Here we are again, preparing for the slightly delayed 2023 Spring / early Summer trip. Originally this was to be a 'big' trip to Greece via Italy and home through the Carpathian mountains. However events at home meant that we couldn't leave soon enough to ensure a not-too-hot period in Greece. As it turns out, the weather in 'Europe' through April and May has been terrible and we would have had no heat issues in either Italy or Greece. In fact it sounds as though we could have floated through Italy, en-route to the ferry ports of Brindisi or Bari.
We have been delayed by personal matters but also by the needs of the Land Rover, which decided to spit diesel out of the wrong parts of the (high pressure) fuel injection pump. This needed to be rebuilt (at Sheffield's own Sheaf Diesel) and whilst it was off I thought I'd better replace the timing belt, idler pulley and tensioner. It was last done in 2017 so it was really time anyway.
So I had a few days of disassembly, parts procurement and reassembly, which was delayed because the pump had been 'timed' incorrectly by Sheaf Diesel. It was supposed to be at 1.6mm of lift but was set at 1.9mm. This is done using a dial gauge and on a bad day it would be possible to read 1.9 as 1.6 I suppose.
Had I tried to start the engine it either wouldn't have, or it would have run like a bag of spanners and I would have assumed I'd made a mistake. Fortunately I checked the pump timing myself before I fitted it and found the error. Unfortunately this was on a Friday afternoon and I had to wait until Monday morning to be able to get it re-timed back in Sheffield.
I also fitted an air compressor, so that the tyres can be re-inflated after being 'aired down' for travel over rougher ground. It is tucked away under the front wing, behind the headlamp and a small tank is mounted under the front seats.
Unfortunately (luckily) when I was doing some final checks, I found a problem with the steering box, which might have caused a sudden issue, 'jamming -up', when driving. The only way to fix it was to remove and replace, which I did, using an exchange unit from D & A Steering in Birmingham, along with two new power steering hydraulic pipes. This all takes time. The box is at the left / middle of the photo, underneath that black pipe (which is the breather for the timing chest). It weighs about 17Kg, is full of oil and difficult to remove. It's done now though.
We are nearly ready. We will be driving a vehicle with 'new' front doors which have electric windows and the main doors also now have central locking - which make a huge difference to the experience - no it does, really. Go and try the old way if you don't believe me.
We are planning to navigate using a Gen 9 iPad as the screen, which is much bigger than a phone. The Ram Mount system has been extended so that the iPad can be positioned satisfactorily. The maps are from OsmAnd (see here) and can be downloaded, so do not need a data connection.
The iPad needs a GPS source though and we are using a Garmin 750 personal navigator which is one of the few that use Bluetooth and can therefore link with the iPad, handing it the GPS location.
We should be able to record any routes, should we wish to do so, as well as import from other places (such as Wikiloc) using the .gpx file format.
The vehicle tracker is still installed and functioning and should you be in the privileged position of knowing the log-in, you will be able to follow-us that way. I think that it uses a 3G sim and so I expect to be contacted soon by the provider and we will no doubt need to choose a new one.
All that's needed now is to get things packed and then go on a 48hr test run. More news next time.
