....once the bloody fuel pressure regulator gets in line and behaves itself, the lights which appear to be controlled by Satan himself are fixed, (going out completely in the mountains thirty km from here, requiring my head torch on strobe mode to be hung from the spare wheel and the full moon (serendipitous) helping with forward vision...) the door locks are replaced, and myriad other little jobs. Oh, did I mention we are leaving on the 22nd of October?
The Long Haired General, our fifteen year old son (doing on-line school), his two rats, a totally mental Spanish greyhound who is the reincarnation of the Spanish Infanta from nine hundred and forty years ago and yours truly - I make the rest of them look sane - are the crew.
Leaving southern Bavaria via Vienna, crossing the southern Carpathians at Brasov in Romania, heading to Istanbul before the next half of school term begins on the 5th November. Istanbul until Christmas and then on.
Tools galore, some good books, running shoes and a kettle bell or two and prize possession (no, not my copy of Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking) an original 1945 British Jerry can made in Essex! Chained to the roof rack to prevent Larry Lifter from whipping it away as we sample the local cuisine.
A question to those of you who are far more Defender knowledgable than I. What Defender 2004 TD5 spares would you carry on such a journey with intermittent visits to towns and cities which may have good mechanics but limited LR bits? I have belts, belt tools, filters, a few assorted gaskets and useful tools to do those difficult jobs, not to mention a highly developed sense of humour which was tested to the limit over twenty years in the British military. All thoughts gratefully received - a TD5 neighbour suggested today a crankshaft sensor; he and his wife spent three days on the road side in Sweden on their recent summer holiday, caused by an electrical problem involving cabling from the ECU but not the ECU itself. Some things you cannot plan for.
Pictures and instalments to follow and thank you in advance for any useful ideas.
The Long Haired General, our fifteen year old son (doing on-line school), his two rats, a totally mental Spanish greyhound who is the reincarnation of the Spanish Infanta from nine hundred and forty years ago and yours truly - I make the rest of them look sane - are the crew.
Leaving southern Bavaria via Vienna, crossing the southern Carpathians at Brasov in Romania, heading to Istanbul before the next half of school term begins on the 5th November. Istanbul until Christmas and then on.
Tools galore, some good books, running shoes and a kettle bell or two and prize possession (no, not my copy of Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking) an original 1945 British Jerry can made in Essex! Chained to the roof rack to prevent Larry Lifter from whipping it away as we sample the local cuisine.
A question to those of you who are far more Defender knowledgable than I. What Defender 2004 TD5 spares would you carry on such a journey with intermittent visits to towns and cities which may have good mechanics but limited LR bits? I have belts, belt tools, filters, a few assorted gaskets and useful tools to do those difficult jobs, not to mention a highly developed sense of humour which was tested to the limit over twenty years in the British military. All thoughts gratefully received - a TD5 neighbour suggested today a crankshaft sensor; he and his wife spent three days on the road side in Sweden on their recent summer holiday, caused by an electrical problem involving cabling from the ECU but not the ECU itself. Some things you cannot plan for.
Pictures and instalments to follow and thank you in advance for any useful ideas.
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