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Have the plastic plugs in the top of the radiator and engine been replaced with brass ones? The plastic plugs are one use only - they twist when removed.
Has the filter in the auto transmission been replaced? It gets overlooked and the oil flow blocks up, with bad results.
Pull up the carpets, particularly in the front and load area, and look for rust. Treat and repaint.
Are the opera windows leaking? They rust.
My only problem with just a low water alarm is the fact that the engine can run hot even tho it's perfectly full of coolant!
I had issues over the summer with my Tdi running (what I think was) too hot under load with air con on. Air off, not a problem.
So the issue with just a low coolant alarm is that it doesn't tell you how hot she's actually running at any given moment.
You can get gauges that 'alarm/warn' you when the coolant has reached a specific temperature.
I run one of these units as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by steveG
It doesn't matter what the cause of overheating is (blocked radiator, viscous fan, hot weather or low coolant) you can attach the sensor from these units to the cylinder head and it will tell you the exact temp in degrees celsius regardless. I have mounted the display in a visible location right near the other gauges in the dash and glance at it all the time.
Mine is the dual sensor version for cylinder head temp as well as oil pressure - as it's nice not to worry if the original factory low oil light in the dash will always work!
Specifically talking about diff/steering/recovery - if you don't have don't recovery points built into the brackets (straight onto chassis) on your bar, get a set of APT recovery points. If you need a front diff guard, you can either go a big wraparound one that acts more like a slider or one like i have that just bolts over the front and stop rocks cracking the thin sheet metal of the pan. The factory steering rods are not that great either (not that strong and rust in the ends as well) so a set of heavy duty rods are nice - I have a Terrafirma set i bought online.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chin_chef
Do you have a heavy duty rear tow bar with recovery block that takes a shackle?
A couple of rock sliders are always good, plus if they are good quality you can use the hi-lift jack on them. I was lucky and picked up a second hand set of ARB sliders that were just re-powdercoated... :)
Another couple of mods that are a bit off topic are:
An alloy coolant header tank to replace the plastic one is great in my opinion... Allisport makes them in the UK.
Another odd mod is getting rid of the gigantic windscreen washer bottle! Seriously, who needs a washer bottle that BIG! I replaced mine with a small 1L bottle and now have tonnes of space to work around the turbo area. I wash my windscreen a couple of times a day when driving and have still not refilled the bottle in a few weeks!
There are a million possible mods but it depends on how much you want to spend.
One other major point for the OP to note that all the mods in the world isn't going to make your vehicle better, if the fundamentals (ie. service/maintenance/common sense) things aren't taken into account too.
eg. check all fluids(transfer/diffs/power steering/clean engine inlet system/coolant/etc).
If you're looking into or thinking diff guards, steering guards and recovery points, I'd suggest you may be better off starting with mods like the actual diffs themselves ie. lockers or ATBs), or a winch .... and stuff like that.
Thanks heaps for all the advice. I've upgraded the suspension (sitting up nice but not too high), all fluids replaced and regularly changing oil/filters etc. Just did the timing belt and other components along the way (preventative maintenance). Have brass plugs. Snorkel just went on. Have had it put to the test up at Walhalla No 1 and No 4 track. Did not stop - I'm in love with this tracktor :)