Severe Vibration!

   I took Degsy out for a shake down down run before annual MOT. Shaking was what it did. As soon as I got aboove 20mph Degsy started shaking like mad. Enough to make it hard to hold the steering wheel and double vision inducing. Where had that fioble come from? As I slowed down the vibration reduced with speed. It was not a steering issue like unbalanced wheel. The vibration was definately emminating from the back of Degsy. I imediately thought the rear differential was giving up but it was not whining and the vibration built smoothly as I accerated. I wondered what it might be as I drove the short distance home. Time for a think.

   I mentioned the vibration to my neighbour who saw me looking at Degsy in a puzzled manner. "Universal Joint" said Roger. He told me how the check for play in the UJs (Univeral Joints). Sure enough play could be felt as I rolled the drive shaft backwards and forwards. It was not much but it was there.
 
   Right then, I quick look in the manual for an exploded view of the area in question, then on to Craddocks website for the items. It seemed simple enough, a UJ kit which came with circlips. Click HERE to see the items I also bought a set of replacement nuts and
bolts. £12 bought the lot.

   A few days later, whilst I waited for delivery I decided I would loosen the bolts to be ready for a quick install when the parts arrived. It was then I discovered one requires a special tool to get at the nuts. The forks of the UJ make it a tight fit for a standard socket so a slim version is required. Back to Craddocks, another purchase and another wait.
  

   A suitable Saturday rolled around and the weather was nice so I set about the job of replacing the rear UJ. Explanation of the replacement was pretty thin in the manual and on Youtube which, should have been a warning. Degsy has good ground clearance so having chocked the wheels as well as applying the handbrake and selecting first gear I was ready to get under Degsy. The slim 9/16 socket make good contact with nuts. The thought I having to extract a rounded nut in that position did not bare thinking about. As prescribed in the manual I undid the nuts securing the UJ at the forward end of the propshaft first. Getting at the rear UJ was a bit of a struggle so I jacked up degsy and removed the offside rear wheel. That made access much better. These nuts and bolts where harder to undo. Probably because of the resticted area to work in. However they came off without further ado. Once the propshaft was on the floor the fun and games really began.

  


   The manual says remove the circlips, one retaining each fork of the UJ. They were very grimey but they out fairly easily. Then use a drfit to press out each fork of the UJ. This is where things got tricky. Drift in the from and socket that fitted over the fork end ...check. Lump hammer...check. With a couple of preliminary taps I could see little movement. OK, usual procedure soak everything in 3 in 1 penetrating oil and have a brew. The next set of hammering made the UJ slide through the yoke. But now do you get the UJ out of the yoke. Its too big. More tea and more thnking. The manual was no help at all. Whilst fiddling with the new UJ I discovered the ends came off revealing a set of needle rollers bearings. The shaft within the bearing was shorter. AH HA! With some sublte hammering I pushed the bearing caps on each opposing end and the room was created for the cross piece to be removed. The caps with rollers were drifted out separately.

UJ Crosspiece with spigot parially in bearing cup.

  Now for the installation if the new UJ. I cleaned up the four bearing surfaces of the yoke and the circlip groove. I now knew the cross piece had to go in without the bearing caps. Luckily the needle rollers were held in place by thick grease. The first bearing cap slide in the yoke and managed get the spigot of the cross piece into the  bearing cap. The other end was not nearly so easy. The bearing cap would not go all the way in. I wrestled the cap back out to discover half the needle rollers had moved out of position and prevented the spigot seating. I lined the rollers up again offered the cap to the spigot, but the needle rollers moved again. Three more times I did this procedure until I was able to press the caps home without fouling the rollers. The second pair where just as bad but with newly learned dexterirty I only had to repeat the process twice. I tapped the caps so they appearred to be equi-destance from each set of circip grooves. The new circlip were set in place.The propshaft was ready to reinstalled

   Putting the propshaft back in place was a doddle. The UJ at the forward end fits onto studs protruding from the gearbox so is supported. The rear end of the propshaft slid into place against the input shaft for the diffential. Nuts and bolts secure the two together. Four nuts secure the forward end. That was the renewal complete.

   Whilst I had access to the differential a decided to check the oil level in the bevel box. After cleaning away 20 years of oil and dirt I was surprised at how easy the filler plug came out. I could see no oil. I put my finger in the hole.....nothing. I had 750ml of EP90 gear oil handy so I put as much as it would take...all of it in fact. I refitted the filler plug. It was no surprise to find the gears in the bevel box where quieter when I moved the wheel around. I refitted the road wheel with a generous smear of copper slip. The wheel nuts were very tough to get off. but went on much more easily. I dropped Degsy off the jack and prepared for a shake down drive around the block.

   I have to report it went very well. None of the violent vibration, the rear tramission was quiter. It is surprising what some oil will do. Next job is to get a grease gun and get some grease in to the greasing points. The lack of greasing was at partly the cause the the UJ failure. Having said that the UJs were new with the vehicle 30+ years ago. Time to book an MOT.

 


 













           

Timing is all.

   Time came for the MOT but Degsy had caught a cold. It would just about start then run very roughly and would not idle. Humm. Obviously a timing issue. Setting the timing is about arranging the spark to occur that the right moment in the right cylinder. The items that have to be in order are: Spark plugs x 4, points, condenser, HT leads, distributor cap and rotor arm. Setting of the timing is all done statically.

   I have found to make this job much easier it is best to remove the air filter canister. I removed the distributor cap and spark plugs. The contact posts of the distributor looked a bit burned as did the rotor arm I used emery cloth to clean them up. The faces of the points were a bit burned but that is normal so the faces got a tickle up with a file. The plug gaos were a little wide and all sooty which is not surprising given the engine was barely running. The plugs got  a clean with a brass wire brush and gaps reset.

   In order to set the timing the piston in cylinder number 1 has to be position just before top dead centre (TDC). There are a set of marks on the flywheel which indicate TBC, 3 & 6 degrees before top dead centre. Because the engine is spinning the spark has to occur before TDC to give time for the fuel/air mixture to ignite. The resulting explosion occurs just after TDC driving the piston down the cylinder. This timing of the spark occurs in each of the four cylinders in turn. You need only set the timing on cylinder 1 which sets the timing for the other cylinders. Get the timing right and the engine gives maximum power and fuel efficiency.

   Positioning the marks on the flywheel is a pain on my version of series III Land Rover. With the spark plugs removed the engine can be turned over using the cranking handle. First you fit the starting handle to the front of the engine and turn it until the rotor arm indicator cylinder 1 is approaching TDC. The faff is that you have to walk round to side of the engine to view the timing mark through a little port hole at the back of the engine. You have to go back and forth gently turning the handle until the timing marks align. Go to far and you have to spin the engine over again to start the process over. There is no reversing crank handle.

   So with all the ignition items cleaned and set I turned the key to start Degsy. No joy, it was perhaps, worse than before. I removed the spark plugs again to find plugs in cylinder 1 and 3 were oily. That shows they were not firing. Better make a list. I decided the sparks plugs were in good order however I would new to replace points, condenser, distributor cap, rotor arm and I would do the HT leads whilst I was at it.

    £63.00 lighter I had the necessary parts. The plugs were still out of the engine since the previous session the day before. The timing marks were aligned. The old points, condenser, HT leads, distributor cap and rotor arm were now in the bin. The cleaned and reset spark plugs were reinstalled. The contact point set were carefully installed. It is a bit of a stretch to reach the distributor and there are small and vital screws to manipulate that are easy to loose into the engine. The condenser was fitted into its brackets and connected the points. The lead from the points to the Ignition coil was fitted. So far so good. Using a set of feeler gauges the gap in the points is set. It is a fiddly job but perhaps the most important part of the job. Points set, screws tightened, points rechecked and readjusted the rotor arm could be pushed into place.

     Next the distributor cap was put in position, it can only go on one way, and the clips fitted to secure it in place. The last job was to fit the new HT (high tension) leads. The leads carry the spark from the distributor to the spark plugs. They have to be fitted from the correct post on the distributor to the correct spark plug. The engine won't work or will run badly.


 
So with a a deep breath I turned the ignition key...................... the engine leapt into life and once the fuel from the failed attempts at starting had burned off Degsy settled down in to quiet Series III purr. Result.      

Victory for the bloke with spanners! Now for the MOT.

Quick information 
Plug gaps 0.8mm
Points gap 0.36mm
Firing order 1, 3, 4, 2

Tools required
Flat head screwdriver, set of feeler gauges, brass wire brush, spark plug socket, extension and ratchet.

New Year, New exhaust

   A New Year means not long to the annual MOT (Ministry of Transport) road worthiness test. And looking back over the blog it would seem its time for a post. I do not use Degsy that much now I have a daily driver. All that sitting around killed the battery. So a new battery was sourced. The local car spare chain depot could not find the correct battery as my registration number was not listed. The pimply youth looked through the catalogue and was asking was the Land Rover or Evoque. Do I look like an Evoque driver? Then he tried for a Defender. No - its earlier than that. In the end I had to show him a picture of Degsy on my phone so he got the idea. I think he was genuinely surprised and vehicle could still work when it is 38 years old. I was left with the catalogue to select a suitable battery, the task being too great for the pimpled one. In no time I selected a suitable battery. The pimpled one then tried to up-sell me a heavy duty version. It is the heavy duty version! It must be a reflex. Fitting the battery is no problem at all. It is just a case of cleaning up the terminals, clamping the connectors and a smear of Vaseline for good measure.

   The exhaust is blowing which is affecting the engine performance and is a bit noisy. Starting Degsy in the cold makes spotting the exhaust leak a doddle. Plumps of exhaust emanating from the wrong places. The exhaust has rust through in two places. The problematic hole is by the exhaust bracket on the mid section pipe and is before the silencer. The second is by the rear bracket after the silencer. The tail section has just about rotted thought and about to drop off. A mooch around Craddocks website got me the part numbers and prices. It turned out to be cheaper to buy the fittings kit than buy the necessary brackets, nuts, bolts and washers separately and a lot less faffing. A call to Craddocks checked the items where is stock and off for a spin to Cannock to collect the parts.

   Having worked on old vehicles I knew my best friend would be 3in1 oil. A few days before tackling the job I sprayed a little oil onto all the nuts and bolts I would have to remove to let the oil seep in. I managed to pick a very cold day for the job but scrabbling around under Degsy soon got the blood moving. Degsy has plenty of ground clearance so there was no need to jack him up. The pre-oiling did the job. The nuts and bolts parted without too much effort and within half an hour the old exhaust was out on the drive next to Degsy.

Fitting the exhaust was a bit trickier. For a start it was much heavier. I made up the brackets. They are a wonder, the middle and rear brackets are different and are made up from about 20 components each. I loosely fitted the brackets to Degsy. I put the silencer under the back of Degsy and slide the tail pipe over the rear offside leaf spring. Next I fed the middle pipe over the rear axle. With that silencer and mid pipe loose I used the four sets of nuts, bolts and washer to loosely join the silencer and mid pipe and not forgetting the put the gasket in between the mating faces. I slid the middle bracket around the mid section pipe. The bracket is on rubber so can move a little. It is two pieces, hanging vertically, so it is easy get the bracket around the pipe. Again the nuts and bolts were done up finger tight. The round to the back to fit the rear bracket to the tail pipe. Again no dramas. This bracket is split horizontally. Nuts and bolt finger tight. Then I go back to the front of the mid sections. I find the three specially shouldered bolts and pop them through the flange on the mid section and the flange on the front section of the exhaust. Two of the bolts are easy to access but the third is a pig. It is important these bolts are done up evenly as the joint is a face to face fit i.e.no gasket. With a bit of wrestling the awkward bolt was done up. The other two bolts were done up, then round again with the socket and spanner to pinch up the bolts for an even fit. The last job was work from the front to the back tightening all the bolts. Everything secured it only remained to start Degsy up and see if there were any gas leaks. Degsy started easily and the exhaust was giving its usual burble. There was as slight leak on the mid section flange. A couple a tweaks with the socket closed the joint and seal the leak. 

   Working on the mechanicals of the Land Rover takes you back to a time when vehicles could be repaired with a few spanners. This job needed two spanners and two sockets (11mm and 13mm) Modern car are like mechanical like Rubik cubes. So many things have to be removed to get at anything. Checking through old posts I found I had replaced the front section of the exhaust pipe in 2017 for about £25. So, on the exhaust front, we should be good for some time to come. 

New Clutch

   Changing gear on a Series Land Rover has never been a smooth affair. Slow and easy is the way changing up. Double declutching and speed matching on the way down the box. The main gear box has four forward gears. I do not need to use first gear in normal driving because it is such a low ratio. Setting off in first Degsy moves about 10 feet (3meters) before needing second gear.

    The trouble started in 2016 when a I got a Ford Ranger for a daily driver. Degsy got parked up for long periods. I leave Degsy in gear when parked to help the hand brake keep Degsy where I leave it. Land Rover hand brakes have a reputation. When I came to start Degsy the first thing I do is depress the clutch pedal. That habit goes back to the days when I started driving. Electrics were weak and battery technology was not as good as it is now. It is safety feature as well. Old cars can have worn gear selection mechanisms so selecting neutral can be a lottery. With clutch engaged the car is not going anywhere when it fires up. Engaging the clutch means the starter motor only need to spin the engine and not the gearbox as well. The starter systems does not need to work so hard. Incidentally, my wife new care (2016 Toyota) requires the clutch to be engaged before the electronics will allow the starter motor to turn. See technology has caught me up. I digress.

   On pressing the clutch pedal I would sometimes find the clutch would not disengage. I thought it might be the hydraulic system. I checked that out. No leaks. Trying to start the engine would make Degsy lurch as the starter motor turned the engine, gearbox and wheels through the clutch. Then there was a massive bang, the clutch pedal went straight to the floor, The gear lever in my hand came free and dropped into the neutral position, Degsy stopped moving, the starter motor spun normally and the engine fired. Naturally I tried to select reverse gear to move off the drive. After a bit of sliding of gears reverse was engaged. Driving in forward gears was fine as along as your did not rush gear selection. I knew what had happened. The clutch plate had been on Degsy from new (1981) and 85,000 miles has passed Degsy's odometer. The rivets that secure the clutch friction material to the clutch rotor where so close the surface the clutch plate they had rusted onto the flywheel. The bang was the rusted rivets letting go.

   A trip to the Land rover mechanic saw a new clutch plate, thrust bearings fitted along with new fluids and I was more than £400 lighter in the pocket. That said gear selection is much easier and I can leave Degsy in gear for as long as I need to without fear of seizing the clutch plate the flywheel.

Bench Seats Update

   Dave, Mick and myself can vouch that the bench seats work well, particularly when you are caught out in a thunderstorm at the apiary .

Pass the biscuits, there's a good fellow.






Check out what else is going on the  The Bee Farmer world at www.thebeefarmer.co.uk 

Bench Seats

   Since I got Degsy I used it for moving stuff about. Initially for my allotment tools and allotment related activities. Then for my mix of beekeeping and allotment. Then just for beekeeping. I built a shelf between the wheel arches to create a wide platform. This gave me a space under the shelf for a jerry can, deck chairs and tools like shovels, spades and forks.

   Life has moved on and Degsy has been retired from day to day duties. I now keep honeybees on a professional basis (Here is a link to my website) so Degsy works as my "Promotion vehicle".  It carries my equipment and stock for outdoor events. Last year I started doing "Experience days" where folks come out to my hives to looking inside at the honeybees. It occurred to me that the logistics to get the customer from the car park to the apiary (the place where the bees live) was a trifle awkward. It requires a five minute walk whilst I drive ahead with all the gear. Its not ideal. I decided what I needed was some with four wheel drive that seat several people. It took quite a while for the penny to drop. Why not convert the back of Degsy? I knew that there were Land Rover after market suppliers of bench seats. I priced them up, I needed two sets. I was surprised to find they were super cheap for brand new equipment. I order two sets and went off to Craddock's to collect them the very next day.

   The seats lived in the garage for a few weeks until I got time to spend on the refit. It is surprising how much stuff fits in the back of am 88" (short wheelbase) Land Rover. For once I decided to read the instructions first. They where no help. Landys come with slots and square cut outs in the rail at the top of the tub. Whatever I did I could not get the right combination of bracket and slot. My knees where aching by the time I sussed it out. Then it kind of fell into place. A tip for you...arrange the brackets so the dog legs face inwards on both seat uprights. The back of the seat is retained by the horns of the brackets locating into the slots in the rail. The feet on the bottom of the back rest are bolted to the wheel arch. Just beware of any wires that might be on the underside the wheel arch. Next to fit the seat base. It is hinged so it can be folded up. It was a bit fiddly getting the washer in between the seat back and seat base other wise it was straight forward enough. The seat bolster is secured to the seat base with two braided cotton tape which are tied to the frame of the seat back. Not sophisticated but it works. The last thing was to rivet the braided nylon with the hook on that retains the seat when it is folded up. Luckily the rivet gun was in the tool chest. A couple of squeezes and the rivet was set.

The I just had to do it all over again on the other side of the cab. One thing I had not envisaged was that the hi-lift jack (orange) would have to find somewhere else to live. It usually was strapped to the side wall at the top of the tub just where the back of the new seat rests. As luck would have it there is a space at the forward edge of the bench in front of the tub bulkhead. I even gave the tub a sweep out. I think a wash is needed though.

   Since it is MOT time I would go mad a shell out on a gasket for the rocker cover. I forgot to ask for the gasket when I collected the seats. As I was just about walk out the door I remembered. I did the walk of shame back to the spares desk to ask for the item. The chap got the item from stores and sent me on my way without having to pay. Apparently they are cheap as chip and could not be bothered to ring it up...kudos Craddocks.

   Final job, install the bulbs in the number plate light mount. The work of seconds. I put the replacement exhaust section in the back of Degsy so the mechanic can fit it before the MOT. (see previous post Getting-ready-for-mot-2017 ,otherwise Degsy is ready for his annual date with destiny.

         

MOT 2017

   I have had an intermittent problem with the rear near-side indicators for some time. For the smarty pants readers I know the indicators are supposed to go on and off. However they are supposed to flash when I select that indicator set rather than simply remain unlit.

   First job was to start Degsy. He has not been started for a week or more and we have had some cold weather. No surprise that he battery did not have enough oomph to get Degsy going. Luckily Degsy has as starting handle. A couple of swings and Degsy burbled into life. With Degsy ticking over enough to turn out the charging lamp I set about removing the brush guards covering the lamps and then the indicator lens. I figured there might be a wiring issue so I took off the inner plate that hides and protects the wiring on the back of the light cluster. Plenty of cobwebs behind the plate which means at least it dry in there. I got the indicator bulb out. The filament looked intact. I selected the indicators, I could hear the front indicator double timing. I put the black probe of the electrical tester on the earth tag and the red probe on the centre of the light fitting. The needle of the meter started moving in time to the indicator beat. So the issue was in the fitting or the bulb. The bulb looked fine so had a good look at the fitting. The copper tag looked a bit green and corroded so I used a scrape of emery paper to clean it up. I put the bulb back in.....nothing. I had a spare bulb (12v x 21watt), as you do, popped it in and it immediately it started being an indicator. So all that was required was to clean off the green mold from the leans and refit it. Refit the brush guard and inner panel. Job done. Just for fun I dismantled the off side indicator and cleaned up the contacts as I had done on the the near side. It was not as corroded as the near side lamp but at least it is clean now.

   I checked all the lights, now all the indicators were working. I thought the number plate lamp seemed a bit dull. I unscrewed the lamp cover only to find it was so filthy that it was a wonder any light got though the lens. I went inside and washed the lens with detergent and a scrubbing brush. It came up like new. I thought I would change the bulbs whilst I was there. However I did not have any spare bulbs of that type. I reassembled the lamp. Even in the daylight there is a milky glow over the number plate.

   The exhaust is blowing like mad. The rear joint of the intermediate section is the culprit. I examined exhaust pipe of the intermediate section to find it was rotten. I guess it has been on Degsy since day one, that is thirty odd years. I was going to reseal the offending joint. I thought I would just check how much a new mid section would cost. I thought it would not be much. £9 plus VAT. For once that is less than I thought. No sense in not replacing the old section with a new one. Another few quid for a a new set of nuts and bolts and its done for just over £15. I collected it whilst I was out meeting one of my customers. I will have the mechanics fit it when they do the MOT. A bit of a tidy up and wipe down of the interior and we are ready to go. Now where's the number for MOT test station?