So far so good. Despite my fears I'd end up on the hard shoulder in a cloud of steam, the JX lump actully had no problem making progress at 50-60mph. Wasn't pushing it by any means but was quite impressed by its performance (when in the green band) and how little speed it drops on hills. (If these coments puzzle anyone who thinks a JX is underpowered then maybe I should explain I'm used to driving series 1 land-rovers and havn't driven a car since Christmas, the JX is no Fararri but its fairly quick by my standards!)
It drives in a streight line, the brakes are good and the suspension smooth. The transmision makes an auidable noise but its not anoying. 1st isn't the easyest gear to find but it selects nicely with the right tequneque, I'm still perfecting that one. All other gears work fine too, so I'm happy there. After coming streight off the motorway (where I'd been driving for over an hour) I took it to a carpark and put it on full lock in G and 1st, you could feal something slightly 4wd through the wheel but the engine had no problems driving it on tickover so that sounds promising (VC is not that old though so I guess thats no surprise).
Temp guage likes to sit just at the bottem of the red light which is about the same as our old auto DJ, rad fan and turbo cooler have been herd working, and if theres an auxilury coolent pump on the top of the engine that works too (I take it thats what it is, my mates golf VR6 has one and it sounds like that, though also sounds a bit like something bubbleing away
).So then, what doesn't work? A sidelight is blown and the difflock controls seem pritty dead. Also the heater fan control afects the headlight brightness slightly (is that normal or do they share an earth or something that could do with a clean? (if so where is it?))
The difflock pannel light is intermitant, the warning lights themselfs don't iluminate at all so I guess theres a wireing fault to that pannel, do they need electrics for the pnumatics will work or is that completely seperate (I suspect they won't be working). The rear locker control pulls out fine but the front one doesn't. You can rotate it into one of 2 very defined positions but it won't spring to one in perticular (should it?) and it won't pull out in eather; any ideas? Can live without the front locker for now but would like tot get the rear working as soon as possable really, I've herd doing something with the actuator is required - can anyone inlighten me? will it take long to do? will it need ripping to bits?
Other thing is there is a washer on the back of the prop that rattles loudly, I'll get a picture soon, going to put some tape on it to stop it rattleing but shoudl it be there at all?
So basicly apart from the lockers all seems well, early indications surgest its not too bad on fuel eather, 30mpg at least I recon.
Only mod I'm planning at the moment (ie tomorrow) is to FIT A RADIO! I'm sure the landy won't miss its for the next indefinate timespan.
(by the way if you were in the LHD syncro on the M25, hello, it was me!)
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Glen
