Land Rover Discovery: Safety Measures
- The electronic control modules (ECM) fitted to vehicles make it
advisable
to follow suitable precautions prior to carrying out welding repair
operations. Harsh conditions of heat and vibration may be generated
during these operations which could cause damage to the modules. In
particular, it is essential to follow the appropriate precautions when
disconnecting or removing the airbag RCM.
- Do not allow electronic modules or lines to come into contact with the
ground connection or the welding electrode.
- Seat belt anchorages are a safety critical. When making repairs in these
areas, it is essential to follow design specifications. Note that extra
strength low alloy steel may be used for seat belt anchorages. Where
possible, the original production assembly should be used, complete with
its seat belt anchorages, or the cut line should be so arranged that the
original seat belt anchorage is not disturbed.
- All welds within 250mm (9.842) of seat belt anchorages must be carefully
checked for weld quality, including spacing of spot welds.
- Remove the battery before carrying out welding work in its vicinity.
- Utmost care must be taken when welding near the fuel tank or other
components that contain fuel. If the tank filler neck or a fuel line must be
detached to allow access for welding work, then the fuel tank must be
drained and removed.
- Never weld, on components of a filled air conditioning system. The same
applies if there is a risk of the air conditioning system heating up.
- Connect the ground connection of the electrical welder directly to the
part that is to be welded. Ensure that there are no electrically insulating
parts between the ground connection and the welding point.
- Adjacent vehicle parts and adjacent vehicles must be shielded against
flying sparks and heat.
RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING
Where resistance spot welds have been used in production, they must be
reproduced with new spot welds in replacement where possible. All such
reproduction spot welds should be spaced 25 to 30mm apart.
Setting up the equipment and coordinating the welding parameters.
Equipment:
- Follow the equipment manufacturer's instructions for the equipment
settings.
- Select the correct electrode arms (as short as possible).
- Align the electrode arms and tips exactly.
- Electrode tips should be convex (rough shaping with a file, fine
shaping with a sanding block).
Body:
- Ensure that the flanges to be joined lie perfectly flat to one another.
- Prepare a bare metal joint surface (inside and outside).
Notes on technique/method:
- Carry out a test weld on a sample piece of the material coated in
welding paste.
- If any metal parts are located between the electrode arms then there
will be a loss of induction and therefore power (adjust current setting).
- The power needs to be adjusted for high-strength low alloy steel.
- Repeated welding on old welding points often leads to poor quality
welds.
- Keep the electrode tips as near as possible to an angle of 90º to the
contact surface.
- Keep the pressure on the electrodes for a short period after finishing
the weld.
- The electrodes work best if their shape is convex. Clean the contact
surface of the electrodes regularly.
Resistance spot welding panels where the total thickness is 3 mm or
more
For all repairs to modern Land Rover vehicles, spot-welding equipment
should be suitable for reliable welding of zinc-plated, high-strength and
high-tensile steels in three or more layers, up to 5 mm total thickness. If
these requirements are not fulfilled, plug welding must be used for safety
reasons. The electrical specifications (current, resistance, heat) of the
spotwelding
equipment have different validity, depending upon the type of
equipment. Therefore, it is essential that the manufacturer's instructions are
observed with regard to the actual welding performance.
MIG/MAG WELDING
Setting up the equipment and coordinating the welding parameters.
- Any joins that are MIG/MAG welded in production must also be
MIG/MAG welded during repairs. Also during repairs, some resistance
spot welds need to be replaced by plug welds.
- If access is difficult, or if a suitably powerful spot welder (see above)
for
total panel thicknesses of 3 mm or more is not available, resistance spot
welding must be partially replaced by plug welding during repairs. In this
case, the increased time needed and the correspondingly more
demanding corrosion protection requirements, must be taken into
account.
- Welding repairs can only be carried out properly if the equipment is set
up correctly and all the welding parameters are co-ordinated.
Equipment:
- Set up the equipment as directed by the manufacturer.
- The hoses must be untwisted.
- The core must be free of abraded rod particles.
- The gas and current nozzles must be free of slag and scale residue.
- Pay attention to the quality of the welding rod and the throughput of
gas.
Body:
- Ensure that the joint surface is perfect.
- Prepare a bare metal joint surface.
- Maintain the correct gaps (formation of roots).
Notes on technique/method:
The increased application of heat during MIG welding destroys the
welding primer/zinc layer over a much larger area than during resistance
spot welding, as a result of which much more care needs to be taken
when applying anti-corrosion protection afterwards.
A test weld should always be carried out to ensure that the welded joint is
not just a surface connection.
NOTES:
- The increased application of heat during MIG welding
destroys the welding primer/zinc layer over a much larger area
than during resistance spot welding, as a result of which much
more care needs to be taken when applying anti-corrosion
protection afterwards.
- A test weld should always be carried out to ensure that the
welded joint is not just a surface connection.
Attach the ground cable right next to the welding point (ensure that
good contact is made).
During plug welding start welding on the lower panel to ensure
adequate penetration.
Plug welding
- Welding direction: circular pattern working from the inside outwards
- Welding starting point: center of hole on lower panel
READ NEXT:
The windscreen, side and rear windows are bonded directly onto the
window frames on the body and liftgate.
The windows are bonded primarily for reasons of adhesive strength.
Bonded glazing provid
Galvanic corrosion is the cross-contamination of dissimilar metals, in this
case aluminium and steel. Avoidance of galvanic corrosion is an important
issue to be considered in the repair of aluminium
SEE MORE:
Detection issues can occur:
When driving on a different line to the
vehicle in front.
When a vehicle edges into your lane.
The vehicle will only be detected once
it has moved fully into your lane.
There may be issues with the detection
of vehicles in front, when going into
and coming out
Note: The Climate control system
removes moisture from the air and
deposits the excess water beneath the
vehicle. Puddles may form, but this is
normal and is no cause for concern.
Note: The LED indicator lamps, above the
switches, will illuminate when the function
is selected.
Note: When the ECO p