Thanks to Mark, Huw (and M0bcg) who responded with their thoughts.
>Sounds like the 2.5na and lt77 in my 110 can be a very long-lived
>drivetrain combination indeed, with proper driving technique and
>attention to maintenance. I noted the oils you put in your
>gearbox/transfer box Huw, and will look for these. I presently have
>semi-synthetic lubes in mine.
>Like many, I read Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
>Maintenance years ago, and parts of it have always stayed with me,
>especially his approach to preventative maintenance of a vehicle,
>taking responsibility for maintaining one's vehicle, the notion of
>Quality (of design and of maintenance practice). I find that all of
>his principles apply very well to Land-Rover ownership. Obviously,
>owner maintainability depends in part on a reasonably
straightforward,
simple design (one that is readily understandable by a
>non-professional home mechanic), something with the Land-ROver
>possesses a great deal of, which is one of the reasons I choose to
>drive one (well, a 110 anyway, since later LR models have obviously
>strayed from that simplicity and user-maintainability, in favour of
>SUV market share, comfort, and on-road performance).
>All the best and Season's Greetings to all from Canada!
> --Robert
Did I mention that mine appears to have been run on standard lubricants?
though I only bought it a year ago, when I changed the fluids the engine oil was thin and black (to be expected) but the oils in the axles and gearboxes looked like hot chocolate, I suspect water contamination. seemed to drive better when teplaced with EP90 and ATF as appropriate. Now using one-shot-grease in the swivels. It's done about 6500 miles with me.
Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)
Reply: I also changed the lubricants when I got my 110 2 years ago. Seemed to have proper lubricants, but they were obviously due for a change. I stuck with EP90 and ATF, but went with semi-synthetic grade to (hopefully) improve the lubricity somewhat. Trying to make things last a little longer... I'm also probably going to be putting one-shot-grease in the swivels (the left side has a bit of a leak, so substituting the oil with grease will solve that). However, I need to investigate a certain grinding noise in the front end when wheels are on full turn and reversing (cv joints failing?) - in case I need to replace those before switching to grease. Cheers. --Robert