Gipper,
I noticed you mentioned about fitting a fine mesh grill to help keep crap away from the radiator, don't suppose you have any pics of a finished one do you? We're about to do something similar on our 110 and are unsure how 'fine' to go!

I'd like to see that too please, I am just back from 3 weeks in europe and my rad is full of beetles bugs and butterflies!

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Cheers Dan
gettinglostagain.com

Hi ...Sounds like it's going to be a great trip....

This could be you!!!!!!

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I agree with what is written above.

A few tips would be to take a throttle cable. Just lie this along the front of the dash where the windscreen meets the plastic area...it'll in fact fit neatly in the gap between same.

On the idea of an auxiliary belt tensioner. Rather than take a new one,the bearing can be replaced. It's awkward to do but once done you'll be able to take a few bearings with you if it starts to squeal. When buying new bearings,if you don't already know, prise the plastic side seal off with a small fine screwdriver and re pack with good grease....pressing the seal back on. The grease that comes with bearings,in my experience,can only be described as minimal!

Lift pump for sure....

To carry a couple of shock absorbers...stash them along and inside the front bumper ensuring they're packed well....

As for spare hose clips...just double them up where they will be being needed...At present I have another around my top hose where it rubs against the side of the plastic radiator cover....check in case your hose is touching same too...

If not done already make sure that the radiator plastic plug along with the thermostat plastic plug have been replaced with brass before you leave. These are cheap as chips and saves the plastic ones getting hot brittle and braking up...a common fault in the 300tdi


Make sure there's no weeps at the oil cooler pipes..these are a common leak....maybe even go the extra and have proper banjo jointed ones made up by your local farm supply....

If possible maybe a PAS pump to bring along...small and easy to stash and can fail easily...dead easy to fit in the field with no special tools....


Throw in a spare P gasket...easy to store eg.in sun visor....another common fail...(Just had a wee peep at your website...take one anyway due to easy to store)


Make sure you have a Torx 55 bit to remove gearbox bung,remembering to loosen this off before you drain the oil


As an aside remember,when driving at all times,to let the turbo run down to prolong longevity...

Take a tube of silicone which can be used as a gasket and to repair other small stuff.

If I can think of more I'll post it up....

On Aux belt tensioners. It is worth remembering the quick fix of a small coin or washer at the 9 o'clock position for a squeel. This is a very quick, I'll fix it later solution.

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Cheers Dan
gettinglostagain.com

Nick!

Hope all is well buddy. My 2p worth:

Knowing your suspension set up with the twin shocks you don't need spare shocks (I still have the 2 spares I took - unused). If you do break a shock on the Moyale road ('cause you drove too fast) get one from Schumachers in Nairobi (probably the best Land Rover garage in Africa). They stock everything you'll need.

Take a handful of spare nuts and bolts, maybe a clutch master cylinder (although i'd get Paul to put a new one on before you leave) - don't take the repair kit is is a waste of time - , duck tape, cable ties, light bulbs, fuses, wire, more wire, a selection of hoses of various diameters, hose clips, liquid gasket, clutch & brake fluid, tyre repair kit, compressor, jack a not much else.

If you have taken the time to prepare your vehicle well upfront then that means you have to take less with you on the road. Trust me you don't want to weigh yourself down with a lot of redundant spares.

You are well set up so rather save on weight, that way you'll need fewer spares!

Happy planning!

Bruce

.....and maybe a length of electrical cable so that you can fix any dodgy earth issues. African cops love a light that dosn't work...

I've uploaded my working spreadsheet here. It's quite comprehensive, and I don't use everything from it.

Sorry about the obscure notes, it wasn't designed to be a public document but I'll provide it here as it may be helpful.

Cheers,
Nick.

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Nick Taylor, a Colorado Mack'em
blog | vehicles

Just one comment from me;
I had my water pump replaced 5 months before a trip to Tunisia, brand new, LR genuine part, it failed on the first day in the dunes. That was a 200Tdi Discovery. So, no good assuming that as it has been fixed/replaced recently it will not let me down. Take the old one as a spare, it'll save you money over buying a second new one. I replaced all of my steering ball joints when one was shot, took one L/H and one L/H of the good ones as spares.
Kevin

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www.4x4-travel.co.uk

Hi Chaps, I've been following this with interest, I have found the keep it standard & genuine is a very good rule, in my experience i have found lots of the aftermarket parts sold for the LR to be of poor quality and poor design which have contributed to the bonnet up image of the brand.

I would have a new water pump fitted and keep a spare pump and gasket, also the original design of the rad and thermostat filler/ bleed caps to be very bad as the plastic tend to deform easily and be a source of leaks. I have fitted rad caps from X-Eng:X-eng High Performance Off-Road Engineering

as in the previous posts that mention a rad screen, this is a genuine part and have seen a few on ebay recently, i'll look up the part number when i get home.

regards

Gren

For one, in Europe, especially the western part, I wouldn't take spares at all. The number of garages is large enough to have one within easy reach, and spares can be delivered easily overnight.
If you allow plenty of time for your journey, very few spares are needed in any country. Just make use of the extra stop-over time, and enjoy yourself locally !
I think that the art of travelling lies not in keeping going, but in enjoying the journey, no matter how fast or slow it goes...
Besides, what's the use in carrying spares you're very ulikely to need, given a good preparation of your car.
Sod's law (or Murphy's , for that matter) dictates that the only parts on your car that will definitely fail are the ones you do not carry with you ....

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Landrover Discovery 2 Td5 with a Garmin 276c and a great co-driveress

Huskynose

I agree with the spirit of your ideas on spares but trust me - when you choose to go remote (Namibia / Sahara desert, Congo, Gabon, DRC) you will need basic spares for 4 reasons:

1) Knock on effects: In Central Africa you tend to have back to back visas so if you get delayed because of a small issue (e.g. broken water pump) the impact goes far beyond the issue of waiting for an expensive spare to turn up

2) Extremes: No matter how well prepped your vehicle is it is put under extremes on a long term overland trip. Heat, dust & grit, does strange things to things like seals, pumps, filters etc.... e.g. the heat destroyed our air hose on the compressor for example which we swapped with our spare fuel line.

3) Expense - if you have to call on help in say Congo / DRC, it can cost. We heard of one couple who broke down - a tow cost the $500!! The garage they were taken to then ripped them off (i.e. the fix was sub standard) and the vehicle was broken into whilst in the garage.

4) Survival / safety - In the desert / bush you can find yourself stuck for the lack of a spare part or fix - e.g. cracked radiator. Whilst this is fine in Europe - 48'C shade temperatures, wild animals and a lack of people mean you are on your own, so its basically sensible to consider the "what if factor".

So in summary - a basic spares list is worth packing if you "choose" to go to more remote parts of the world. If your pottering round in Europe and have AA / RAC cover no worries. Whilst you cant pack everything, take some basics just to make life easier. Even though we had a basic spares kit, we still had to visit plenty of local garages for oil changes and small fixes along the way.

One final word......we neglected (forgot) to pack the T55 torx bit that allows you to open the gearbox oil inspection nut - these are HARD to find in Africa!! A small item BUT caused us some fun and games to find one.......in a plumbers shop in Congo!!

HTH

Nick

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Langebaan Sunset - Africa Overland
http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.co.za/