I tried to replace the rear differential pinion seal but after spending 4 1/2 hrs trying to get the centering pin out, I put it all back together and dumped some Blue Devil in it.

 

put in a new radiator. alas, I was once again reminded that I'm no mechanic. the radiator job took me and my neighbor about 4-5 hours, mostly standing around chasing down screws, bolts, etc., and he's a crane/heavy equipment mechanic. he also did a lot of head scratching and chuckling about Rover "engineering". anyhoo- radiator is in, burped her and took her for a test drive and the temp's were in the low-mid 190's, in hot/humid mid-afternoon sun, in traffic, with the a/c on- excellent!

 

2nd oil change under my command. 1st induction cleaning. Rover no likey. Lol

 

Spent a few hours installing slightly customized front fender splash guards. Let me explain: 3 years ago I installed an ARB front bumper, the big one with the brush guard and winch mount. I trimmed the existing plastic fender splash panels that hung at the front of the fender wells as the ARB bumper has a much higher profile along the lower edge for good clearance. After a few hundred miles of highway driving the wind eventually pushed the loose fender splash panels on to the wheel which pretty much ate them up so I just removed them. Ever since I have noticed that my fog lamps in the bumper as well as the turn signals get full of dirt and grime thrown up from the front tires. Also on the drivers side is the windscreen washer reservoir and pump so was worried that they would eventually get damaged. I found the right and left side splash guards on ebay for about $30 each and after trimming them I installed them to the existing upper screw holes and drilled a few new ones along the metal edge of the bumper where it comes along the front edge of the fender well. I used some aluminum angle stock from Home Depot to secure the panels to the lower edge of the front bumper and cut some aluminum sheet metal and installed it on those supports so the area where the lights and wires are is now pretty well protected from anything thrown up from the tires.

 

Added another exterior customization just below the rear tail light... Always handy to have a bottle opener when you are picnicking while out on a drive!

 

Coolant flush + thermostat replacement. Broke a hose in process, but a replacement is already in route. Will drive around with a bottle of Peak in the meantime.

Was hoping to try out my viscous fan spanner as well to: 1. test the spanner, and 2. Make coolant flush easier. However, after dicking around with the spanner and a hammer for 10 minutes, I gave up. Maybe some PB Blaster will free it up. Otherwise, I might have to invest in the 2-spanner set to do it right. Tips on viscous fan removal appreciated!

Remaining on the to-do list:
PS Pump replacement
o2 sensor fix/replacement/troubleshoot
Install ladder that came today. I'm going to go the metal screw route. Any advice on what size I need, or what I'm looking for at HD/Lowes?

 

trg, I leave the belt on and use a leather sheath, off of my axe(other things would work, but this has a shim/wedge shape already). I wedge it between the pulley and belt, causing it to bind in the direction of removal. hammer...and one hefty tap. this has worked for me several times on 2 different discos.

 

Brilliant. Will try this in the near future. The PS pump replacement is just because the whine is getting ridiculous, so it's not incredibly pressing.

 

Did abs module rewire/repair but still have the lights...adjusted my handbrake...Will do differential fluid tomorrow and add coolant and bleed brakes...New rotoflex in the future...

 

I added a usb power port at my center console panel. No more cigarette usb adapter and it only cost me $4.