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Kevin Watkins has sent me the chassis numbers of the three Constructor cab Explorers exported to New Zealand and wondered if anyone could confirm that this gave them a 1959 year of manufacture ? They are 10246 ,10247 and 10248 ! Cheers Andy F:-D

 

Sounds about right Andy, my 1956 Constructor was chassis 9281.

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Regarding the rear axle oil pump Rob a chap who ran an Explorer on recovery work for many years told me to check the oil pump drive shaft for wear as he had one fail causing back axle damage ! Just one more job to add to the list :sweat:

doesent the rear axle oil pump just pump the oil through the axle cooler:confused:

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No it squirts a jet of oil on to the worm and wheel and i think it feeds the pinion bearings too. Need to sort out the axle oil cooler on mine as some boob has disconected it cos it leaked water. Just hope the worm and wheel havent cooked.:shake:

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i think alot of people disconnect the cooler when swapping engines to diesels mine was and still is disconnected but ive tested it and it holds water sxk460 was also disconnected supose its just one more job to do

when i went with my friend who bought sxk460 we noticed the cooler had been disconnected but thought it would be ok on a drive home

it wasnt the oil pump didnt work pinon ran dry and bearing went

after recovery home we realised that it wasnt the fact the cooler was diconnected there was a broken oil pump cover in the spares box a previous owner had broken the rear cover(and pump) replaced the cover but left the damaged pump in the axle causing failure in a big way

not what you want on a drive home really!!

:coffee:

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I replaced my oil cooler a couple of weeks ago, as it was leaking both into the axle and to the outside too. Luckily the one on my Mk1 Explorer (for spares) seems to be perfect. The only difference seems to be that the feed pipes and right angled adaptors are smaller on the Mk1. The later ones swap over fine, and the threads seemed to be cut with the same orientation on both coolers, which made re-fitting the pipes easy (possibly just lucky?).I had a run out last Sunday, and finally seem to have a water tight cooling system, this week anyway. This should stop the need to top up the coolant with several gallons before every occasional trip.

 

Good luck with repairing your cooler. I tried to fix mine with chemical metal, which slowed the external leak, but obviously had no effect on the internal leak!

 

Jules

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Couple of Meadows engines for sale on the Scammell Register website ! Too dear for me but there could be someone on the forum who could save them ?:-D http://www.scammellregister.co.uk/mart.htm

 

So will they be petrol or diesel then? £1000 thought the price of scrap had plummeted....I'll be having those heads back Andy!!:rofl:

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Hi Andy, Just interesting looking at the responses to the Nz Explorers. They did have the RR motors, and still uncetain if there ever was a fourth one. As for the other 200 odd, sorry boys, they are not here. In fact the Army archives make very little reference to them, and almost no photos. I have heard that by the mid 60s, the Army wanted the Amercian wrecker, and did everything they could to either "roll" or ensure the Explorers were not always operational.. "to help their cause" and get the American wrecker, which they did. Cant verify that but have heard similar stories from ex Army boys.

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Just interesting looking at the responses to the Nz Explorers.

 

Welcome to the forum Kevin and thank you for providing the many interesting photographs that been posted on here recently.

 

Some years ago, I saw a 'photo in one of the vintage transport magazines featuring a group of vehicles at a show in New Zealand. One of the lorries was, I think, a LWB transporter Scammell Pioneer. Is this Pioneer still seen about ? Cheers.

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REAR AXLE OIL COOLERS:shake:

 

Having had trouble with my rear diff when I first got my explorer, I've done a lot of peeking at other scammells... The vast majority no longer have the cooler plumbed in, and to be honest I've heard nothing bad about running the vehicles this way.:confused: I suppose these lorries were designed to operate in more extream climates than we have in the UK, and I take it that the 'cooler' actually helps to bring the diff oil up to temperature (handy in cold climates), but then provides some cooling to the oil where the oil temp rises above that of the engine coolent (surely only needed for hotter areas of the world, or for sustained heavy towing work). :??? Most coolers I've seen seem to be bypassed due to frost damage- the frost pushing one of the 'sweated' soldered ends off the main body of the cooler.

 

Having had mine to bits, I found that repair wouldn't be as straight forward as I had first thought:coffee:- I'd expected that the tubes would have been hard soldered in place, so allowing the ends to be sweated on with soft solder- preventing melting the solder holding the tubes..... However, this was not so:argh:- the whole cooler is assembled with soft solder, and as I only had one chance at getting it right, I did not want to run the risk of it all coming to bits when I applied the heat.

 

My remedy was to use an 'araldite' epoxy type product :idea:in place of a sweated joint, and this has been successful- the cooler has been back on the explorer for a number of years now. :yay:

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I am also a bit worried about the whine from 6th gear, all the others are silent but 6th was a bit of a screamer. Is it normal??:confused:

 

 

I've got to say, that so far I have not drove an explorer that doesn't 'scream like a banshee' in 6th gear... thought that doesn't mean that they are meant to do that???:??? I did sit down once and worked out how much faster the rear prop spins when you go up from 5th into the rev range of 6th:coffee:- it is a hell of a jump in revs...:shocked:

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I am also a bit worried about the whine from 6th gear, all the others are silent but 6th was a bit of a screamer. Is it normal??:confused:

 

 

I've got to say, that so far I have not drove an explorer that doesn't 'scream like a banshee' in 6th gear... thought that doesn't mean that they are meant to do that???:??? I did sit down once and worked out how much faster the rear prop spins when you go up from 5th into the rev range of 6th:coffee:- it is a hell of a jump in revs...:shocked:

 

Mine is quiet as it has new internals, as you say many are noisy, I presume you've seen this thread

 

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=7123&page=3

 

Araldite works well even in very hot places, good stuff

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That Pioneer photo may well be one I supplied for the magazine. That Scammell was involved in moving transformers in its early days in NZ, and was a LWB ex Tank Transporter tractor. Was then sold to a house mover in Wellington, I have a few photos of it working, shifting houses and concrete beams in the late 1950s. Was owned by Guy Wagstaff. Was then sold to another house mover and modified in the body work. The last I heard about 20 years ago, the remains of it were seen under a tree on a farm in the South island of NZ, most parts having been stripped.

While shifting transformers, it towed a 50 ton twin gooseneck Crane transporter. At times also had a federal and a Diamond T to assist.

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  • 3 weeks later...

After a bit of a search for gear oils for the Explorer I found Witham oils and Paints http://www.withamgroup.co.uk/ who have depots in Lincoln, Lowstoft and Soham near Ely. They have SAE 90 & 140 on the shelf and can get many paints including DBG. The paint I had from them before has lasted well. 25 litres of oil works out about £ 45 + VAT. :sweat:

Might be useful to someone??

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After a bit of a search for gear oils for the Explorer I found Witham oils and Paints http://www.withamgroup.co.uk/ who have depots in Lincoln, Lowstoft and Soham near Ely. They have SAE 90 & 140 on the shelf and can get many paints including DBG. The paint I had from them before has lasted well. 25 litres of oil works out about £ 45 + VAT. :sweat:

Might be useful to someone??

Yes they are good, I already use them, but only live 15 Miles from their Lincoln Depot...

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