Tools
In order to work any magic on your truck as outlined in the above sections, you are going to need some tools. We hope this basic guide to tools will guide you on the path to proper tool ownership. This section will also discuss tool manufacturers and Vendors. This subject is highly subjective and the information offered will be a combination of personal experience, the experiences of others I trust, and the opinions of professional mechanics.
One of the great laments of owning a Land Rover is that you may encounter a great many types of fasteners or thread forms. Older trucks will have some proportion of Whitworth thread (http://www.boltscience.com/pages/screw4.htm) form fasteners along with English/American sizes. Newer trucks will likely have a mixture of American/English sizes as well as metric fasteners. This means that you need to have a reasonable amount of each type of wrench and socket in your toolkit. While the technical details of each type are long and involved, there are some particulars of fasteners that should be looked at with same depth. In this discussion we will discuss the basic fastener types, explain the uses of each, and give some general recommendations.
- ABDC:
- Degrees after bottom dead center.
- ATDC:
- Degrees after top dead center.
- BBDC:
- Degrees before bottom dead center.
- BTDC:
- Degrees before top dead center.
- BASE CIRCLE:
- The concentric or round portion of the cam lobe where the valve lash adjustments must be made. (Also known as the heel.)
- CAM FOLLOWER/TAPPET:
For any serious fault finding on electronic management systems an oscilloscope of some description is essential and needn't cost the earth. Ignoring specialist automotive oscilloscopes the DIY buyer on a budget has 3 choices;
(1) Buy a second hand or basic model conventional oscilloscope cost £120.00 upwards (look in adverts in magazines such as "Everyday Practical Electronics" and "Wireless World".
With the price of electronic goods from the far east at an all time low now is the time to buy yourself a digital multi-meter. No need to buy especially designed for car maintenance as general purpose ones are much cheaper.
Ideally for car work look for one that has the following features:
For MEMS equipped models with catalysts a Lambda Sensor Tester is a very quick and easy way of checking the MEMS ECU is controlling the fuel injection in closed loop mode. Gunson are now making one for which sells under £50.00 (March 99) and is available through Halfords.
EGO sensor meter
Blurb