Preparations

Here we go again, another trip in the Land Rover. For those that don't know, this is a Defender 110 CSW with a 300TDi engine, registered in 1996.

Since the previous trip to Greece and the Balkans, I have done further work to get the vehicle "up to scratch" which has been to replace the two sill channels, these are fastened to and run under the bottom of the three door pillars. Also I replaced the crossmember with a galvanised item (across the vehicle under the second row seats) and the aluminium heel up-stand under those seats.

This is the heel up-stand and you can see where the aluminium has oxidised (white powder or a big hole) at the point where it has been in contact with the steel of the bracket behind it, to which it has been fixed (at some point in the last twenty years).

I also worked on the engine - keeping it brief, I discovered that the turbo waste gate was jammed and must have been so since I bought the Landy in late 2014. The waste gate opens at a preset pressure to allow the extras boost from the turbo to be 'dumped' to the exhaust when it's not needed.

If it isn't 'exercised' enough due to the engine not being used then it seizes-up and it's a right b%$%**d of a job to free it off. This was done and so the distinctive turbo whine that we were so used to is no more.

Also I did a full service including all oils - engine, gearbox, transfer box and axles. The R380 gearbox - for the record, is now using MTF94 oil from Smith & Allan.

Another major job was to find and fix the source of a water leak, mainly affecting the passenger side, where water would cascade from the front corner of the headlining. After all the work in Greece last year, this still wasn't fixed. After extensive hi-tech pressure testing using a hosepipe I discovered that there was a problem with the fitting of the window seal around the alpine window. That's the high-up long narrow window on the edge of the roof.

I replaced both seals (another right b&£*r of a job) and on removing the old ones, I discovered that the passenger one was shorter than that on the offside. This indicates that it was fitted incorrectly and cut too short.

All ok now and we were off to Portsmouth for the Sunday night ferry to Bilbao.