Scheduled Service - What is involved? What can I do myself?

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agentmulder

agentmulder

Member
Posts
52
Location
NZ
Gidday,

Defender with 100,000km on the clock and according to the previous owner it's now due for a service.

I'm wondering:
  • What is involved in a normal scheduled service?
  • How important is it to go to someone who specialises in LR/Defenders? (as opposed to a cheaper general mechanic)
I'm reasonably mechanically minded - I have a masters of engineering in mechatronics, I'm keen to get dirty, and have a good set of tools and within reason am not afraid to buy more automotive oriented gear. Thing is I don't have much experience with automotive maintenance. I don't want to either get the defender stuck in the driveway or worse: drivable, but dangerous, after having stuffed something up.

But really, is it that hard?

How much can I reasonably get away with myself?
 
filters, coolant, oil- engine and diffs and tranny, possibly gearbox but if it aint broke dont fix it, check brake pads, shoes and discs, adjust handbrake, go over all ball joints and UJs , visual check of chassis and body mounts, check brake fluid and clutch fluid change if nec, check exhaust for rust or leaks grease ujs.

job done surely?

im sure somebody will find the real schedule for you but above would constitute a normal service for me, takes a morning if doing it for the first time, maybe a little longer whildt you find out the capacities of things and oil types but really thats about it for me. whilst under it push, pull and tw@t things that are there to see if anything moves or rattles when it shouldnt or doesnt when it should.

job jobbed.
 
Marmaduke said:
The best advice is make sure you've undone the filling points and have good access to them before you undo the draining points in stuff like gearboxes and transfer boxes and also the correct fluids and stuff to wipe up and mess you will no doubt make
Click to expand...
Aye, what he said, it's easy to forget things like this once it becomes second nature.
 
Unless I'm mistaken I'm hearing, yeah, it's worth doing yourself

Good.

I should have noted it's a PUMA/tdci - which may complicate things somewhat (?), it certainly complicated the clutch hydraulics issue I had recently.

Anyways, I'm about to order some toys from firstfour.co.uk - they also stock LR parts like filters, brake pads - I'll add what I need to the order.
  • Filters - easy to figure out?
  • Coolant - as in drain/replace? Any tricks?
  • Oil - yip, will do diffs and tranny ... as it's one of the most obvious service things, I've watched some youtube vids on this.
  • Check brake pads, shoes and discs - assume pad replacement? or what is the limiting factor?
  • Adjust handbrake - to account for cable stretch? what is the ideal angle on the handle, or is that for me to decide? or?
  • Go over all ball joints and UJs - any guide on what to look for (other than obvious damage?)
  • Brake fluid - checked :)
  • Clutch - reverse bled this, hrrrm, 16 times in the last 3 months (prior to slave repl. :)) - all good.
  • Visual/rust check - done every time I'm under it, but I'll be methodical this time.
  • Tyres are new also
Had a thought: the clutch and slave cylinder were replaced recently, wondering if this forced any of the above from having being done already (oil?)
 
I would do more than just a visual check on the brakes. Remove pads and check caliper movement, clean discs with Brake Cleaner, and reassemble with copper grease. Never start what you can't stop!! :eek:
 
Basically, any advice on any of the elements appreciated - but especially Defender specific info.

Other facts/processes can be found in general car maint web searches :)

Thanks for the input so far - good stuff
 
Ordered the firstfour premium service kit, magnetic plugs, and brake pads ...

Need some axle stands, brake cleaner, copper grease, grease, and oils/fluids next - will source locally :)

For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to it - might do it out on the street near the drain, therefore:
  • I wont block driveway with bricked Defender when I stuff up (been there, done that ... for 3 weeks)
  • 'Surprise' fluids will drain in a known direction - i.e. down the drain, where I'll have a home-made spill-kit of sorts up-stream and at the ready
 
agentmulder said:
Ordered the firstfour premium service kit, magnetic plugs, and brake pads ...

Need some axle stands, brake cleaner, copper grease, grease, and oils/fluids next - will source locally :)

For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to it - might do it out on the street near the drain, therefore:
  • I wont block driveway with bricked Defender when I stuff up (been there, done that ... for 3 weeks)
  • 'Surprise' fluids will drain in a known direction - i.e. down the drain, where I'll have a home-made spill-kit of sorts up-stream and at the ready
Click to expand...
When I was a kid my grandad used to do all his oil changes over the storm drain at the bottom of his drive:(
 
When ordering filters, it's worth spending a few extra pounds to get good quality ones - you can often see the difference in quality. In particular, some poor quality oil filters aren't worth a fart.
Anyway lucky you, living in NZ - I spent a few months touring there in 2007/8, fantastic country and perfect for Land Rovers. However loads of gravel roads = loads of dust. The ancient Nissan I bought suffered from rear drums full of dust, so I would be changing the air filter twice a year at least, and keeping an eye out for brake wear.
 
I ordered the 'premium' kit for the filters - which is apparently the original LR spec parts/manufacturers ... :)
 
As for Oils and the LR recommendations, it sure is time-consuming to figure out in terms of locally available variants - none of the recommendations are available here. Anyways, my decisions:

Engine - "Use only 5W-30 oil meeting Land Rover specification WSS-M2C913-B"
Locally this translated into Shell Helix HX7 ECT Engine Oil - 5W-30

Gearbox - "Castrol BOT 130M"
Quite a lot of discussion regarding this online already - I compared the data sheets for the various recommendations and by far the closest was Castrol Syntrans Multi Vehicle 75W-90 (Syntrans compared to BOT-130M)

Transfer Box - no info given here
Online discussions indicate that it is also a 75W-90 viscosity oil - so I'm just going to go with the same as for the Gearbox (5L will add up nicely so there isn't too much left over): Castrol Syntrans Multi Vehicle 75W-90

Diff - "Texaco Geartex EP 85W/90"
Not much discussion on this one other than recommendation of any decent 80W-90. Went with: Castrol EPX Differential & Manual Transmission Fluid - 80W-90
 
Last edited:
wattfield said:
I've never needed axle stands for oils & servicing, most people fit under a Defender anyway ;)
Click to expand...

Spent a bit of time underneath playing with the clutch slave, totally doable I agree - but I'm er, large ;) - as long as I can still reach upwards to the bits from the deck, the space will be nice.

I don't see the tyres getting in the air - heh, you're making me wonder if they'll be low enough to get under at height zero!

But no fuss, I've needed some for other purposes.
 
I planned on measuring it, but if it's on the wrong angle it may spill out when I reach the top, so yeah - good point...
 
check propshafts for play

if they have grease nipples grease them, so that grease comes out of all cups....if it doesnt come out of all cups you may need to remove the prop to be able to gently shift the spider to force the grease through the dry cup IF you can't get grease out of one of the cups there is a risk it may be dry and will wear quicker....and lead to failure...ask how me how I know

well done for doing it yourself....bit worried about the oils and fluids being dropped down the drain do you not have some where you can get them safely disposed of? i see you have a spill kit which is good
 
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