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Sacrilegious Rangie Owner with Questions


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#1
Archimedes

Posted 24 October 2004 - 05:52 PM

Archimedes

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I have several queries relating to a Range Rover Vogue Classic I bought
recently.

I'll start at the beginning, though.

I work in Bintulu, Sarawak, and used to own/drive a Ford Ranger. While a
great vehicle, two problems my family had with it were the ride comfort
(especially on long distance trips) and the lack of a secure storage
space. So, my dad convinced me to sell it, to purchase a Range Rover
instead. He had a friend in Kuching who had one, and was very impressed
with the ride comfort. It had a transplanted diesel engine (an old
Toyota, if memory serves).

I eventually came across a 1990 Range Rover Vogue Classic for sale in
Motortrader. It also had a transplanted engine, a Toyota (Supra) 1JZ
turbo. My dad and I bought it for RM35k.

When I went to KL to take ownership of the car, the previous owner told
me there were several things different with the car, after the engine
transplant.

There wasn't a handbrake anymore, because he changed the original shaft,
and the handbrake assembly was on said shaft. Hmm...

The gearbox was also changed, so the car wasn't a 4WD anymore either.
This didn't bother me too much, since the whole reason we bought the car
was to have a comfortable long-distance cruiser, able to comfortably seat
five people.

The speedometer didn't work properly anymore either. Not a clue why...

Those are all just quirks that I was hoping you knowledgeable Range Rover
Classic nuts might be able to expand on, and possibly give me
solutions/alternatives/repair suggestions, etc.

The one big item that I need to take care of, however, is the steering.
There's definitely a problem with the steering of the car. It feels
too 'loose' i.e. while driving down a straight road at normal speeds, the
car veers a little, either to the left or right, and there's play in the
steering wheel. I don't notice it so much at low speeds, but once I get
on the highway, or on a straight road, and get up to speed, it's very
noticeable. Even passengers notice it.

Can anyone help with this?

I had to leave the car in KL, because I haven't had time to have it
shipped to Bintulu yet, but I'm planning to go to KL in a couple of
weeks, have the problems taken care of there (many more, and better,
shops in KL) and then sending it over.

I'm also giving thought to changing the engine to a Toyota TZ 3L diesel.
How much would that run in KL? I heard that a shop in Kuching does it for
RM12k. Is it cheaper in KL?

Also, I've seen in several posts in this thread references to dropping a
Toyota 1JZ engine into RR Classics. How come? Any particular reason?

I notice a grinding noise from the engine at times; the previous owner
told me that it's because there's a bit of an angle from the engine to
the gearbox, due to the fact the transmission tunnel is in the middle of
the car, while the part of the 1JZ engine that connects to the actual
transmission is not quite in the middle.

Lots of ramblings here, but I would appreciate some enlightenment.

Oh, I LOVE the Rangie, btw! Big Smile

If you think it would be better, send me e-mail at john.bol@gmail.com

Thanks.

#2
hhkonghh

Posted 24 October 2004 - 08:31 PM

hhkonghh

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You must be a commited Rangie fellow. With so many problems, I will take
a walk instead.

#3
airman08

Posted 24 October 2004 - 09:02 PM

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i believe RM35K is much than enough to purchase a TD5 OR 300TDI.And you
dont have to change th gearbox.

#4
Archimedes

Posted 24 October 2004 - 09:25 PM

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TD5 or 300 Tdi for RM35k? Are you kidding? The TD5 is a fairly recent
engine, as I recall, and I haven't seen anything that came stock with a
TD5 for sale for anything less then RM80k, at least!

Remember, I wanted something that could eat up lots of KMs and transport
5 people in relative comfort for the long hours it would take to travel
all those KMs. Somehow, I think you have Defenders in mind, and those
wouldn't work for me.

#5
airman08

Posted 25 October 2004 - 01:13 AM

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i mean the second hand TD5 OR 300TDI,or you can import it from england,but
i dont know how much you will be charged for the taxs.And i believe not
one will do that,just joking.

#6
moat

Posted 25 October 2004 - 08:38 AM

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archimedes,
i dun own any rr, the following answer is solely based on my reading n
logical thinking so standard disclaimer applies :). here goes

"There wasn't a handbrake anymore, because he changed the original shaft,
and the handbrake assembly was on said shaft. Hmm... "

lr handbrake is a drum mechanism on the rear of transfer gearbox, since
yours no longer have it n using different prop shaft, so no handbrake lar.
solution?, overseas some ppl put extra caliper on the rear disc brake for
hand brake, do a net search for it.

"The speedometer didn't work properly anymore either. Not a clue why... "

excuse me but speedo = rpm or kph? (i always confuse between the 2)
if its for kph then same problem, lr's is driven off the gearbox, and
since yours have no g/box then no luck there. solution? buy a gps, its
more accurate :) or use one of those used on a bicycle.
if its for rpm then i dunno what is wrong with it due non lr engine,
anyway u can just buy those 3rd party stuff that take its reading off the
ht lead or something.

"The one big item that I need to take care of, however, is the steering.
There's definitely a problem with the steering of the car. It feels
too 'loose' i.e. while driving down a straight road at normal speeds, the
car veers a little, either to the left or right, and there's play in the
steering wheel."

try replacing the steering damper, shouldnt cost too much, for spare part
try www.spare parts.com.my (remove the space)

"I'm also giving thought to changing the engine to a Toyota TZ 3L diesel.
How much would that run in KL? I heard that a shop in Kuching does it for
RM12k. Is it cheaper in KL? "

i know a shop, but its a " heard it from a friend from a friend from a
friend" stuff n might not be reliable, do tell if u want it. but i suggest
u convert it in kuching, in case something went wrong its easier to bug
the shop.

"Also, I've seen in several posts in this thread references to dropping a
Toyota 1JZ engine into RR Classics. How come? Any particular reason? "

guessing here, easily avilable, familiar/cheap engine, cheaper road tax.

"I notice a grinding noise from the engine at times; the previous owner
told me that it's because there's a bit of an angle from the engine to
the gearbox, due to the fact the transmission tunnel is in the middle of
the car, while the part of the 1JZ engine that connects to the actual
transmission is not quite in the middle. "

again, guessing here (i dunno how 1jz looks like). lr prop shaft and
transfer g/box input/output is off set to the right, so if 1jz output is
on the centre, the shaft wont be in a stright alignment, crawl under your
rr n have a look. if thats the case then i guess your uj will kaput
frequently

airman,
"i believe RM35K is much than enough to purchase a TD5 OR 300TDI.And you
dont have to change th gearbox."

have a look at www.moto rtra der.com.my (remove space), search for rover n
find out for yourself what 35k can buy you.

"i mean the second hand TD5 OR 300TDI,or you can import it from ngland,but
i dont know how much you will be charged for the taxs.And i believe not
one will do that,just joking."

td5 is never installed in a rr, 300tdi rr also is very rare. u cant import
a car on your own without ap (i dunno the details)





#7
Archimedes

Posted 25 October 2004 - 12:38 PM

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Moat,

Thanks for your replies. Will look into the items you suggested,
particularly that steering damper.

-john

#8
Archimedes

Posted 25 October 2004 - 07:24 PM

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Hey Moat,

How come whenever I try to navigate to that spare parts website you
mentioned, my browser gets "killed" every time? i.e. the IE window just
disappears! Is it just me?

Sorry if I sound like an imbecile... it's probably because I AM one! Heh!

#9
moat

Posted 26 October 2004 - 08:24 AM

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arc,
i think its your pc, nowadays website is all complicated one, try another
pc, anyway, here is direct link, give it a try

http://www.spare parts.com.my/soonseng/
http://www.spare parts.com.my/shl/
http://www.spare parts.com.my/sintongbee/
http://www.spare parts.com.my/bha/

as usual, remove space




#10
Archimedes

Posted 26 October 2004 - 10:37 PM

Archimedes

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Moat,

The direct links worked fine; thanks again! Will check the shops out for
a steering damper soon as I get the chance. Hope that solves my steering
problem.

One more question, if you don't mind expanding on your first reply to me.
You mentioned that my uj would kaput often? What's uj?