1985 County Advice....

[county1985]

Thanks for letting me join!
After many years of saying to the missus that i wanted an old Land Rover one day, finally purchased on last weekend :) Its a 1985 County 110 with the V8 rover engine. Luckily no chassis rust!...2 small rust spots on one pillar, but easy to weld and fix :)
The engine however has me a bit worried!....it idles beautifully...nice V8 rumble....But when driving, it has a lack of acceleration and a backfire that occurs when letting the clutch out after changing gears! First question:...the battery is buggered, wouldn't even charge after being left on the charger over night....Has just enough to start the car. Could a dead battery and a weak alty cause these symptoms?? I am thinking not enough power to the fuel pump, so low fuel=lean mix....
The second question is...how do you engage the diff lock :eek:???...i can find the hi/lo range selector, but the only other selector looking thing i can see is a knob in the middle between the front seats (???)!!!
Apart from that, she is registered, so overall I am happy and looking forward to restoring the old girl :D

[clive22]

Hi


I'm guessing you have twin 175 strombergs. Sounds like a lean mix. Pull a fuel feed line off the first fed carb and check there is plenty of fuel.

Check the fuel filter is clear (in fact replace in any case as good maintenance) and pump are working properly. Check pump earth.

Check all the vac lines are sealed and fully connected. Check brake booster is OK blank and isolate to do this. This may be a vac leak.

Whip top of carbs and check rubber diaphram is excellent condition. Replace if not. Top up damper oil.

Check needle and seats (this is my guess) and check they are not partially blocked with rubbish. You will need to remove N&S to do this.

Check timing is ignition advancing OK? Lots problems are ignition that can look like carbs.

Low range and locked on a 5 speed LT85 is up a to the right.

Clive

[county1985]

Thanks Clive :)
I will investigate all these ideas on the weekend!...Actually forgot about a possible vaccuum leak, but that would make sense!
I did not quite get what you meant about the diff lock....It is a 4 speed box if that makes any difference??....

[Bearman]

Thanks Clive :)
I will investigate all these ideas on the weekend!...Actually forgot about a possible vaccuum leak, but that would make sense!
I did not quite get what you meant about the diff lock....It is a 4 speed box if that makes any difference??....

Hi County 85 and welcome. That's a nice solid vehicle you have there. The button you mentioned in between the seats is the centre diff lock switch on the 4 speed (vacuum operated) The previous poster was thinking it's a 5 speed which has a different hi/lo/difflock lever.

[85 county]

and its vacuum actuated, so check the lines there as well

[county1985]

Thanks Guys...much appreciated!
I figured that the knob must have something to do with the diff lock as it was the only knob i could find Lol!! I guess pull it out activates it.
yes, she is a nice strong car....Actually great condition considering the age. paint faded as you would expect, but a good lack of chassis or firewall/floor pan rust which would have being my major concern!
I am looking forward to getting her restored and running well :)

[85 county]

Thanks Guys...much appreciated!
I figured that the knob must have something to do with the diff lock as it was the only knob i could find Lol!! I guess pull it out activates it.
yes, she is a nice strong car....Actually great condition considering the age. paint faded as you would expect, but a good lack of chassis or firewall/floor pan rust which would have being my major concern!
I am looking forward to getting her restored and running well :)

yeppa and then you could slap a super charger on it or a couple of turbos and NOs:D

[county1985]

Ha ha...thanks mate but would rather she just runs well enough to take fishing :)...prefer simple and original!

[BilboBoggles]

With a Rover v8 - one common place for them to wear very quickly - is the Cam. and lifters. Once the cam lobes wear down then the engine will develop little vaccuum and will lack power. I had a Rover V8 that drove very well - perhaps a bit low on power but I had nothing to compare to - but it had two completely round lobes. This meant one of the cylinders was not firing, still quite hard to tell really. the early pollution control cams are apparently the worst for wearing - which means mid 80's.

Anyway one way to check is to pop the rocker covers off and watch the pushrods as the engine idles. A completely buggered cam will show little movement of the rockers or pushrods. One that is starting to be completely buggered will show the pushrods moving up and down but not rotating. If it's OK then the pushrods will be rotating as it open and closes the valves. I bet you will find at least some worn cam lobes and perhaps one or two completely round ones.

If you pop the rocker cover and find tons of black crap in there - then it's not worth putting a new cam and lifter in it, the engine is badly neglected and might be cheaper to source a used Discovery V8 etc.

If it looks nice and clean - and you have a worn cam shaft - then it's relatively easy to run a new cam and lifters into it.

[85 county]

AHHH just driving on the beach then??

cam and a holly

[BilboBoggles]

I'm perhaps one of the few that dislike Holley's - I have had a few now on various V8's, perhaps they were never set up well, but I always seemed to find them flooding really easily. Usually during heavy breaking or when descending steep declines. They also sucked through the petrol.

Whereas I always found the original Strombergs nice and simple and very driveable, as long as they were not too badly worn in the needle or the diaphragm was not torn.

[85 county]

do not disagree, i am a big fan of the SUs,

but if only beach driving, then a well set up holley should be better on the fule. but thay do dislike going up and down.

and its easyer than, doing a aftermarket cam then trying to locate some one in australia who can set up SUs

[county1985]

thanks for that info Bilbo....i may get my mechanic to check that out!!...Hope not!!
If worse comes to worse though, then i wont bugger around fixing the engine and will drop in a replacement!!

[85 county]

thanks for that info Bilbo....i may get my mechanic to check that out!!...Hope not!!
If worse comes to worse though, then i wont bugger around fixing the engine and will drop in a replacement!!


Na stick with the trouble free 3.5 block

it may sound simple swaping for a 3.9, but then you have to swap every thing over the blocks. and you are running higher RPM and a bit more load than a disco so think slipped liners.

a good 3.5, a better cam, your choice of carbs and life is rather easy.

the only other thing is i would look at the dizzy and go all electrical on that, a few threads about on that topic

[Wallaby Ted]

Congrats on the purchase. When I bought mine the vacuum advance was stuffed and didn't move, so they had re-timed the motor to make it less noticeable, and that cause it to backfire when taking the foot off the accelerator.

I did find that when I had a vacuum leak (at the centre lock actuator) that it didn't idle well, and when the fuel filter is blocked it has really bad acceleration.

I have replaced the points and condenser with a hall effect sensor and a lumintions electronics model, still have the original carbs, put on a set of extractors and a 2.5" exhaust with a single free flow muffler.

It went much better when these were done and fixed when I first bought it, and goes better now with some other changes.

Just need to get the rust removed now as I have ignored it for a few years now.


Richard

[county1985]

Thanks Wallaby!....I will investigate for any vacuum leaks this weekend....I think she needs the timing adjusted to, so have got a quote to get that done :)...I have done it by ear previously, but that was on engines I knew well...not game to try on this one yet!

[Wallaby Ted]

I bought a timing light and its pretty easy to do. Still haven't been able to do the dual carbs and I have now owned it for 16 years, that is a job for the mechanic. They are a simple vehicle and you can do a fair bit yourself with a little bit of knowledge.

Once you get them sorted they are a good strong vehicle. I found it a bit noisy on the highway, but it still quieter (and more comfortable) than the Series III I upgraded from.

I still take it out in preference to the Defender when I want to do some serious off road driving.


Richard

[jimr1]

My 110 county ,had issues with power , mine was the bog weights at the bottom of the dizzy . It turned out to be the springs had stretched , plus the weights had some rust on ,(not much) but enough to stop them moving , once I found out what the problem was , It was an easy fix . Now I'm not saying that is what your problem is , but something to keep at the back of your mind !!..

[county1985]

man you guys are awesome! I will check all these things out and if I cant solve it, will take her to the mechanics...given me lots of ideas to start with!
Wallaby: "noisy on the highway"....for the last 6 years I have only driven Lada Niva's so i am sure this car will be a pleasure :D

[Wallaby Ted]

man you guys are awesome! I will check all these things out and if I cant solve it, will take her to the mechanics...given me lots of ideas to start with!
Wallaby: "noisy on the highway"....for the last 6 years I have only driven Lada Niva's so i am sure this car will be a pleasure :D

Before this I have a Series 3 with the Land Rover 6, so believe me this was an improvement, the only problem is when you have a vehicle that can cruise at 110 on the freeway you will.

Most of my daily driving and long trips is now in a 2010 Defender but the County with the V8 is just fun.


Richard

[county1985]

When I had my Niva's....if I got them up to 90, they shaked so badly that I panicked!!!
Speed is not my thing...prefer slow and steady...have the missus's car for long highway trips in comfort ;)!!

[county1985]

Rather silly question sorry!!....How are the cylinders numbered on this thing?!!!....Standing and looking in at the engine, first on right is one?...then going back 2 etc???
Thought I better check before I change leads tomorrow!!

[county1985]

I think i solved my own question thanks to google!
"Firing order 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2.
1-3-5-7 right and 2-4-6-8 left as you stand looking towards the windscreen from the front of the bonnet"
Correct??

[Wallaby Ted]

Just checked my manual and you are right on both counts. If you get them out by one it doesn't run real well (don't ask me how I found that out).


Richard

[county1985]

Thanks Wallaby...first thing I am checking tomorrow is that they are on right to start with!....Would be great if thats the problem :)

[county1985]

Didnt get much work done on her today!...remembered it was our wedding anniversary, so did the right thing!!
Did manage a better look underneath her....What is the ball looking thing in front of the rear diff?!!! Got me stumped :(

[Wallaby Ted]

Didnt get much work done on her today!...remembered it was our wedding anniversary, so did the right thing!!
Did manage a better look underneath her....What is the ball looking thing in front of the rear diff?!!! Got me stumped :(

Would it look something like what is in the attached document?


Richard

[county1985]

Yep!!...thats the one!! Thanks Wallaby :) i will google what it does!!

[county1985]

Well have decided to put her into the mechanics to do a complete service and tune...good way to check if the motor is buggered or not!!
Booked in for Thursday, so will have to backfire my way there :D
Fixed the non-working brake lights....Geez the bulbs are loose...I have little faith that they will stay in after the first bump on the road!!
Looked at some LED exact replacement units from the UK and think I will go down that route....Got to be more reliable than the current ones!!

[85 county]

Well have decided to put her into the mechanics to do a complete service and tune...good way to check if the motor is buggered or not!!
Booked in for Thursday, so will have to backfire my way there :D
Fixed the non-working brake lights....Geez the bulbs are loose...I have little faith that they will stay in after the first bump on the road!!
Looked at some LED exact replacement units from the UK and think I will go down that route....Got to be more reliable than the current ones!!

now that your stop lights work, do not sit at the lights with your foot on the brake ok

[county1985]

Now i am intrigued....Why not??....is this some strange Land Rover thing i am unaware of ;)????

[isuzutoo-eh]

...but what if the handbrake won't hold?

[uninformed]

Now i am intrigued....Why not??....is this some strange Land Rover thing i am unaware of ;)????

Double filment bulb. Brighter when brake applied = more heat. That heat can melt the plastic bayonet holder then you can lose earth or contact all together and then no brake or driving lights.

[uninformed]

...but what if the handbrake won't hold?

Fix it!

[gusthedog]

Didnt get much work done on her today!...remembered it was our wedding anniversary, so did the right thing!!
Did manage a better look underneath her...

I nearly wet myself laughing at this. Then I realised you were talking about the 110 and not your wife :D

[85 county]

I nearly wet myself laughing at this. Then I realised you were talking about the 110 and not your wife :D

MATE, wedding anniversary, NOT honeymoon. he already knows whats under there!!! much more interesting to look under a 110

[county1985]

MATE, wedding anniversary, NOT honeymoon. he already knows whats under there!!! much more interesting to look under a 110
Ha ha :D Worse even because she is already 24 weeks pregnant ha ha ha :D
Seriously though...the light thing makes sense....Okay, handbrake works well :)

[85 county]

Ha ha :D Worse even because she is already 24 weeks pregnant ha ha ha :D
Seriously though...the light thing makes sense....Okay, handbrake works well :)

well, al least you now have a land rover since under there is now wrecked:wasntme::wasntme::twisted::twisted::D:cens ored::censored:

[85 county]

Seriously though...the light thing makes sense....Okay, handbrake works well :)


if your handbrake works well, we can assume no more LR's, if you Handbrake works realty well you will have to sell it.

that's why LR designed a hand brake that works very well. but also installed a leaky output shaft seal

[county1985]

Compression test completed (dry): all cylinders passed no worries...Lowest reading was 700KPA. Most around 900KPA.
Running better, but could not do good tune as the muffler hole is not giving enough back pressure....Fix that on Monday and then book her back in!
Had a lot more power, despite the muffler :)

[Wallaby Ted]

I put extractors, a 2.5" inch exhaust and a single free flow muffler to allow the motor to breath better which helped.

I suppose depending on where the hole was might effect it, as I was told not to go to a 3" exhaust.

Glad to hear that it is running better now.

Richard

[county1985]

Thanks Wallaby!....She is booked in for Monday so i will leave him to decide!
She currently has a rear muffler and thats all....is that correct to what she should have???

[Wallaby Ted]

Pretty sure there was 2 and it was a 2.25" exhaust.

I replaced it with 2.5" and a single muffler, a couple of weeks afterwards I had to put a silencer at the end as it was a bit noisy when you put the foot down.


Richard

[county1985]

Thanks mate!...yep I think i will get the muffler guy to chuck in a first muffler....She is a bit loud, but kinda hard to tell with the noise from the small holes :)

[Wallaby Ted]

Thanks mate!...yep I think i will get the muffler guy to chuck in a first muffler....She is a bit loud, but kinda hard to tell with the noise from the small holes :)

I would just put a silencer (or hotdog I think the exhaust guys who did mine called it) on the end.

It sounds a bit like mine when I got it which is why I just replaced the whole exhaust system, including the extractors. I did them in stainless steel back in 98 and it is still there even though they told me I would get 10 years from it.

I still have the original manifolds in the shed in case they are ever needed.

Richard

[county1985]

went out and had a close look...has straight pipe back to a muffler, then pipe out...no real rear muffler to speak of...would have called it more of a middle muffler ;)

[county1985]

Now onto tyres :(....
Looking at all the 5 rims, it would seem that I have 4 x defender rims and one series rim....Is that an issue???
Also, I believe all the rims are 5.5x16, so the fact that someone has put 265/75r16 tyres on it kinda scares me somewhat!!!!

[Wallaby Ted]

Now onto tyres :(....
Looking at all the 5 rims, it would seem that I have 4 x defender rims and one series rim....Is that an issue???
Also, I believe all the rims are 5.5x16, so the fact that someone has put 265/75r16 tyres on it kinda scares me somewhat!!!!

Try fitting it to the County, if it was like mine when I got it with 3 series rims you can't get all of the wheel nuts on properly, luckily I had 4 110 rim on the series 3 so I just swapped them.

Tyre sizes if you search the forum you will find a few threads on it.

Richard

[county1985]

All 4 are on the car!!...I am trying to work out the stamps on them to see exactly what I have!....

[Wallaby Ted]

All 4 are on the car!!...I am trying to work out the stamps on them to see exactly what I have!....

Don't know if they are a different offset or something else was different I just could see that it wasn't safe to use as they wouldn't do up all the way.

You could try swapping the series rim onto the car. What I found is that when the series rims were on you could do the wheel nuts all the way up.

I would prefer to find out if it does fit whilst at home, rather than when I needed it.

Richard

[county1985]

New exhaust fitted....$750 later :o
car now running like a dream!....Wont win any races, but at least the backfire is gone :)
sluggish going up hills when cold, but that is likely normal from what I have googled.
Next job is to get some new 7.50R16 tyres, then sort out the 2 rust holes in the pillar!...this may test my welding skills!
i have now officially paid more on repairs than I did for the actual car Lol!!:cool: