Soldiering on

The last update was in northern Namibia. Since entering Namibia, and then on into South Africa, availability of parts has increased (although that has never really been a problem), but most importantly prices have dropped dramatically. We have had a few more problems to deal with, but have also been able to attend to a few things that we had been putting off.

We had a fine time in Etosha National Park. The wet season had just started, so we compensated for the lack of animals at the watering holes by driving fast through big puddles. Good fun at the time, but as Etosha is a lime pan, the Land Rover ended up caked in lime. We managed to wash most of it off a day later at a campsite, but the bits we missed turned to concrete and have proven difficult to remove in our preparations for shipping the vehicle to Australia. More on that later.

A combination of a missed fuel stop and incorrectly read distances on the map lead to us fully testing our long range limits. With the additional 45L fender tank linked to the 80L main rear fuel tank, and the separate 45L side tank under the driver’s seat, plus two nearly-full jerry cans on the roof rack (filled when lying in the rack each holds about 18L) we had left Botswana with almost 190 litres of diesel. We ended up rolling to a stop on the service station forecourt having covered just over 2000 kilometres since refuelling. It was touch and go – we had bought five litres of questionable-quality diesel from a drum in a small town an hour or two up the road with the thought that at least the walk will be a little shorter… In the end, we only needed to dip into the extra fuel to get from the footpath to the pump.

Our next unforeseen problem came a few days later when our main tank started leaking. Luckily we hadn’t filled up completely this time so were able to siphon some off into the other tank and the jerry cans and then use the remainder. The underside of the tank has a separate steel stone guard attached to it, and over time it seems that water can get between the guard and the tank and cause it to rust. The use of salt on the roads in the UK probably doesn’t help. When we eventually bought a new tank in Windhoek, it seemed like a reasonably common problem as Johann at LR Parts didn’t seem at all surprised, and of the five he had originally held in stock, we bought the last one. The annoying thing was that when I had gone to remove the heavy duty tank guard and rear step, the three bolts fixing them to the rear cross-member all sheared off. In the end I had to drill all three out by hand and then re-tap the holes. It took ages.

Replacing the tank was a bit of a mission. As usual, fixings that hadn’t been moved since original installation refused to budge. The fuel pipe connection was corroded, so eventually the spindly plastic pipe it attaches to snapped – another common problem it seems. After a long day and with a new fuel gauge sender unit it was all back together. We tested it with a partial tank of fuel and it seemed alright at first. A week or two later, though, there was another small leak from the new sender unit. There was no easy way to remove it with the tank in place, as the water tank and sedimenter mean that access is fairly limited, so this job got left until we were staying in Paarl. After removing the exhaust, water tank, anit-roll bar and tank guard the tank was out once again. It turned out to be the connection where the plastic pipe pushes into the sender unit, and I was able to seal it using silicon gasket maker. While the tank was out it gave me a chance to really get in to clean out the dust and dirt in one of the chassis rails – another place the Australian quarantine officials would probably know to check.

Prior to arriving in Windhoek, we spent a few days camping and carrying out a few repairs in the sand dunes along the back road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. On the afternoon before we had planned to leave, a minor squeak we had occasionally heard over a few days very quickly became worse. The front left wheel bearings sounded pretty shot, so the next morning was spent replacing these. We had brought spares for this with us from England.

We made good use of LR Parts in Windhoek, buying a new vacuum pump, anti-roll bar ball joints and front springs as well as numerous other small parts we had either used or now thought we might need. If you are ever in Windhoek and need parts for a Land Rover, Johann at LR Parts in Gutenberg Street is the guy to see. They have a branch in Swakopmund, too.

In the previous post I mentioned that we had removed the rear anti-roll bar after one of the ball joints had been pulled apart when we got stuck in mud in Botswana. After the initial installation of the new tank we were able to refit the anti-roll bar with the new pair of ball joints. Prior to this though, we needed to remove the old ball joint pin that was still attached to the rear axle. It would just turn whenever I tried to undo the nut, and nothing I had would hold it. I eventually ended up placing the jack under the free end of the pin and jacking it up so that the weight of the Land Rover jammed it sufficiently to get some purchase on the nut, and off it came.

After one of the front springs had broken in Tanzania we had replaced just the one with a second-hand unit. It had always been our intention to get a new set of good quality springs once we got further south. We ended up buying a pair of Ironman coil springs, and so far have been very impressed with them. They certainly levelled the front of the vehicle, and we also gained an inch or so in height, partially because the old springs had definitely sagged. They are the right colour, too.

One small but significant purchase was the four brand new rubber mounts for the air cleaner housing. The air cleaner housing had first come free in Slovakia and had been tied on with wire ever since, so it was good to finally have it fixed.

Just as we were preparing to depart Windhoek we saw our first Camel Trophy Defender. No sign of the owners though, so we have no further information on it.

After departing Windhoek we headed for Sossusvlei. Once again the wet season beat us there, and the normally dry Sesriem Canyon was flooded.

The knock-on effect was that the flash flood was blocking the road into the vlei, and the next morning, after getting up extra early to get through the gate at sunrise, we got half an hour down the road and had to stop. Plenty of vehicles were there, including the park safari vehicles, but none were willing to attempt to cross the very swift water. Everyone turned to look as we drove up in the Camel, all expectantly waiting to see if we were going to cross. The pressure was enormous. Catkin had a go at wading across, but after making it successfully half way decided that the next section was far too swift and deep, and turned back. We had breakfast and waited. Slowly every one else left, but after 7½ hours, and a few more wading attempts, it finally looked like it had dropped enough to get across. Catkin reckoned it had come down by about a metre since she had first tried that morning. I tried wading it, and managed to get there and back, so decided that we should try it. The water wasn’t very deep, but was flowing over the smooth concrete ford in the road extremely swiftly. We edged into it, but in the end made it through easily, with only a small amount of water coming in the back doors and into the battery box. No one was there to see us get through, so we had the place to ourselves. It was very special.

At the end of the sealed road into Sossusvlei there is another 5km of deep sand. Our sand experiences up until now had usually ended up with us travelling everywhere in a low gear with high revs, and then getting stuck, which we attributed to our heavy weight and narrow mud tyres. I had always been sceptical about just what effect reducing the tyre pressures would actually have. Anyway, we decided to try it and see what difference it made. It was unbelievable, and I only wish we had tried it sooner when we were in Wadi Rum in Jordan or in Egypt and Sudan. It was a totally different driving experience. Suffice to say, we cruised around the deep sand and didn’t even look like getting stuck. We have even now bought some Staun tyre deflators which you can set to your pre-determined pressure and then just screw on when you get to an area of sand.

We had been told about a man named Johann Strauss by a Land Rover enthusiast we had met in Walvis Bay, and he insisted that we should go and see him if we were driving through Keetmanshoop. Well, eventually we did find ourselves in this southern Namibian town, and after making a few enquiries, were directed to Steinfeld Farm, about 60km south-west of town. Johann is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to driving and repairing Land Rovers of all shapes and sizes. We spent an afternoon discussing various problems we had encountered and those still of concern to us. He took the Camel for a test drive to listen to our noisy gearbox, but thought it would probably be okay for a while to come yet. He has loads of new and used parts in stock, and was able to supply the fuel supply pipe we had been unable to replace in Windhoek. He and his wife even have a basic campsite overlooking a canyon, and we stayed here for the night. If you are in the area and need some work done, Johann Strauss is the man to see. Just ask around.

The good thing we learnt about buying spare parts in Namibia is that we can claim a VAT refund when we leave the country. We filled out all the paperwork at the border and posted it off, but haven’t heard whether it’s been refunded yet…

Once into South Africa, the transfer box oil needed changing. The box had been leaking oil at the rear output flange for quite a while. I had bought a new seal in Ethiopia, and now was the chance to put it in. To cut a long story short, we eventually got talking to Nico at Springbok Motor Rewinds, and he insisted that I do the oil change in front of his workshop. He gave me cardboard to lie on, a bucket to drain the old oil into, lent me a set of pullers in case I needed them to get the flange off and gave me one of his workers to help me out. He even took care of the old oil. He was very kind and we were extremely grateful. Unfortunately the new seal didn’t quite fix the leak.

On the same day, the ‘new’ speedo cable we had fitted in Addis Ababa snapped, after only about 10,000km use. Quite disappointing. It was an ‘Allmakes 4x4’ cable which I had liked because it had a metal spindle instead of the plastic one that had worn out on the previous one we had. Luckily we still had the old one, because this was again pressed into service until we could buy a new one in Cape Town.

On the open road approaching the outskirts of Cape Town we heard a muffled pop followed by the sound of escaping air. It sounded a bit like a blow out, but with any variation in the handling of the vehicle. It turned out to be a burst intercooler elbow hose, resulting in a very noticeable drop in power. We managed to tape it up with loads of duct tape for the time being, and bought a new one in Cape Town.

Once in Cape Town we took the chance to fit the new vacuum pump we had purchased in Namibia, as well as check and adjust the valve clearances. The engine was noticeably quieter and was definitely running better after the tune-up. We replaced the rocker cover gasket too. By this stage, the rear ‘safari’ door was getting a bit stiff and difficult to open, so I dismantled, cleaned and greased all the hinges.

Close to one of the campsites we stayed at in Cape Town we saw a sign for the “Gearbox Exchange.” We were still concerned about the condition of the bearings in both the gearbox and transfer box, so decided to go in and get their opinion. Geert confirmed it was the transfer box bearings making the noise we could hear, and although he wouldn’t give any guarantees he did think it may be okay to last the rest of our planned journey. We got some prices off him anyway and said we would think about it. Geert’s prices were quite good, so in the end we decided that it would be worth getting it looked at sooner rather than later. At the same time we would have the gearbox done and a new clutch installed, as well as a new crankshaft seal on the engine in an attempt to eliminate any oil leaks to the satisfaction of the Australian authorities. The Gearbox Exchange had the car for five days, and the only problem was that when Geert was test driving it on completion of the work one of the already-worn rear drive members stripped. We drove it home with the diff lock on and replaced the rear drive members and axle half shafts the next day. The improvement in the transmission was immediately noticeable. We still had some difficulty changing into low range, but this was remedied by adjusting the grub screw on the side of the box. We celebrated Catkin's birthday by going to look at our gearbox in pieces.

The focus of our efforts was now in preparation of the Camel for shipping to Australia. The authorities there are very particular about cleanliness of vehicles being imported into the country, both temporary and permanent imports. The main reason for this is, understandably, to ensure that no seeds or insects that could cause damage to Australia’s agricultural industry are introduced. We suspect that they will be particularly concerned about a vehicle that has travelled through the length of Africa. We’ve spent hours underneath the vehicle, scrubbing and hosing as best we can, as well as a trip to a car wash to use their water-blaster. The worst problem was the Etosha lime mentioned earlier, but we have managed to pretty much get it all off. Of course, some of the waxoyl protective coating was also removed. To finish the job off we purchased some specialist chassis and underbody sealer from a local paint factory and re-coated the whole underside. It has come up looking very good, hopefully good enough for the Australians.

Once through quarantine in Fremantle, vehicles being imported temporarily under a carnet into Australia need to go to a test centre for a roadworthiness inspection. One of the requirements for this is that the vehicle is to have no oil leaks. This is a particularly difficult state of affairs to achieve with a Land Rover – they all leak from brand new! Nevertheless, we have attempted to rectify as many leaks as possible. The work carried out by the Gearbox Exchange solved a few, but the sump, oil filter adapter and rear differential were still leaking. For the oil filter adapter we have replaced the O-ring that seals the oil thermostat to the adapter. That has stopped most of the problem, although there is still a small amount coming from somewhere. During the last oil change I took the opportunity to remove the sump pan, clean it up and refit it with new sealant, as well as taking out the dent that had been in it since before we had owned the vehicle. The leaks from where the pan joins the engine block have now stopped.

The rear diff pinion seal had been leaking a small amount for quite a while, but really became obvious when we were parked facing downhill on a steep slope in Hout Bay, Cape Town. There was a big pool of oil beneath the diff. We purchased a replacement seal, but I was concerned that the new one I had been sold looked different from the existing seal, and that it might not fit, so was reluctant to start the job until I was sure it was the right one. Looking on the internet and a quick check of the Camel Trophy Owners Club website left me none the wiser, although one of the CTOC members gave me some very good practical tips for replacing the seal once I was sure I had the right one. After speaking to a couple of local Land Rover mechanics, they assured me the one I had was right, and sure enough, it fitted nicely. For the record: the existing seal, Part no. AEU2515, was the old leather type; the replacement, Part no. AAU3381, is the new rubber type. While I had the prop shaft off I also renewed the forward universal joint.

Over the previous few weeks our power steering box had begun leaking, and seemed to be getting slowly worse. After a bit of shopping around, we had established a price at one workshop for a complete overhaul and from another for a replacement box. Replacement was about three times the cost of overhaul, which in itself was still quite expensive. They did suggest, however, that providing there was no lateral movement in the sector shaft (which the drop arm connects to), I could try replacing just the input and sector shaft seals without having to dismantle the whole box. They had even managed to do one still in the vehicle. It was the cheapest option, so I decided to give it a go. Sector shaft seal kits can be bought separately, but input shaft seals can only be bought in the complete kit for the whole steering box. After struggling with connections that were almost impossible to reach and then not being able to undo them anyway, I eventually decided it would be easier to take the box out to do the work. Once it was out, replacing the seals wasn’t too difficult, carefully drilling holes into the old seals and screwing in screws to enable the seals to be withdrawn. It was still after dark by the time I had it all back together. We had one circlip break, on the sector shaft, and Catkin was unable to find a replacement in her travels around the industrial areas so we put the broken one back in.

The clutch slave cylinder had sprung a small leak somewhere along the line, so one of the last jobs we carried out before shipping the vehicle was to overhaul it with a seal kit consisting of a new piston seal and dust cap.

In the meantime, we had washed the car, polished it and cleaned out the inside, all in preparation for the trip to Australia. The rear cross-member was showing a couple of rust bubbles, so we cleaned up and treated those and repainted it. The battery box needed a good clean out, and to do this I removed the tray in the base of the box. This was also looking a little rusty, so we cleaned it up and repainted it.

The vehicle was now spick and span and ready to ship. The only things we hadn’t done were to have the air conditioning looked at and to buy a pair of new rear shocks. The shocks we will definitely have to buy once we get to Australia.

Shipping
We had been investigating shipping, both for the Land Rover and for ourselves, pretty much since we had arrived in Cape Town. The ideal option would have been a small ship that could have taken the Camel as deck cargo and us as passengers to keep an eye on it, but we soon realised that this option did not exist. The only way to ship the vehicle to Fremantle would be in a container, and it seemed that nobody took passengers between South Africa and Australia. We first spoke to Maersk, who gave us a freight price, but said that we would need to arrange it through an agent, giving us a number to call. Gordon at BALTrans was very helpful, and smartly gave us a quote and plenty of good advice. Next we started looking into agents in Fremantle. The few we contacted by email came back with quite high prices that were almost as much as the freight and South African agent fees combined. We started to wonder whether it was going to be just too expensive to include Australia on our itinerary. A cousin of mine in Perth had also been contacting agents, and luckily one came back with a more reasonable price. We decided to go ahead with it. Ships leave every week, and the container would go via south-east Asia, taking about 26 days to arrive in Fremantle. We are expecting the total exercise to cost about £2000.

The other concern was whether or not the vehicle would fit into a standard container. We already knew the roof tent would need to come off, but it was touch and go whether the roof rack, with the higher rails on the jerry can rack, would fit through the door. Measurement I had made indicated that the rails were slightly too high, but that if we reduced the rear tyre pressures to 1.2Bar the rear would lower enough to get through the door opening. Once at the port container depot we lay down the jerry cans, lowered the sand ladders and reduced the tyre pressures, and sure enough, it was just enough. I had measured the door at 2290mm, and we were just millimetres under it.

The Customs Officer arrived at the depot and checked chassis and engine numbers, and duly stamped out our Carnet.

Once in the container, the port workers strap the vehicle into the container using disposable strapping and buckles. They had intended to strap around the axles, but concerned about the vulnerability of the brake pipes, I requested that they use the towbar and front recovery points instead. Once it was secured the Zaptron pest control people came and fumigated the container, pumping in Methyl Bromide, again in an attempt to satisfy the Australian quarantine authorities. After fumigation the container was sealed using a special numbered bolt through the door latch. The seal bolt can only be removed by bolt cutters. I also put two of our padlocks on the doors for extra security.

As far as we know, the ship has now sailed, so hopefully we will see the vehicle in a few weeks in Fremantle. In the meantime we still need to collect all our documentation and fumigation certificate so that we can get it out again at the other end.