Window Regulator Installed (Post #125) 1/18/2009

I got some happy time with my Discovery yesterday. Several things had piled up and she demanded a few hours of quality time. The weather was predicted to cooperate and it did quite well. It was a pleasant 55F outside. Which was nice compared to the 10F we woke up to the day before.


So out to the garage I ventured. I pulled the Discovery in the wife’s side of the garage as mine is now full of electronic devices our house has begun eating and other projects I’ve been too lazy to address. Broken antique chair (not sure how to fix), dead TV (probably going to part out), dead microwave (trash not fixable), dead Chi hair straightener (waiting for part). My side also contains my son’s weight bench which he NEVER uses.

Once I got the Disco in I got started. I had begun to smell oil burning and knew something wasn’t right because I was not loosing oil in the drive way. So I crawled under and sure enough there has been oil leaking at the oil filter. I started the oil change. When I got to the oil filter I really struggled to get the filter off. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I put on that filter last time. It was impossible to get off.

I struggled with it for a while and finally got it off. I am guessing that I must have put the filter on too tight and damaged or got the gasket in a pinch which allowed oil out. The mess underneath was going to be unpleasant to clean up.

While I waited for the oil to drain I got the diesel rags out and cleaned as much dirt and oil off the bits underneath. I was able to clean it off under there without too much trouble. And over all I’m pleased with the effort and it’s results.

I once again put one too many quarts of oil in on the fill. I’m not sure what I’ve been thinking when I’ve been filling the disco. I need to look up once and for all the proper amount and put a label on the inside. That way I won’t do that again.


The last project for today was getting the window regulator I bought from Rover Cannibal installed. The children were tired of pulling on the rag I had tied to the door and my wife was tired of the bare panel. She’s gonna hate it when I buy a Series.

The panel went in pretty easy. I only failed to install 2 parts. One bolt and the sound dampening cup for the large speaker. I was not in the mood to take the door panel off once I got the top lined up. You cannot push your luck when you are working with the plastic friction push posts. They have been off and back on this panel 3 times at least. I didn’t want to risk breaking them for those few things.

I also managed to have a couple of beers with one of my neighbors who came down when he saw the garage open. I have great neighbors and we are always in each others garages during the summer months and it’s nice when we get a few minutes during the winter.

I must get started on the laundry today as tomorrow I am going to tackle the left rear brake caliper. It has left a nice puddle of brake fluid on the drive. I had trouble with the front right last year as you frequent readers are aware. With the extreme weather change recently I’m hoping we don’t have any major trouble there.

So I’m off to my laundry duties and to enjoy “Chasing Classic Cars” and “Wheeler Dealers” on HD Theater Channel. Today’s show on Wheeler Dealer they are referbing a Saab 900 turbo. One of the troubles was non-working electric windows. The mechanic Ed called working on the electric windows, “a fiddly little job”. I’d have to agree.


Were you paying attention to the picture of the garage? I forgot to tell you all about the Range Rover Classic furniture I made for the garage. I took the old knackered seat, fitted a frame I made and voila instant cool seat for the garage. Wheels will come later.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Swivel Housing Grease (Post #113) 11/12/2008


My daughter was reporting noises coming from the Range Rover Classic. Most of the noises are from the exhaust system including a new vibrating noise that I’m hoping is coming from the
ceramic parts inside the catalytic converters. I’m going to get some expert advice from JagGuy this weekend for diagnosis.

In any event I got some more lube into the swivel housings. If you’ve been reading you know the grease that came out of the front differential was very soupy indicating a mixing of the swivel housing grease with the 80w140 in the differential.

You can read about it in the Techtips on the OkieRover.com website.


I took a picture of the window regulator. Or more accurately what is left of the regulator. I’m going to measure the last remaining wheel and try to find a replacement on the web.

I also heard of a great way to preserve your rear lift gate. My buddy JagGuy employed a method they use to protect E type Jaguars and their unpainted parts from rusting. He said it worked great on his new upper lift gate on his 1991 Classic. More on that when I do mine.

Window regulator (Post #109) 10/13/2008

What a piece of crap. The passenger side window regulator faied in the Discovery….AGAIN. This time I get to pay for it. After I got the thing removed from the door I realized it was made of aluminum. A really poor quality of aluminum as well.


99.95 from Atlantic British. I can get a used one from Motorcars LTD for 77.36.

The question now is do I spend the extra 22 bucks for a new one?

Is this thing repairable?
Can an enterprising fellow such as your humble greasy fingered narrator get replacement wheels?

My motor is fine. It was the plastic runner wheels that failed. Why do you make something out of plastic, when aluminum would have worked just as well?

Rhetorical question WOODCOCK!

So it can fail and require replacement, that’s why! The dealership replaced the last one under warranty. I am going to replace the next one out of my pocket. Yeah I’ll take pictures.

Why did the passenger side fail twice? The world may never know.

October 26th, 2004 (Post #53)

October 26th, 2004
No console, window problems, leaky windshield
Had to put off putting the console back in. It really needs to be glued properly. I have it sitting in the garage while I finish the painting on the house.

The window ECU fried a week ago when I was picking up my daughter from one of her cheerleading assignments. I rolled the window down to offer one of the kids a ride and there was a spark and then another and the windows all rolled down. I futzed with it a bit and then drove home in the 49 degree weather. It wasn’t too bad. I spent 40 minutes figuring out which of the relays allowed the windows to be rolled back up.

I couldn’t get the part that late on Saturday. So I made sure the windows were up just incase of bad weather. Low and behold it was like 85 that day and I really wish the windows worked. We used the air conditioning to keep up cool and avoided the restaurants with drive thru windows.

Monday I went down to Rover Cannibal and picked up another ECU. Now I can roll up and down the back windows and the front windows. How exciting!

I haven’t been getting anything else done on the truck other than adding the “horse pills” to help with the head gasket leak. I have an engine in the works and if everything goes well I should be putting a rebuilt 4.2 in by Spring. JagGuy and I will rebuild the 4.2 then rebuild mine and put it in his 90 Range Rover. Replacing his anemic and failing 3.9. We will probably rebuild the 3.9 and offer it for sale to cover the costs. More news on that as soon as the deal is done.

I got a quote for removing the windshield and refitting it to hopefully stop a leak that I believe is there. “Hopefully” is not the word I would like to be using but it’s the best I can do for now.

September 30th, 2004 (Post #52)

September 30th, 2004
House going fine, console back in
Everything is going well on the house. Waiting on brick to arrive now.

I started to put the console back in this weekend. The broken bits I have had
to glue held up well. The parts that were not broke are now broke. So I spent
Sunday gluing those pieces. The front part connects to the cubby box so they will
need to be glued together. I have noticed with my glue in place that they no longer
fit well together. I will have to chop part of the rear portion of the gear
selector section back. I also glued a new piece to attach the window switch panel
to. The previous holes were destroyed and the panel with the switches mostly danced
around there. I will be able to secure it now.

The switch relay that powers the rear windows that don’t normally operate correctly still needs to be replace. I have fitted it in the Rover anyway and will inquire with Rover Cannibal about getting another to see if it fixes the problem.

Tossed, and I mean literally tossed, a ladder up on the top to haul down to the new house in order to run cable for the computers. Just as I released it I realized I have a sun roof. I thought for sure I had just broke it out. But I hadn’t. That was a close call. Just another reason I need a roof rack. Maybe Santa will bring me one? Who am I kidding? Santa is going to have to buy window treatments for the new house. I’ll be lucky if I get a lump of coal in my stocking.

I fired off an email to Ozzie at Ozzie’s Offroad asking for his pics of the bracket to move the ECU up to the dash. I told him I’ve been jonesing for something new to read about Rovers. Seems this lack of getting out and my lack of being able to work on the Big White Bus has got me down in the dumps.

The water in the floor boards has to be from a leaking wind screen (wind shield). I will have to find a good shop to pull that and reseal it. Any suggestions you might have just send me an email.