Vehicle Issues

A few vehicle issues have arisen. Low oil pressure in the warmer climate, a reluctance to start yesterday morning followed by having to crank the vehicle through passport control and immigration at the Albanian border on the starter motor as it totally refused to start.

We also have an increasing exhaust leak from number 2 cylinder where there is some corrosion around the cylinder head.

The plan was to have a half day on day 10 which turned out to be a longer day of driving than planned so there was a limited amount of time available.

So, we had time to rotate the wheels in the hope that the 6 new tyres might get us the whole distance, change the engine oil for 20w50 instead of the 15w40 used previously, and remove part of the exhaust manifold to use epoxy steel to fix (bodge) the cylinder head.

A removal and reconnection of all connections around the coil and distributor was the best guess at fixing the non-starting problem.

The result is a return to a quiet exhaust, oil pressure back up to the spec in the VW manual, and so far, an engine that starts first time, every time.

However, the Baja is not quite such a happy car. An oil change has led to so many oil leaks that it's getting through about a litre per 100 miles. I think there might be some more work required there.

The Land Rover has had a clutch fluid change, and a quick inspection for what might become an issue over the next 25000km. Main issue seems to be only about 4mm of front and rear brake pad remaining and no spare oil filters, so a full set of pads will be hunted down in Istanbul, and a few oil filters.

To be continued.....