Thread: Need help from Series III extperts regarding problems/questi

Sounds like you should throw this fish back unless the price is very right.

Cheers
Simon

Ok, by the sounds of it, it's stuffed, don't bother. Find another one, but i'll answer all of your questions that I can.

1) The steering isn't power steering light while on the move, however it shouldn't be that hard. Possible causes? Bent steering components, stuffed bearings, big tyres, stuffed steering box etc etc etc.

2) I went from a subaru to my series 3, and I didn't have any trouble adjusting to it. there is something very wrong if it's that vauge. may only be a stuffed selector, or the spring on the tension plate thingo, but more likely, it's somehting nasty.

3) Backlash is something that all series landys have, even mine has some. It can be a number of things from diffs, to transfer cases to gearboxes, sometimes all of the above needing adjustment. Even when they were new they had some backlash. You get used to driving it smoothly. However it can also be an indication that something is very worn or even stuffed. possibly one or more (one stuffed thing can kill another thing) stuffed parts, and expensive ones.

4) How much will it carry, absolutely heaps!!!! My series 3 weighs just under 2000 kg empty, and my GVM is 2700, so a 700 (or 3/4 ton) payload. However it would probably cary more than that if it had to, it's a landy afterall, however stopping becomes interesting.

Test drive one that is advertised as VGC and you will get a better idea of what they should be like.

This one sounds like it need about $2000-$3000 spent on it.

Bruce.

Are you sure you want a series Landy?

There's a great looking '94 110 on ebay at the moment for $9000 - buy it now for $14000.

There's a fair bit of difference between series Landy and Defender - coil springs, power steering, disc brakes, Turbo diesel engine.

All of this I'm sure you know, but if you are looking for the same experience as you had driving a Defender you are probably not going to find it in a series.

Of course, if you just love Landy's because they are, like the rest of us, then it doesn't matter.

Cheers
Simon

Hi all,

thanks for the replies!

Long story short: I cannot afford a defender:-(. I need the Landy because it is a UTE and because it has a towbar. I ned it to drive away rubbish, fetch some building materials and just for some general fun.

This one is going for $4000,- at the moment and it doesn't look bad for what it is. Is that too much?

Owner has an invoice for 1600,- for a recent gearbox overhaul.
The tray has a new cover with nice springs. Cost of that was apparently $550,-

Tyres are ok thread wise but have lots of cracks in them.

No more rego after early December but pink slip included, ready to go.

Car pulls straight when braking and tyres are worn evenly. There is no play in the steering at all as far as I could determine. It is just harder than my old truck (no power steering either).

No diff noise no gearbox noise. Just the issues I mentioned. The gears do go in well if one can locate them in the play of the stick and they do not jump out.

I am considering making an offer but need to sure what I let myself in for :-)

Does this machine (1981) have metric nuts and bolts or imperial?

Anyting else I should know perhaps?


Regards
Bernt

If the tyres are cracked, they're thrashed, so add in an extra $1000 at least for new rubber.

They come up reasonably often on ebay or in trading post, f you aren't in too much of a hurry.

If the fella spent $1600 on gearbox there shouldn't be any problems with it.

New tonneau cover is nice, but I wouldn't buy the truck for that reason.

Good luck
Simon

Originally posted by berntd
Hi,

I am currenlty looking at buying a 1981 Series III Landy.
I have never had a Landy before and only ever driven a Defende 110 once.

After test drving the object of desire, I have some questions that someone here can probably answer.

1: The steering is very hard. I mean really hard and I need both hands to pull it round while driving. It does not straighten by itself either while driving. If I let go, the car will keep going in a circle. Is this normal and if not, what would the most likely cause/cost be?

2: The gearlever has tons of play all round and there is no guide/definition of where the gears should be. It is like stirring a pot of stew and then suddenly there is a little click and one has found a gear.
There is no telling if it is R, 1 or 3 though. There is no resistance for R either. Is this normal or does something on the gearlever need attention? Is this expensive or DIY?

3: The drivetrain seems to have a lot of backlash in it. When I accelerate and decelerate, there is a loud clunk as the slack is taken up. What could that be caused by and again, is it expenvie/easy to fix?

4:UTE: This is a UTE with a flat tray on the back. How much weight can a Landy UTE carry? There is no label or anything to indicate how much.


This Landy has done 134000km accoring to the owner.
Rest looks quite acceptable. Motor stutters but there is very little sump compression and no blue smoke under any condition when warm.

Thank you very much in advance for any help.

Regards
Bernt
Sydney

1 Steering may just seem hard if you have only ever driven with power, but most likely problems are tyre pressure too low, tyres too big, or swivels or relay dry of oil.

2 This gear lever has a nylon tip on the bottom end. This is probably missing. Alternatively (or as well) the peg that stops the gear lever rotating is either missing, loose, or worn. The entire mechanism is out in the open on top of the gearbox and is a DIY job (remove floor) and parts are fairly cheap.

3. Drive train backlash - there is always quite a bit, but it will be exacerbated if the handbrake is dragging. Excessive play suggests the U-joints and spline on the propshaft need looking at. The spline is expensive but U-joints are cheap and DIY.

4. Rated load is 3/4 tonne, but this will depend on the weight of the flat tray. It will actually carry a lot more if you drive carefully.

In reply to your other question - the threads on this model are a mixture of metric and UNF with a few BSF and Whitworth. Engine is mostly metric, drive train a mixture, body mostly UNF.

Hi JDNSW.

Thank you very much! You have answered all my questions very precisely.

One more...
What is the fuel consumption like on these "tractors"?

Regards
Bernt