Land Rover Defender 90 question

[Bootstrap Bob]

SpaceMonkey
I'll let you know some dates for the new year when they are available. For your information I get about 28mpg on a long drive but not when I'm doing things like this:

 

[wingstoo]

Spacemonkey, mpg wise, Mine's a 3.5 V8 so I get about 14 to the gallon!
The good thing is I do about the same miles or less as Martyn in mine a year so I can cope with it
Mark

Mine is the same engine size in a 110, I converted to LPG, saves a bit on fuel costs and less emmisions.

LS

 

[lou1661]

Nice pics, bring them on! Is that part of the Ridgeway on the Marlborough Downs?

the last two were taken on sailsbury plain not far from Stonehenge, having said that this was before the change in classification of the green lanes so im not sure if they are legally driveable now.
And as for all the mod cons my stereo is good, and my right arm seems to cope quite well with winding down the window, the interior seems to keep resonably dry :umbrella:
and people always seem to come over to say hello, there are not many cars that break down barriers like that!

 

[Pignut]

Martyn, that is a very, very good reasoning and a cogent response. If only all the 'antis' could be so reasonable and, dare I say it, grown up about it. Well done sir!

Ok, please, no more of that... back to the beasts in question.

Pignut, I was not aware of the alternator prob. Do they all suffer or is there a mod to prevent this? Is a 2" lift easy on the Shogun/Pajero? Have you driven a 200/300TDi Landy and if so can you compare the performance or the way they drive? Do you know a good owner's club website or similar for them where I can get info? What is that lever near the bonnet release that looks like a choke lever? Surely not....?

At the mo' I am torn between a 90 200TDi, a Freelander, a Delica or a Pajero/Shogun or a P38 diesel Rangey. If i get the 90 it will be modded in the way I described originally and used as a summer plaything, with a cheaper 4x4 to back it up. Whatever I buy it is for minimal miles when I want to move stuff, have off road fun, and use as an 'adventure' vehicle. My MX5 and motorbike are still my daily users.

From what I am aware of the alternator problem affects all Shogun/Pajero. there are loads of after market alternators that solve the problem (Though some can be expensive!)

The 2" lift was already on the shogun when I bought it (Though I am told they are easy enough (Higher lifts are available but these can cause some troubles)

I have driven most of the newer landrovers (However most have been off road) and can say they are more surefooted off road without a doubt! I think the Shogun would win on the road for outright comfort! (It is like driving an armchair!)

Try this site, they are a good bunch!

 

[davef]

We've joined the even-darker-dark-side with a Santana PS10

long wheel base 110 sized but no sideways seats and no rear side windows
2.8 Iveco common rail turbo
BMW gearbox
parabolic suspension (think S3 landie)
30ish MPG, 70 on the motorway and pulls 3.5ton
selectable 2wd/4wd/4wdLR

downsides:
iffy build quality, ford transit interior, turning circle only slightly smaller than QE2

will get some photo's this weekend if the ruddy fog lifts

 

[Spacemonkey]

Bootstrap, I'll appreciate that! Thanks very much!

Lou, I think Wiltshire are quite good with their green lanes being mostly BOATS (green crosses on the OS) and so are still drivable quite legally, but the local councils can put up TROs and close them for whatever reason they dream up. I can't imagine this going down well on the Plain...

Pignut, Thanks for that info. I've always admired the styling of the Shogun/Pajero, so I'll have to blag a ride in one of them too at some stage. Do you think with the rear seats folded, a 6'2" lanky sod could sleep in the back of a LWB? Is the auto a hinderance off road when for example descending on the engine braking ? Sorry to pick on you, but you're the only Mitsi owner so far!

 

[BOD]

Spacemonkey,

Great pictures of your Daihatsu

Had one till 2 weeks ago. As you say they just keep going when others get stuck.

 

[Pignut]

You may be able to sleep in the back at an angle! if you see what I mean! I will be having the back seats down over the next couple of days so I will give it a go and get back to you!

As for the Auto it is no problem at all! there is a low gear selector (1 and 2) on the auto box this coupled with low ratio 4WD is very slow even on the steepest mudy slopes

Dont worry about the questions! That is the point of the forum!

 

[JonnyP]

Bootstrap, I'll appreciate that! Thanks very much!

Lou, I think Wiltshire are quite good with their green lanes being mostly BOATS (green crosses on the OS) and so are still drivable quite legally, but the local councils can put up TROs and close them for whatever reason they dream up. I can't imagine this going down well on the Plain...

Pignut, Thanks for that info. I've always admired the styling of the Shogun/Pajero, so I'll have to blag a ride in one of them too at some stage. Do you think with the rear seats folded, a 6'2" lanky sod could sleep in the back of a LWB? Is the auto a hinderance off road when for example descending on the engine braking ? Sorry to pick on you, but you're the only Mitsi owner so far!

Hi Nick.....I have a Mitsi Shotgun as well as my 110 landy....You can sleep in the back, though its a tight fit, length wise and I am only 5' 10", you may be uncomfortable. Also if you have any gear with you, it will all have to go into the front two seats, so bear that in mind...I have had nothing but trouble with my shotgun too, had the heads done twice before and it is now drinking far too much oil, which is telling me, the heads still arn't right, cos it ain't dripping any oil. It is definately a very comfortable and well equipped car. An auto box is better to have for off roading, rather than a manual. The shotgun has a superb auto box, you can move between hi and low ratio when moving, which you cannot in the landy (well mine you can't), maybe the newer ones you can..? I have found the shotgun to be rubbish off road, even with the diffs locked, but then mine is a LWB and has road tyres on it. The type of tyres are everything for offroading as you probably know.
This is the best off roader I have owned, Suzuki sj, with axle over conversion, 31" mud tyres..I had fun in this....

 

[Pignut]

For serious through rivers up cliffs etc off roading I would say the shogun is probably not the car for the job... but for everyday off roading (As I call it) through the terrain in my pictures there is no problem at all with the (Though as stated road tyers would be a No No!)

 

[British Red]

Spacemonkey,

If you can get one, the old Colorado Landcruisers were awesome. Same engine and a lot of parts as the Hi-Lux pickup. And you know even Clarkson couldn't kill that

I've done pushing 70k in that. Other than routine servicing, I've replaced the tyres and three bulbs. And it wasn't new when I got it.

Loved our Landy but we were forever fixing something. Definitely the mutts nuts offroad the LRs but for sheer reliability and unstopability, you have to go a long way to beat a Toyota

Red

 

[Pignut]

Spacemonkey,

If you can get one, the old Colorado Landcruisers were awesome. Same engine and a lot of parts as the Hi-Lux pickup. And you know even Clarkson couldn't kill that

I've done pushing 70k in that. Other than routine servicing, I've replaced the tyres and three bulbs. And it wasn't new when I got it.

Loved our Landy but we were forever fixing something. Definitely the mutts nuts offroad the LRs but for sheer reliability and unstopability, you have to go a long way to beat a Toyota

Red

70k Pah!

The shogun has done 170k!!! with 1 new alternator and a water pump!

It drives as sweet as a nut and starts first time everytime!

Toyota!!!! Pah!!

Mitsi all the wat baby!!!

 

[Spacemonkey]

My MX5 is over 200k now... and NOTHING has gone wrong at all... and I've had it since it had 65k on the clock... every mile was thrashed. I just love Jap motors, much, MUCH more reliable than the rubbish I've had from Stuttgart and Munich. A Landy I could forgive, because, well, it's a Landy and you expect that!

Cousin has a Hilux Surf and that's really ace, and pretty good in the mud too. They're a bit overpriced I think though. Shogun/Pajeros are bad enough!

Interesting that the Shogun doesn't get 'rated' off road. Shame, as this is an important consideration. My Sporty (thanks Bod!!) has only road tyres on it (Eagle GA ??) and only slid sideways a couple of times in the really wet slurry, but has gone through a few gravel streams as well with no hint of slippage. I guess I'll really have to try a shogun then. Jon, what mpg do you think you were getting? Same is Pignut?

 

[havingagiraffe]

I think the only snag would be the one piece doors with the roll down windows

1958 to 1984 civilian two piece doors will fit the 200 Tdi but the door check straps won't line up (replaced mine with steel cable and u-bolts) and you'll need to fit the 1958 to 1984 receiver for the door catch. Some very late (1983-84?) two piece civilian doors come with anti burst locks which will work with the standard 200 tdi receiver. The anti burst doors have the keyhole in the main body of the door rather than in the handle recess as on the non anti burst doors.

1985 to 1988 civilian 90 and 110 doors look as though they're two piece but they're not.

There is a company that makes the tops as the original ones dissolve over the years and then the glass falls out! I saw them at Sodbury Sortout some years ago and was impressed with the quality. They are made for all Series and the 90/110 split door models. So perhaps this idea is not as difficult as I thought. Just legwork oh, and glass..... etc!

Early civilian 110s and all military 90s and 110s have aluminium door tops which are way better than the steel framed aluminium clad door tops fitted to Series II/IIA/III models. The aluminium ones can be identified as they have the leading edges of both panes of glass cut at an angle. The steel door tops have the front pane cut at an angle while the rear pane is rectangular.

 

[havingagiraffe]

.

Basically, I'm toying with the idea of a 90 TD/200TDi (preferably 200 TDi) set up like the old style Jeep with folding screen, no doors or roof. Bit like an RDV.

Don't buy this one, cos it was stolen off my driveway last New Year's Eve.

Actually, if you do see it you should buy it, cos it was a cracking truck.

 

[JonnyP]

My MX5 is over 200k now... and NOTHING has gone wrong at all... and I've had it since it had 65k on the clock... every mile was thrashed. I just love Jap motors, much, MUCH more reliable than the rubbish I've had from Stuttgart and Munich. A Landy I could forgive, because, well, it's a Landy and you expect that!

Cousin has a Hilux Surf and that's really ace, and pretty good in the mud too. They're a bit overpriced I think though. Shogun/Pajeros are bad enough!

Interesting that the Shogun doesn't get 'rated' off road. Shame, as this is an important consideration. My Sporty (thanks Bod!!) has only road tyres on it (Eagle GA ??) and only slid sideways a couple of times in the really wet slurry, but has gone through a few gravel streams as well with no hint of slippage. I guess I'll really have to try a shogun then. Jon, what mpg do you think you were getting? Same is Pignut?

Sorry Nick, missed this....I got about 18 to a gallon out of my v6, but at the mo its drinking fuel real bad, it needs a good tune up. I did once get from horsham, nr gatwick to stranraer in Scotland on one tank of fuel. At the mo, I am only getting about 300 to 350 miles out of a full tank, which costs £70 to fill.... Shoguns are pretty cheap these days, as all the pajero's came in and flooded the market...

 

[swyn]

Martyn mentioned that his clutch was heavy to operate and this has come up in a conversation recently whilst pulling a LR gearbox apart and comparing notes with various clutch assemblys.
There is an aftermarket fitting for the late type of clutch pedal. This is NOT the pedal made from channel but made from flat bar. It looks similar to the brake pedal. There is a bracket and spring assembly that fits and works on the 'over center' principal similar to a sidestand on a motorcycle. The spring assisting at a certain point when depressing the pedal.
Sorry can't help more than this as I walk around in circles anyway so it won't make much difference!
Thanks to havingagiraffe for more window info too.
Swyn.

 

[Martyn]

Martyn mentioned that his clutch was heavy to operate and this has come up in a conversation recently whilst pulling a LR gearbox apart and comparing notes with various clutch assemblys.
There is an aftermarket fitting for the late type of clutch pedal. This is NOT the pedal made from channel but made from flat bar. It looks similar to the brake pedal. There is a bracket and spring assembly that fits and works on the 'over center' principal similar to a sidestand on a motorcycle. The spring assisting at a certain point when depressing the pedal.
Sorry can't help more than this as I walk around in circles anyway so it won't make much difference!
Thanks to havingagiraffe for more window info too.
Swyn.

I've started to get used to it now Swyn. I think part of the problem was my old and rather bad driving habbit of riding the clutch all the time. That's very hard work in my td5. I dont know if it's true of all landies, but the td5 is very much designed to be controlled with the fly-by-wire throttle, not the clutch. For example, it will slowly creep up a steep hill - if you gently take your feet off all the pedals, the ECU takes over throttle control and creeps the landrover forwards - even if you apply light braking to try and force a stall, the engine compensates and pushes harder to avoid the stall until you ease off the brake and then the engine backs off. It works in second gear too (I havent tried 3rd). Also, the throttle response and travel changes depending on whether you are in high or low ratio. In high ratio, the ECU gives most of the power in the first 30% of travel, but in low range, the ECU switches to a much more linear throttle setting. It's taken me quite a bit of getting used to, but I'm now controling the vehicle with 95% engine and 5% clutch, whereas before it was closer to 50:50. Though you can overide all of this by just cracking on with your own thing - the ECU just lets you get on with it. Although I didnt like the heavy clutch at first, it has forced me to adopt better driving habbits. I think had the clutch been very light, then I would've continued to drive on the clutch all the time.

I think my leg muscles have grown used to it too, anyway I dont really notice it now.

 

[Spacemonkey]

Quick update...

A kindly neighbour let me loose in his L400 Delica today around the New Forest. Very comfy on road, and suprisingly quick off the mark. Much better than I thought it would be! Took it through a ford that was very flooded and it went through easily like it was just a puddle. My MX5 went through earlier and the bow-wave came over the roof!! I kid you not... Took it on a long potholed flooded gravel/muddy track I know and it was ace. Far, far more comfy than my Sporty. As said, stuck in 1 it had good engine braking, and awesome brakes. Seems wider than it is, and took some getting used to before I was happy with it as it is no wider than a normal car, yet you think it will be. Anyway, the knob that looks like a choke pull is actually a hand throttle to raise the tickover or whathave you. Great for jumpstarting another car etc. Overall, very impressed. I imagine the Pajero is the same.

 

[Nathan Sturgess]

Just for the LR doubters, we were out greenlaning and saw some upgraded shoguns struggling on lanes that we were gliding up in standard 90s 110s and a disco. Standard Suzuki SJs and other lighter offroaders are good through mud but terrible over rocks or up hills because they bounce all over the place, so much that you need a roll cage if going up steep hills. Also at an RTV the other week there was a shogun getting stuck in knee deep mud that a defenders on road tyres got through easy, discos stuggled a bit because of the weight. Land Rovers are generally reliable since the 200tdi models. This is my opinion though, and you may not agree.