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? 

Back again!

   I have not posted for an age partly because Degsy has not needed anything but oil and water top ups but mainly because life has taken a dramatic change of direction and I lost the log in credentials for the blog....again. As you can see I have recovered that situation. I how earn my living keeping honeybees. You can find out about that by following the link to my website HERE. Never mind me...what of Degsy?

   Degsy has been reassigned duties. He is now my promotional vehicle. He makes guest appearances at the shows we attend throughout the year. I swear he gets more attention than my honey does. As for his health; well the last MOT was no trouble just a flaky earth to the rear nearside indicator. An easy fix. I replaced the rear leaf spring as the near side one was wearing out and causing Degsy to sag to one side in a most undignified way. Degsy got a wash too!

 Now I have got into my stride with the bee farming I hope to blog on a more regular basis.

Account and trailer

   I have not posted for age partly because Degsy has not needed anything but oil and water top ups but mainly because I lost the log in credentials for the blog. As you can see I recovered that situation.

   The major thing that happen on the blog holiday was that I had to sell the trailer. I had to give up the allotment and with that went the need to a trailer to move manure about. It was a sad day. The trailer and Degsy made a good team. I got what I paid for it so that was good.

MOT time again

   MOT time is coming round again so time to do those little jobs. The first and most obvious is the passenger side window wiper. The wiper arm is not holding onto the wiper spindle so it does not wipe. After a good deal of WD40 and pulling and shoving in managed to get the wiper arm off the spindle. Once I got the wiper arm in my hands I found out how it worked. There is a ferrule that slips over the wiper spindle. It has a belt that is supposed to secure the ferrule to the spindle. That was not happen in my case hence the lack of wiping action. I also find that the wiper arm just slipped onto the outside facets of the ferrule and had a spring clip to keep it in place. The job was simple enough to put the ferrule back on the spindle however this time taking care to put the securing bolt in a place it can be got at. Whomever had changed the wiper blades in the past put the bolt in a daft place so it could not be tightened up properly. After that the wiper arm was just slipped on the ferrule in the right position. A quick test to make sure the wiper swept the windscreen properly and it was done.

   The next job was very minor. When Degsy is ticking over very slowly the fan belt slips a little and make a low level screech. I figured the belt needs a extra bit of tension. That is not too surprising as I never adjusted it since the chassis was replaced and that was two or more years ago. I gave the three nut and bolts, that secure the alternator, a squirt of WF40. Whilst the WD was doing its job I found the correct size spanner, 1/2" and had a slurp of my brew. It was a bit of a job to loosen each of the bolts. They gave in after a short while. With the bolts loosened I use my long crow bar to create tension in the fan belt. With the tension on I pinched up the bolt holding the slide adjuster then pinched up the other two bolts. I started Degsy.....not a squeak from the pulleys.

   Last job was to check the oil. No surprise that the oil was short of the "high" mark. I measure out a pint from the gallon oil can and poured it into the oil top up pipe. Whilst the oil was draining from the oil jug I topped up the washer bottle. Another drop of tea for me, a tidy up of the tools and oil top up was complete. I put the cap back on the oil tube and all the jobs were down.

  Since it was the first dry day we had for ages I emptied out the back and gave it a sweep. It is all tidy again. Time to book in for the dreaded MOT. It should pass but you can never be complacent.

MOT passed

   The exhaust on Degsy has always needed attention. The mechanic chap decided enough was enough and suggested I get a new exhaust manifold since the studs could no longer be expected to keep the exhaust pipe from parting and blowing. Since a blowing exhaust affects the performance and efficiency of the engine and Degsy and my pocket needs all the help they can get in those areas I let the mechanic fit a new exhaust manifold.

   Degsy sounds quite different now, quite mainly. The nearside front wheel had a bit too much play in it. The mechanic shimmed it as a matter of course and sent Degsy off for the MOT. It passed first time with the usual notes on the side walls of the tyres. I shall have to have a hunt of ebay for a new set. Brand new ones are £100+ per corner.

   That makes me all legal for another year. So on the way home from picking Degsy up it starts to rain, I put on the wipers and within a few minutes the passenger side wiper stops working. Another job to do!

Ready for MOT?

   The last little jobs has been completed. It only took two minute to replace the broken windscreen washer pump with a new one. Predictably I put the wires on back to front so it sucked air and not pumped water. I simple swap of the wires on the terminals fixed the issue. There was lots of smeg pumped onto the windscreen as I ran the pump for the first time in an age. I don't usually have any outside jobs to do when it is raining so Degsy does not go anywhere that needs wipers.

   In had to take the dashboard off again to fit the indicator signal light back into its holders. The light flashed when the indicators flash but one could not see it.

  Now it just remains to book the MOT....gulp. It is always a worry as to whether it will pass. But now the oil leak has been fixed from the last MOT there should be fewer things to go wrong. I will have my fairly tame Land Rover mechanic give it a service before it goes in so it will in tip top condition for the emissions test.    

Fun for the Neighbours

   I made a light time last weekend to do a little job that has been bothering my on the Sankey trailer. In the middle of the opening where the tailgate drops is a tie down loop. It gets in the way everytime I am shovelling stuff in or out of the trailer. I borrowed a friend's angle grinder and set about cutting off the tie down point. I had the trailer parked up outside the house to access power for the grinder. It made a right din. The sound of the grinder increased by the body of the trailer that acted like a drum and the noise echoing off the houses which must have been fun for the neighbours. It only took a few minutes to do so now I have a nice clean line at the tailgate.

Little jobs

   Degsy has been as good as gold all the long wet summer of 2012. The annual MOT is coming round so time to check those little jobs. No fog light, window washer and a dodgy front off-side indicator. I check all the fuses first. They were fine, so that is not the issue. The fog light is wired to only come on when the headlights are on. That means I have to keep Degsy running to prevent the battery running down whilst I fiddle with the electrics. I could be here some time and I don't fancy hand cranking Degsy because the battery is too flat to engage the starter motor. The fog light switch on the dash of Degsy glows red when the headlights are on. That suggest some up with the fog light itself. I got the lens off and found the bulb was in perfect condition as were the electrical connections. Not that then. The put the multimeter across the terminal which conformed the lack of current. I got the panel off the inside face the bodywork. The panel covers up the bird's nest of wiring. I tracked the wires concerned and found the positive feed wire was loose in the connector and earth was not earthing. I renewed the feed connector then found a good solid earth and connected the fog light earth wire to it. The connections passed the wiggle test so I replaced the panel and refitted the fog light. then to the indicator.

   I know where the problems was on the indicator. One of the earth connections is dodgy. I found the connector concerned and replace the weak connector with a new one. I took off the indicator lens and checked the bulb and connections. I found they were sound. The whole job only took a few minutes.

  Next the washer. First I checked there was water in the bottle. I knew there was water but just to pedantic I checked. Then a checked connections on the washer motor. They were clean and sound. I took the dashboard off to check the connections on the back of the washer switch. They too were fine. I put the multimeter across the pump wires and found I got a reading when a pressed the switch. That means one thing....the washer motor is knackered. I just have to order one and hopefully it will be a easy fit. When that is sorted I shall put Degsy in the for the MOT. I might take it for a mega jet wash first.         

Inner tube

I have had a slow puncture in the off side rear of my chunky tyres. This last week it has been going down within day or two when before it took ten days or more. I had an inner tube in my stores. Jacked Degsy up and put an axles stand under the rear off side axle. I took the wheel off and it together with the inner tube and took them up to the Landy garage. I left it with them and said I would back in a few days. I went back on the Thursday and the tyre was ready however the inner tube was on the top of the tyre. The chap said it was the wrong sort. He still only charged me a tenner and I got an inner tube as well.

Logs

On Saturday I had to fell some trees at my allotment. Degsy was invaluable. One end of the rope tied high up inthe tree and the other end tied to Degsy's front bumper. This meant we could fell the tree inthe direction we wanted an in controlled way. The trees were growing in a six foot wide fenced hedge line.

The Sankey trailer was just the job too. I could get it near the job site and load up the sawn logs at the end of the day. The whole day was just a treat.

NATO hitch

The latch that locks the top of the hook is very stiff. So stiff in fact it needs a mallet to move the lever. I dribbled some 3 in 1 oil down the joints that lead to the pin. I started working the lever back and forth. It was really stiff. I just kept dribbling oil and working the pin. Little by little the pin eased up. Twenty minutes later the lever could be moved with some resistance but fairly easily.

Then done I fitted the safety pin. The pin has a chain to stop it getting lost. On the centre of the hitch pin pivot is a nut that traps a tag onto which the chains attach. There is a chain attached to the "R" clip swivel locking lever pin. I managed to get both the "R" clip and the hitch pin chain to fit onto the same tag. A waft of black paint over the chain to keep the rust at bay and the job was complete.

Marine Blue

Yesterday I went up to Paddocks at Matlock. Click HERE for their website. After standing for twenty minutes in a drafty, breeze block spares department I finally got served and took home a litre tin of marine blue paint. They did not have the instrument panel screws I wanted.

On Sunday I found time the paint the outside of the trailer with the blue paint from Paddocks. I fitted the number plate and managed to blue paint all over the back of my hands. Next I took the masking tape off the lights and other things taped up. I had a look round the trailer an spotted that the black paint was a bit thin here and there. The did not have any of the original black paint so I used up the spray Hammerright to touch with.

I soaked the trailer leg pins with 3 in1 oils and worked them loose. They fit easily in the holes. Next was to hook up the retaining chains that will stop me losing the trailer legs pins....I hope. Then just a waft of spray paint to cover the bare metal on the chains.

NATO hitch

Having got the wide track back from Mansfield without incident and muscling it onto the drive I had to think about how I was to fit the NATO hitch and whether the ball hitch could be fitted as well. I wanted to get the NATO hitch higher on the rear cross member so the trailer tipped forward as little as possible.

First job was to get the NATO hitch off Degsy and replace it with the old drop plate. With the drop plate in position I worked out where the NATO hitch could be fitted and what it meant for the old ball hitch. I determined there was enough room for both but the higher the NATO hitch could be fitted the better. I marked out the bolt hole for the NATO hitch on the drop plate and proceeded to drill them out. I bought the 13mm drills, nuts, bolts and washers the previous day. I damaged one drill but before one hole was drilled. Next I got a 6mm drill bit and piloted the four holes. Next a 10mm then a 12mm. The 13mm bits where wreaked so I got the rat tail file out and set about opening up the holes. It was a bit tedious but with 30 minutes I had all the holes opened up to accept the 13mm bolts with a bit of wiggle room. I putt eh bolts through the hitch and hitch onto the drop plate. Is was a good bit and with a bit wiggle room. I took the hitch off again and offered the drop plate up the the rear cross member. I put a couple of bolts through the old hole to hold the plate in place. I marked up the holes for the cross member using the drop plate as a template. Next the holes where to be drilled. The 6mm went through first then the 12mm. The 12mm was long enough the reach the inner face of the box section rear member and using the hole in the outer skin that inner skin was drilled out. Then I ran the better of the two 13mm drills through all eight holes. The rat tail had to be used to tidy up the burs. I gave all the raw edges of the holes a coat of Hammerite paint, hopefully to keep rust at bay, then I offered up the drop plate together with the hitch. The wiggle room was needed but all four bolts slipped in fairly cleanly. I put the washers and nuts on the inside face of a rear member and nipped them up. I stepped back to make sure the drop plate was vertical as was the hitch. A small bump with the hammer to adjust the plate and the nuts were tightened. The holes for the four old bolts that held the drop plate where almost lined up. I ran the appropriate size drill each of the pair of holes and was able to replace those bolts. This was a result as the drop plate now has eight fixings instead of four.

With the drop plate secured it was an easy decision to replace fit the old towing ball, step and light socket into the old position. With everything secured I stepped back admire my handy work. The space between the top of the ball and the bottom of the hitch is a bit tight. However the NATO hitch has a trick up its sleeve. By removing a pin and flipping out a tag the hitch rotates and that makes room for the ball trailer hitch. The next job is to do a bit of painting to rust proof the new items and generally make it look tidy then to oil and grease all the moving parts. I have one last item to get which is a safety pin for the hitch lock. I hope to get a chain so the pin does not get lost.

Sankey Trailer

I needed a trailer to replace the ailling one at the stables. I scanned ebay for weeks but to no avail. After several failed bids I managed to secure a Sankey less than forty miles away from home. The deal was done and into the bargain came a NATO hitch. The trailer was advertised as a narrow track trailer but it is in fact the wide track version.

I started by giving the chap his number plate back. The existing tow ball had a pin for a towing eye but the eye on the trailer was too big to fit the jaws of the hitch. That meant the trailer was going nowhere. After a spot of thinking Paul suggested a bodge. We had to remove the drop plate, the step and tow ball and then bodge the hitch to the rear cross member. A bit of thought and screwed rod and the job was done. All the lights work except the indicators however you can see my vehicle indicators over the trailer, especially in the dark. And with that I was off.

I think the indicator problem is not trailer but the plug on Degsy. So all I need is a number plate but I would like a Jockey wheel and a cover.

£244.88 for the trailer plus hitch and £20 for petrol. NATO hitches go for about £50/60 so the trailer and hitch was something of a bargain.