch line a few weeks back to wash all the mud and crap out of it, and today, I decided to give the landy some love.

I greased the prop shafts, and also contributed to the hole in the ozone layer by blasting a can of inox MX4 over anything underneath that I don't want to sieze over the coming years. This is my unofficial 6 momthly 'liquid rebuild' :p

Anyway, while the winch line was off the drum I had the bright idea of giving it a brush with a wire brush, and maybe even a lick of paint as the dyneema tends to rust the drum from always being waterlogged and grubby.
The plan was to put the brush against the drum, and power it up while I brush it- work smart, not hard I say.
The winch drum started to move, then got slower, slower, and then stopped.
The solenoids are clicking- both with the remote and the wired control. The winch can be moved by hand when in free spool. The winch fuse at the control box is not blown, I believe the big 400A fuse in the battery box is OK, as that thing blowing would sound like a gunshot :cool:. I'm thinking I've either gummed the brushes up or got crap in the motor housing. The gearbox of the winch was packed with fresh grease in early 2015, and it has only been underwater once.

I'll pull it off the vehicle and suss it out.
The adventure continues!

[DiscoMick]

Don't know about the winch but I wouldn't use a wire brush on Dyneema if I were you.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[Marty90]

Don't know about the winch but I wouldn't use a wire brush on Dyneema if I were you.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

He's using the wire brush on the drum while the rope is off:D

[Toxic_Avenger]

He's using the wire brush on the drum while the rope is off:D
What he said!

Got the winch off and gave it a wipe down. Autopsy to follow. Stay tuned!

[jon3950]

At least you found out in the driveway instead of stuck halfway up a mountain somewhere.

Cheers,
Jon

[Toxic_Avenger]

This is true.

I've got it out on the bench, and partially pulled down.
When I removed it, all cables were securely bolted down, and the earth was solid. So was the light gauge signal wire to the solenoid box.

On the bench,
1) Motor side spins freely - no strange noises or binding
2) Gearbox side spins freely- no strange noises or binding
3) Grease condition looks good- minimal water ingress.
4) There is some grit which as found its way into the drum housing area, but this appears to have been stopped from reaching the inner workings of the motor spline and gearbox area by the drum seal gaskets

Will get the multimeter on the cables on the car side some time this week.
Will also dive deeper into the winch motor when I can.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Yeah... it's not looking good.
Motor housing is full of fine sand / mud and it's all corroded inside.

2/4 Brushes are seized within their holders, and the rotor has some significant rust and light scoring in the area where the brushes wipe over it due to all the sand and mud that was inside it.

I'm going to have a crack at the 'repair' option, but this might end up being a 'replace' the 12V motor assembly job. We shall see.

[Tombie]

What brand is this Paperweight? [emoji48][emoji6]

Looking at the picture I'm guessing it's the 'global leader'

You can get a much nicer motor from the UK....

[Disco Muppet]

Bow motor time.

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app

[cuppabillytea]

Pull the brushes out gently. Open the motor and clean armature, field and commutator with lectaclean. put it all back together.

[Tombie]

Pull the brushes out gently. Open the motor and clean armature, field and commutator with lectaclean. put it all back together.



But still cringe at the fact a premium brand makes such poor quality units [emoji12][emoji13]

[weeds]

Without going back though all the pages....what brand?

[Tombie]

Without going back though all the pages....what brand?



Warn

[weeds]

Warn



Cheers.......reminds me to get my PTO winch sorted so it can be re-fitted

[Toxic_Avenger]

Somebody shoulda warned me! ;)
/dad joke

Pics FTW
Warn XDC-S refurb - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/CzAui)

She's had a gutfull:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/438.jpg

Tide line
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/439.jpg

Hmmm..
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/440.jpg

FML
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/441.jpg

[Toxic_Avenger]

Well, the armature isn't stuffed. That's some good news.
Did the 3 tests outlined >here< (http://www.groschopp.com/how-to-check-a-motor-armature/), and it seems to check out OK.

Further reading of an intermittant operation followed by a failure to move also points to a failure of the brush holders / brushes.

I've given the armature a bit of a touch up with some contact cleaner and done the preliminary tests above.

Testing the resistance between commutator bars 180degrees apart
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114151&d=1474285536

Testing resistance between adjacent commutator bars
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114152&d=1474285536

Testing for Open loop between commutator bar and armature stack
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114153&d=1474285536

I also pulled out the field windings. These will get a bit of love before being reinstalled.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114154&d=1474285536

Another shot of the mess inside
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114155&d=1474285536



Booze Revooz
Drinking a port of undeterminate origin. I have a little oak barrel thing that I fill up with whatever I can get my hands on, and it has taken on a flavour of its own. You can see it in the first pic. I'd recommend you try it, but this one is mine. Git yer own.

[nate_110]

nice snifter!

[Toxic_Avenger]

It's a port sipper, and it is the bomb-diggity!
You could drink even the dirtiest $5 flagon out of it, and you will still feel like Sir Richard Branson.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Worked on some rust removal tonight.
Pictures have failed to load, so view the following link:
imgur album Warn rebuild v2.0 - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/hwSC1)

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/90-110-130-defender-county/114201d1474375987-meet-my-90-share-adventure-20160920_202542.jpg
The armature / rotor was a bit rusty, so was scrubbed up with some emery paper. Started at 240 grit and worked down to 1200 grit on the commutator bars (the copper part on the right). The armature stack was just sanded to get the lummpy rust off, up to 600 grit.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114202&d=1474375987
Motor housing given some love with a dremel and a flap wheel. All parts were wiped down with contact cleaner after the prep.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/394.jpg
Some pitting is seen, but this shouldn't be an issue. This part is structural only.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/395.jpg
Brush assembly before any rust removal

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114203&d=1474375987
...And after rust removal. Some rust remains, but I'll try to use a rust converter on the remainder.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114204&d=1474375987
Also gave the brushes some love, and the brush springs. The metal parts at the top are the field winding cores.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114205&d=1474376339
Next step will be to use a cleaner on the parts and a dielectric coating. I have some CRC branded stuff to use.

Booze revooz
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114206&d=1474376547
Some kind of poofter drink with a good dose of metallica. Deal with it.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Spent a few days away during the week for work, so progress was stalled.

Todays job was to paint the winch components.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/261.jpg
Parts were cleaned with wax and grease remover to remove contaminants before treating for rust. After sanding and wire brushing the rusty parts, they were given a light coat of WD40 to keep the rust at bay. The wax and grease remover will take care of this.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/262.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/263.jpg
This is the rust converter I used. It is a phosporic acid based ruse converter which converts iron oxide ("rust") to a relatively inert ferric phosphate. This should kill any rust that I missed when I was cleaning the parts.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/264.jpg
It's chooching. See the bubbles. This is a chemical reaction. Science FTW


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/265.jpg
Parts were then rinsed in water to dilute the acid, and dried in the oven to prevent any new rust forming. They were then hit with CRC Lectra-Clean solvent to prep for the paint.

[Toxic_Avenger]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/251.jpg
You can see the rust has converted to a darket blackish ferric phosphate


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/252.jpg
Ready for paint and all masked up to protect from overspray


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/253.jpg
Had to keep these tabs clear of the insulating paint so that we can let the electrical pixies do their thing. This is where the brushes attach to the brush holder and the bus bars.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/254.jpg
After 2 coats of the CRC red urethane seal coat. This is a dielectric paint which is suitable for electric motors, windings etc. It's flexible once cured, so should be easy to reassemble everything.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/255.jpg
Snuck the armature in there for a lick of paint too. Can't see it, but the armature contact bars are masked up so they make proper contact with the brushes once it's all assembled.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/256.jpg
Brush holder is looking very sexy.


Booze revooz:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/257.jpg
Bevvy for the day was a Cap'n and cola. I was a few days late for international talk like a pirate day, but alas, land lubber, any excuse for a rum is a good excuse.
Bonus points for a thumb that matches the bottle label!

Bonus pics in my imgur album:
Warn Winch rebuild v3.0- painting - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/zdoUE)

[Toxic_Avenger]

Started bolting it all back together today.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/198.jpg
The field windings were bolted back into the housing. After this, the winding cores were bolted in with the big T50 bolts from the outside of the casing.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/85.jpg
Brush assembly attached and all connections made. Screwdriver used to keep the brushes where they belong. This was later upgraded to a cable tie retention system. Ghetto-spec.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/199.jpg
All assembled, and ready for the end cap.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/200.jpg
Used some blue RTV for extra water-tightness.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/201.jpg
I'm still undecided how I'll go making this thing perform long term.
2 options:
1) Enlarge the motor housing drain hole indicated by the screwdriver. This will allow any mud and water to more freely drain, so it doesn't clog like it did last time.
2) Silicone everything closed, and run external breathers with poly line pneumatic fittings. This involved drilling a large hole into the motor casing.
I had a few questions in this other thread >Here<. (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/241177-winch-motor-drain-hole-seal-enlarge.html) If I leave it open, but enlarge the drain hole, it should be fairly free draining. If I run breathers, then any water ingress may be in there for longer than I'd like- but I would have the option to go to town with silicone to make it super watertight.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/202.jpg
I also pulled the gearbox side of the winch apart to check for any water ingress. It was well greased last time I had it apart, so no issues here. This was pulled down, then reassembled. Anti sieze compound was used on the bolts to make it easier to get apart next time.

Minor modification
I got some mudd stuff interior lights. Originally I thought they were a bit gimmicky, but bloody heck are they bright!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/203.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/204.jpg

Despite instructions on the website, my 90 did not require the spacer block that they recommended for the rear light. Not sure if this is 90 specific due to the roof lining.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/09/205.jpg

[Disco Muppet]

Thought about pressuring the winch housing, rally spec?

Sent from my HTC One using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

I've heard that it can be done, but with my air compressor without a drier on it, it will add quite a lot of water to the motor.

[carlschmid2002]

I have just taken my Warn magnum 10K of the D3 ready for the ARB install on the D4. You have inspired me to pull it down for a squiz. I have never used it in anger yet. i just changed it to synthetic rope.

[Toxic_Avenger]

It would be well worth checking it out. No use having it if it stops working, and rebuilding it (for me at least) has been a fun project.
Get amongst it!

[Tombie]

I've heard that it can be done, but with my air compressor without a drier on it, it will add quite a lot of water to the motor.



No it won't...

You take a feed from the compressor tank, add an inline pressure reducer and drop it down to 3-5psi into the motor.
Then have the return line up on the firewall.

The top line is the inlet, the bottom line the outlet - all vapour then heads out the system to atmosphere...

Had this system on one of my vehicles.

A motor with a drain that floods then empties allows far more water in!!!

[Toxic_Avenger]

Following on from the questions asked in this thread (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/241177-winch-motor-drain-hole-seal-enlarge.html), and adding to the modifications I touched on there, I've gone ahead and added breather pipes to the winch motor. Thanks to all who have made suggestions in the other thread. Hopefully between the two threads, there will be some advice and info to encourage others to take on a similar project if they have the need or desire to.


Swivel elbow for 8mm poly tube, and 1/8 BSP tap was used
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/821.jpg

I decided to clock motor assembly to allow the motor connections to be in a better location on the vehicle, this also had the benefit of allowing the drain holes to be in a better spot relative to the 2 bolts that hold the motor to the winch end plates. Here's an image of where the top hole will be punched. This is on the brush end of the motor housing.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/822.jpg

Other elbow went on the bottom of the motor, and is the drain port. This was on the other side of the motor housing, furthest from the brushes. The field winding lugs (connections F1 and F2) were siliconed in for extra water ingress protection. The whoe things was siliconed shut, so there should be very little water getting in to the motor.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/823.jpg

Just tap it in...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/824.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/825.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/826.jpg

Made a bridging cable to bench test the winch - usse this to bridge terminals A and F1, then connect a battery to the earth lug on the winch motor housing and positive to the F2 terminal, and it will winch in one direction, flip the bridging cable to the other field winding lug, and it will go in the opposite direction.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/827.jpg

When I realized I don't have an easily accessible battery and other jumper leads for the testing, I just hooked it up to the vehicle as it sits:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/828.jpg

Last steps for the rebuild are to reinstall the seals and regrease the components.



I'm also in the process of giving the cable drum a birthday.
Wire brushing and rust converting it today, and will paint tomorrow.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/829.jpg
Even after a few years life, it's starting to get some corrosion. Anyone with a winch and synthetic rope which lives in the elements, consider giving this the once over when you can.

The below pic was after a sand with 100 grit emery cloth and a coating of rust converter. Once this dries, it's off to paint.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/830.jpg

[Disco-tastic]

Ahh your winch will love you for that Mitch.

By the way, the D3 on the screen in one of your pics looks oddly familiar [emoji12] [emoji106]

Cheers

Dan

[Toxic_Avenger]

That was some good watchin'
Keep the videos up Dan, I need quality content to watch when I'm playing mad scientist at home and can't be out wheeling.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Winch rebuild is done and dusted, it is all reassembled and freshly greased (this happened last week, but my updates here are slow).

Here is the winch drum following on from rust conversion and painting. Turned out pretty darn good I think. It was amazing what a few years of soggy dyneema will do to metal. It wasn't bad, but it would only have got worse with time.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/602.jpg

The paint product I've been using is Dulux metalshield. Colour is flat black- because it's maaaaad. Metalshield is a tough epoxy enamel, and seems to be nice and hard wearing. I've also used the same paint in conjunction with an etch primer for painting aluminium parts (and I'm led to believe it will also work well on galvanised materials).

I'll get some decent pics of the winch when I can. It's not super pretty on the outside, but the rule of thumb for ugly things is 'it's what's on the inside that counts' :angel:

Centre console mods
I've done some mods to the centre console box (AKA cubby box). The initial plan was to do a 5-minute mod with one of the cubby box trays from mud stuff.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/603.jpg
Unfortunately, the way the aftermarket sub woofer was installed by the previous owner, meant that the tray wouldn't fit.

The sub was actually held on with pergola angle.
Freaking.
PERGOLA.
Angle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/604.jpg

Oh, and did I mention the M8 thread BOLTS?
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/605.jpg

Yep, it was a bit cobbled together and rough and ready, BUT it was strong. Main problem was it A) looked like crap, and B) meant my new little tray wouldn't fit. A better solution was to be found.

The initial plan was to find some 50x50 aluminium angle, and lop off one side to 20mm or so, allowing a row of wood screws to be sunk into the side of the cubby box at a depth that wouldn't cause an issue with teh tray.

It was actually a bit more difficult that I first thought to find the right material I needed, and on a ditch effort, I picked up some aluminium angle which was intended for use as non-slip capping on the corners of stairs. At least it would be a step-up from pergola angle, amiright?

The profile of this material, after a quick knock-up with the hack-saw, showed it to be not wide enough to fully capture the bolt holes I had available, and caused the sub to be loose on it's mounts. So that idea was ditched.

I ended up scrounging thru the offcut pile for some 20mmx2mm aluminium flat bar which worked well, but in another design. The strips were painted and mounted as such, with new-fangled nut-serts used on the sub itself (nuts and bolts are a pain to deal with, IMO).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/606.jpg

So the tray now fits, and all this crap:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/607.jpg
...as well as all the small crap which sunk to the bottom of the centre console...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/608.jpg
...will hopefully all have a place now. If you are wondering where all the bolts came from in the above pic, I call it LR 'over engineering'. (You know they put 20% more fasateners in a car than they need, right? :p ).

I will also need to shorten this abortion of a wiring mess as well...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/609.jpg
There is a crimping tool that will allow me to shorten this 5m length of cord to a neat little 10cm piece that will fit between the sub, and the sub bass balance remote dial.

I'll get some nice pics when I can. Stay tuned!

[Surrufus]

How different are the aftermarket Alpine subs to the OEM Apline sub fitted in the Puma?

I know my factory fitted one doesn't have a sub control.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Hi Michael,
I've never actually had the opportunity to compare mine with stock.
I've got the alpine sub, as well as soundstream speakers front and rear, all done in the car's past life. So I'm not sure if there would be a equal comparison one way or the other.

If I ever get the opportunity though, I'm thinking Tiesto- Adagio For Strings, at say, 120dB, or until something blows.

[Toxic_Avenger]

This is the somewhat finished job.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/566.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/567.jpg

The overhang of the sub below the normal height of the box means I need to space it out for it to work with the ex-box hinge (extra clearance is needed).
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/568.jpg

Spacer made.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/569.jpg
Booze revooz- Bundy lazy bear rum and dry notbad.jpeg

I'm thinking once I get it all dialed in, I might turn this slot into a paper / map storage slot. You've got to capitalize on every spare cm of space in a 90.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/570.jpg
I still might need to double it up (2x12mm ply= 24mm spacer), as the sub is now flush with the base of the spacer, and still might immpact on the opening of the ex box.

[Toxic_Avenger]

The revised centre console box is done, and it only needed the single 12mm ply spacer. I finished the edges with some iron-on black melamine edge strips, which turned out nicely and are a good match for the colour of the box.

Spent a whole 30 minutes this morning pulling out the rear jump seats. I was planning to get some pics for a bit of an 'idiots guide' walkthru to the process, but all 28 or so bolts came out without a fuss, and I think in retrospect, if anyone needs pictures to help them do this job, they have bigger problems :p. That being said, the seats are now sitting in the corner of the living room, much to the annoyance of the lady of the house.

In other news, planning a trip away for 2 weeks or so, commencing 24.10.2016, so need all the space in the vehicle I can muster.
Picked up a new esky for the trek, a 55L cool ice roto-moulded plastic job, which I hope will last the long haul. My previous eskies (ice boxes, chilly-bins or whatever people call them these days) were all hand me downs, and tended to leak and not work that well. I was lucky enough to borrow one from a mate locally, which was a ripper, and part of the reason for going a new one.

Planning to head to inverell to see some limestone caves, then on to glen innes to grafton, yamba, more coastal meandering, and on to byron bay. No itinery as such, just a rough plan and some time to make it happen. :cool:

[Toxic_Avenger]

Got a hot date at the tyre shop tomorrow.
Lined up some new 255/85/R16 BFG muddies for the mule.

Pics once sorted.

[Tombie]

So great tyres, great rig..
Just need some driving lessons [emoji48][emoji13]

[Toxic_Avenger]

Just need some driving lessons [emoji48][emoji13]

I have no G-Rated comeback for this ;)

But yes, looking forward to some fresh treads.

[carlschmid2002]

The revised centre console box is done, and it only needed the single 12mm ply spacer. I finished the edges with some iron-on black melamine edge strips, which turned out nicely and are a good match for the colour of the box.

Spent a whole 30 minutes this morning pulling out the rear jump seats. I was planning to get some pics for a bit of an 'idiots guide' walkthru to the process, but all 28 or so bolts came out without a fuss, and I think in retrospect, if anyone needs pictures to help them do this job, they have bigger problems :p. That being said, the seats are now sitting in the corner of the living room, much to the annoyance of the lady of the house.

In other news, planning a trip away for 2 weeks or so, commencing 24.10.2016, so need all the space in the vehicle I can muster.
Picked up a new esky for the trek, a 55L cool ice roto-moulded plastic job, which I hope will last the long haul. My previous eskies (ice boxes, chilly-bins or whatever people call them these days) were all hand me downs, and tended to leak and not work that well. I was lucky enough to borrow one from a mate locally, which was a ripper, and part of the reason for going a new one.

Planning to head to inverell to see some limestone caves, then on to glen innes to grafton, yamba, more coastal meandering, and on to byron bay. No itinery as such, just a rough plan and some time to make it happen. :cool:


When I took the seats out of my 90 it was a PITA. I don't know what they had put on the bolts but they were tight all the way until the nuts were right off.

[Toxic_Avenger]

That's interesting. I wasn't sure if I was the first one there... All bolts on mine came off very easily. I used a T40 impact Torx socket, which made life very easy.
There was only 1 bolt which gave me a bit of an issue, but I took it gentle with the ratchet, and it came out fine.

[debruiser]

My back seats were easy to remove and I've owned the 90 from new.

Let us know how those 255s go, I could swear mine rubbed when I hit large bumps on the highway

Sent from my SM-A300Y using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

Before
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/286.jpg

After
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/287.jpg

New tyres are 255/85/R16 (33") BFG KM2's. The car looks liek it's all tyre now.
I was a bit overdue for replacement, looking forward to testing them out on the tracks over the coming weeks.

[Marty90]

-uuuucckk. Fills the guards well :o

[DiscoMick]

Before
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/286.jpg

After
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/10/287.jpg

New tyres are 255/85/R16 (33") BFG KM2's. The car looks liek it's all tyre now.
I was a bit overdue for replacement, looking forward to testing them out on the tracks over the coming weeks.

Will they rub?

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

[Toxic_Avenger]

Will they rub?


I'll let you know! Opinions online and everything points to it being OK, but let us test it.
There's heaps of room to the spring hanger in the rear and front, obviously this reduces with one side tucked up and the other at full droop (or as much as I can get with sway bars).
Rear will arc towards the rear of the vehicle due to radius arm arc, opposite for the front.

[debruiser]

Looks about what mine did. .... Peru site mine was rubbing when I hit bumps. ... wad toeing the trailer as well though

Sent from my SM-A300Y using AULRO mobile app

[Surrufus]

How do they affect your speedo accuracy?

I've thought about larger tyres on my 110.

[debruiser]

My speedo matched the gps with the 255/85r16s

Sent from my SM-A300Y using AULRO mobile app

[DiscoMick]

Just ensure the speedo doesn't read lower than the actual speed or that could be an illegal modification which an insurance assessor could use to reject your claim for an insurance payout. It does happen. The companies like assessors who save them money.

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

[nate_110]

Tyres look great mate, mine have 30k on them now so I'm not far off replacement.

Are you running standard front springs?

[cuppabillytea]

I like those tyres Mitch but they are quite expensive. At 52 k I'm almost at the Tyre shop myself. I've been umming and ahring for months over the same choice you have made or sticking with Contis so your reports will be invaluable to me.

[D90 orkney]

i think you will be happy with them. Im very happy with mine. Il be getting the same when i need new ones.

Looks sik az brah

[Toxic_Avenger]

On October 25, 2016 We deaprted on a road trip from Tamworth NSW to the North East reaches of NSW, to see as many national parks as possible, and hopefully have a jolly good time along the way. While it started as an idea for 'just a holiday', it ended up being a exercise in chasing waterfalls across this part of the state.

The Cast:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/646.jpg (http://imgur.com/OoGaMV4)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/647.jpg (http://imgur.com/KCGcbpQ)
'El Burro' the 2012 Land Rover Defender 90.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/648.jpg (http://imgur.com/4u8349I)
Me (Mitch) and Erin. Ready for adventure.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/649.jpg (http://imgur.com/NlxCvtq)
After leaving tamworth we headed north to the town of Inverell, then further north to the tune of 60 km to Kwiambal National park, Near Ashford NSW.

Ashford Limestone Caves (Kwiambal National Park)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/650.jpg (http://imgur.com/YRoksnD)
This national park has a few points of interest- Caves, waterfalls, a nice camping spot, and plenty of wildlife. Above is the limestone caves. These caves were mined for Guano (bat poo fertilizer) in the early 1900's, and is a nice limestone cave system to explore. Here is the entrance We donned our torches and a jacket and headed in...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/651.jpg (http://imgur.com/CbjI3Y0)
No, this is not an abstract interpretation of the goatse man, this is a rock formation in the limestone caves :) Here we see a shaft that leads to the surface, some 5 or so meters up.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/652.jpg (http://imgur.com/cTnNGwG)
This was a secondary entrance beside the main (excavated) entrance.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/653.jpg (http://imgur.com/x4dSA0s)
What did you say skip? You fell down a cave and can't get out?!
You see some strange things in the caves.
These are the remains of a Kangaroo. We also found etchings of a satanic pentogram and a hook from which something was hung from the roof... Probably just kids messing about.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/654.jpg (http://imgur.com/wlgnYOF)
I've heard about, and am a huge fan of Judas Priest, but never heard of Judas Goat. Wild goats are a problem in the park, so they are captured, tagged and released as part of an extermination program.

Macintyre Falls (Kwiambal National Park)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/655.jpg (http://imgur.com/hQyehTs)
The Macintyre falls are on the Maccintyre river which is one of the two rivers that run thru this national park.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/656.jpg (http://imgur.com/rxrh41M)
There was some good water flowing, and some good photo opportunities.

Lemon Tree Flat camping Area (Kwiambal National Park)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/657.jpg (http://imgur.com/McNHwH1)
Greeted by this crew upon arrival. Some with joeys in their pouches. We had the camping area to ourselves for the night, and it was very green and a nice spot.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/658.jpg (http://imgur.com/vr7xgA5)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/659.jpg (http://imgur.com/fOAHVQL)
We set up camp and got the fire started.

Disaster strikes!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/660.jpg (http://imgur.com/6tV65yK)
When driving the rough roads, our music stopped. I thought nothing too much of it, as I thought it might just be a loose wire or something behind the dash. When I stopped the car, the interior lights didn't work, and the clock had stopped. The trip meter on the odometer had also decided to reset itself when the vehicle was turned off. Fuse F29 for the radio and instruments had failed.
We need to dig deeper!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/661.jpg (http://imgur.com/zUXHH9G)
After finding the blown fuse, I pulled the dash panel for the radio apart, looking for an issue. BINGO. Melty wire on the back of the radio. Turns out all the hecktic beats I was playing on the trip heated up the heatsink on the back of the radio which melted the radio power feed wire, and shorted against the radio chassis. The electric pixies jumped the fence and fuse blew before the car burned to the ground. Works a charm.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/662.jpg (http://imgur.com/qSu4Qu1)
Ghetto-fab! A scrap of electrical tape and it was ready to go.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/663.jpg (http://imgur.com/jkrHeVC)
We have tunes again! Nothing like some late 90's Bubble-gum Punk to get the mood going.

We have fire.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/664.jpg (http://imgur.com/AFN3KIn)
After some ad-hoc vehicle repairs, I thought I'd go traditional and start the camp fire using the old flint and steel. Jute Twine for tinder, a piece of char cloth, a flint and steel, and some tinder laying around the environment was all that was needed.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/665.jpg (http://imgur.com/1skeOZJ)
I built the fire on the shovel, and then dropped it carefully into the fireplace once done. We used the coals to cook some steaks for tea, which were delicious. Everythign always tastes better cooked on a camp fire.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/666.jpg (http://imgur.com/dvIDTWF)
This was the end of day 1. We settled in for a nights rest ready for the trip to the south east to Glen Innes in the morning, followed by the run east along the Gwydir Highway to the next point of interest- Gibraltar Range National Park.

Stay Tuned for more installments!

[Tombie]

Nice write up mate.

[Toxic_Avenger]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/667.jpg (http://imgur.com/94Pxq05)
We pulled into Glen Innes mid morning after packing up the campsite at Kwiambal NP. After Glen, we took the Gwydir Highway en route to Grafton, but not before taking a short detour down the Old Glen Innes - Grafton Road. This is the road with the hand cut tunnel. We stopped at the Mann River Nature reserve for lunch and a swim. Mitchell Rest area. Great name. Haven't met a bad Mitch yet.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/668.jpg (http://imgur.com/UjudxKW)
Lunch of sausage sammiches on the Biji Barbie, a swim and a beer.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/669.jpg (http://imgur.com/Bu1X1Fp)
Nice spot too.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/670.jpg (http://imgur.com/v14zjBi)
Further along the highway after lunch, we pulled into the Raspberry Lookout in the Gibraltar Range NP. The range includes some pretty spectacular pockets of rainforest in the gullies that line the sides of the mountains. View this panorama full size!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/671.jpg (http://imgur.com/OiucMUH)
'dats what i'm talkin' about.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/672.jpg (http://imgur.com/ra7UynW)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/673.jpg (http://imgur.com/PJZisvg)
The park was established as a National park in the late 60's and was formally established as a world heritage Gondwana rainforest site in 1986. It is truly immense in size, and adjoins the Washpool NP on the other side of the highway (this is a world heritage rainforest site).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/674.jpg (http://imgur.com/zI7sEVB)
We based ourselves at Mulligans camping area which was a good sport to start the many walks around the area. 6 clams per adult per night, includes cold showers, flushing toilets (ooooh, fancy!), running tap water (albeit not treated) and good BBQ areas.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/675.jpg (http://imgur.com/1UdXhQf)
Site was nice- we even had a picnic table and small BBQ. There was plenty of cut firewood on hand, but we managed to BYO some cut logs we found at another site along the way. As we arrived late in the day, we had a bit of a wander around and settled in for the night, ready for a few big walks around the park in the morning.

Tree fern forest loop walk
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/676.jpg (http://imgur.com/dwRDVyd)
From the camp site the next morning, we embarked on a short 700mwalk to the interchange area between the various walking tracks. We could go right to the Needles, or left to the fern tree forest. Just outside the camp area is an old hut and nice creek area to view. We went left at the fork, and proceeded beyond the fern tree forest to the heathland beyond (despite the map showing it as being a dead-end walking track). All up this walk was about 8km. The walk had a lot of wildlife from birds, snakes, kangaroos, brush turkeys. It was interesting to see how the forest environments change from sub tropical forest in the cooler gullies, up to scrub and eucalypt forest on the mountian tops.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/677.jpg (http://imgur.com/vGtAu8q)
Scumbag lyrebird :p The male goes thru the mating ritual, then buggers off for the female to look after the young.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/678.jpg (http://imgur.com/gKrrn8V)
This was indicative of the higher areas of the walk. sparse trees, scrub and rocky craggs.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/679.jpg (http://imgur.com/gabu7Gv)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/680.jpg (http://imgur.com/6X1cgm3)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/681.jpg (http://imgur.com/1HXvh3u)
There was plenty of trees and flowers to see at the time (Late October, mid spring). Here is a rather large grass tree.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/682.jpg (http://imgur.com/NUOMTkm)
...and some little flower that was growing out of a rock

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/683.jpg (http://imgur.com/uPfaAaM)
New South Wales' Floral Emblem- the Waratah (Telopea aspera). Being Red green colourblind, these were almost impossible to spot in the forest. Erin on the other hand was amazed by their colour, and was spotting them thru the trees at 100 paces.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/684.jpg (http://imgur.com/UG6JPDM)
This little flower was on the fringe of the fern forest as it adjoined a heath. I'd never seen one of these before.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/685.jpg (http://imgur.com/Dva1CKM)
After our 6th Km of walking we came across this stream, which is part of the Little Dandahra creek. Being time for lunch, and the day being warm, a swim amongs the pools was in order.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/686.jpg (http://imgur.com/p6RjdI5)
We hadn't passed anyone else walking on our travel...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/687.jpg (http://imgur.com/5d1u8XO)
...so swimmers weren't mandatory.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/688.jpg (http://imgur.com/ee7jvSl)
After the swim and finishing the walk a storm was rolling in. We took the gamble and embarked upon another 6km loop for the afternoon - thsi time to 'the needles' rock formation. It was cool enough to be a pleasant walk, without too much rain to bother us. Any rain that did fall was blocked by the forest canopy which was not a problem.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/689.jpg (http://imgur.com/oolrVJx)
The 'needles' are in the background, and are large granite tors. Here is a picture of 3 ******.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/690.jpg (http://imgur.com/DfTdlv1)
Dinner was cooked up on the fire, bieng a big 'ol pot of chilli. The aftermath made for good snake repellant.

Leaving Gibraltar Range NP
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/691.jpg (http://imgur.com/BwwHuUL)
The next morning we departed Gibraltar Range NP and wanted to view the neighboring NP- Washpool NP. This is a significant Gondwana rainforest site but unfortunately, we were met with a locked gate due to (I suspect), road works within the park. They had line marking all over the road leading up to this point, as well as string lines and surveying marks etc. It's not too far to visit, and we will definitely be back here in the future.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/692.jpg (http://imgur.com/ObIoq3k)
East along the Gwydir highway, the road snakes down the mountain range towards the town of Grafton. There were multiple rest stops and lookouts along the way, this was one.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/693.jpg (http://imgur.com/O1MaSj7)
The stops were a good opportunity to pop a gangsta pose on the bonnet of the mule. We continued on to Grafton for some groceries and fuel, and headed to the coast.

This rooster doesn't give a damn.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/694.jpg (http://imgur.com/teE0GDy)
This rooster was at a rest stop on the Mann river, down the road from the mountain pass. Rebel rooster was drinking that water out of a blue ice cream container labelled 'rooster water'. Not a single f*** was given that day.


Disaster Strikes again! Yuiragir NP- Illaroo North camping area
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/695.jpg (http://imgur.com/IcNmBxA)
I'll preface this with 'Tombie was probably right'. Refer to post 19/10/2016.
We pulled into a camping area in the Yuragir national Park, due east of Grafton NSW, to stay the night. This is a lovely beach front reserve with a great location, but very basic facilities (and high cost to camp here at 12 clams per person per night). It seems to be popular with the grey gonad club, which isn't my scene, so we only stayed one night. While we were scoping out suitable spots to stay, disaster struck. By this time it was 2pm in the afternoon, I'd missed lunch and I was irritable and Hangry. After a few minutes of indecision in the passenger seat on where we should camp, I executed a reverse turn to exit the parking spot... Right into this freakling tree. In my defence, the rear cargo space was chock full of stuff, and the tree was not visible in the mirrors and obscured by my incompetence. The impact was minor, but luckily the rear bar and spare tyre took the bulk of the impact.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/696.jpg (http://imgur.com/VfIBYCO)
The tree hit the tyre sidewall, and pushed it back into the lever locking mechanism for the tyre carrier. Luckily the latch is still operational.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/697.jpg (http://imgur.com/rWY2DF4)
The tyre is now 'on the ****' at a weird angle to the rear of the vehicle. The rear door cannot open to it's full limit until I re-adjust the tyre holder. You can asctually see the dust marks where the tyre hit the rear panels of the car. I was very lucky not to crumple the aluminium bodied Land Rover like a coke can...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/698.jpg (http://imgur.com/Z9YIBhb)
The bulk of the damage is on a removable mount, which is now bent (but easily removed / disconnected for welding of a new straight piece). I think some 10mm plate will make for a nice strong piece to replace the damaged part. Or else buy a replacement / re make it as an engineered weak point.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/699.jpg (http://imgur.com/AsOhHxK)
Dejected after the prang, I set up camp...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/700.jpg (http://imgur.com/ieIbKjF)
...Then resorted to beer after beer to drown my sorrows. After liberal application of liquid band-aids, I chopped some fire wood to spite the tree, just so it knows that if it weren't in a National park, it would be firewood faster than anything.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/701.jpg (http://imgur.com/a7JP3aq)
Dinner was a beef casserole cooked on the coals. There was a lightning storm that night, and we needed to cover up to keep dry, other than that, the rest of the 4th night was uneventful.

Minnie Water, NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/702.jpg (http://imgur.com/moFwnml)
Minnie water is a small township surrounded by the Yuragir NP. Nice beach, a general store, a surf club and a few houses- that's about it. After Minnie Water, we headed around to Wooli, another small town within the park, that had a bit more activity. We trucked on after a brief look around, being the youngest there by about 30 years. It felt like one of those towns that is gods waiting room.

Yamba NSW- The mouth of the Clarence River
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/703.jpg (http://imgur.com/WsEXBiw)
The next day we headed due north of Yuragir National Park to the seaside town of Yamba, which is situated on the mouth of the Clarence River. Many of the rivers and streams we crossed on the eastern side of the great dividing range meet the ocean at this point. We had a 3 day stopover at the Blue Dolphion holiday resort (AKA Caravan park) in Yamba. Lots of great facilities, including a pool with swim-up bar. Helloooo afternoon beers in the pool!!! Everything was good, except the plague proportion mosquitoes and sand flies / midges which stung the crap out of me the whole time I was there. I swear they thrive on DEET repellant, and just laugh it off, bitimg us anyway. Over the next few days we just lounged about, nothing much to write about. Highlights included some bodacious mexican food at a restaurant, chilling out at the pub overlooking the ocean, and...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/704.jpg (http://imgur.com/i4AAYLk)
... a trip to Spooky Beach on Halloween. We visited this beach near Angourie, just south of Yamba. It's a nice spot, but the weather was a little bit fickle for a swim.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/705.jpg (http://imgur.com/amBfBs7)
On the beach, someone had used the copious amounts of driftwood to make an observation deck / pergola thing. It was very cool to chill out on for a few minutes after walking about. The above pic was actually taken while sitting down in this very spot.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/706.jpg (http://imgur.com/0kriyYg)
Angourie marks the northern most point of Yuiragir NP, which extends along 65Km of coastline south of this point.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/707.jpg (http://imgur.com/RztxPmN)
In Angourie, there is the Blue and Green pools- two old dissused stone quarries dug to supply stone for the breakwalls, which filled with water when a underground spring was struck. These make for a great swimming hole, but suffer from occasional algal blooms which make swimming dangerous. IIRC they are up to 20m deep in places. Above is the blue pool.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/708.jpg (http://imgur.com/xWLrFXx)
The green pool features a high, 15 or so meter cliff perfect for jumping off. Old mate seen scaling the cliff in this pic is having a crack at it. On the 7th day, we packed up camp and headed further north along the Pacific Highway en route to Byron Bay.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Bundajalung NP- Black rocks camping area - Northern NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/709.jpg (http://imgur.com/B6OCjhF)
On day 8, we left Yamba, and headed north towards Byron Bay. On the way, we pulled off the highway towards Bundajalung NP, to check out the Black Rocks camping area as a potential overnight stop. One thing that really gets my goat is the stupid online bookings for camping at a National Park. I've got no issues paying if I can pay cash at the site, but having to use a phone or PC in an area with no or limited reception to book a specific site that I have not yet seen, is rediculous. One of the NPWS officers I spoke to wholeheartedly agreed. It's probably a different story If we are talking about christmas/new year or easter periods when the place is packed, but mid week, in an empty park, this is superfluous and rediculous. It would be awesome if there was an app that could be pre-loaded with camping sites, and run in offline mode to bill a site against your account as required.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/710.jpg (http://imgur.com/bY3ey6G)
Gripes aside, it was a nice place. There are some shore birds which live in the area which are a threatened species, and the coastline is rugged but beautiful. We opted to stay for lunch only and continue north.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/711.jpg (http://imgur.com/J6lVT4v)
We pulled in for a sandwich for lunch, using the free BBQ's. This is living.

Lennox Head
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/712.jpg (http://imgur.com/bzGDKWY)
After more driving on our way to Byron Bay, we stopped at a roadside lookout for a captain cook. It inspired me to do another gangsta pose- this one is dedicated to Damien- D90_Orkney. I think I captured his likeness well. In the distance is a faint headland- Cape Byron, the easternmost point of the Australian Mainland.

Byron Bay NSW- First Sun holiday park.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/713.jpg (http://imgur.com/fmAS5YD)
I'll preface the following few pics with 'only in Byron'. Backpackers everywhere. Hipsters everywhere. If you are not hip, you won't fit in. I even saw a bloke riding a fixie bicycle wearing litle more than a top hat. I wish I was that cool...
I spotted this camper home at the park. Jim's Muff Management- Free quotes and advice.
Our next 2 days in Byron were just full of shopping, eating, walking, swimming and general badassery. The beach is good, the characters in this town are even better. Never a dull moment.
The first sun caravan park was a prime spot right in the middle of town. About 50 clams per night, but hot showers and a 100m walk to the main street made it all worth while.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/714.jpg (http://imgur.com/x08pn1v)
This was a burger called the 'outrageous Joe' at the main st burger bar in Byron. Brisket, beef, bacon, cheese, lettuce and slaw. I will die a happy man now. Some food fills your stomach, this fed my soul.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/715.jpg (http://imgur.com/rZyt0mG)
Also ate a few courses of Japanese food one night, all washed down with a good dose of sake.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/716.jpg (http://imgur.com/jAn4Odn)
The nightlife included fire twiirling by hippies on the beach... These same hippies were smoking weed and playing bongo drums on the beach by the day. One was even playing a fiddle.
A. Freaking. Fiddle. Like I said, only in Byron.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/717.jpg (http://imgur.com/5XO2ptl)
We also took some gratuitous faux artistic shots of our shadows...

Nightcap NP- north west of Byron Bay
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/718.jpg (http://imgur.com/1S47HFz)
The next day we visited Nightcap NP to check out the waterfalls there too- Minyon falls. But alas, they were not flowing. The facilities were very good here, lovely green camping sites, plenty of BBQ facilities and shelters.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/719.jpg (http://imgur.com/6PzLd0C)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/720.jpg (http://imgur.com/hWuY2UP)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/721.jpg (http://imgur.com/KgrMRpR)
Minyon Falls- No water here :(

Doing the laundry.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/722.jpg (http://imgur.com/aO3Q5IY)
Found this contraption at a camping store, and bought it to give it a shot. It's a dry-sack come washing bag. Clothes, water and soap go in, then it gets tied up and rubbed / massaged on a flat surface to wash the clothes inside. There are moulded washing ribs in the bag which do a lot of the hard yakka for you. Ribbed for her pleasure. Giggity!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/723.jpg (http://imgur.com/MhkfSG3)
Here I am enjoying an icy cold beer while Erin washes some clothes. I could get used to this...

Woolgoolga NSW- Woolgoolga River holiday park.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/724.jpg (http://imgur.com/4PiyQJd)
After we left byron, we has a day driving south from Byron, and stopped at Woolgoolga for the night. We were approx 50m from the beach, and had a nice shady spot. Not as many bitey things here as there was in Yamba, thankfully.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/725.jpg (http://imgur.com/ClTQL5U)
Breakfast of champions. Bread and Glen Innes honey, and muesli (ran out of bacon and eggs!)

Coffs Harbour NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/726.jpg (http://imgur.com/Y49XDvT)
On the way south, we stopped in to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour to do the obligatory tourist thing. This shot was taken just monents after I did the mad dash against the 10 second timer on the camera, busting thru crowds of tourists to make the shot in time.

Beauty and the Beast
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/727.jpg (http://imgur.com/wJiJxvV)
The mule found a friend in the car park amongst the banana plantations. Following a visit to a cheese shop, it turns out the owner was working there that day. We picked up few very nice cheeses, and I reckon what Lisa doesn't know about cheese is not worth knowing.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/728.jpg (http://imgur.com/vp8U3VF)
It's a defender thing. You have to wave when you see one while driving, and need to park alongside one when you see it, and try not to look too creepy when you clamber around taking photos of your car's new friend.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/729.jpg (http://imgur.com/ymiZM8w)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/730.jpg (http://imgur.com/3zthuxs)
After the photo op, We stopped in at Bellingen to check out the sights. It's a nice litle town, not too touristy, but just alternative enough to have the community vibe (even for an outsider), without too much fanfare like Byron Bay had. We visited the butcher - Thorn's Gourmet meats and Smokehouse- for some groceries and ended up picking up a few items to go with the cheeses we purcased in Coffs Harbour. As a small town, Bellingen has a great pub - the Federal hotel is well worth a look for a meal (hot tip from my mate Laurie). We settled for the $10 burger and $10 soft tacos for lunch, bloody good feed. Washed down with an ale- you can't go wrong. The Bellinger river is also very nice, with a few spots available out of town along it's shore to camp the night. Alas, we had to soldier on up the hill to Dorrigo.

Temperature worries- Waterfall way, NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/731.jpg (http://imgur.com/RT5PcNm)
Heading up the mountain along the waterfall way, I could smell engine coolant evaporating- that sickly sweet glycol smell that means impending engine overheating, death and destruction. I pulled up to check that nothing was amiss, and it seems everything is OK. I'm not losing water (overflow bottle is full), and engine temps are A-OK from the engine management computer I have. My only exlanation is the 3rd gear, 60km/h climb up the mountain for the 14 or so kilometers heated the coolant enough to expel any excess coolant out the relief valve on top of the expansion tank. I'll monitor it and see if I have a problem.

Dorrigo NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/732.jpg (http://imgur.com/zPAXlD6)
That afternoon, we arrived in Dorrigo to view the Rainforest walks around the mountains there. This too is a gondwana world heritage rainforest site, and is home to many different species of flora and fauna in a subtropical rainforest climate. Panorama above is of the lookout platform which extended out from the escarpment, and over the rainforest canopy. If you squint and use some imagination, you can see the town of bellingen, and the pacific ocean about 30km in the distance (we are at about 730m above sea level)

Wonga Walk, Dorrigo NP
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/733.jpg (http://imgur.com/S0mNbZD)
After the lookout, we did the Wonga walk which was about 6km return, around the national park escarpment, thru the rainforest environments around the hill. Above is one particularly nice waterfall which was along the path- this is red cedar falls.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/734.jpg (http://imgur.com/oakF612)
Crystal shower falls. This was very cool. The track had a suspension bridge over the top, and there was a side track where you could walk behind the waterfall. It was hard to get a good shot with the phone I was using to take the pics, but deal with it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/735.jpg (http://imgur.com/xOVbRkG)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/736.jpg (http://imgur.com/2V3aBil)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/737.jpg (http://imgur.com/WrxxCKJ)
Epic panorama is epic. Click to view bigger!

Breaking the law
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/738.jpg (http://imgur.com/xKhs99z)
First it was disabled person parking at the shopping centre. Then it was seniors, then mothers with prams. Soon it will be 'middle aged men with baldness and a bad sense of dress'. I took a stand and fought back against exclusive caravan parking. Because, screw the system, man.

Nymboi-Binderay National Park
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/739.jpg (http://imgur.com/pk0OJcN)
Our camp for the night was destined to be Platypus Flat camping ground in the Nymboi-Binderay NP. We passed a very nice little gully, heavily wooded, on a lonely dirt track on our way. Stopped for a photo op. But suddenly! a wild fecal emergency appeared! Had to make an emergency pit stop to answer the call of nature banging on the back door. In the voilence that ensued, I had to sheepishly call Erin over closer to the miasma to provide me with the necessities needed to clean up shop. Could it be true love?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/740.jpg (http://imgur.com/LNPLwmH)
This was our crossing over the bridge at the Nymboida River. Another photo op.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/741.jpg (http://imgur.com/VoMDKRa)

Platypus Flat camping area
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/742.jpg (http://imgur.com/rb7mhbj)
This spot was amazing, and well worth the detour off the highway at Dorrigo. The road coming in was a steep dry weather only road, and probably not suited to caravans in the dry, but a 4x4 and camper trailer may have better luck. The water was clear and flowing, and the swimming area was about waist deep. There were basic toilets but the camping spots were well grassed and had good BBQ / table facilities and fire pits. 10/10 would stay again. 6 clams per adult per night. Well worth it.

Dinner of champions.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/743.jpg (http://imgur.com/ABqrNrm)
We cracked open the cheeses from the shopping earlier in the day, and joined it with some house made salami and smoked chilli cabana from Thorn's Gourmet meats and Smokehouse. We had a few good (plastic) glasses of boxed wine, and shared the lot with some other young travellers we met who were out there seeing Australia. We had a French blue cheese, a Tasmanian Tilsit, and a Dutch gouda, all amazing.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/744.jpg (http://imgur.com/ugoSsOI)
Getting the camp set up for the night. I was hiding behind the Defender to avoid being tasked with another job.

Platypus flat- The next morning
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/473.jpg (http://imgur.com/To4EImV)
Cue 0530hrs on 05.11.2016. The creek is flowing, the sun is finding its way over the hills around us, and the birds ar going off with their morning song. Here I was, still half asleep, but interested to have a look around to see what the commotion is about. The warm river was misty against the cold air, and the air was full of the chorus of hundreds of birds.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/474.jpg (http://imgur.com/IdAWbhf)
I quickly snapped a few shots, then went in search of a toilet, but not before getting a 13 minute long recording of the birds and bubbling stream.

Giant Tallowood tree
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/745.jpg (http://imgur.com/MjEBUsk)
We left the campsite about 0930hrs, and headed out of the park towards the giant tallowood trees. We stopped the car for a photo of this bohemoth- a 56-meter, 3.14m diameter tree spanning up into the sky. It sure is one heck of a tree.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/746.jpg (http://imgur.com/8xHdM3H)
Vital tree stats.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/747.jpg (http://imgur.com/VzHpdve)
This is a panorama shot I took, I started parallell to the ground and was piointing the phone up at near 90 degrees when I stopped. It really doesn't do it justice how tall this thing was.

Dangar falls, Dorrigo NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/748.jpg (http://imgur.com/1SPz20d)
After our gallivant thru the bush tracks and back roads around the back of Dorrigo and Cascade National park, we happened across Dangar Falls, just outside of Dorrigo NSW. There was a good amount of water spilling down, and it looked like there were some decent tracks down the bottom that would be a prime swimming area. These falls were approx 30m high. The rock doctors out there might have a more scientific explanation, but the cliffs of these falls were formed over a number of lava flows which cooled and caused a tabulated rippled basalt which is evident in the clipp structure around the falls. This was a result of the now extinct Ebor volcano which helped shape much of the region.

Intermission from waterfalls- Dutton Trout Hatchery, Ebor NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/749.jpg (http://imgur.com/1gFi147)
A point of interest along the way was the Dutton Trout Hatchery near the town of Ebor, further west of our last stop, Dorrigo. This hatchery produces, and releases, around 2 million trout per year to stock various rivers, dams and streams across the state. This was looking into one of their holding ponds which had 3 year old rainbow trout. They also bred Brown trout which are also released as a sporting fish.

Barokee Camp ground- Cathedral rock NP,
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/750.jpg (http://imgur.com/dU0UKiV)
Following the trout hatchery, we stopped into this NP to cook up some lunch. Due to the wind, and an unfortunate total fire ban, we had to settle for some sandwiches in the camp ground. This national park is highlighted by it's incredible rock formation known as cathedral rock (more granite tors, similar to 'the needles' in Gibraltar Range NP), and round mountain, which soars to a height of 1586m above sea level.

Ebor falls, Ebor NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/751.jpg (http://imgur.com/48F4Eo9)
Off the main road, and in the national park, is Ebor falls. While not as close to the action as other waterfalls in the area, this is still a spectacular sight to see. It was a very windy day, and the water that was spilling over was being blown to the left in the pic. There were various walks to do in the area, but these were just to various vantage points to see the falls.

Wollomombi falls (L), and Chandler Falls (R), Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, NSW
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/752.jpg (http://imgur.com/Z8g3RKm)
This george was massive, with the falls ranging from 150-230m drop, depending on the water flow and river path that ensues. This makes these falls one of the tallest in the country. There are two falls located in the same george - the Wollomombi river falls are to the left, and the chandler river falls to the right.

Following this stop, our road trip chasing waterfalls was complete. A short 100minute drive back to Tamworth NSW via Armidale saw us at home with plenty of things to talk about, and a heap of photos to share. Hope you enjoyed reading about it!

Other stats:

11 nights camping at caravan parks and national Parks.
Most expensive accom- Byron bay- 47 per night for the site
Cheapest site - National parks, teir 2 camping, $6 per adult per night
Average accom cost per night $27.45
Best fuel economy- 2.2TDCi Defender- Glen Innes>Yamba (mostly downhill and flat plateau cruising @ 100 km/h)- 11.69L/100km
Worst fuel economy- Grafton>Dorrigo via Nymboi-Binderay NP- Low gear hill climb @ 60km/h up waterfall way, Low speed 3rd/4th gear on dirt roads in national park. 13.46L/100km
Total KM - approx 1685
Total fuel used - approx 211L

[Disco-tastic]

Sweet write up mitch! Looks like a very fun adventure.

I used to camp at Yamba with the family when i was a youngin' and the jump cliffs at angourie pools were the best! A little anecdote for the pools - they are 700m or so from the beach, yet are filled with fresh water from that spring you mentioned. Many people may know that, but as a 14 year old i couldn't comprehend how that was possible.

Oh and i think if you keep at it bonnet gangsta poses will become the next big internet sensation :D

Cheers

Dan

[Col 110]

Thanks for posting - looks like you had a great time - really enjoyed the photo's.

Cheers,
Col.

[cuppabillytea]

Love your work Mitch.:thumbsup:

[D90 orkney]

I feel honoured by the gangsta pose 🤗

You got it down pat

Great write up!

[nate_110]

Trip looked great mate, great part of the world to be exploring!

[debruiser]

Awesome write up mitch! I was very excited when I saw you went to Lemon tree, we went there this year in the middle of winter! It was cold and miserable... we did a bit of a drive around but didn't do a lot of the walks. In the cave was nice and warm and dry compared to the rest of our trip, but we had a 2 yr old with us so didn't venture far into the cave. I feel your pain with the electrical problems, that place must be jinxed for D90's! we had the parkers blow fuse.... ended up driving the 1500+kms home without parkers...

Those rijidij rear bars are the bomb! tough as nails! The mrs reversed ours into a HUGE paperbark tree one night, put a little ding in the jerry carrier but didn't bend anything else!

Good to see you had a great trip.

Whats your consensus on the tyres? You like them? I liked them on my 90, even towing the No5 trailer.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Hi Nick,
Tyres are great. No rubbing at lock to lock, or touring with a load in the back, but I still haven't tested the limits of wheel travel / articulation with the larger tyres.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Platypus flat- The next morning
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/473.jpg (http://imgur.com/To4EImV)
Cue 0530hrs on 05.11.2016. The creek is flowing, the sun is finding its way over the hills around us, and the birds ar going off with their morning song. Here I was, still half asleep, but interested to have a look around to see what the commotion is about. The warm river was misty against the cold air, and the air was full of the chorus of hundreds of birds.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/474.jpg (http://imgur.com/IdAWbhf)
I quickly snapped a few shots, then went in search of a toilet, but not before getting a 13 minute long recording of the birds and bubbling stream.



So, I knocked together a short clip of the sound recording from that morning.
Struggling with some free video editing software, but passable for a newb.

https://youtu.be/Iyyl0be26-U

[Toxic_Avenger]

Here is a short video that I uploaded but forgot to make public on my youtube account.
This was the winching operation at the watagan forest after I pretzel'd my exhaust pipe (in july '16)
In retrospect footage would have been much better on the low side, not up on the embankment as the vantage point ended up being.

This was the still from the same event:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nhYXZJ8Bnc

For the record, one of my home made soft shackles as between the mule and the 80 series cruiser I was winching off.

[DiscoMick]

So, I knocked together a short clip of the sound recording from that morning.
Struggling with some free video editing software, but passable for a newb.

https://youtu.be/Iyyl0be26-U

Platypus Flat is a wonderful spot. Camped there several times and I'd go back in a flash.
Were any whitewater rafters going in while you were there?

[Toxic_Avenger]

No one was rafting while we were there. There were some rapids upstream, but nothing too crazy. I too will go back again. Top notch spot- probably the highlight of the trip. Shame it was our last night away that we found the place.

[Toxic_Avenger]

It's been a long time between beers.
Thought I'd drop a line.

Played the good guy today and pulled a truck out.
It was slipping on a bed of wet flowers which had fallen from some tree. It was a very slight slope. Made for a good photo op.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/12/454.jpg

Other than that, not much new to report on!

[Baytown]

So, now you're officially off Santas naughty list!

[cuppabillytea]

Champion effort Mitch.:clap2: I hope there were lots of onlookers and a TV News Crew. ABC of course, WIN would have called your 90 a JEEP, or worse a Toyomoto. :p:wasntme:

[Toxic_Avenger]

Tracy Grimshaw would have called me a hoon :nazilock:
Unfortunately no audience. Even had to take my own photo! It's Tamworth after all.

[Toxic_Avenger]

I've been doing some wheeling. Nothing like having a land rover... and using it.

Killingworth loop, Killingworth NSW 27.12.2016
Tagged along as winch bitch in a mate's landcruiser, as we tagged along with some friends of friends on the Killingworth loop.
All in all, it's a great track. The loop itself is fairly benign, although there is the opportunity to go as wild as you wish in a heap of deep puddles, meter deep ruts, and some hairy climbs. Many chicken tracks to be had as well, if required. It would be a wild ride in my shortie, but definitely keen to head back to drive it myself some time soon.

Some of the motley crew:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/958.jpg

My fav truck (complete with train horns!)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/959.jpg
This was crossed up with all 4 wheels on the ground. Those 37" treps were big tyres indeed.

The 'waterfall line' on the killy loop- Pretty extreme crawl out of a waterfall ledge about 2.5m tall. This dual locked 60 killed it!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/960.jpg
Broski's for scale:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/961.jpg

The attack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6flu090A9A
(terrible video quality is terrible)

Even had a brush with fame on the killy loop- spotted RVR110 in the bushes, and wandered away from the motley crew to say G'day, but they must have seen me coming, as they nipped around to another track before I could say hello. Next time, old mate!



Nundle state forest 02.01.2017
Went for a local drive with a mate up at the forest, the old stomping ground.
We had the tracks and the times all set, and mother nature gave us about 40mm of rain the night before. In attendance was an 80 sereis cruiser locked on 35's, and a ex water board troopy.

We met at the boundary track entrance (coordinates -31.474652, 151.170301), off the Devil's Elbow in Hanging Rock, ready for adventure. It was a balmy day, overcast and approx 25 degrees. Aired down about 20psi, and hit the dirt.
First few hills went OK, but as the track commenced its climb along the boundary fenceline fo the forest, the freshly graded track and rain became a quagmire of mud with very little traction. It's a rough and steep climb in the dry, but when it snows up there, or gets a bit of rain, it's madness.
The first hills were over with in about 10 minutes.
The remaining 2 hills took almost 3 hours of winching between myself and the troopy. Even with pressures down to 15psi, the M/T's were not getting any traction in the nundle clay.

After the troopy had winch issues, and its recovery point became unsafe to use (long story, don't ask), the troopy and I turned around, and slid our way down the hill. The 80 series plugged away up the hill to cemetary road (-31.465598, 151.171118 (https://goo.gl/maps/jMYbbgLpKjD2)), having way more tyre, traction and momentum than I could gather. You win some, and lose some. Today I lost.

After airing back up to some sensible pressures, and a bite to eat for lunch, we commenced along forest road to Ponderosa park picnic area (-31.464592, 151.255799) (https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Ponderosa+park/@-31.4645909,151.2552518,19z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x0:0x0!2zMzHCsDI3JzUyLjUiUyA xNTHCsDE1JzIwLjkiRQ!3b1!8m2!3d-31.464592!4d151.255799!3m4!1s0x0:0xd73b5258220e556 0!8m2!3d-31.4652151!4d151.2573791). We had a play around in the mud and tracks behind the park, some very deep mud puddles- which are not my forte`, but fun nonetheless.

Here are some pics of a rutted, muddy track we were driving along. It was a forest road which had essentially become a watercourse in the rain. Much fun. 100% will drive again.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/962.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/963.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/964.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/965.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/966.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/967.jpg


In other news:
I've got an 'A' service approaching- 48mths, 40,000km, and will be doing this myself.
After spending too many brain cells on the 'which oil for a Puma' question, I've got some Castrol Edge Professional A5 5W30 oil on order, and getting a filter / service kit thru landybitz to take care of the consumables.
On the advice of a fellow AULROlian here (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/244055-anyone-have-old-sump-plug-off-puma-measurements-please.html), I placed an order for a Stahlbus M14x1.5 ball-valve sump plug to take care fo the draining side of things for the next 10 years. Novelty aside, a new sump plug every service vs a reusable 'quick drain' job seems like a good return on investment. Plus it's a very nicely made piece of German engineering. Some things ooze quality, this is one of them. I almost feel guilty putting it on the oily side of the car!

Stahlbus sexiness
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/968.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/969.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/618.jpg
Lots of very nice precision machining, well thought out design with O ring seals on the sump plug, and drain tube ferrule, and a great integrated dust/mud cap which sets this above the Fumoto offering, IMO. I look forward to it holding my oil where it belongs!


Sadly, no booze revooz this time. I'm cutting down. Because rehab is for quitters.

Until next time, stay classy!

[carlschmid2002]

I have been using the Castrol Edge products in both my V8s. No complaints. I wonder if the make this for sump plug for the Discos? I will find out.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Find out the thread diameter and pitch and you will be right.

[D90 orkney]

Nice angles Mitch 😎

[Toxic_Avenger]

One goal is to mount a provent 200 on the puma. I don't expect incredible amounts of blow-by on the relatively new engine I have, but for longevity, something like this is probably not a bad idea. Plus keeping the pollutants (oil vapours) out of the engine intake as best as possible.

Enter, stage left, The Provent 200. A common choice for running in conjunction with the existing Crank Case Ventilation systems on engines. Mann+Hummel make some great stuff.

The provent 200 mounts in the engine bay, plumbed between the cam cover breather and the air intake, after the air filter. It is however a sizable unit, as dimensioned below:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/454.jpg

There are aftermarket kits to mount these in a number of locations, plus fabricobbling one yourself is not out of the question.
My ideal location is somewhere where I can utilise the existing 19mm ID hose that is in the factory CCV system, and reduce the amount of superfluous piping I would need to run around the engine bay.

This leaves the hot side of the engine as the most suitable location.

Komaterpillar did this in one of his posts [source] (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/244953-puma-2-2-provent-200-kit.html#post2630866)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/455.jpg
The linked thread also has some interesting tech musings on the matter.

Komaterpillar's solution will not work for me. I foolishly put a winch solenoid and winch remote receiver in that location back in '14. Here is some pics of it before installation. It sits in the engine bay, on the wheel arch, between the airbox and the brake master cyl:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/456.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/457.jpg

No Bueno. We need to go depper!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/458.jpg

I have this crazy idea.
A provent 200 should fit directly in front of the coolant expansion tank, which incidentally, is right above the turbo heat shield.
This drives the question:

"How hot does it get there?"
"How much heat can a Provent take?!"


The provent destruction manual tells us the 2nd answer- negative 35C to 120C, and for a short time, up to 140C.
It's made of some pretty skookum PAGF plastic that should take an absolute punishing, which is good to know. But there are lots of chinese knockoffs out there, so keep an eye out.


The first question required some science, so I got to work....

[Tombie]

So with the power of science and research....

You discovered that everyone fitting such device to a TDCi is discovering that the factory fitted Oil separator that runs the entire length of the rocker cover does such a great job that those who have fitted a Provent are detecting zero oil in the drain pipe!

This leads to a hypothesis that the factory unit is sufficient for effective vapour control and that the Funds originally allocated to the Provent can be reallocated to the Booze fund instead [emoji6][emoji56]

[Toxic_Avenger]

I wired up the temperature meter and got to work. Readings were made with a dual channel digital thermometer, running the K-type thermocouples.


I wired the thermocouples up like so- quick and dirty. The aim was to measure ambient air temps using a 'high' and 'low' point- the low sensor was close to the heat shield. Results were interesting.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/438.jpg

Test 1- 'normal' highway driving
This test was conducted over approx 25km, on flat roads on the outskirts of town. Average speed was approx 80km/h. Ambient temp was about 24C.
Temps remained stable at approx 54C. There was no significant difference between high and low readings - Max observed deltaT on this test was 2c
During the test, I touched one of the probes to the heat shield- Max observed temp was 101C

The kicker for engine bay temps was the heat soak which was evident after the engine was shut down. At this time, with no airflow from the engine fan, or air being sucked thru from under the car, temps slowly increased to max reading of 65 @ both sensors (this temp was reached approx 10min after shut down).
Temps returned to normal operating temperature after 1hr (51c).
The temps dropped further- to 46C- when the vehicle was given a short drive (<2km @ 60kmh) due to the cool air reducing under-bonnet temps. This is interesting, as it shows that the engine bay has good enough airflow to evacuate heat itself.

Test 2- Giving it the beans up a big hill
This afternoon, I took a spin up the new england highway to Moonbi, where there is a long, steep hill, maybe 6km long. This is a 100km/h zone, and usually in the mule, I chug up it at 90-95 in 5th gear, and shift to 4th for the last little windy bit at the top, which is an 80km/h zone.
Test was conducted at 36C ambient outside temp.

After 18km at 100km/h in 6th gear, on flat ground, the same temp probe locations as test 1, showed an under-bonnet temp of 62C - 8 degrees hotter than the flat ground test (Outside temps were 12 degrees hotter at this time though).
Climbing the hill saw a max temp of 62.1C on the top probe, and 75C on the bottom proble (closer to the heat shield).
Coasting down the hill, with good airflow and minimal engine load, under-bonnet temps remained stable at 42C.


Conclusion
Based on observations of ambient temp, a provent installed in that location will not exceed its designed operating temperature, even in times of heat soak. Your milage may vary if you tow large caravans, heavy trailers etc

[Toxic_Avenger]

So with the power of science and research....

You discovered that everyone fitting such device to a TDCi is discovering that the factory fitted Oil separator that runs the entire length of the rocker cover does such a great job that those who have fitted a Provent are detecting zero oil in the drain pipe!

This leads to a hypothesis that the factory unit is sufficient for effective vapour control and that the Funds originally allocated to the Provent can be reallocated to the Booze fund instead [emoji6][emoji56]

It woule be interesting to see the design of the factory unit. A removable element in a provent could be argued that it's more efficient than a baffle system that is more likely than not installed in the factory unit. Another 'hidden' benefit of the consumable filters is the ability to check what is being collected by the filter, and monitor and improvements, or declines, in the CCV system performance.

I'm torn:
The realist inside me constantly reminds me that a team of 100 engineers- highly educated blokes who are leaders in their field- worked on the PCV/CCV system of this engine, and were employed by one of the largest engine manufacturers in the world. They know what they are doing.

The consumer whore in me says "nah maaate! chuck another one on, what's the worst that can happen! 2 is better than 1, right?!"

As for the booze fund... I've got an ever increasing balance in my naked wine fund. It's about time I get another carton or two. You got any corkers from them recently Tombie?

[Toxic_Avenger]

Disaster Strikes!
Well, sorta.
Not really.
Actually it was a minor inconvenience...

Today marks the first significant failure of the mule. But like any good mule, el Burro soldiered on and got the job done.

The last few times I've driven it, I've noticed a bit more induction noise. I was unsure whether it was normal mechanical things 'bedding in' as it approaches 42,000km old, or that hektic VL turbo dose noise I've always wanted.

Last drive (monday 30.01.2017), I'd noticed significantly more spooling noise as I drove past cars or other things which reflect engine noise back my way. Being a defender driver, I naturally ALWAYS have the windows down and the arm slung out the window in the beareded gangsta pose. This makes identifying new noises a breeze.

Yesterday, while driving to our monthly aulro / local landy driver pub afternoon (first Thursday of the month at the Oasis Hotel Tamworth- 1730hrs /shamelessplug), I'd noticed that the mystery noise had got worse. It was no longer a spooling noise, but a steady hiss, similar to a leaking hose on an air compressor.
I pretty much narrowed it down the the LHS of the vehicle. A noise which was independent of speed, turning or braking, and was dependent on boost.
So I whipped out the nanocom and scanned some codes. Nothing except the usual weird ones which are historic logged items, so I whacked the nanocom on the dash, and had a gander over the instrument pack to see what's up. This is when I worked out that I have NFI what the readings of the nanocom are. I was looking for boost pressure, and I was looking at this:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/680.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/681.jpg

Rant: This device (as good as it is), is plagued by abbreviations and readings which makes no sense to me, mechanically. I might be showing my inner rev-head, but give me a boost gauge in PSI any day. 6.5x10^-5 Bar is not a very good measurement, in anyone's book.

As an aside... for some reason the oil temp has always shown a negative value (since about 25,000km). Any idea why?


After some ginning about with the nanocom, I had got myself to the pub. Cue drinkin' and tall stories, and comiserations on people's choice of vehicle. Many a laugh was had.

After a few beers it was time to hit the dusty road. I commandeered numpty to be throttle-jockey-for-hire so I could keep an ear out for the hissing noise I had heard. After a liberal few applications of the loud pedal in neutral, I identified the source of the problem. A split aftercooler hose.
Item 3 in the pic below:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/682.jpg
Tech-heads might call this the "Duct- charge air cooler to electronic throttle body". I call it "Bastard hose with a split in it".


You can see the split just to the left of the hose clamp- the little dark smear in the depths of the 'bay
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/683.jpg

The vehicle was still idling fine, and there were no faults on the nanocom, no check engine light. I was ready to truck home... until the vehicle had other ideas.
About 3km into the journey, my old mate the check engine light illuminated. Limp mode, engage!
Limp mode was not as bad as I thought. Yes, it slows the car right down, but knowing that it is throttling the engine to previent any further damage, I was fine with. Drive to the conditions etc. I managed 60-70km in 4th gear, although a hill required 1st gear where I got down to about 15km/h in a suburban side street. I was 2km from home.

Once home and parked up, all was good, kicked the nanocom back into action and had a look-see over the codes again.
CEL had triggered P0101= Mass or volume air flow circuit range/performance. AKA boost leak!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/684.jpg

The P0101 code is for the MAF- Mass airflow sensor. Google it- it can be caused by a boost leak which I've identified. The ponies escaped from the engine.
I also have some historic faults which are:
P0191 Fuel rail pressure sensore range/performance
P0645 Air conditioning clutch relay control circuit
P0693 Fan 2 control circuit - low
I think I'll clear these and see if anything pops back up. IIRC the fuel rail pressure would be from the fuel filter replacement.


So after the trials and tribulations, I spent the rest of the evening sitting at home sippin' a Tokay and penning this monologue.

Booze revooz:
Stanton and killeen rutherglen tokay. 12y.o.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/685.jpg
Got this for my 21st in '06. Cracked it last week to celebrate the engagement of my mate who gave it to me. We are both port drinkers so don't mind cracking open the good stuff for a worthwhile occasion.

There were a few more drinks that night as I went online shopping for a replacement hose kit. Ended up going with a BAS intercooler hose kit. I tried to stretch the slush fund for a 170AB tune and intercooler... but that might have to wait for a a few months yet... I'm led to believe that the intercooler hose kit will work with the upgraded intercooler if required down the track.

So yes... watch this space.

[D90 orkney]

Yep it will work with the tune and intercooler. And it will be one of the best mods you do to your 90 for on road driving. Can't say how happy I am with the tune

[jon3950]

I wired up the temperature meter and got to work... blah blah blah... etc

Interesting stuff Mitch. If you feel like doing more testing, it would be interesting to see what sort of readings you would get after about an hour running at 100km/h plus speeds on a hot day. It would be even more interesting to measure the temps in the transmission tunnel over this time. That's when I'm finding heat soak becomes an issue for cabin temperatures rather than engine temperatures.

Cheers,
Jon

[Marty90]

What's with the oil temp on the Nanocom. Mine does the same.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Interesting stuff Mitch. If you feel like doing more testing, it would be interesting to see what sort of readings you would get after about an hour running at 100km/h plus speeds on a hot day. It would be even more interesting to measure the temps in the transmission tunnel over this time. That's when I'm finding heat soak becomes an issue for cabin temperatures rather than engine temperatures.

Cheers,
Jon
Always up for a bit of R&D.
When I get this split hose situation sorted, I'll jerry-rig something up.
I've got some 3m long K-type thermocouples coming from china so will have more flexibility for future testing.


What's with the oil temp on the Nanocom. Mine does the same.

I did some research on the oil temp issue last night.

Oil temp/?level? sensor location- Item 3 below:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/661.jpg
On this engine, the FSM mentions that oil temp input only, is used by the ECM from this sensor.

Clever little bastard
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/662.jpg
For people playing along at home, a quick google and a few ebay part numbers later seems to point to the Ford p/n 1477409 for the oil temperature sensor (AKA Ford Oil Level Sensor, 2.2tdci). I don't think LR would have changed this component as part of 'landRover-ising' the tdci, but might be worth exploring one day if anyone is torn between an expensive LR part or a cheaper ford part.


...But to the contrary, appears the ECU has an input from all 3 pins of this sensor according to the wiring diagram (it must just ignore this input at the ECU level.)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/663.jpg

How cool would it be to hack this input for a low oil level sensor? Even just an idiot light would be good. Can never have too many blinken-lightzen on a vehicle amiright?! Dipsticks are sooooo 1990's

Parts microcat of this component (item 14):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/664.jpg
LR part number LR005905.
Appears to be compatible across all VINs for the 2.2.

Funnily enough, even though the nanocom shows -40C oil temp, the vehicle is not throwing the respective P0196-P0199 DTC code range for the engine oil temperatuire sensor range/performance. Indicating that the wiring and hardware is OK.
Could the nanocom be lacking for this sensor output?!

When I do my oil change, I'll spray the crap out of the sensor harness connector with come contact cleaner, and see if it resolves this anomaly. Failing that I can backprobe/ test continuity of the harness between temp sesnor and the ECM, but I don't think this is where the problem lies.
I did have a past issue with an oil leak from the cam cover, but the primary leak was seen on the LHS of the vehicle- complete opposite side of the engine.

In short, oil temp output on nanocom does not seem to be a pressing problem, but might be nice to resolve (assuming that it's not just a limitation of the nanocom).

[LRD414]

Do you know anyone with a Gap iiD tool and a Defender? Could then see if they get a valid reading for oil temp.

Something I've noticed with the D4 is that some sensors moved from one ECU to another in 2013 but the old values were still available in the system albeit with invalid readings. This is unlikely in your case because it would be very unlikely to change from the engine ECU I guess.

Cheers,
Scott

[Toxic_Avenger]

From the best of my understanding, oil temp is managed by the ECM.

[LRD414]

Main thing I wanted to mention was that I have seen sensor values available with the Gap iiD Tool that are not available with Nanocom for the D4.
https://www.gap-diagnostic.com/products/iidtool/

Scott

[Toxic_Avenger]

Even though the mule is off the road with a buggered intercooler hose, the itch to tinker is still there.
Today I decided to remove the disc brake stone shields and get a stiffy. On the shields, that is.

I'm neither here nor there on the disc brake stone shields. But since I ordered a set of nugget's 'stiffies' one night after one too many bourbons with my visa cars within reach, logic dictates that a mod should be done for the sake of a mod.
I've had a few times offroad where a stick, a rock, or something else gets stuck in the disc brake shields. Usually it clears itself, once or twice, I've needed to intervene and pull the offending twig out of there. I put a bit of a thread up >here< (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/245803-disc-brake-stone-shields-keep-remove.html) to gather the general consensus of whether these stone shields are all they're cracked up to be, and I think the jury is still out.
As with anything, I tend to fall back to the 'I'm not as smart as I think I am' rule, and keep in mind that the LR tooling, manufacture, installation and engineering that went into this humble part, probably shows that they believe it was necessary, and worth investing in for the sake of the vehicle. That being said, they designed them so they might crack over time... so I'm taking that with a grain of salt. In any case, the mod will go on!


Nugget supplies some nifty instructions with the kit. What it omits however, is how to get them off the vehicle.

I'll outline this below.

Gather your tools- for removal, a 10mm spanner and a 27mm socket for the wheel nuts are all that is needed.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/585.jpg

Prepare your workspace.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/586.jpg
Today I'm working in the car port of the apartment block where I reside. I will have an epic shed one day...
My 300zx is living beside the landy now. Being majestic AF. I need to do some more work on the power steering pump on this, probably a rebuild, as it's a bit whiney. Also need to do a timing belt on it for it's second 100,000km interval. These works will probably happen together, as the PS pump is easiest done with the radiator and all intercooling pipes out of the way (there is a lot of these, as its a V6 twin turbo). That job might make its way into this thread down the track. But I digress.

1) jack up the vehicle
Chock a wheel fo' safety etc, and don your safety squints.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/587.jpg
Convenient rock, is convenient.

Crack the wheel nuts (27mm / or 1-1/16 for you imperial types), and jack the vehicle. Use axle stands. Or if you are expecially hardcore, don't.
Remove both rear wheels for easy access.

-intermission-
Bonus points for hella flush stance!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/588.jpg

2) Undo bolts retaining stone guard shield
There is 3x 10mm hex bolts holding the disc brake stone gaurd in place. They are at approx 5 o'clock, 8 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions as you look at them from the diff, back towards the LHS stone shield.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/589.jpg
The 5 o'clock bolt is behind the shock bracket, and is not accessible with a socket.
I used a 10mm flex head ratchet spanner, which was a walk in the park. You could get away with a socket and a normal spanner if you wished, and had more patience than me.

12o'clock:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/590.jpg

5o'clock:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/591.jpg
...and 8 o'clock is staring in your face. If you can't work it out, sell your rover, there is no hope for you!

3) Remove the stone shields.
These are easy. I didn't have any luck removing them with the wheels on (the astute amongst you would have noticed the above pics were with the wheels on), so I think it's best to remove the wheels.

There is a bit of fiddle-farting to get these off, but this should show the general gist of it:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/592.jpg

Up to this above point, including jacking / chocking and removing the wheels, took about 15 minutes. Bank on another 20 or so to mark out the holes, drill and secure the stiffies, bringing the whole job in under an hour from go to woe.

From this point on, you can follow nugget's supplied instructions, but please, feel free to read on for my own little OC adventure.

4) Inspection of removed parts.
The disc brake stone shields are not identical, marked as a Left and right unit. They are notched to sit around the disc brake calipers, which sit on the upper rear of the axle tube.
The parts are labelled as LH and RH as seen below:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/593.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/594.jpg

My vehicle has just over 40,000km on it, and about 4.5 years of use (was sold to the PO sept '12). The previous owner was a farmer from Quirindi way, and from what I can gather, did a fair bit of farm driving, dirt roads at speed, and some 4 wheeling. Most of what I've done with the vehicle has been offroad, with the bitumen to get to the tracks.
Looking at the shields, there was not a lot of mud and crud behind them, however I had recently high pressure cleaned the car after a particularly muddy 4x4 trip.
There were some 'minor' stone chips in the paint, but nothing that would bother a 15mm thick piece of cast steel, like a disc brake (Or even a cast aluminium caliper, for that matter).
The outside, stone chips:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/595.jpg
Compared to the inside:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/596.jpg

Cool LR imprint on the stone shield from the part it was mounted to:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/597.jpg

Washing the parts:
Missus is away. Kitchen sink is fair game.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/598.jpg







Time to drill.... but first...

It's time for another...


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
TOOL REVIEW

Sutton tools 'Supa Bit' Impact drill set

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/599.jpg

Bought these at one of those bunnings warehouse trips where all I wanted was a sausage sanga... somehow, these followed me home.
So I gave these a whirl on this job.

There is only a few sizes, but they work really well with an impact driver. The hex shank works well and makes bit changes a breeze. As the drill bit bites, the impact motion of the driver comes into play and powers thru the material.
They might be a bit gimmicky, but for anyone who has battled (and I mean, battled) with changing out drill bits for stepping up thru the sizes, you will know the pain and toll it takes on getting a quick job done. It's even worse if you have a keyed chuck like my old makita drill which is enough to drive a bloke insane.

It's time to end today's sponsored content, and get back to the actual job at hand:

5mm holes were drilled and counter sunk with this nifty little step drill.
The trick (as per instructions supplied with the stiffies), is to line it up on the convex face of the stone shield, bolt it into place, and mark your holes.
I used a scribe and a centre punch to the centre.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/600.jpg

Parts were in decent condition, but not top notch.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/601.jpg

You can see the pocking of the finish, and some exposed metal where the shield mounts to the axle assembly. The bare metal was beginning to rust, so I thought it prudent to give it a bit of a birthday with some paint.

Prep:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/602.jpg

Paint:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/603.jpg

Booze Revooz time!
Since I don't like watching paint dry, I had to occupy myself in other ways.
XXXX gold to the rescue. For a mob that needs to use X's because they cannot spell 'BEER', it's not too bad.
Plus, hard liquor at 11am is not a good look.

My arm was twisted, and I had 2 hrs to kill, so managed approx 2 coats per side.
I've been using Dulux metalshield flat black epoxy enamel for a few painting tasks (winch solenoid bracket in the engine bay, and winch rebuild), and have been impressed with its quality. Nobody has time for crap paint.
This one dries hard, and seems to be pretty hard wearing. Plus it's available in many colours, but most of what I need is black.



Getting a stiffy
Ahhh... this joke will never get old.
This is where the stiffy mates with the stone shield.
Sort of looks like a movie I watched once
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/604.jpg
Squeezing every last drop of silicone outta that toob. Had just enough for the job!
I was going to use some sikaflex 291 marine sealant I had in the fridge, but it had dried up.
You know youre a car guy when your egg tray in the fridge door is full of loctite, silicone andgasket goo B)

All buttoned up
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/605.jpg

All installed.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/606.jpg

I did have a bit of an issue lining up one of the bolts on the RHS shield.
The added thickness of the stiffy means the shield needs to bend around the lower shock mount. this leads to a bit more interference and alignment bothers (not a big issue) when lining it up.
To get around this, I found that getting the bolt at 5 o'clock started first, then getting the others started was the best course of action. The 5o'clock bolt is the furthest from the opening of the shield, and is least able to bend and adapt to any alignment variances with the shield.

Interesting design points
The stone shields do not sit around the disc brake, in fact, they sit proud of it
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/607.jpg

The shield has flares to keep debris away from the brake lines and caliper body.
Overall it's a pretty weak bit of sheet metal, so will be pretzel'd if it meets with a decent rock or log.

I gave the paint about 4 hours dry time, I did suffer a few dings and dongs while installing them, plus I need to work on my silicone application skills... but it should be a solid finish once it fully dries.

If I have any future issues with the shields, I'll probably just remove them and run without. But what I did today should extend their life until they meet a bitter end.

[Toxic_Avenger]

During today's shennanigans (while the stone shield paint was drying), I also did some maintenance on the mule. Giving it a bit of love for its 40,000 km birthday.

On the cards is the usual checks as per the maintenance check sheet, including engine oil, fuel and air filters, check remaining fluids and go over it for anything amiss.

Fuel filter
The stock filter was replaced with a Fuel manager OEM equivalent unit, p/n 36995, a 5um filter element.
This is what was supplied as an equivalent to the LR WJI500040

Stock unit
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/568.jpg

Aftermarket equivalent
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/569.jpg

Fuel draining hack- 2L coke bottle
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/570.jpg

Fuel appears to be relatively clean.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/571.jpg
The crap in the bottom is what leaked out from all the mud and stuff near the bottom water drain point.

The stock filter had seen better days.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/572.jpg
There was a fair bit of mud and rust that had accumulated in the lip of the filter (this part is up in the filter housing).

I also took the opportunity to check the condition of the secondary, 2um filter. All good here, as expected after about 5000km.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/573.jpg





Air filter

This was a bit of a surprise. I will admit, this is new ground for me. All previous services have been done at the dealer, and due to the km's I do (not many), I don't go thru a thorough vehicle inspection before every trip. If I do it's usually oil level and coolant- the important ones!

I'd read of people bagging the design / fit / finish of the filter housing for being difficult to inspect the filter condition. I was expecting there to be spring clips in inaccessible places, but was surprised to see only 2 clips, and a locking tab in the inaccessible part of the lid which sits under the wing top.

So I pulled the filter using the 2 spring clips, and was greeted by this on the dirty side
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/574.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/575.jpg

Missus was still away, so I stole her vacuum :twisted:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/576.jpg

Surprisingly (and I'm still a little confused, shocked about it), was the condition of the 'clean' side of the lid.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/522.jpg
"This side to road" :p
Is this normal when rain etc is sucked thru the snorkel and dissolves all the small particles and flows thru the filter? Or is it possible that the filter was not installed properly for a period of time?


Trick for young players (like me) is getting the lid lined up properly. I double / triple checked that it was all aligned before I kicked on. You can get a good look at how the airbox lid is located by peeking down under the wing top towards the front of the vehicle.

Not seated properly:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/577.jpg

Seated properly:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/578.jpg

Trick is to get these two hook tabs
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/579.jpg

Into these two tabs (in the abyss)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/580.jpg

Will be doing more over the coming days between work etc.

Intercooler hoses were shipped Thurs night from the UK @ BAS, got the notification today they have cleared customs after travelling thru Leeds UK, Koeln Germany, pensylvania USA, Louisville Kentucky USA, and Honolulu Hawaii. This consignment has travelled more than I have :(

[Baytown]

Usual brilliant, informative post Mitch.
I'll fit my brackets from Nugget this week hopefully, and use your photo essay as a guide.
Thanks mate.
Ken

[cuppabillytea]

Yes Mitch. Good work. Could you please advise which Knuckles you skinned so that I can apply bandaids before the event rather than after?;)

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'm happy to report that no skin was lost in this episode of toxic_avenger's ramblings!
I did however suffer minor finger fatigue from the spray painting, and some soap and water was used for cleanup afterwards.
Proper PPE for this task should include plenty of cold beer, and a shady spot to recline in, when you reach the 'job admiration' stage of the project. Be sure to drink lots of beer, and relax a lot, as this kind of positive reinforcement will ensure that wrenching on your landy remains a positive experience. It will lessen the trauma of that really difficult and annoying job one day in the future.

[Disco-tastic]

Haha that PPE should be standard for all land rover projects.

Thanks for the write up! Very enjoyable read.

[Lee Jackson]

Hi Mitch,

Like a lot on hear I have been following your journey. Fantastic read and very inspirational. I am considering starting a thread for my new Discovery 5 When it arrives.

Any how I came across this pic that I thought you might like.

[BigBlueOne]

Mitch, I find the easiest way to get the air box lid on and off is by removing the plastic thing on the drivers side of the bonnet. (attached pic shows what i mean).

[Toxic_Avenger]

Cheers for the feedback everyone

Bigblueone...
Can you confirm- does your airbox have the same hook and tab arrangement on the under-wingtop edge?

Looking at the parts list, there are multiple variants of the airbox (Item "3" in the list). Wondering if some were more user friendly than others?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/527.jpg

Mine should be the last one, vin of my vehicle is 7CAXXXXXX.

[BigBlueOne]

Yeah it is the same as yours and is a proper pain to get on most times. Taking the plastic part off helps a lot though. The air box doesn't fully seal either as you can always see part of the air filter in the corner when the lid is fully done up. My air box isn't normally as dirty as yours but is always full of dead bees for some reason!

[Tombie]

The box does seal if fitted correctly - the element is the sealing lip.. it is supposed to be lightly lubricated along its edge prior to installation...

[Baytown]

Tombies' gherkin flavoured personal lube recommended again!
😉

[dazzler]

Nice work Mitch! I am going to be lazy and try this without taking the wheels off :D I am also thinking about riveting the two pieces together and may be even spray it with some calliper paint. ...thoughts?

[Toxic_Avenger]

Yeah it is the same as yours and is a proper pain to get on most times. Taking the plastic part off helps a lot though. The air box doesn't fully seal either as you can always see part of the air filter in the corner when the lid is fully done up. My air box isn't normally as dirty as yours but is always full of dead bees for some reason!


The box does seal if fitted correctly - the element is the sealing lip.. it is supposed to be lightly lubricated along its edge prior to installation...
You can see how the old filter has worn clean a contact area on the lif seal. The filter element should fit down inside the bottom half of the filter box... so it does look like it seals correctly.
Furthermore, the Lid does not have a lip on the edge with the tabs. So looking in you will probably see the orange of the filter elecment seal, but as long as it is sitting flat and sealed with teh lid it should be ok.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/522.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/02/523.jpg


Tombies' gherkin flavoured personal lube recommended again!
��
I'm trying to eat dinner here, man!
But curiosity killed the cat.
What kind of lube tombie? Will KY do?


Nice work Mitch! I am going to be lazy and try this without taking the wheels off :D I am also thinking about riveting the two pieces together and may be even spray it with some calliper paint. ...thoughts?
I don't see why rivets wouldn't work.
But the stiffy is riddled with 5mm holes already. You'd need some pretty big rivets to make full use of the existing holes.
As for the paint, any port in a storm mate! 'Brembo red' would look pretty bodacious. Although for me, it will turn 'Nundle state forest brown' pretty quickly.

[Tombie]

Tombies' gherkin flavoured personal lube recommended again!

[emoji6]



Not quite. On filters I use food grade silicone grease ... [emoji41]

[dazzler]

...might glue and rivnut it together. I got so many bits waiting to go on yet, this is one Ah well

[Toxic_Avenger]

Rivets... yes.
But Riv-nuts might be overkill. The stiffies are not really something you'll ever need to remove again.

[dazzler]

..i am thinking about using these as rivets ..as in riv-nut it together

[Toxic_Avenger]

Short version, probably just use the supplied bolts. Don't over-complicate things. Rivnuts are not the right fasteners for that job.