Thorough inspection is a critical step!
Since we were relying and trusting our "friend" to inspect the vehicle, we never actually got to see or drive the vehicle before we paid for it. Our "friend" told us that he had taken a good look and had even taken it for a test drive, as per his email.
The following are some notes that I have gathered from my experience. These notes pertain particularly to our Series III Land Rover, but much of this can also be applied to any other vehicle. There is also a short article written by a friend, which I have posted on our website which is worth a quick read.
When purchasing a vehicle, it is best to buy one that has been driven continuously. When a vehicle sits for a long time, the seals and any rubber components can dry and crack, which can cause you no small amount of grief. Running a vehicle on a continued basis will ensure that everything remains lubricated.
The inspection should consist of:
While the vehicle is stationary, check for obvious wear and damage, corrosion, leaks, examine spark plugs and jack up the vehicle to check all four wheels. When the vehicle is jacked up, check for excessive play in wheels and if found, try to determine the cause. It could mean worn wheel bearings, loose swivel pins, worn ball joints or even lose u-bolts.
If possible, your test drive should consist of some highway driving, non-sealed roads and even through water. Check for overall handling, performance, and noises. Listen for extra noises while driving on non-sealed roads, preferrably bumpy, as it may be easier to hear clunking noises of worn or damaged parts. Driving through water will help you check for any misalignment and underbody damage which manifests itself in the form of leaks.
CorrosionCheck for corrosion in the following places: outrigger/side member joints, one the main side-members of 109in models, above the rear bump stop brackets and most serious of all, around the rear cross-member/chassis side member junction. This last condition is aggravated by excess towing loads on the rear of the chassis, so any Land Rover fitted with a towing hitch which has regularly been used for towing heavy loads should be inspected carefully.
The bodies are mainly aluminium, but certain parts are made of steel which can and will rust over time. When inspecting a second-hand Land Rover look at the following items: the front bulkhead/toeboard, the front door pillars near the door hinges, and particularly at the upper door surrounds, above the window.
LeaksCheck for leaks around the engine, gearbox, transfer case, differentials and hubs. If it's not leaking, chances are there is no oil left! Land Rovers are notoriously known for leaks. It shouldn't be excessive though. Leaks can sometimes be more serious than just replacing a seal or gasket. The hubs seals were leaking on our truck and it turns out that it was the sleeve on the drive member (on which the hub seal runs) which was worn. This is caused by extremely high mileage. Just replacing the hub seals does not solve the problem.
SuspensionLeaf springs wear, rust, lose their 'springiness', eventually become fatigued and can break. Look for wear, rust on springs and u-bolts, broken springs and sag. On top of determining the condition of the springs, make sure the spring packs are the correct ones and appropriate for your purposes. Our truck had modified leaf springs, less springs and no overload springs in the rear, which were certainly not correct for the job we required. Spring bushes and pins must also be considered as consumables, but are relatively easy and cheap to replace. It may be necessary to replace the entire suspension.
Shocks are generally okay until they start leaking oil or collapse. Damaged shocks can also be determined by uneven tire wear.
ExhaustCheck the exhaust from manifold back to rear tailpipe. A leaking/damaged exhaust can normally be heard when test driving the vehicle. Surprisingly enough, the exhaust pipe under the engine bay is not the most short-lived part of the system. The offset behind the rear wheel is what usually rusts first. The front pipe is known to loosen from the exhaust manifold and then break.
ClutchThe clutch is good and big and should normally last a long time, unless of course the vehicle has been abused. Check the master and slave cylinders for leaks. These will most likely leak if the vehicle has not been driven for extended periods of time. You can also test if the clutch is still strong. Park the vehicle right against a solid wall, engage forth or where applicable fifth gear and let out the clutch. The vehicle should quickly stall. By doing this you can tell if your clutch plate is about to pack it in.
BrakesCheck the brake pedal feels firm. A giving brake pedal indicates a leak somewhere in the system. A spongy brake pedal could mean air in the hydraulic lines. Drive the vehicle and test the brakes. If the brakes pull to one side or another, it may just be an adjustment problem. Brakes on the series III are quite finicky and often need to be adjusted. Observe to see there are no leaks at the hubs. This could cause serious brake problems.
TiresObvioiusly it is ideal to purchase a vehicle with good tires. However, check the wear on the tires from which you may be able to ascertain other problems. Uneven wear can indiate damaged shocks or alignment problems.
EnginesStay away from engine conversions. Usually these are coupled with copious amounts of dubious custom parts. If things break, it may be hard to find replacements. Further, if the engine conversion has been performed by some back-yard mechanic it quite possibly will be a hack job that will give you problems along the way. Check the spark plugs for unusual wear; burned, corroded, oil soaked etc. Start the vehicle. Does it start easy? Difficult? How does it idle? What colour is the exhaust smoke when you start? The exhaust should be a light gray colour. Black, blue, brown or anything else could mean trouble. Any unusal knocking or pinging?
Apparently, diesel engines wear out quicker than petrol versions. They exhibit their age by burning oil or by pushing it out through the breather. This may indicate the onset of a major top overhaul (rings, valve guides and a careful look at the cylinder head which eventually cracks and starts pushing combustion gases into the cooling water).
CoolingDrive the vehicle at highway speeds for an extended period of time and watch the temperature gauge. Operating temperature should remain around 85 degrees. A tall-tale sign of overheating problems is if extra fans have been fitted, shrouds modified or extra vents installed. Overheating can be as simple as a thermostat or slightly more involved such as a blocked radiator core or quite a bit more serious such as a cracked cylinder head.
GearboxTake the vehicle for a test drive and work your way through all the gears. Check for noises and problems while switching all gears. The all-synchromesh gearbox fitted to Series III models is not considered to be as strong as the earlier box which only had synchro on top and third gears. Synchromesh on first and second gears suffer first because of the nature of a Land Rover's life. The first gear wheels eventually get noisy and chip their teeth. Apparently replacement is straightforward but time-consuming and thus expensive if you are not doing it yourself.
ElectricsMake sure all the electrical equipment and gauges work. If things are intermittent or not working, it may be useful to take a quick look at the wiring behind the dash. If the wiring and terminals are melted or corroded, chances are the vehicle has been in a fire or has been flooded. This could give you endless amounts of grief down the road. Luckily, the electrics in the Series vehicles is quite limited.
Had we had the opportunity to make the above listed checks, we would have run away from our Series III Land Rover quicker than you could possible imagine. However, we didn't, so we attempted to deal with all its short comings. Initial condition of our Landy and subsequent repairs are listed in later sections.