Thread: New series 3

Thanks John and Adam,

The play in the rear was in the rear uni joint - it was directly up and down with no sideways movement and since I have greased it, it has firmed up.

The front prop shaft's uni joints are fine its just the spline which is absolutely flogged.

Note that they are cross and bearing not CV joints. Stupid question - what's the difference?

swivel bearing preload? What do you mean exactly?

I took her for a 140 km round trip on Sunday to church and back and besides the shudders at 60 she behaved beautifully.

The first pic is of one of the pieces that came out of the gear box, the third is of the left hand rear shackle and the fourth is of the right hand rear shackle. Do you think I will need to build up the flange at the top of the shackle? It looks to be quite badly worn.

Also, on the dash there is a push in button next to the fan switch, what does this do? On the bottom left hand side of the dash there are a black and a red socket - they look to be electrical - what are they there for?

Can somebody tell me what the fuel economy is like at optimum with the 4 cyl? It seems to be guzzling petrol at the moment and as well as replacing my sparkplugs I am thinking of getting a new carby, they are only $150.

Originally Posted by jplambs

Thanks John and Adam,

The play in the rear was in the rear uni joint - it was directly up and down with no sideways movement and since I have greased it, it has firmed up.

The front prop shaft's uni joints are fine its just the spline which is absolutely flogged.

Note that they are cross and bearing not CV joints. Stupid question - what's the difference?

A cross and bearing joint is what is on the prop shafts. In fact, the ones in the front swivels are identical to these except they have no seals. The drawback of these is that when transmitting power at an angle, the speed varies at four times the rotation rate. A Constant Velocity or CV joint is designed so that speed does not vary. There are various types - the one used on early Series Landrovers is a Tracta joint, but the ones used in constant four wheel drive Landrovers and most modern front wheel drive cars is a Rzeppa joint.

swivel bearing preload? What do you mean exactly?

The front swivels, that allow the stub axles to turn for steering, have a tapered roller bearing at the bottom, and a composition bush and thrust washer at the top. They are adjusted by adding or removing shims under the top swivel pin to give a preload that ensures that there is no free play in this critical steering component and also provides frictional damping to prevent steering wobble. The amount is adjusted so that the force needed to turn the swivel at the steering arm eye is 12-14lbs. This is with the track rod and drag link disconnected and the seal removed. If you use about 15-18lbs with the seal in place you will be about right.

I took her for a 140 km round trip on Sunday to church and back and besides the shudders at 60 she behaved beautifully.

The first pic is of one of the pieces that came out of the gear box, the third is of the left hand rear shackle and the fourth is of the right hand rear shackle. Do you think I will need to build up the flange at the top of the shackle? It looks to be quite badly worn.

Can't identify the bit out of the gearbox. I think you may need some new shackle plates and bolts (not that expensive) Certainly new bushes.

Also, on the dash there is a push in button next to the fan switch, what does this do? On the bottom left hand side of the dash there are a black and a red socket - they look to be electrical - what are they there for?

As Timj says

Can somebody tell me what the fuel economy is like at optimum with the 4 cyl? It seems to be guzzling petrol at the moment and as well as replacing my sparkplugs I am thinking of getting a new carby, they are only $150.

Petrol Series Landrovers are not very economical at the best of times. You will do well to get 15l/100km, and expect closer to 18. This is partly because the vehicle is not designed for low air resistance, but also because the engine is low compression - most are 7:1, may be 8:1, and is designed for flexibility and torque rather than power or economy. Fuel economy will be markedly better if you treat the accelerator pedal with caution and keep below 80kph. In my experience free wheel hubs and overdrive make no perceptible difference to fuel economy.

Having said this, the most likely reason for unnecessarily poor fuel economy (and performance) is poor tune. Check ignition timing, and consider advancing is a degree or two at a time until you start to get detonation under load, then back off a couple of degrees. Before doing this check points opening and condition. A worn distributor will not help, but is expensive to fix. On the other hand, new HT leads are cheap, and may make a big difference, same goes for plugs. (get the right ones for your compression). Make a rough check for even compression by turning the engine over using the crankhandle. If any doubt get a compression gauge and check the actual pressures. Check tappet adjustment.

Check that there are no fuel leaks, and that the brakes are not dragging, and that the thermostat is working correctly. Only after these are done would you consider the carburetter unless there are symptoms that point to it. Carburetters are usually highly repairable, and a proper repair job is likely to be better than a new one in many cases.

If you do not have a factory workshop manual, get one. (see "Shop" above)

Hope this helps,

John