Blog my ride: Discovery 300 TDi -lowering + sorting

[Range Rover Blues]

On your own? my advice is buy a winch kit for your Hi-Lift.  Hard work but it does the job and will still work if you loose the engine, alternator or batteries.

http://www.mud-club.com/galleries/Range-Rover-Blues/1713-Laning-with-Turtle-and-Little-Landy/

[John Clayton]

Aye, I've learnt my lesson about off-roading on my own!
Later that night I talked a mate into coming back with me in his vehicle.  We trundled in from the other side of the stream which involved a huge detour across country and I had a few difficulties trying to even find the vehicle again, which was a few miles down the valley across country in the dark.  Also, we had to keep detouring to cross re-entrants (mini valleys) without getting stuck in one of the the little streams at the bottom.  We then spent ages trying to get my Rover out with the Snatch rope but I was on the verge of giving up when my mate reversed his machine back just a little bit too far and got his steed stuck in an adjacent boggy bit/trickle stream.  2 vehicles out of 2 bogged in, in the dark.  Things were going from bad to worse...

[John Clayton]

I've been neglectful of this Blog, but will start updating it again...


We had the following issue:
Driver’s door & boot may not unlock with key fob alarm blipper
Blip as normal (to turn off alarm) but then use the key as well to open Driver’s door (or go in through passenger door and pull door lock’s ‘stalk’ up fully).  If door won’t open when inside vehicle then just pull stalk up.   DO NOT LEAVE THE KEYS INSIDE THE VEHICLE!  If you do –and try to open the driver’s door –it is likely to lock the whole vehicle with the keys inside!  If you forget and close all the doors with the keys inside then just open the boot and then the passenger door + retrieve the keys.

which we tried solving with the replacement lock springs off ebay but it didn't work long term.  We eventually cured it by replacing the driver's door lock.

[MPA work]

[FIC work]

[Nigel's work]

[Bury St Edmund's work]

[John Clayton]

Had a rattle from down below -thought it was something major in gearbox but it turned out to just be a rattly debris cover.

Had a terrible rattle from fan belt area so had to get this replaced

[John Clayton]

Fitted a winch and drilled some more holes in the winch bumper's bay to encourage water to drain out [Dec 13 in Norwich].  Also Waxoyled in the bay before fitting it.  Winch worked well to pull MG onto blue trailer, and also to pull a rally Sierra rolling shell onto Durham College's trailer in E. London [Jan 14]

[John Clayton]

Seal replaced on one (possibly both) rear quarter lights [2012?]

I changed both diff and also the gearbox/transfer box oils and several leaks were evident.  I seem to remember trying various WYNNS or LUCAS additives to thicken up the seals (or the oil). [Spring 14]


We had lots of problems with the car not starting (usually when the wife was driving it and I wasn't around -lots of earache resulted!).  I tracked it down to:
a) several duff batteries fitted in parallel (intended to give twice the battery capacity for winching etc., but they were losing charge and dragging the good battery down)
b) The wife using the key to open the car if the blipper didn't work (it is often reluctant).  This then meant that the security system was preventing the engine cranking on the key (which we thought for a while is a flat battery).  I hasten to add that the security system isn't setting the horn off any more (just making a 'clicking noise' every couple of seconds for a minute or 2, apparently), hence why we didn't realise what was going on for a while.
As a result, I parked it up at the end of Aug 14 when the tax ran out and it has been standing ever since then.

I did the following with the Disco today.
-Fitted another fully charged battery (which has passed my 'load test' and also 'hold charge over a week period' test)
-Pumped up all the tyres to approx 30psi (the front nearside was 13 psi, the others 25-30psi)
-Checked the under bonnet fluids
-Ran the engine for 30mins at idle (and also restarted it during this period)
-Drove it 50m in Hi & Lo (with Diff Lock on and off in both Hi and Lo)
-Checked brakes (they work fine but the pedal feels soft to me)

[John Clayton]

MASTER JOBS LIST

+++++++++++++++++++WORK DONE TO DATE++++++++++++++++++
1.   Make interior lights work.  N.B. I know that the door sensor on one side is U/S –I have another one here so I will just fit that myself in due course.
2.   Test drive.  Check for a pull to one side when you come off the power to engine braking (possibly the different sized tyres on the front is a factor?)
3.   Consider fabricating a plate to bolt to the towbar to lower the height of it to what it should be (or modify the existing towbar bracket instead if that is easier)
4.   Consider replacing the spare wheel carrier on the rear door (if you can get hold of a less rusty one from a scrap Disco, maybe?)
5.   Consider fitting a radio with tape or CD player (secondhand would be fine)
6.   Refit the black rubber engine cover (over the camshaft cover)
7.   Fit the radiator fan plastic cowling (fits above the fan)
8.   Fit dashboard strip (stops the front edge of the dashboard peeling up any more
9.   Fit rear mirror in centre of windscreen (so that it won’t be knocked when the seats flip forwards
10.   Fit new timing belt with new gear, idler,tensioner,crank seal and cam seal,
11.   investigate pulling to side on overun, as i said earlier today think its a possible diff problem -a lot of backlash in it too,
12.   remove drag link arm and straighten,
13.   replace worn track rod end
14.   checked steering box free play,
15.    fitted your door rubbers,
16.   fitted new door switch to n/s and bulb in interior light,
17.   investigate interior light inop needs new tube,
18.   investigate locking problem needs new lock (common problem suggest new parts)
19.   had a look at water ingress,
20.   applied rust converter to underbonnet areas
21.   replaced brake servo [brake pedal was soft]
22.   Battery light often comes on faintly and alternator only providing 12+ volts –diode pack faulty- replacement alternator needed?
23.   Fix Sticky handbrake button [handbrake cable replaced]
24.  Work out how many inches lift it has had, -if more than 2” it will probably need castor correction bushes (and castor correction arms?)
25.  Boot sometimes won’t unlock with the Central Locking (also lock barrel is too stiff to turn with key)
26. Cigarette lighter not working
27. Can anything be done about Spare Wheel fouling on rear bumper when boot is opened?
28. Investigate if it is possible to fit towbar bracket (in boot) without removing fuel tank guard? If tow bar wont fit on with the fuel tank protection grille, can it be done so they are easily interchangeable? N.B.  The Tow ball will be fitted at a later date, but please source some bolts for it and bolt them loosely into the holes on the bracket.
29. Source and fit Dashboard Repair Kit to stop Dash curling up by the Windscreen
30. Lubricate bonnet release cable
31. Screw Land Meter (tilt angle gauge) onto the dash (2x self-tapping screws are in JC’s wallet)
32.  Repair punctures in 2 wheels (one in boot, the other bolted to rear door).  FYI, one of them also had a leaking valve).  At least one of the other wheels is successfully using an inner tube (I can provide dimensions and supplier if required).
33.   Fit valve caps on all wheels
34   Inspect Propshaft joints for wear or binding (caused by excessive axle articulation) and grease
35.   Brakes recently bled but feel spongey (bleed again?)
36.   Check Anti-Freeze content
37.   Replace Auxiliary drive belt (a new Fan belt is in the boot
38.   Fit DisCarNect device  (inside vehicle?) to battery terminal (cuts power to vehicle)
39.   New front number plate (adhesive type on bonnet preferred so that it won’t get smashed by steep slopes again!)
40.   Is Driver’s seatbelt fixable?  (Male end won’t click into female end)
41.   Hazard lights sometimes come on and wont turn off (although turning engine off and on again sometimes works?)
42.   Replace Water pump housing gasket (AKA the 'P Gasket' ) if it is still leaking
43.   Hi-Lift jack (in boot) ran out of power to lift vehicle all the way up (started slipping on ratchet) -can it be fixed (perhaps by greasing mech)?
44.   Inspect for a weep from split pipe (off-side of Rocker Cover Gasket)
45.   Fix Reversing lamps (they work but switch is dicky so you have to hold the gear lever right back to get em to come on) & Rear wiper (blade replaced)
46.   Make winch work (cables by battery arent connected).  Winch contol ‘pistol grip’ handle is probably somewhere inside vehicle
47.  Fit offside swivel housing




++++++++++++++++++++++Jobs still to do

+++++++TOP PRIORITY (ESSENTIAL WORK BEFORE VEHICLE HAS MUCH USE)
Stop the weep of diesel from the injector supply pipe
Investigate if there is a persistent current drain from the battery.  If it can't be easily fixed, consider installing an external 'battery cut off' (as used in rally cars)
A Relay makes a continual ‘clicking’ noise when the headlight main beam is selected
If you don't turn the alarm off, the security system doesn't appear to set the horn off any more (it's just making a 'clicking noise' every couple of seconds for a minute or 2, apparently)
Clunk from steering (new parts are in vehicle ready to be fitted)
MoT & tax
Blow up the spare tyre
Tighten down the clamp over the battery


++++++MEDIUM PRIORITY
Source and fit another Rear nearside Seat belt (the female section that bolts to the floor for rear seat belts) & floor bolt
Bolt the rear offside seat (the fold down back section) in properly
Get the alarm  (and fob) working properly again
Source a spare alarm/central locking blipper
Passenger door’s stay is U/S so door can open too far?
Bend out the lip at the end of the exhaust
Source and replace any missing rear seatbelt receptacles -and angle them forward (by loosening anchor bolt) so that they don’t get squashed behind seat when it is lowered after passengers have entered rear.
Run winch out (it hasn't been used for a year or so and so this will help it to not seize up)
Oil leak from gearbox?  It appears to be continually weeping a bit of oil out.  It lost an inch of level over 500 miles or so.
Oil leaks from transfer box and/or diffs?
Get both rear fog lights working (the 1 on the rear offside wasn’t working when Wesbroom Engineering tested the trailer electrics socket in Aug 13)
Investigate clutch mechanism (it tends to lose fluid over a period of time).  If you let the fluid level get too low then the pedal flops down (and so only has half travel) -maybe due to sucking air into the system?  If a new clutch cylinder is required there is one ready in the box of new parts on the passenger seat
Fix rain leaks into cabin (both front foot wells get water in after rainfall).  The best way to spot where it is coming in would probably be to observe from inside the vehicle during rain (or while spraying vehicle with a hose).  I have observed slight drips coming down the vertical panel seam in the nearside and offside walls (just in front of the front doors –about 12” above the floor).  I also suspect that water has rotted out and now comes through the bulkhead between the drivers feet and the engine bay (and the same on the passenger side).  I tried sealing the top of the windscreen with silicone sealant as well, to see if this helped
Remove Offside rock slider and check that newly repaired metal underneath has been properly painted/waxoyld (the rock slider was fixed over new bare metal and I suspect that paint was then bodged over by trying to spray it in the narrow gap)
Check fixing of Wheel arches –they may be loose on both sides (immediately behind rear wheels)
Rustproof anywhere that needs it (the whole underbody was done recently so I’m mainly referring to the engine bay) by steam cleaning/pressure washing/wire-brushing, angle-grinder as required Paint any bare/exposed/rusty areas with Rust Converter (please do not use traditional rubbery underseal ‘cos it flakes off).  Consider painting over the top.  Then spray Waxoyl (I will supply some special ‘high-temp’ Dinitrol stuff for use in the engine bay). 
Anywhere that needs waxoyling on the underneath should be treated as above but the final layer should be Waxoyl Underbody’ thickly sprayed with a powered compressor.  I need to confirm if the chassis members have been done (including spraying/injecting inside the with a flexy pipe –normal ‘clear’ Dinitrol wax is better for this as it is thinner).  If it’s too thick to spray, try warming tin in a bucket of hot water (or failing this, thin it with a bit of White Spirit).  Special attention should be paid to the underside of the bootfloor (this was a new replacement panel in Spring 12 and may not have been properly painted/ waxoyled above the fuel tank after fitment.
See if rear heated window and rear wash/wipe works (and fix as required)
Monitor for wear in front diff? When all wheels are jacked up in the air, one front wheel stops spinning quicker than the other.  Also, there is quite a bit of backlash, which points to wear in the front diff.
Fit rear view mirror (and also the 'blind spot' mirrors) if any are not yet fitted)
Replace any perished shock absorber bushes


++++++LOWER PRIORITY
Fit alarm (or alternatively fit it to the van)
Source and fit Rear axle bump stops
Re-angle the Rear window’s spray jet
Fix rear window’s wiper
Repaint stone chips on paint inc corrosion on driver’s floor
Fix catch on glovebox
If necessary, blast out the crud from in radiator and intercooler grilles (preferably by jetting from the ‘engine side’, and not with a jet so powerful that it’ll damage Rad)
Check if the Light system for ‘low brake pad warning’ is working -see p29 of Owner’s Handbook (in cubby hole on RHS of boot?)
Modify new front door rubber seals and rear boot door seal (to keep water out when wading) –use black silicone mastic to tackle any squashed bits/nicks etc.
Consider replacing the rear light clusters where they are chipped
Tidy up bodywork (using rust converter where required before painting white).  N.B. the brown patches are already ‘rust converted’ and it may be possible to paint over them
Rust convert and Paint wheels satin or gloss black?
Connect power up to the Land Meter’s cable (tilt gauge on dash) –preferably so that it is only illuminated when the headlights are on, or failing that, when the ignition is on).
Check towbar electrics work (socket in rear bumper). 
Consider replacing the front discs’ guard plates (bit crusty and mashed)
Fit a rally-style reversing spotlight (with a switch on the dash) –useful for night recovery.
Fit a split-charge system for 2nd winching battery (2nd battery is identical to existing battery)
Fix stone chip in windscreen
Re-affix the loose rubber trim inside top of rear near-side wheel arch (trim joins wheel arch to body)


Consider fitting the Swivel Housing gaiters
Fit any extra vent pipes/junction boxes so that all necessary areas are vented i.e.:
a.   Front diff   (this pipe is meant to mate in a junction box with pipes b & c.  1 pipe then goes from the junc box to the snorkel).
b.   Gearbox
c.   Crankcase
d.   Rear diff
e.   Fuel tank (I believe that this may have the standard black breather pipe already fitted, going into the rear offside wheel arch).Consider extending or replacing this pipe so that it goes up a similar line/height as the rear diff pipe –or mates via a 3-way junction box.  N.B. we can easily source junction boxes with differing numbers of entry points which we can source if necessary.
Fix the interior light above rear seats
Left hand front stereo speaker isn’t working
Source and fit Rear axle bump stops
Replace any perished shock absorber bushes
Tackle corrosion round rear ‘alpine light’ roof windows + rear of vehicle + the ‘reserve battery bay’ (front nearside –the space is currently empty), perhaps with rust-killer paint
Fit tinted window film on all windows
Paint front and rear bumpers again
Passenger door buckled

[John Clayton]

Labour-wise, total on that vehicle is 31.5 hours to date, work complete as follows:-

 
·         Vehicle collected and Audi 200 Delivered

·         Full inspection carried out

·         OSF radio speaker wiring repaired

·         Winch connected, contacts cleaned, cable run out and respooled

·         Bent tail pipe straightened

·         Both rear brake discs replaced (were pitted and at 8mm – minimum is 12mm)

·         Oil drained from both diffs, pinion oil seals replaced and refilled

·         OSR wheel bearing retaining washer was missing – s/h replacement fitted

·         New 'driven member' gaskets fitted.

·         Engine oil changed + filter

·         Air filter changed

·         New front wiper blades fitted

·         2 s/h rear light clusters fitted to replace cracked and leaking originals

·         New drag link ball joint fitted (this was excessively tight and took all morning to remove!)

·         New rear wiper blade fitted

·         Stripped OSF swivel assembly to replace leaking oil seal. Replaced swivel with s/h item as was excessively pitted. Replaced inner hub oil seal. Supplied s/h set of retaining bolts as incorrect bolts had previously been fitted. Filled with Bearmach 1 shot swivel grease.

·         Vehicle cleaned (heavily coated with very firmly affixed moss!)

·         S/H brake master cylinder fitted

·         2 new front calipers fitted, along with discs and pads

·         Fitted new section of rear loom along with multi plugs (originals had been bodged and soldered into light clusters!). Sorted wiring and restored to correct wiring code.

·         Sourced and fitted replacement straps and sockets for l/h and centre rear seat.

·         Re-bolted hinge assembly on r/h rear seat.

·         Submitted vehicle for MOT in Essex (having been failed spectacularly on non existent issues at Motest) – passed with no advisories!!

 ++++++++++++++++++

2 S/H rear brake discs   15.00
OSR wheel bearing retaining washers + gaskets   3.00
Oil filter   5.50
Engine Oil   41.68
Front Wiper blades   10.00
Air Filter   8.50
2 * S/H rear light clusters   16.50
Rear Wiper blade   5.20
Inner Hub oil seal   2.00
3 litres ep80/90   13.50
Front diff pinion oil seal   2.00
s/h swivel housing   15.00
1 set s/h swivel housing bolts   5.00
swivel oil seal kit   5.33
swivel grease   11.70
rear diff pinion oil seal   2.00
Rear recovery light   20.00
Split charge relay   17.99
Replacement rear loom section + multi plugs   20.00
s/h brake cylinder + servo   25.00
brake fluid   12.00
1 Pair new front brake calipers (new)   84.94
2 front brake discs (new)   40.00
1 set front brake pads   15.00
1 s/h rear seatbelt sockets + fittings   35.00
MOT   50.00
Net  £481.84
VAT  £96.37

TOTAL £578.21
 

[John Clayton]

The new wheel rims do fit but you can't apply full lock on the front wheels (unless spacers are fitted -which are very expensive as they need to embody studs).

They fit OK on the back. The new wheels also need different wheel nuts.

[John Clayton]

Hours spent on vehicle recently:

Fit split charge relay and modify winch wiring,
fault find nsf indicator not working and fit replacement unit,
pressure wash moss/algae from vehicle,
fit spare wheel to rear door,
re-check all levels and pressures/torques following road test.

(5 hours total)

[John Clayton]

Recent work on the Disco:

Mach 5 Wheels Shotblasted
A Frame ball joint boot repair kit
Set front pad anti rattle springs
Axle / gearbox breather pipe
Headlight bulb
Sidelight bulb

[John Clayton]

The plan is to store the car for a while under one of these covers until the college is ready to take it on for major rusty bodywork repairs

Halfords Advanced All Seasons Car Cover 4x4
£69.99

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/car-covers-tarpaulins/halfords-advanced-all-seasons-car-cover-4x4?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Car+Accessories-_-Car+Covers+and+Tarpaulins-_-337177&_$ja=tsid:60494%7Ccgn:GoogleShopping%7Ckw:337177&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=aqtttwwr&istBid=tzww&_$ja=tsid:35522|cid:344535124|agid:24345234124|tid:aud-80976662749:pla-211150319044|crid:97647066964|nw:g|rnd:14062931146472965311|dvc:c|adp:1o1&gclid=CjwKEAiAmY-3BRDh7pjvg46p1iYSJADQ78gNoLe5G8qhP0FYpHWtY9HN822TYb-v_Hru1OzGs8GVvRoCa27w_wcB