Thread: MrFollies' D2 workshop adventures

Last week I became the proud new owner of a 2002 V8 D2a. With reasonably low kms and an interior that looks brand new I was filled with enthusiasm when I went to pick it up.

That keen attitude hasn't waned but (as expected), I'm finding lots of things that need attention.

It's my intention to learn enough about the car to look after as much of it as I can myself. The aim of this thread is for me to document what has been done to the car both as mechanical servicing as well as mods.

First off, what I know.

• 2002 D2A V8 Auto
• 113,000km
• At some stage a uni let go and took out one of the gearboxes (Auto I assume)
• At 83,000 it was overheating and the owners were quoted $5k to fix radiator and replace head gasket. They took it to another mechanic and I know the radiator was done but not sure if they fixed the head gasket or just put some gasket repair through it.
• Someone put a chip on it, but no idea what it does (will post pic later)
• Engine has a couple of leaks.
• Auto has a very slight leak.
• Transfer box has a leak.
• Front sway bar bushes need replacing.
• Coin and drinks trays didn't pop out (fixed the springs, all good now)
• Steering wheel needs repairing (twists up top)
• One mudflap not attached properly
• LH Front guard flare is not attached properly
• RH Front headlight is a little loose.
• After market radio/satnav/dvd/reversing camera is crap (going to see if there is a firmware update for it to let the GPS sync work better.

Well that's it for now. That's as much as I know that's wrong with it for starters. I'm guessing a few more will become apparent at the 120km major service (I've elected to send it to the professionals to get checked out).


I'll be fitting an EMS sometime soon to keep a close eye on coolant level and engine temp. That's probably the only mod I'll do for now.


Stay tuned.

Well I found something more to do on my D2a.

One of the things I was told before I bought the car was that the "gearbox" had been replaced. After a bit of digging I found out that the car had thrown a uni and had damaged the gearbox.

I didn't know for sure but I suspected that they had replaced at least the transfer box and perhaps the auto as well.

Something else I'd been noticing was that at full lock my front diff appears to be getting locked. Driving forward or reverse for about 5-10 meters one wheel would eventually lock up and skid.

I wasn't sure if it was the front diff or perhaps the center diff somehow locked. One of the first things I tried was to put it into "locked mode" manually. I can't shift the lever sideways.

Today I put one front wheel in the air and with the transfer box in neutral I could rotate the wheel completely (front prop shaft rotates as well as I would expect). Well the diff wasn't locked.

I looked closer at the linkages and the cable to engage the lock moves, but only moves the selector about 1mm. hmmmm...

I got my Rave CD out and had a look at the difference between a CDL and non CDL box. From what I can see, the only noticeable difference is that the CDL switch for the warning light is not attached to the non-CDL box.

Bingo. The half ass-ed mechanic that fixed the thrown uni problem decided to replace the transfer box with a MY02 box. Ass hat.

The car is booked into a real mechanic in a few weeks time to give it a once over. I guess I'll see how much of a hassle it is to get the CDL working.

Since the selector shaft and cable are all there and it looks like the box should have the right bits inside, I wonder if it can be done without the switch? Does anyone know.