DIY clutch replacement....

I really fancy saving myself a few quid and replacing both the clutch, flywheel and release bearing myself on my Defender 300Tdi. Does anyone have a link to an easy to follow step-by-step guide? What are the pitfalls? Any tips? etc.

Many thanks.

I haven't done it myself, but done at lot of research on it due to doing the same myself in the next month or so.

I don't think the flywheel needs to be replaced unless its grooved or badly worn.

I think it's a good idea to replace the clutch fork with a heavy duty item while in there, as this is prone to failure.
Also replace the spigot bush in the end of the crank, and personally, I'd replace the crank seal with a genuine lr item too.

I think the workshop manual is a good place to start, not sure if you'll be wanting to remove the engine, or the gearbox?

Hope this helps

There's nothing to it. It's just time consuming and heavy but it's really a no-brainer. It can be done single-handedly but I always got some help to put the engine back in. A manual is not really essential but it will help. I usually tackle it in sections, i.e, start off with the front end (drain coolant, remove fan, remove radiator / intercooler, remove bumper and radiator panel (I am not absolutely sure whether this is essential or not but I have a hunch that my engine crane doesn't lift high enough to clear the panel), PAS pump, viscous fan and belt, then I move to the driver's side to remove clutch slave cylinder, fuel hoses, main wiring loom, glow plug connections, etc, over to the other side to undo exhaust pipe, starter motor connections, heater hoses, crawl underneath to undo the flywheel to bell housing bolts (some of them are a bit awkward) and engine mounts. Then all that's left to do it prep the hoist, take the weight, put a jack under the bell housing, lift it up as much as you can and if nothing is left connected, the engine will come away. Rather than manhandle the engine crane, I prefer to lower the jack holding the gearbox and roll the car backwards. Lower the engine onto the ground, swap the clutch and repeat in reverse order. Getting the engine to line up with the gearbox is a bit of a hit and miss affair. It can take a minute, it can take an hour (once again, don't forget to jack the gearbox up). I take a note of everything I undo and cross it off when I re-attach it. If parts are in hand, you should be able to do the job in 6-8 hours from start to finish without rushing.