D51 October 2011
THE MAGAZINE OF THE DISCOVERY OWNERS CLUB
Inside: A few small mods from the Editor Changing a 200TDI PAS Pump National 2012 members’ survey Discovery 1 swivel pin replacement
Once registered, you can log on anywhere in the world to catch up with your favourite club, post replies and help fellow Discovery Owners. Subjects range from Caravanning to Humour. There’s optional email notification for individual postings, entire topics or forums.
The Small Print.
For the purposes of this notice, ‘Discovery Owners Club’ and ‘Club’ are interchangeable and assumed to mean the same thing.
Discourse Articles The Club reserves the right to edit or refuse articles received from members. Views expressed by members contributing to this magazine are those of that member and may not necessarily be those of the Club. Every effort is made to verify the contents of member’s articles, but the Club can not accept responsibility for the veracity of its content.
Back Issues Members can obtain Discourse back issues via the club web site, where they are available as pdf files to download.
Advertising in Discourse
Every effort is made to ensure advertisements are bona fide. The Club can not accept responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised. The moral is “buyer beware”.
Advertising space is available in future issues of Discourse. Advertisements can be whole page, half page and quarter page in either black and white or full colour. Suppliers and dealers wishing to advertise in Discourse should contact the Editor for a Rate Card and details of available space.
Public Liability Insurance
Small Ads for DOC Members
Caveat Emptor
Members can place small ads for Discovery stuff in Discourse for free. However, if you have a cottage to let or anything else that would bring in some income, then you’ll also be able to advertise in the small ads section but will be expected to make a contribution to the production costs of Discourse.
The Club has Public Liability Insurance for registered Club events of a non-competitive nature. Cover is provided for full Club members, their spouse or partner and children residing at the same address. Family members as defined in the Club rules travelling in a separate vehicle are also covered. Road traffic accident risks are not covered by the Club’s Public Liability Insurance. It is the responsibility of the member to ensure that they have proper and legal Insurance cover for themselves and the vehicle from leaving home until returning home.
Complimentary Show Tickets From time to time, the Club receives complimentary tickets to shows the club is attending. The Club’s policy is to make these tickets available to those members willing to help on the Club stand during the event. If you are willing to help at the event on the Club stand and/or allow your vehicle to be displayed, please contact the Club’s event organiser whose decision on the distribution of those tickets shall be final. Surplus tickets shall either be destroyed or returned to the event organisers.
Club Events Activities in particular but not excluding off-roading and green-laning are undertaken solely at the participants’ own risk. Vehicles should be suitably insured and prepared for the undertaken activity. Participation in any Club organised event is on the understanding and acceptance that safety is the responsibility of the participant.
Data Protection The Club recognises its responsibilities under the 1998 Data Protection Act. The Membership Secretary is the Club’s Data Controller. The membership database of current and past members shall be for the Club’s exclusive use and shall not be made available to any third party. Elected Officers of the Club may have access to member information having shown good reason. Ordinary members may request contact information of another member. This shall only be through a Committee member who will contact the member to first ask permission.
Green Lanes All ‘green lanes’ are highways as defined by the Highways Act 1980. Green laning events require the same level of insurance, road tax, MOT and driver’s licence as normal roads.
Association of Land Rover Clubs The Club is a competitive member of the Association of Land Rover Clubs (ALRC), an organisation bringing together all member Land Rover clubs for organising events (both competitive and non-competitive) and providing many essential services to member clubs. DOC members may participate in competitive events run by other ALRC open club events provided they adhere to the rules set out in the ALRC Handbook. The Club’s ALRC Representative is Janet Smart and Handbooks may be obtained from her.
Committee Meetings Under the rules of the club, members may attend, but not participate at committee meetings. If you plan to come along, please let the Club Secretary know in advance.
Articles for Discourse When submitting articles for inclusion in Discourse, please save the document as a .txt or .doc file without embedded images. Images should be separate from the text and sent either as photographs or digital images in jpg format. All files should be either emailed or put onto CD and sent to the Club’s Editor for selection. Photographs will not be returned unless requested. All submissions gratefully received - we need your input to keep Discourse going!
The Discovery Owners Club is an affiliated member of GLASS (Green Lane Association). GLASS is a national rights of way user group representing the interests of motor car users on un-surfaced minor highways or ‘green lanes’ in England and Wales. GLASS promotes responsible offroading and the Club endorses this.
Club Web Sites & DOC Forum
The Discovery Owners Club Arbons House Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk. CO10 9RN
www.discoveryownersclub.com and www.discoveryownersclub.org are the Club’s website addresses. www.doc-forum.co.uk is our forum address. For instant access, all you need is a valid membership number to register on site.
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Executive Committee
Management Committee
Martin Bisby Chair Via the Club’s address Tel: 0113 2383903 Mobile: 07771 666057 Email: chairman@discoveryownersclub.org
ROGER SPENCER Discourse Editor 27 Clarkson Drive, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2WA. Mobile: 07795 824111 Email: editor@discoveryownersclub.org
JANET SMART Vice Chair The Bales, Cow Lane, Kimpton, Hampshire, SP11 8NY. Tel: 01264 772851 Email: vicechair@discoveryownersclub.org
LENA ROWLAND Merchandising Officer 9 Turner St, Gt Houghton, Barnsley, S72 0DL Tel: 01226 759618 Email: clubshop@discoveryownersclub.org
CHRIS GORVIN Secretary Via the Club’s address Mobile: 07774 963577 Email: secretary@discoveryownersclub.org
MARK BUMSTEAD Publicity & Press Officer Via the Club’s address Mobile: 07830 290642 Email: publicity@discoveryownersclub.org
ROY PRESTON Membership Secretary "Scawdel", Dove Bank, Wormald Green, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 3PU. Tel: 01765 677124 Mobile: 07876 473714 Email: memsec@discoveryownersclub.org
PAUL FRANCE Events Co-ordinator 75 Reresby Road, Whiston, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 4DR. Tel: 01709 324945 Mobile: 07855970088 Email: events@discoveryownersclub.org
JOHN FRANCIS Treasurer 8 Cottage Fields, Eaves Green, Chorley, Lancs, PR7 3QE. Tel: 01257 270079 Mobile: 07766 168869 Email: treasurer@discoveryownersclub.org
SEAN BUTLER-LEE Internet Officer - club officer Via the Club’s address Email: internet@discoveryownersclub.org
NIGEL HARRISON (Tiny) Competitions Secretary/Rights of Way Officer 51 King Edward Road, Ripon, Yorkshire. HG4 1RR Mobile: 07884 4041234 (anytime) Home: 01765 450062 (after 18:00) Email: comp@discoveryownersclub.org Email: row@discoveryownersclub.org Email: tiny1973@btinternet.com
Welcome to D51 Cover Photos: Front: Chris Gorvin Back: Glynn Healy
Contents:
FEATURES 7 The Yorkshire Section in Pickering Shelley Darlington tells us all about shows and broken Disco’s 9 The Nation Gathering 2012 Tiny with all the details, join in! 11 “A Few Words From the Mrs” 12 Off Topic, Roy at the Palace! 13 HAM Radio fitting in a D2 15 Potter goes to Belgium. CENTRE Notts member visits the GP PAGE STORY 17 LARA’s latest updates The Editor’s D3 gets a few more “bits” 19 For Sale Clive’s Discovery 21 Members survey for the 2012 National Fill this in!
WORKSHOP It’s all about steering problems in this issue 10 Discovery 1 Swivel Pins Dr Hofmann shows how it’s done 22 Replacing Discovery 2 Power steering Pipes. Ian on how he did it 24 How to change a 200Tdi steering pump 25 A new LED inspection lamp from Ring Could be useful for the jobs above? REGULARS 3 Hot off the press. What’s new? 4 Committee Corner. Chris updates us 5 Readers’ Drives. Meet Clive Paddison 27 Down Your Way. Local section news 30 Find your LSR and pub meet 31 And finally. One last photo to end with
www.discoveryownersclub.org
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Hot off the Press.... BEYOND INJURY, ACHIEVING THE EXTRAORDINARY A thrilling weekend of cross country racing in a Qt Wildcat saw the start of the incredible Race2Recovery adventure on BBC's Top Gear. Race2Recovery launched in style with a Top Gear appearance on Sunday 31st July 2011 for driver Captain Tony Harris (30) and co-driver Corporal Tom Neathway (27). Both servicemen lost limbs as the result of explosions in Afghanistan and have been fighting back to fitness with the help of the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey and incredible service charities such as Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion. Alongside other injured service personnel, servicemen and experts from the British motorsport community, the team have partnered with Qt Services to train, race and compete in the fearsome Dakar Rally Raid: widely acknowledged as the hardest endurance motorsport event on earth. Despite a mix of injuries and disabilities, the team has pledged to raise ÂŁ2M for Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and Combat Stress to support their comrades who haven't been as lucky. Triple amputee Tom Neathway said: "I feel that the charities have done so much for me that it is about time I gave something back," adding: "Motorsport is the only sport I have found which gives me a level playing field." To prepare for the arduous 9,000km event in January 2013, the team has put in place an ambitious training schedule with an opportunity for sponsors to help develop it. The ongoing campaign in the British Cross-Country Championship is the start of the journey and in 2012, once a second Qt Wildcat has been purchased, the team will be competing in the Tuareg Rallye Raid in North Africa and the Dakar Series Silkway Rally (Moscow to the Black Sea). The final journey is to South America for Dakar 2013, the race beginning on New Year's Day. Tony Harris said: "When your life is suddenly changed it can be easy to only see the problems but with this opportunity we hope to challenge ourselves and others through our actions". To support the team, find out more or donate straight to the beneficiary charities find them at www.race2recovery.co.uk. About Race2Recovery Race2Recovery was started when a fledging racing team of wounded soldiers was inspired to take up cross country racing and decided to raise money for three incredible service charities that have helped them during their recovery. Inspired by the work done at Row2Recovery the team asked to be part of the hugely successful effort to inspire other service personnel and the wider disabled or disadvantaged community through achieving incredible feats.
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Welcome to Committee Corner in D51. I am sitting writing this issue of Committee Corner whilst stuck in a queue of traffic on the A5 bypass north of Tamworth. The result, unfortunately, of a nasty looking accident a few dozen cars up the road. It is a sobering thought what may have been had I been a few minutes earlier in my travels. What it does highlight, again, is the superb emergency services we have in this country. I have just watched the second Air Ambulance land to accompany its sister and the other emergency vehicles in attendance. I feel that, at times, we take these guys for granted; well worth every penny in my opinion. For the committee, it remains quiet. Membership renewals and new members continue to arrive; insurances such as the renewal for EAC, the club’s pre-production V8, are renewed; and events monitored. For anyone who is wondering, EAC is insured for any member over the age of 40 to drive to shows and events following committee agreement. As another typical British summer draws to a close, I guess it has been a fairly dry affair but hardly a scorcher, and forecasters are indicating snow as early as October. We will surely be glad of the Discovery’s prowess in such conditions, if that is what is in store for us.
The most recent event on the calendar was the Peterborough LRO show just over a week ago. With a somewhat poor forecast, it had the potential to be a wet weekend. However, with one notable exception, the sun shone again, and the show continues to provide the club a good weekend, both for attending members and for new members, with 24 new sign ups and nearly £1000 in takings, including a lot of regalia sold by the guys in the marquee. One big note of thanks to ‘Franny’ who left Peterborough at 4pm on Sunday with the trailer on tow, to drive back to Yorkshire and go straight onto a night shift – they are made of stern stuff, these Yorkshire men. With the Brighton run and the club’s Plymouth event still to come, there are plenty more events yet to interest members. Casting our mind forward to next year, planning is well under way for our chosen venue for the club National event, which is being held at Hawkstone Park Follies. The dates for the 2012 national are: Tuesday 5th to Sunday 10th June. The venue is situated at WestonUnder-Redcastle just off the A49 in Shropshire. The committee and the event sub-committee will have undertaken a couple of visits by the time you read this. Con’t on page 10 4
Our T reg Disco was purchased in March 2006 (at 113k) to replace an N reg Audi A6 Estate which had 245,000 on the clock and wasn't really man enough (50kg Noseweight limit) to tow our newly purchased Dethleffs DL530 Caravan which replaced a 1988 ABI Daystar we had owned for 13 years (this in turn had replaced our starter Monza). The Day after I collected the Disco, I went on a Caravan Club Towing course (near the Nottingham IKEA) that was most enlightening, never having driven an auto before! It certainly took me a while to get used to the kick down required to get the combination moving uphill, but soon came to love the auto with cruise control, especially after the TD5 Alive modifications. We have been members of the CC for 23 years and have taken all our holidays in the caravan, preferring UK holidays, especially Scotland (we have no passports now). Sites visited include repeated visits to :Killin (Loch Tay & Ben Laws area enjoying a 300mile round trip to Glen Grant Distillery; a 30 mile fantastic mountain bike ride through the Breadalbane Mountains: from Killin past Ben Laws visitors centre down and along Ben Lyon, back up and down into Glen Lochay. It's such a magnificent remote ride that I did it the other way round the next visit. Lochs, rivers, mountains, eagles, stubborn Highland cattle on tight hairpin bends, absolutely recommend it. You could get round in a Disco with some gates to open). Breamar, Oban, Morvich (5 Sisters of Kintail, Eileen Donan Castle, & Skye even on my bike!), Culloden (+ Day trip to John o'Groats & a drive round the 3 lakes and Caledonian Canal). All sites have really good walking and accessible mountain bike rides. For members who have never visited the Highlands, it’s well worth the trip, especially if you like walking and mountain biking. As you can probably tell, we absolutely love it. We had a few trips to Glen Coe including a Ranger Guided walk over the top of one of the 3 sisters and down through the hidden valley, what a day out! We walked up Ben Ledi with the local (Callander) Ramblers and down with a local 90 year old ex missionary to celebrate his birthday! (he went up by local farmers tracked vehicle), another great day. We also joined the local Lincolnshire DOC members at Rutland Water for a good weekend break with a bike ride part way round the water, pub visits and general leisurely chit chat/banter. 5
I digress… back to the Disco, ah yes, what a joy it has been driving it over 5 ½ years and just 13,000 miles, obviously it has needed some TLC (don't they all!) but has been very reliable and only let us down ONCE - last year on our way home after a 1,000 mile Lake District holiday (up and down various Passes with no problem!) a bottom hose split on the A66 and dumped all the coolant: Fortunately, a lay-by was only yards away and I was able to pull in and stop quickly with no damage done - Green Flag CC Mayday tow home (Caravan to Storage, Disco & Family to home, next day secondary recovery to Garage - all included in membership, what superb value). Garage Bill £164, (replacement part just £4.62!). The tow home did however save on fuel. As a DOC Member (2507) since March 2006, sadly, my Discoing days are unfortunately about to come to an end! I’ve had the TD5 for 5+ years but since recently retiring and, as the wife does not drive, we have to downsize my stable of 3 cars to just one, (it's costing too much to continue running all 3) so we are replacing them with a more practical, utility estate, (a Volvo XC70 AWD). The Disco will be sadly missed. I will be advertising the Disco first on the DOC Forum, but I need a fine day to take suitable photos, as I only have holiday snaps. If there is no interest, then will try Piston Heads. Failing this, K Arnold will advertise it on my behalf, with obviously a dealer cut. The option of a trade in toward the Volvo was not really a financially viable option! The second car in the Stable is a VW Polo 1.9E SDI purchased (with 38k on the clock) about the same time as the Disco for use as an economic commuter, 43 miles each way to work 70 mpg (had 84 over a trial economy run!). It has now done 116k with only one breakdown in covering 78k miles in 5 ½ years. (Sold to the Volvo Salesman for his daughter). Third car: A few years ago in 2004 (before getting the Disco) using a lump sum from an early cashed in pension (which was getting less and less the longer I waited) and never having had a sports car, I purchased a relatively cheap Porsche 944, got really hooked and enjoyed lots of terrific drives in these cars. To cut a long story short, I am now on my third and last 944, a really potent Turbo which I have had NO breakdowns in, 10,500 miles (4 ½ years) and only one problem, the washer pump. Sadly it is also for sale at JM Garage and on Piston Heads. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Disco and DOC membership and can only hope it is purchased by someone (a fellow DOC member perhaps) who will get as much enjoyment and service out of it as I have, and treat it well! Clive Paddison
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Editor’s Note: Sadly Clive’s Discovery is for sale, for more information, refer to page 19.
DOC YORKSHIRE SECTION SUMMER HOLIDAY AT PICKERING We arrived at Vale of Pickering campsite after being stuck in traffic on the A64. The others had already arrived and were busy setting up their caravans and putting their awnings up. All of us were mostly together, apart from Lena and Garry, and also Steve and Donna, who were on the next row. Also the members in tents (Andy, Steve, Tony and Chris) were pitched in a separate field – they were later christened as ‘The Council Estate’ by themselves! The weather was a bit overcast but warm. Most of the children had brought their bikes and scooters. There was a fantastic play area, which was where the kids spent most of their time. There were balancing beams, swings and spiral slides. The children had good fun sliding down the slide and practising their balancing skills on the beams. After a lovely meal at a local pub, I went to the Welliebobs’ caravan and I was sat outside with Frances, Angela and Rachel, chatting and enjoying our drinks. By then, everyone came to sit with us as well. I enjoyed the lovely company and we had some laughs. The children were well impressed when Lena gave them all a pink balloon with a light in the bottom; they had a wonderful time. The next day, Sunday, I found a swimming pool at Pickering, and I mentioned it to the others they were up for that. We all went in convoy with Rick and I leading the way. It was a basic pool with a waterslide that was closed due to there not being enough staff on to open it, but it didn’t seem to bother the kids, as they were happy having a splashing time with floats and inflatables in the water to add to the fun. On Monday we decided to go into Scarborough for the day, while Rachel, Richard, Jennifer, Frances, Bob and Little Welliebob went to Pickering Market. It was a lovely day. The sun was shining and we had a walk on the beach Jade enjoyed having a little paddle in the sea. We enjoyed the sea air and the walk down the promenade. When we arrived back to the campsite we went to Jessica Ridsdale’s 3rd birthday party. Jayne had prepared some food for everyone and we all sang Happy Birthday to Jessica and helped her to eat her cake! Tiny plonked a big plate of shaving foam on Steve’s head, and then spent the rest of the evening looking nervously over his shoulder, expecting some payback! It’ll happen when he least expects it! On Tuesday we all got up early and set off to Flamingo Land. We all went in convoy with Richard leading the way. Rachel gave us our tickets and we went inside and proceeded to have fun on the rides. Jennifer and Thomas got increasingly more daring on the rides, and by the end of the day, there was no stopping them and they went on the motorbike ride “Velocity” repeatedly! Me, Rick, Amber and Jade saw some African acrobatic bongo warriors, who were very good. I had my photograph taken with them. As it was the third Tuesday in the month, it was the Yorkshire section meeting, which we held in the gazebo. Monty had organised a quiz for everyone. We all split into teams and answered forty questions on trivia, general knowledge, etc. The winning team were the council campers. We came last (the Darlo’s) but it was all good fun! The winnings were donated to the Great North Air Ambulance. We also ran “Open the box”, which Monty won, with James, his son, picking the winning key to scoop £39! On Wednesday, most of us went greenlaning with Tiny as our leader. Everything was going fine until we had to do an emergency stop due to someone in a euro box deciding at the last minute to turn into a side road. Pete and Marsha, who were in front of us, swerved left onto the grass, we carried straight on and Monty, who was behind, us swerved to the right. 7
We all thought we had a lucky escape, but unfortunately, our brakes had locked on. We managed to free them off with help from Pete and Monty. Then we carried in our merry way. The first lane was OK but the second one was full of drama. Near the end of the lane, the brakes decided to lock on again. We were near the end of the lane so we thought we would drive to the road, but on the way, the clutch wouldn’t work and we were stuck in gear. We managed to get it out of gear by rocking the Disco. Then Monty towed us back to the campsite. A big thank you to Monty for towing us back and helping us track down the problem, which was a faulty slave cylinder. On Wednesday night we went to watch an amateur production of “The Wizard of Oz” at the YMCA theatre in Scarborough. We went with the Puddleducks, as we didn’t have our Disco working. It was a very good performance and everyone enjoyed it, clapping away to the music. On the way out, all the cast of the show were waiting at the doors. I had my photograph taken with some of the cast. (This is getting to be a habit!) Then we set off back to the campsite and everyone went straight to bed, as it was another tiring day for all of us. On Thursday most of us were just chilling out in our caravans. Richard and Jennifer had gone for a bike ride to Dalby Forest while Rachel, Frances, Welliebob and Little Welliebob all went to ‘Go Ape’. On Thursday night we all went to The Providence pub for a meal. It was a bit cramped inside but we all managed to squeeze in one corner. Little Welliebob found a fly in his fried egg and Andy found a hair in his dessert, but apart from that, it was lovely! On Friday morning, Richard had taken Rick back to our house to fetch our van for the rest of our holiday, and to fetch his trailer and Range Rover. Later on in the evening, we did a treasure hunt around Pickering organised by Rachel. Everyone had good fun and really enjoyed it. After everyone had finished their treasure hunt, we made our way back to the campsite and made their way to the gazebo, where Rachel gave us the results of the treasure hunt. The winners were Steve and Linda, who won a bottle of Margarita, Stephen and Angela, who won a box of shortbread, and me and Rick and the girls, who won a bottle of Pinot Grigio. We all achieved a winning score of 20. As the night was approaching, everyone was having a good time, especially Andy Hallam who had his hair cut by Stephen Puddleduck and Lena. On Saturday, the last day, everyone was busy packing up to come home. Rachel towed our
poor broken Disco on the trailer with their D3 (photo above), while Richard towed their caravan with the Range Rover (I like the roof rack Richard, wonder why? – Ed). I would like to thank everybody for their help when we needed it. It just goes to show what good friends we have in this wonderful club. Thank you everybody, especially Richard and Rachel, for a wonderful holiday Shelley Darlington 8
DOC NATIONAL GATHERING 2012 The national gathering next year will be held at Hawkstone Park and Follies near Wem in Shropshire. The dates for this great event are Tuesday 5 June 2012 to Sunday 10 June 2012. At Hawkstone Park there are lots of things to do for all the family:
Three off-road sites Beautiful follies to walk around Caves to lose the children in Cliffs Woodland walks with wild birds of prey Guided evening tour with head keeper (separate charge) Clay pigeon shooting (separate charge) Archery (separate charge) Golf (separate charge) Gift shop Café Supermarkets only 8 miles away in Whitchurch. Green lanes are nearby (small map book type thing provided) Local Land Rover parts on call up to 10pm. Independent Land Rover garage also on call till 10pm.
PRICES…for 2012 only!! Now for the good bit… Camping field has water, showers, toilets and electric (tbc) Camping per unit (5 nights) and off-roading for 2 days…………………....£40 Hotel per room per night - Tues – Thurs……………………………………£76 (per night) Hotel as above - Fri- Sun…………………………………………………...£86 (per night) (Hotel prices based on two sharing with breakfast included) Golf per person per 18 holes………………………………………....£25 advance booking. Clay pigeon shooting per 25 clays…………………………………...£35 advance booking. Archery per person per day…………………………………………..£10 advance booking The cost of the guided evening walk is dependent on numbers. Please note the prices for camping are capped for this year only. It does not matter whether you are staying with us for one night or five nights or offroading or not it, will still be £40. Please have a good old think about this and a booking form will be available soon via Discourse and the forum.
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COMMITTEE CORNER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 However, this event is always a big part of the club’s calendar, with much to do, and volunteers are always wanted. If you feel you can lend a hand over this weekend, please get in touch with me or Nigel Harrison (Tiny) – number in the front of the magazine. The AGM has been booked for the last weekend in March, and is back at the NFU headquarters in Stratford upon Avon. We are aware that even as centrally located as it is, fuel costs still prohibit many from attending, which is a shame. It may be worth popping along to your local meet and seeing if you can come ‘en masse’ in one or two vehicles and share the cost. Other news includes the club Twitter page, which continues to grow with over 100 regular followers, including a number of magazines, and Land Rover themselves, which is always good, as speaking of LR, I hope you have all seen the picture of the Defender replacement – the DC 100 - I am having one of those.
Image courtesy of Land Rover
Cheers Chris Gorvin For a long time, I have been experiencing the occasional loss of oil in the swivel pin housings (ca 130 ml = 37 % of the capacity, in a period of 5000 km). I have not been able to find any leaks neither on the swivel pin housing or the hub nor drops of oil on the garage floor. Haynes declares: ‘To enable the front wheels to turn from lock-to-lock while being driven, the front half-shafts incorporate a CV joint on their outer ends. The CV joint runs inside an oil filled swivel pin housing, the swivel pins being located in tapered roller bearings‘. When taking up drive, the air pressure in the swivel pin housings rises and can enable the oil to escape through the gaskets. So it is a good idea to evacuate the air from the swivel pin housing by fitting a ventilating pipe, as it is usual on the axles, the gearboxes or the crank case. For this purpose, I got two new filler plugs (3292) exactly centrically perforated and pressed in a connecting tube piece. I had this job done by a precision-instrument-maker.(see picture 1) I swapped the two original filler plugs for the pepared ones and after topping up with SAE 90 gear oil (20 % more, than the little ¼“ squarte headed level plug on the bottom of the housing would allow) I screwed them up. On the tube piece of the new filler plug I turned up a suitable 2 metres long textil-mantled fuel-hose and then I manoeuvred it adherend to a brake-hose (see picture 2) into the engine bay. Here I fixed the ventilating pipe, spirally rolled up on its end (for preventing entry of dust) on the extension-tank bracket (rh), respectively on the outlet-pipe of the clutch fluid-reservoir (lh) with cable binders (see picture 3). Since I have made this little modification on my Discovery,there is no longer any loss of oil in the swivel pin and I must not be alarmed, once to drive without a sufficient oil level, destroying my swivel pin assembly. Dr. Diether Hofmann 10
For all you young ladies who meet the young man of your dreams, let this be a warning. If he is a young man who is a car/Land Rover fanatic and you think you can change him - forget it! When I met Adrian in 1960 he had just finished building a “Morris 8 special”. That was great, but what I didn’t bargain for was that every Saturday when we didn’t have to go to work, I would sit beside him whilst he tinkered with even more cars. With a group of like minded young men any conversation would always be about cars, cars, cars and who knows what else! I was totally excluded from this, but I did have high hopes that things would change. So being young and easy going I had no problem with sitting by patiently sewing, knitting or talking to Adrian’s elderly Aunt who lived in a flat to the rear of Adrian’s parents’ home. Some five years later in 1965 we married and subsequently had two lovely girls. Instead of going to the beach with the girls and so on, where was Adrian - rebuilding or mending more Land Rovers. Then as each girl approached 17 years, this gave him the perfect excuse to buy damaged cars and re-build them for the girls. Of course this was very helpful, but it took him away from us and legitimately gave him the perfect excuse to indulge his chief interest in re-building cars. As our girls were born nine years apart, this took us nearly up to when we bought a derelict barn and linhay for conversion which, thankfully, took his interest for at least two years - then…you know the rest - his first love - Land Rovers! I give in and our life is as it should be, and has been for the past 46 years - a compromise! At least he is not preoccupied with another woman - at least I don’t think so!
June Redfern
wife of “Fieryred” - a smiling Land Rover widow! P.S. Just for the record I am very happy if, when I turn the ignition in my car, it starts and it gets me from “A” to “B”. This is my total interest in cars. 11
OR HOW MANY DOC MEMBERS DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE IN ONE DAY? Not many we suppose, but on the 15th July there were at least two with members of their family present. The occasion was the annual garden party for The Not Forgotten Association, a TriService Charity founded in 1920, which brings together organisations that offer help to service and ex-service personnel. The RAF Association (RAFA), The Royal Navy Association, The British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association, The Royal British Legion, The Royal Star & Garter Charity are just a few of the organizations that were invited. Also in attendance was a group of injured Royal Marines from 40 Commando who had just completed a grueling 150 miles row along the River Thames HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence were the hosts for the day, and more than two hours were spent meeting many beneficiaries and serving personnel from all three services. Circulating among the visitors, were celebrities from the world of TV and entertainment. To name a few, Dame Vera Lynn, Kate Adie, Lynda Bellingham, Cilla Black, Dick & Dom, Anton Du Beke, Rolf Harris, Gloria Hunniford, Rula Lenska, Nigel Planer, Esther Rantzen, and June Whitfield. With stirring music provided by The Band of the Guards and the presence of both The Yeomen of the Guard and many servicemen and women from across the Armed Forces, guests enjoyed a memorable and, for many, an emotional once-in-a-lifetime experience. The party ended with The Band of the Scots Guards performing the Ceremony of Beating Retreat. The day as remembered by Lee Hayward I am in receipt of a War Pension and being Secretary of the local Branch of the Royal Navy Association, I was given the opportunity by the Not Forgotten Association, to attend the party. On Friday the 15th July 2011 myself, shipmate Terry Whitty, and our significant others Kelly and Christina, set out in our Discovery on Thursday afternoon leaving Liskeard approximately 1630. It was a very relaxed drive up to the Capital City, taking in a comfort break just outside Swindon. Sean the Irish speaking Tom Tom (SATNAV) coping admirably with driving through the streets of London. London looked really exciting, buzzing with bright lights and so many people, However, I was glad when we finally reached our Hotel, 2230 and just in time for last orders, a night cap or two was ordered. Friday Morning, after a good night sleep and a big hearty breakfast we decided to have a recce; just a small walk around the block to purchase a newspaper and to take in a sight or two. Mmm it should be all right when they finish building the place. After our walk we adjourned to our rooms to get Booted and Spurred. Just after midday we met up again, straightened collars and centred ties and I must say our girls looked absolutely fantastic. It was the first time I had seen Kelly wear a real hat, not a Ball cap, amazing. With the sun shining and two hours to go, we departed the hotel heading off towards Buckingham Palace. Our journey was met by a sea of cars and people, it did not seem so exciting without all the coloured lights of the night before and I had forgotten how busy London could be, especially on a Friday afternoon. 1250 we reached the Palace far too early and even tried to kill a bit of time by driving around the Palace and its grounds, several times. Enough was enough; dizziness was setting in so we parked outside the Palace Gates, early and eager but we were not the only ones. After a photo shoot or ten, a chat with other Garden Party goers, a brief by the Police and thorough vehicle search it was time to drive through the Palace gates, across the front of the Palace and through one of the arches that lead into the Palace quadrangle. The seventh vehicle there, we had arrived. Once inside the gardens it was very quiet to start with but after half an hour or so it had become very busy; there must have been well over 2000 guests with over half being ex or serving members of the Armed Forces. 12
The rest was made up of their guests/carers along with the odd celebrity. Our journey home was as relaxed and uneventful as the journey up, the weather was on our side throughout and we all agreed we had achieved a lot in only 30 hours. The day as remembered by Roy Preston Margaret is a stroke victim and lives in The Royal British Legion Poppy Home, Lister House, in Ripon, North Yorkshire, and it was her turn this year to be invited to the garden party. When residents have a day out from the home they must always have someone to accompany them, either a nurse or a carer, on this occasion I was asked to be her “carer” and wheelchair pusher for the day. The trip to London and return was to be accomplished in one day so an early start had to be made for the four residents, the four carers and two drivers. The journey down the M1 was very comfortable in the RBL minibus/ambulance and we had a stop at Donington Park Services for a hearty breakfast about 9.00am. On the approach to London a postcode was entered into the satnav to guide us to the Palace but unfortunately the postcode for Buckingham House was entered, not Buckingham Palace. When nearing the plotted destination one of our nurses recognized the area and realized that we were about two miles away from the Palace. Our nurse guided us through all the one-way streets to Pall Mall and to the Palace gates where we had to queue in Spur Road with all the other visiting coaches, cars and ambulances. The gates to the Palace did not open until 2.00pm. Once inside the Palace gates and out of the minibus, we were directed to a large marquee and to a table allocated to Lister House. Party food was ready for consumption and the celebrities were soon mingling with the visitors. We did not need a satnav to get us out of London; the driver just followed the signs for The North and the M1. By 5.30pm we were well on our way home. We had a stop for refreshments and were back in Ripon for 11.30 pm, after a great experience and one which I doubt Margaret and I will ever have again. (See the Yorkshire Section’s “Down Your Way” for some of Roy’s photos – Ed) Lee Hayward and Roy Preston. I’ve been wanting to fit my Yaesu FT 8900 ham radio unit in my truck for some time; the dilemma is how and where. I have a handheld transceiver but its range is quite limited. I had the FT 8900 set up as a base station in my office but without a good external aerial, that was also limited, so I have decided to go ‘mobile’. So, the saga begins It is possible, with the aid of the separation kit, to split the main unit from the head and to mount them separately, but where? My two options for the main unit were the boot or the glovebox. The boot leaves the unit quite exposed - I don’t carry much most of the time but obviously it would be quite restrictive if I did want to put a load of stuff in there. The other problem with a boot mounting is the cable run. It has to be connected directly to the battery using both live and neutral heavy gauge (12 AWG) cable with a fairly large 15A fuse block. Using the boot cigar lighter socket is not an option according to the installation instructions. I have decided to entrust the wiring of the power cables, at least, to an auto electrician. So, for ease of cabling, I think the glovebox will have to do - I don’t put anything in there that can’t be relocated elsewhere, so that’s not an issue. I may have to watch the temperature but I hope that it won’t be a problem. 1. The complete radio unit 2. Main unit separated from the head
3. Cables, note large (15A) fuse holders
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Mounting the head unit is less of a problem. I can’t mount it at roof level because of the sun roof handle so I have opted for just forward of the hi/low transfer lever. It will block the little instruction sticker but I think that I can just about remember how to engage low box if I need to. The head unit is quite small as is the microphone. The only other thing that I will need a place for is the extension speaker. With the main unit remote from the head unit I may not be able to hear anything, as the speaker is internal to the unit. Unfortunately, the extension speaker is quite big so it poses another dilemma in respect of location.
4. The extension speaker
As for the aerial, I will be using a Comet UHV-4 Quad band antenna with a 7” magmount. At the moment, this will only ever be a temporary fixture, so I won’t need to worry about that cable, I’ll just run it through the door or window as and when I need it. The final install After much deliberation and asking of questions on various forums, I gave up with the glovebox, as there was no easy way of mounting the unit securely. It is now installed on top of the cd stacker under the driver’s seat. This choice of location, suggested by many on the forums, is actually great, as it doesn’t interfere with anything else and all of the cabling is (relatively) straightforward. Both the head and the main units are mounted with the aid of copious amounts of high quality Velcro. This holds both quite securely and means that I haven’t had to drill any holes other than two 1/16 holes in the centre console for the microphone bracket. It also has the added benefit of easy removal for security or should I want to use the unit out of the car. I’m still struggling with the extension speaker and for now, I am using this as a temporary fixture too, connecting it as and when I need it and putting it on the passenger seat, nut it will eventually find a permanent home. The hardest part of the job for me was getting the power cables from the cabin through the bulkhead and connected to the battery. As a forum member said, there is a large grommet just under the cabin fusebox, but try as I might, I could not get the cable through. I was reluctant to force it through with a screwdriver or similar, in case I damaged any other cables, so the auto electrician (Tyne Valley Auto Electrics, Prudhoe) did the job for me whilst I waited this afternoon. They also installed a further fuse and made the final connections to the battery (all without losing the radio code, thanks Clive & Mickey). I just have to tidy the cables under the seat and secure them with some cable ties. I am now ‘on the air’ from the car, it’s only taken me the best part of two years to get this far, and surprisingly, the job only took about three hours from start to finish in the end. The next, and possibly final, projects for the foreseeable future are to fit an Anderson Connector to the car to power a compressor and jump leads and, cash permitting, a Kenlowe Hotstart and interior preheater. These might even form the basis of future articles for Discourse. 5. The head unit 6. Main unit ‘velcroed’ onto CD stacker
By way of a footnote, between buying the separation kit and installing it, I managed to lose the little nest thing that holds the head unit. I phoned the UK offices of Yaesu and explained this to them. The very next day, by first class post, a replacement arrived, free of charge. Many thanks to Yaesu UK for such excellent after sales service. Also, many thanks to all those DOC members who put answers/suggestions following my forum posts. If anyone wants to try to get in touch via radio, my call sign is M6KGS. Ken Stow No:5661 14
As with any planning, you have to have some kind of direction to go in. One Saturday afternoon I suddenly realised the last bank holiday was soon approaching. With this in mind, I met up with a couple of my mates and came up with the rough plan of: car plus Europe equals road trip! Unfortunately, only Karl could get the time off. That night the car was booked on Euro Tunnel. A week later, we still had no real plan of what or where we were going. It was suggested that most people go to France and stay there on holiday. Why not go to Belgium, “It’s only an hour’s drive!” Once agreed, we could start a plan of where to actually go, which ended in Spa Francorchamps the F1. On the Friday after a long day at work, the car was loaded up and off we went - for an early morning train ride. Pulling into Folkestone felt more like pulling into a lay-by, which wasn’t too worrying. However, when we drove round to board, I couldn’t help but duck as we went under the barriers and onto the carriage. (It does fit, but I still lowered the suspension) Off the other side and into the darkness! As with over here, on the continent the government are trying to save money and so the lights are turned off between certain hours at night. We pulled into a number of lay bys and service areas to find them over-flowing with truckers and holiday makers. We eventually pulled into some services near Brugge. After a few hours kip, we were ready for anything. We went into Brugge to do the tourist thing and after a continental breakfast, took a wander around. It’s a fantastic place, but don’t expect too much activity before 9:00am. We were there before the market opened up. Once we had seen all that we could, it was time to move on, as someone booked a hotel in the Netherlands. I have to say, the motorways, although they can be the most boring roads you can drive, were pretty good in the fact that there weren’t any hold ups and there’s a pull in or service area around every ten to fifteen miles, or so it seemed anyway.
Once we left Belgium and entered into the Netherlands, we were on country roads to get to the hotel. Little did we know that there was a cycle race on all around the area we needed to be. A few scary bends and kamikaze cyclists later, we’d made it to our destination, the Hotel de Vierjaargetijden in the town of Epen (first photo). This is a great little place in the southern most part of Limburg in the Netherlands. 15
Sunday was a challenge. We got up early so that, although we would be in traffic, we wouldn’t be stuck on the motorway too. As we got to our turn off, two officials started jumping up and down making a square sign… Parking pass! Karl was over the seat, into the back pulling out the pass to the windscreen, to which the officials started pointing where to go. After a couple of miles drive around the towns and villages, being directed into the wrong car park and out again, queuing in the middle of nowhere, we finally made it and of all the vehicles that could park next to us, was a Discovery 3 HSE from Scotland. It was a fantastic day watching GP3, GP2, Porsche and F1. I would recommend going if you’re at all interested in F1. The best place to watch is possibly in one of the grand stands on the hill climb after Le Source corner, if you have the money, that is. We also saw Daniel Ricciardo from team HRT on the back of a motorbike after he retired from the race. It’s a great atmosphere to which some may not be able to compare. The long drive back was brutal, and stopping off at Calais seemed a good idea. However, with it being a bank holiday over here, I can only assume it was there too, as the majority of the shops were closed. No duty free for us! Even when we got to the Euro Tunnel, we were fast tracked onto an earlier train. I’m not complaining, I’m just not used to it! Kieran #3548 (AKA Potter) Notts Section
Modifications and equipment for Europe Warning triangle (Land Rover item as it stores away properly) Reflective jackets (One in the car, one in the boot) TAPE! For the headlights (Most people think the head lights need deflectors/refractors, they don’t. They just need to be adjusted as not to dazzle other road users) A full size spare wheel (A space saver is no good for where I go)
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LARA’S LATEST UPDATES……. TIE-DOWN D RINGS You may remember a couple of issues back I told you about LARA’s new roof rack (seen here on the right)? The ‘basket’ type design is great for attaching hooks or straps anywhere but there aren’t any eyes that you can use to stop your straps sliding about if needed. While on Paddock’s web site the other day I found that they can supply these eyes in packs of six or eight. Six were only £8.50 plus vat. My rack has loads of spare mounting holes for fitting to other cars so I ordered a pack (along with the next item so there was no postage to pay, as the total order was way over the £50 requirement). Each eye (or D ring to give them their proper name) has a small plate bent around its straight side which is drilled to take the bolt.
Each one comes with and a zinc plated nut and bolt and two washers. I chose to fit mine at three points along each side with their mounting plates under the rack. This allowed the eyes to be out of the way if not in use, but any strap or hook etc can easily be attached if needed by just swinging the eyes up against the bottom rack tubes. The photos above probably explain this better? WOLF BOXES I’ve used a large but soft plastic storage box from B&Q in my boot for a number of years now and have been meaning to get some proper storage sorted from the start. Three of these just squeeze in the D3 boot, in front of my Mobile Storage Systems tool box and are dead on the same height so I could cover with a carpeted false floor if I wanted. As you see from the photo taken in my hallway, when they arrived they stack like Lego bricks so I can have more boot floor available if I need the space some time. There’s now a little label on each so I don’t have to remember what’s in which. They have a snap down fastener on each corner so the lids won’t fall off and are very strong. Flat Dog storage boxes from Paddocks go for £23 plus VAT. Of course if I need the full boot space I can now strap all three Wolf boxes on my roof rack knowing nothing can move! 17
NEW SPARE ALLOY WHEEL Local member Potter had a set off eBay as he wanted a full size spare for his S spec Disco 3 plus one more just in case. So one day he turned up with two in his boot for me to look at. There was nothing between them so I grabbed one and got rid of LARA’s skinny steel spare (seen here on the right) the next day. The new wheel went up under the car a treat with the best side up. Some D3 owners think that you can only wind them into place with the best side down as there’s too much cable to fit in the winder the other way and it jams. All I can say is mine went in OK. Also I don’t like the idea that the wheel’s best side is there for you to land on while off-roading or to throw up road muck and grit at. My new £70 eBay spare is in far better condition than LARA’s other wheels so I want to keep it that way (shame it didn’t have the same tyre fitted or I would have swopped it round there and then… So what’s next? I’m currently looking into a cheap reversing camera system I’ve seen on another local member’s Disco. It never stops does it? Keep on Disco-ing Roger (Terrierking) Spencer #840
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FOR SALE
Sadly my Discoing days are unfortunately about to come to an end! DOC Member (2507) since Mar 2006. I’ve had the TD5 for 5+ years but since recently retiring and as the wife does not drive we have to downsize my stable of 3 cars to just one, (it's costing too much to continue running all 3) so we are replacing them with a more practical utility estate. The first place I advertised was the forum where I hope a LR enthusiast will purchase my VGC well sorted and looked after TD5 1999 T Plate Land Rover Discovery TD5 GS Automatic, Epsom Green, 5 Seats, 128,000mls Alloy Wheels Twin manual Sun Roofs Dual zone air conditioning, Cruise Control, ABS, HDC, TC, ACE, etc… Grey Cloth Interior (Manual adjust seats) Coil Spring Suspension FSH (10 services before purchase, 6 since, Service booklet and full details of last 5 yrs available) TD5 Alive ECU Remap, EGR Bypass, Samco Silicon Hoses, ITG Air Filter. March 2008 Door Rubbing Strips. Side Steps. LR Rubber Mats. Tow Bar & Twin Electrics. Roof Bars fitted with Thule Aluminium Tee slot, lockable, Aero Cross Bars. New Windscreen and Plastic A Pillar Mouldings (Feb 2011) New Avon Ranger fronts & slightly worn rears. Waxoiled in 2009 Never been off road to my knowledge. Purchased from Keith Arnold Cars 4x4 Specialists Saxilby, Lincoln in March 2006 @ 115,000mlsRegularly serviced and maintained there during my 13,000 miles (5-1/2yrs) of ownership (full details available). Annual Services since ownership at :- 3000, 2000, 2700, 1500, and 3600 mile intervals mainly used for Towing with occasional 400 mile trips to Cardiff. Latest Service 11 March at 127,603 miles with MOT to 30 March 2012 & Tax to end Oct. The only 2 mods I have made (apart from the above added extras) were in 2008: 1) Put in 8 Drains to Twin sun roofs (Feb DOC Forum fix!) after wife got soaked with water from her Seat belt aperture! (See Photo) 2) TD5 alive Upgrade. Well worth it giving increased grunt for Towing -cruise control set & auto box doesn't change down so much now on inclines, just a slight increase in revs. Reliability :Only 1 MOT referral (N/s Rear Caliper Bracket Mar 2007) This car has been remarkably reliable (for a Disco)! I have had just ONE breakdown, bottom hose split last year causing loss of coolant, pulled over immediately, Green Flag tow home, replacement part £4.62 Everything is in good working order. There are a few superficial scratches (Lake District bushes on narrow roads!) and 2 very minor dents, one in passenger door other in Fuel Flap, otherwise it’s in very good condition, with fellow Disco owners commenting on this at Various Caravan Club sites. MPG: Average over first 4 yrs 10,000mls 22mpg 40/60 Towing/solo TD5 Auto Box with cruise. Towing @ 60mph where possible! Slightly better when TD5 Alive upgrade fitted, but much better Towing characteristics - more Torque. 25mpg solo & 20/21 towing including over 3000mls with caravan to Scotland & back. With Thule Aero Roof Bars, Mountain Bike & Narrow Top Box = NOT very aerodynamic! Superb tow car so not too concerned about the mpg. last 2x400ml solo round trips to Cardiff went in Disco in preference to 1.9SDI Polo to have better comfort at 70mph & an easier drive (there & back in a day!) More recent checks show 27mpg Solo.
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Not a joke, a genuine photo this one. ‘Not a good day to choose to breakdown in a LR’ the fleet of customer service vehicles in the Gaydon car park whilst their drivers attended a training course. Sent in by Chris Gorvin.
I have a log of all the niggles, eg Sun roof leaks, Key fob problems, etc. that have been sorted (Posts on Forum) and kept a database of every single expenditure since ownership, copy available for serious viewers. I have tried to give as much information as possible to encourage DOC members to view if interested. Fellow club members have suggesting advertising it at around £4000 but be prepared to come down! so In order to try and effect a sale I am asking for £3450 which I believe is good value for this car. The vehicle will be available in Sept (it's needed for holiday till end Aug) If genuinely interested PM me (Private Message on the Club forum – Ed) to arrange a viewing. I have an Owners Workshop Manual and Dave Pollards Land Rover Discovery book which I will include if required. Clive Paddison Editor’s note: See Readers’ Drives for photos and more information on Clive’s Discovery - Ed 20
THE 2012 DISCOVERY OWNERS CLUB NATIONAL There has been much discussion going on “behind the scenes” as well as on the forum about next year’s National. The committee felt that to get a true picture of what the membership wanted a questionnaire was the best way forward. If you could spare 5 minutes to complete the following questions we will able to maximise the appeal of the National to as many members as possible. Photocopies of this page are acceptable if you don’t want to damage your Discourse.
1/. How far are you willing to travel to a National meeting? 0-100 miles
100-150 miles
150-200 miles
Over 200 miles
2/. When at the National please tick what is important to you? Pay and Play site
Greenlaning
Visit local attractions
Child friendly events
Sit and socialise
Scenic drive (tarmac)
Any others? please list
3/. What duration should a National be? Remember the longer the duration the higher the cost! Weekend
Long weekend
Monday to Friday
Other, please list
Yes
4/. Are having showers available important to you?
No
5/. Please list any other ideas/feedback of what you want from the National below.
Thank you for your time in filling out this questionnaire. We will publish the results in a future issue. Please hand to your LSR or post to: Tiny, 51, King Edward Road, Ripon, North Yorks, HG4 1RR 21
DISCOVERY 2 REPLACING THE POWER STEERING PIPES The Power steering pipe typically rusts through in the area in front of the radiator. There are two pipes in question (one high pressure from the pump to the power steering box and one low pressure returning the PAS fluid from the pump back to the reservoir (see the schematic below). Some vehicles have a power steering fluid cooler so perhaps the pipes are running in front of the radiator for that reason.
If the high pressure pipe goes then it has to be replaced (you can buy them separately if you look around) but if the low pressure pipe goes then you can cut a section out and replace with flexipipe if you want. Usually, as in this case, they are both rusty and should be replaced as a pair (see photo right for example). This really is a straightforward job and well within the range of anyone who can turn a spanner; it’s just getting access that takes a little effort. However, it’s not a job listed in the Haynes manual or anywhere else I could find. How long? I'd say 3 hours - though it’s worth taking your time and clean out removed units as well as remove and underseal areas of rust. 22
Tools - an 8mm spanner; 10mm spanner/socket; 11mm socket/spanner (for bleeding nut); 13 mm spanner/socket; 16 mm spanner (for power steering pipe nut where fits pump); Philips and standard screwdriver and a set of pipe grips. Keep careful track of the screws and bolts as you undo them. Jobs to do in order: 1. Remove battery plastic cover and positive lead 2. Undo bolts and remove plastic cover over top of engine 3. Undo 4 fasteners and remove cooling fan upper shroud 4. Unscrew Viscous cooling fan (normal thread so remove anti clockwise) I would advocate buying a set of special TD5 spanners from eBay which makes the job really easy as it holds the pulley in place while the fan nut is unscrewed (see photo on the right). 5. Remove the plastic headlight covers on either side over the headlights. 6. Undo the screw on the top bracket of the indicator lights. The indicators will now just pull off. 7. Working through the wheel arch access, unscrew the screw securing the headlight lower trim (both sides) and remove. 8. Unscrew screw in each corner and the three screws on the top to remove the radiator grill. 9. Slacken clamps and disconnect intake and outlet hoses from the intercooler. 10. Undo the horn mounting bolts and move horns out of way. This gives access to the bolts securing the intercooler mounting brackets. These should be removed. 11. Undo two bolts securing intercooler to the radiator. 12. Carefully pull the intercooler up out of the car by easing the radiator to one side. Alternatively take the radiator out with the intercooler to provide more working space. This also provides an opportunity to flush out the radiator and to clean out the intercooler with white spirit. OK. That’s got you access to the pipes. You will see two brackets holding the pipes at the front. Undo the lower bolts on these (keep the bolts but new brackets come with the new pipes). Then unscrew the pipe from the side of the pump and remove the return pipe from the reservoir. At the power steering box end, the pipes are just pushed into the holes and are held in place with one bolt going through a bracket (see photo left) - remove all this. Be ready for copious amounts of PAS fluid (which can strip paint) and have the means to deal with it. Also try and ensure that no dirt gets into the PAS pipe holes. Before fitting the new pipes (start at the reservoir side first) take the opportunity to underseal all of that rust behind the radiator! You may also want to underseal the new pipes too (see photo right). Refitting is then the reverse of the above. The next important thing is to bleed the PAS system properly and be sure to get the right fluid (Dextron 3 or equivalent). The system for bleeding the PAS is as follows: Top up the reservoir and then start the engine. Let it tick over for several minutes, keeping the reservoir topped up. Wheels should be pointing straight ahead. Then (and it’s easier if the wheels are off the floor at this point) unscrew the bleed nipple slightly and have someone in the car turn the steering wheels from side to side, holding on full lock for a few seconds either side. The fluid will drain rapidly so keep the reservoir topped up. When the fluid runs freely through the bleed nipple, tighten the bleed nut. And that’s it - unless you've taken the radiator off too, in which case refill with 50/50 antifreeze with OAT and let that run through too. Ian S 23
The power steering pump on “Old Gold” had started to leak so a replacement was needed. After looking at several LR parts suppliers on line, the average price seemed to be around the £150 mark. A look on eBay found a chap selling new old stock ones for £95, www.roverviews.co.uk so one was ordered that arrived the next working day. I decided to change both the alternator and water pump/steering pump belts at the same time as they were probably the original ones and if either snaps you would be left with no water pump, power steering or alternator. Prior to starting the job, ensure that the vehicle is parked with the front wheels in the straight ahead position and that you have approximately two litres of ATF oil. 1/. Remove the turbo pipe between air filter housing and turbo to gain better access. 2/. Before slackening the belts, loosen the three bolts that secure the pulley to the power steering pump. Slacken the alternator mounting bolts and remove the lower alternator bolt completely (photo 1) 3/. Slacken the two adjustment bolts on the steering pump bracket and remove both belts followed by the pump pulley. 4/. Undo the two hoses from the pump, have a container ready to catch the old fluid. I held the large nut on the high pressure side with a large adjustable spanner whilst undoing the union bolt to stop it from turning. On the low pressure side I had to prize the hose off with a large screwdriver. Remove the pivot bolt from pump bracket and remove complete with pump. Fit the new pump to the bracket (four bolts) ensuring that it is in the correct position. 5/. It’s possible to remove the main belt without removing the radiator cowl by threading the belt over the radiator cooling fan. Another view of the belts The PAS pump from below
6/. The remainder of the job is the reverse of above. Having tightened the belts there should be about 5mm of slack on the belt between the water pump and steering pump. There should be about 4mm of slack on the alternator belt. 7/. The system will now need bleeding to remove any air in the system. Top up the header tank and attach a clear hose to the bleed screw (shown by the red arrow in the last photo) on the steering box. Start the engine and allow it to tick over and undo bleed screw until fluid comes out without any air bubbles, remember to keep an eye on the level of fluid in the header tank. Once bled, turn steering lock to lock and check fluid level again. 8/. Finally check for leaks and that’s another oil leak fixed. All the best, Dave D. 24
MULTIPLE BENEFITS FOR MECHANICS FROM ULTRA COMPACT LED INSPECTION LAMP No matter how good the lighting is in your workshop, sooner or later you will need extra directional light to assist in completing the job. Whether lining up bolts or positioning O-rings or changing oil coolers, you’ll be reaching for your inspection lamp. The RIL2600 is Ring Automotive’s latest and most compact inspection lamp. At roughly the same size as a mobile phone, Ring Automotive has used modern electronic technology to ensure the lamp design is as compact as possible. Designed to have on your person; the lamp will fit comfortably into your pocket or clip on to your waist, ensuring you will always be within easy reach of extra light. The RIL2600 contains the latest in Lithium-ion battery technology for longer life, with no memory effect such as slow discharge. The super fast charge time of 1.5 hours provides 4 hours of continuous operation. The cleverly engineered ratchet hook/stand mechanism on the back of the lamp allows it to be placed in multiple positions. Allowing you to work hands free while the lamp is located to illuminate areas where you need light the most. While ultra compact, the RIL2600 comes with 15 super bright LEDs, with a precision reflector for a superior light output. The lamp has also been designed to match the tough robust working conditions. The polycarbonate construction ensures that it can cope with demanding conditions.
The addition of a flash of colour on the design distinguishes the lamp from the rest of the vehicles ensuring it is not left on the vehicle when finished with. It’s supplied with a mains charging adaptor.
ARTICLES FOR DISCOURSE Share your experiences and tell the members of your days out, holidays or modifications you have made to your vehicle. Don’t forget any odd photos you may have for the ‘And Finally’ section on the back page. Please remember to submit any written work in ‘Word’ as a document. Accompanying photos should be sent separately as jpeg images. All can be emailed in or sent by snail mail on a disc. Thanks Roger Spencer Discourse Editor. 25
Local Section Representatives “Down Your Way” Over the next few pages you’ll find details of your nearest local section meeting. The following areas do not have an LSR or a Pub meet organised: Norfolk & Suffolk, North Birmingham & Coventry, Northern Ireland, and last of all Shropshire & the Black Country. Contact the club vice-chair for details of how to start a new section should you feel like filling in one of these gaps
The LSRs play a big role in the DOC, and this is where you can find out what’s happening near you. Local meets, days out laning, caravan and camping weekends, barbecues and pub nights are an important part of the Club, and we want to hear what you have been up to. Send a note to editor@discoveryownersclub.org
THAMES VALLEY
We held our monthly Thames Valley BBQ at Team Red Rum HQ I took these pictures on the night and thought it would be nice to get one of the panoramic pictures into the next Discourse? Julian - aka "Range Stormer"
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Some good news! Steve as agreed to stay on as our LSR until we can find someone willing to take over. Should a local member be thinking of giving it a go? Please contact Steve or myself for further information. The photo on the right was sent to me my Paul (Stretch) one day while I was at work. It turned out that he was just showing off as he had this black badge Range Rover (that’s the full fat 4.4 V8 with supercharger) on loan for the day to test drive! It was a finance snatch back on offer at around £70,000! He informed me it was a bargain at that price as it came with everything and was a £100.000 plus motor when new due to all the “bits” it came with. No sign of it yet so I can only think it was a little too rich for even Stretch’s deep pockets. Meanwhile other local members took a walk in Derbyshire (lead by Scott) along the railway line trail in the Monsal Valley. There was a news item the month before about the old railway tunnels being opened up for walkers (with lighting), so the day out was arranged to go and explore them. 26
The really good idea was to leave one or two Discoverys at the end ready for a lift back to the start, a cracking idea! Shame no one had any photos. I’m glad to report that our section had a good turnout for the LRO show at the East of England show ground, Peterborough. Chris covers this in his Committee Corner on page 4 so not much point in saying more here apart from the fact that the weather was “changeable”. Chris informs me that I’m in one of his shots from this event (see if you can spot me)? Roger (Terrierking) Spencer #840
WESSEX Not much to report for this issue but the pub meeting continues to be well attended by the regular crowd, although there are a lot of local members that do not attend. Why not come along and check out a great pub and some like-minded members? I promise that we don’t bite! Details inside the back cover. If you liked the cover of the last issue (D50) the photo was taken on a byway that has the most magnificent bluebell woods. The byway runs between SU132663 and SU162651, just south of Marlborough, Wilts. Just down the road there is a great café at Pewsey Wharf (on the Kennet and Avon Canal) which is well worth a visit if you are in the area. One of our members (Jason) has requested “some maintenance workshops would be handy”, along the lines of Team Cowshed, so if you know of a suitable location, please let me know. All the best, Dave.
YORKSHIRE The pub meets continue to be well-attended, with 20+ members usually meeting together to socialise, have a drink and hopefully win some money on ‘Open the Box’. It’s not just the men who attend, it’s also an opportunity for the ladies to get together for a natter, and there are usually a couple of kids there too. Recent outings have included a day trip to Flo’s Café on the A1 followed by a visit to Clumber Park with some of us cycling around the lake; a trip to Eureka – the National Children’s Museum, for Amber Darlington’s 9th birthday; and a day out at Temple Newsam for Thomas Hallam’s birthday. Most of our outings are organised with families in mind, although there is some greenlaning being planned. There is also our Christmas do at Parkwood Off-Road Centre at Tong, followed by a meal (fancy dress theme is The Wizard of Oz) and overnight stay at the Premier Inn. Early next year we are planning a coach trip to London. As always, these trips are open to everyone, not just members of the Yorkshire section. Rachel 27
Some of Roy’s photos from his London trip Ed……
Clockwise from above: Beating Retreat on the lawn. Roy & Margaret and not a Discovery in sight! Kelly, Esther and Lee A bit of an inspection
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Bristol and Gloucester Recent activity within the Section has been somewhat relaxed due to a combination of family and work commitments. The LRO show at Peterborough clashed with my brother’s wedding in September and other work commitments for several members in the section coincided with other similar shows earlier in the summer. This has not dampened our enthusiasm and the Section will attend at least one show next year! The Abingdon show was one of the shows that we were going to be able to attend, but it did not go ahead due to external factors beyond its control. This was unfortunate as it is a very informal yet friendly event quite local to home. We hope it will return next year and wish the committee all the best with the show. Since the last instalment of Down Your Way from Team GB, it has been busy in other ways though. We have been joined by Alun from South Wales, and at our pub meets, the Section have been successful in winning prizes from the bingo raffle held in the pub on the same night. Tea bags or pink shampoo anyone??? 28
We have also been busy with vehicle-based activity. Mark’s 300Tdi commercial now has 12 months MOT after some serious welding in the footwell and inner wing department. Alex’s Td5 might need the transfer ‘box looking at to cure a vibration and Carl’s tidy V8 D1 has moved to pastures new, to be replaced by a 4x4 of American origin! Andy’s D1 should be due another MOT by now and Lloyd and Paul’s D3’s have no reported issues. My D2 has kept up its 6k oil changes with a service and a replacement Fuel Pressure Regulator after a previous repair did not last. If anyone gets a series of spots of diesel on the rear of their D2, this is a sign that the PFR is failing. The improvement in fuel consumption is noticeable since its replacement. I have attempted to cure the condensation in the nearside headlamp by drying out the headlight in the airing cupboard but it returned with the next rainstorm, so if anyone has any tips on curing headlight condensation without parting with £160 for a new headlight, I’m listening! I will be away for the next 3 months, returning in February 2012, so the LSR role will be covered by Alex Threlfall (Cyberprog) in my absence. He can be contacted via the DOC forum. The pub meets will continue as usual at The Railway Tavern, Charfield, South Gloucestershire on the first Monday of each month at 8pm. I will be in Australia and New Zealand, but I will use this as an opportunity to look for the ever-elusive ARB winch bumper with bull bars for my facelift D2, unless the extortionate shipping costs get in the way! Bizarrely, even though I’m writing this in early October, have a happy Christmas and New Year, and I’ll be back in 2012!
Rich (aka “Knappster”) #1449
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SECTION & LSR BRISTOL AND GLOUCESTER Richard Knapp CAMBS/BEDS & HERTS Paul Papper CHESHIRE VACANT DEVON & CORNWALL Lee Hayward DURHAM COUNTY Chris Heaton ESSEX Paul Sargent KENT VACANT LINCOLNSHIRE Tim Smith LONDON Joanne Harrison NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Graham Beales NORTH WEST/LANCASHIRE Paul Kemp NORTH BIRMINGHAM Graham Bethell NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Steve Gadd SCOTLAND James Curtis-Dawson SOMERSET & DORSET VACANT SOUTH WALES Gerard Brooks STAFFORDSHIRE Mark Manning SURREY Nigel Dawes TEESSIDE Neil Ridsdale THAMES VALLEY Lise Hunt COVENTRY, WARWICKSHIRE, & OXFORDSHIRE WESSEX Dave Dorling WEST WALES Ross Brooks WORCESTERSHIRE & HEREFORDSHIRE Bill Jones YORKSHIRE Richard Wilcox COULD THIS BE YOU?
CONTACT DETAILS
PUB MEET LOCATION
knappster1@hotmail.com 07974 570621
The Railway Tavern. Charfield.
p.papper@ntlworld.com 07977 053369 N/A
Refer to the LSR
hayward_lee@yahoo.com 07788 996644 chrisjheaton@btinternet.com 07967 284801 / 01661 835608 tdi.bird@btinternet.com 07876 215360 N/A caravan@babes1.fsnet.co.uk 07786 721260 N/A grahambeales@hotmail.com 07718 626226 paul@kemp75.freeserve.co.uk 07801 285747 email4graham@tiscali.co.uk 07809 380144 suestours@googlemail.com 07766 186840 curtis84@btinternet.com 07977 157562 N/A
WHEN 1st Monday of the month, 20:00 onwards.
1st Saturday of the month, 19:00 onwards The Bluebell Inn. Tushingham. Last Thursday of the SY13 4QS month, 19:30 onwards The Morley Arms. 1st Tuesday of the month, Laira Bridge, Plymouth. Pl9 7HP 19:30 onwards. The Red Alligator. South Church, Nr 1st Monday of the month, Bishop Auckland. 19:30 onwards. Refer to the LSR 2nd Sunday of the month, 19:30 onwards. Refer to ‘Pub Meets’ on the Club 1st Wednesday of the Forum. month, 20:00 onwards. The Durham Ox. Maun Rd, 3rd Thursday of the Thimbleby, Horncastle. LN9 5RB month, 19:30 onwards. Refer to ‘Pub Meets’ on the Club 3rd Tuesday of the month, Forum 19:30 onwards. The Quays. Crow Lane, Little Billing, 2nd Wednesday of the Northampton. NN3 9DA month, 19:30 onwards. The Beehive. 1st Wednesday of the 991 Chorley New Road, month, 19:30 onwards. Bolton, Lancashire. BL6 4BA Refer to ‘Pub Meets’ on the Club 2nd Monday of the month, Forum. 19:00 onwards The Nottingham Knight. West 1st Monday of the month, Bridgeford. (A60/A52 junction). 18:00 onwards. The Buchlyvie Inn. 1st Sunday of the month, Buchlyvie, Sterling. FK8 3LX 14:00 onwards. N/A N/A The Old Post Office. Bonvilston. CF5 6TQ The Dog & Doublet. Sandon, Staffordshire. ST18 0DJ The Woolpack,186 High Street, Banstend. SN7 2NZ Manor House Pub, High Lane, Maltby, Middlesbrough. TS8 0BN Banstock House Stables. SL6 3QD & The Halfway Inn. Refer to ‘Pub Meets’ on the Club Forum.
1st Sunday of the month, 12:30 onwards. 2nd Monday of the month 19:30 onwards. 2nd Tuesday of the month 20:00 onwards. 3rd Monday of the month, 20:00 onwards. 1st Wednesday of the month, 19:30 onwards. 1st Monday of the month, 19:30 onwards.
dorling1@tinyworld.co.uk 07788 926623 rcb123@btinternet.com 07842 144731 billjones448@btinternet.com 07756 448751
The Golden Lion 99, Alresford Road, Winchester. SO23 0JZ The New Inn, Pentregat Rhydlewis. Landysul, Ceredigion. SA44 5PT The Kings Court Hotel Kings Coughton. B49 5QQ
2nd Tuesday of the month, 19:30 onwards. 2nd Thursday of the month, 19:30 onwards. 2nd Tuesday of the month, 20:00 onwards.
rtrawilcox@hotmail.com 07736 350878 ?
Squires Café Bar. Newthorpe Lane, South Milford, Leeds. LS25 5LX ?
3rd Tuesday of the month, 20:00 onwards. ?
N/A manthing@slate67.f9.co.uk 07900 601040 ndawes@hotmail.com 01293 824470 neil.ridsdale@ntlworld.com 07758 444420 lise106@gmail.com N/A
Please pass on any required changes/updates to the Club’s vice chair at: vicechair@discoveryownersclub.org and copy to editor@discoveryownersclub.org 30
V2.5
Another shot from Nottinghamshire member Glynn Healy. It’s Scott in Paul (Stretch) Whitmore’s Discovery2 on a local pay and play site.
AND FINALLY……….