Linds Hanson wrote:

Defenders haven't had that type of transmission brake since 200TDI days up to 94MY

Linds Hanson wrote:

Highly recommend changing oils to Swepco they make a tremendous difference to running temps and wear and tear. Speak to Mark Ratcliffe at Inspiring Solutions

Linds Hanson wrote:

Highly recommend changing oils to Swepco they make a tremendous difference to running temps and wear and tear. Speak to Mark Ratcliffe at Inspiring Solutions

Grenadier wrote:

I have come to the conclusion that it's the handbrake shoe/drum. I loosened it a bit before my roadtrip to Spain and the heat stopped. Then one day I parked up, slight slack on the handbrake and the Def did the rock 'n' roll which self-tightened the HB. When I drove it the next day, it was hot again. Now I release the brake and if on a long journey give it a real waggle and make the cable feel as loose as possible, and since then, no heat. I'll adjust the shoe a little more, and may well add a heat shield at some point, but this does seem to have made an immediate difference. Thank you LR90XS2011 for the suggstion.

So, before a long drive, disengage the hand brake, let the vehicle settle ebfore driving off, and shake/waggle the handbrake lever until all tension is gone. When re-applying, do so gently and try and avoid the rock 'n' roll which seems to tighten the slack too much. If stopping on the long journey, perhaps avoid the hand brake and just leave it in a high gear?

incredible i found my exact problem, the last summer with a lot of travel on the road was really unbearable. As you said, paradoxically the heat was reduced by closing the windows. I bought quite a few insulating plates to put on the seat boxes and under the <cubby box, but I'll also try the handbrake thing. I'll comment later on how it went.