Another year is nearly done, and the old girl doesn’t get any younger. Apart from ferrying me to work and back everyday (which is important), there has only been the one trip for the Landy since the last update.
That trip was our relocation from Albury to Townsville, where loaded up it also towed the trailer for the trip. Funniest thing is it managed to return the same fuel consumption as the Prado which wasn’t towing – damn an old diesel is a good thing!
Through the trip it towed the trailer on the highway consistently sitting on 100km/h with no major issues at all. The Disco gears continue to prove what a good thing they are and I don’t regret making the change at all. About the only criticism I have is the extra load on the clutch on initial take-off, in particular on hill starts.
Off road I had no issues at Cooloola or Cape Palmerston, but I did need the rear locker at Byfield N.P where the big uphill caught me out – I wasn’t expecting it to be that chopped out.
Maintenance and upgrades:
Well it’s all been maintenance for this period. I fitted a new power steering pump before departing Albury, however it wasn’t hooked up because the box hadn’t been done. I finally managed to get the new steering box bolted in last week and promptly ran up and over the kerb at the first intersection!
I’ve also fully rebuilt the front drive axles. New king pin bearings, new gaskets, new brake rotors, new brake pads and new HD drive flanges. I’m hoping to put a rebuild kit through the calipers in the next week or so, as the brakes are grabbing after I drive for about 10km’s or so, and the poor old engine doesn’t like working against the brakes.
Talking about the engine I finally replaced the oil catch can – well it’s plastic but same shit, different smell. The front and rear lights (brake, indicators, park lights) have all been replaced due to the old ones being too far gone – and it was stuff all difference to buy the whole part up against just the lens.
So all up it is slowly getting ready for next years big trip, whilst still going strong enough to handle anything this wet season is going to throw at it. The parts are here ready for the rear end to be rebuilt, and the oil leak is pretty much letting me know that it needs to be done.
Lastly the Hankook MTs. They now sport some damage in the form of cuts however they are still going strong. I’ve been more than impressed with how they have gone over the years (04) since I started running this brand. However a change of design and compound have now resulted in the price being higher.
Coupled with a lack of availability here in Townsville, and the lack of a return e-mail from Hankook themselves when I e-mailed requesting a supplier has resulted in me looking at a change. At this stage my preference is to go with the BFG MTs – I figure if I’m going to spend that sort of money then I may as well go with something tried and proven.
Here’s for another great year!
Photos below:
