:eek::eek::eek:
NEVER, EVER, EVER HIT A HAMMER WITH ANOTHER ONE!! NEVER!! NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSANCES!!
If you don't believe me, ak at your local eye hospital, after hey have carried our a multi-hour operation to try and find and remove a tiny fragment of hammer face embedded in the back of the eye!! :(:(
:eek: is there a h & s list anywhere of what not to do. I nearly belted myself when I took off wrong end of grease gun as well. I had no idea they had a strong spring in them.

As for landy, I got propshaft on finally. But unfortunately the nuts on 2 of the captive bolts that were a bit mashed in (that I wanted to change but couldn't get the flange nut off) wouldn't tighten they just kept turning.
I took it for a tiny test drive anyway to see if I could get it to the garage tonight and the prop didn't fall off so I shud be ok to get it to the garage.
Can I ask the garage to replace those captive bolts on the service or will I be told to sod off
 
Personal H&S is common sense really ...
Protect your eyes as you only get issued with one pair, and fragments of any metal can fly a lot faster and further than you can move, and that includes dust!!
Protect your fingers as you are only issued with a certain number of them and it seems like a good idea tokeep as many of them as possible, although many are still able to function with a reduced number of digits
If you lift something up on a jack, secure the position with axle stands, as it's difficult to extricate someone who is trapped underneath a combined engine and gearbox and has suspected crush injuries to their chest.
Apart from that, have fun!
 
:eek: is there a h & s list anywhere of what not to do. I nearly belted myself when I took off wrong end of grease gun as well. I had no idea they had a strong spring in them.

As for landy, I got propshaft on finally. But unfortunately the nuts on 2 of the captive bolts that were a bit mashed in (that I wanted to change but couldn't get the flange nut off) wouldn't tighten they just kept turning.
I took it for a tiny test drive anyway to see if I could get it to the garage tonight and the prop didn't fall off so I shud be ok to get it to the garage.
Can I ask the garage to replace those captive bolts on the service or will I be told to sod off

The garage should be able to to change them but it is likely to be additional as is a little beyond a standard service. How large a bar did were you using when you couldn’t get the flange nut off? I managed mine by chocking the wheels, putting in gear and using a 3 foot breaker bar. But even with that it wanted to love the vehicle rather than the nut but got there in the end.
When I cut the bolts off the diff end I then put the bolts in the other way around so they can be removed without taking the flange off. And the nuts go behind it. But you cannot do that at the transfer box end.
 
The garage should be able to to change them but it is likely to be additional as is a little beyond a standard service. How large a bar did were you using when you couldn’t get the flange nut off? I managed mine by chocking the wheels, putting in gear and using a 3 foot breaker bar. But even with that it wanted to love the vehicle rather than the nut but got there in the end.
When I cut the bolts off the diff end I then put the bolts in the other way around so they can be removed without taking the flange off. And the nuts go behind it. But you cannot do that at the transfer box end.

I made a flange locking tool that fits the diff. tbox and even the viscous fan to allow removal of the nut , rather than rely of the box to do it. Since then fourby are now making selling a flange locking tool.

Cheers
 
Well Landy has been to the garage.
No report of it being a ringer or cut and shut so that's good.
but that's about the only good news.

Front and Rear Axles he thinks are from a Range Rover classic and not a defender. and due to that the shocks face the wrong way (i think he said)
Rear hub seal leaking onto brakes
Chassis in poor condition needs work urgently.
Rear prop shaft Uj had gone and the flange (possibly coupling) was gone so he replaced them
Tracking was miles out so he sorted that
Tyres are oversize but not sure if thats an issue or not apart from it stops the rear wiper from working as it gets jammed.
Manifold is where the engine oil leak is and where the psh psh noise is coming from (so at least its not head gasket). He also said he reckons thats the only oil leak so thats good.
Front shocks weak
Diff and axles have severe backlash
Front washer pump faulty

I did ask was anything good on it and he just laughed.... haha.
The mechanic was quite sad that someone had made such a mess of a Defender but on the positive side he never said its a wreck and get it to the scrapyards so I have still got a tiny glimmer of hope! :)
 
The garage should be able to to change them but it is likely to be additional as is a little beyond a standard service. How large a bar did were you using when you couldn’t get the flange nut off? I managed mine by chocking the wheels, putting in gear and using a 3 foot breaker bar. But even with that it wanted to love the vehicle rather than the nut but got there in the end.
When I cut the bolts off the diff end I then put the bolts in the other way around so they can be removed without taking the flange off. And the nuts go behind it. But you cannot do that at the transfer box end.
I only could get my torque wrench on it as I dont have jackstands or a proper way of getting under it. I am hoping the garage has sorted that side. He never mentioned it as such but i asked him did he see the stoved in bolts and he said yes.
Ill be able to check tonight when I pick it up.
 
Nothing there is too bad so I would not worry too much. The biggest problem on the list will be how much work the chassis will need but nothing is insurmountable. If you get it back into good condition it will all be worth it, and even if you only do some of the easier work yourself it will leave you with a much better understanding of how it all works and the confidence to tackle larger jobs on it in the future.

Please see comments in red on the quote of your original post.

Well Landy has been to the garage.
No report of it being a ringer or cut and shut so that's good.
but that's about the only good news.

Front and Rear Axles he thinks are from a Range Rover classic and not a defender. and due to that the shocks face the wrong way (i think he said)
I was not aware the RRC axles were different. How are the shocks fitted? The front should be through the centre of the spring and the rears should be in front of the axle.

Rear hub seal leaking onto brakes
That is a nice easy one to repair yourself.
Remove the wheel,
remove the brake caliper or drum (need a 13mm bi-hex socket for caliper bolts and then tie the brake caliper to the suspension spring so you do not stress the pipe),
pop off the rubber cap from the end of the drive flange and undo the circlip
undo the 5 bolts and remove the drive flange
this will reveal the two hub nuts with a lock washer between them
Bend the lock washer back to flat and undo both hub nuts (you will need a the hub box spanner)
remove the hub.
You will then see on the inner face of it the hub seal which needs replacing.
And in true Haynes fashion reassembly is just the reverse!

If you have gone this far it is probably worth replacing the wheel bearings as well and if you get a wheel bearing kit it will include this seal and the gaskets/lock washer you need for reassembly. There are some very good write up with pictures for how to change wheel bearings which would be worth looking at even if you just swap the seal as it is the same process.

Chassis in poor condition needs work urgently.
This is the perfect opportunity to learn to weld! Nearly all the chassis parts are available as repair panels, just make sure whoever repairs it cuts out the old metal and lets a new piece in rather than just patching over the rust otherwise the whole will come back very quickly.

Rear prop shaft Uj had gone and the flange (possibly coupling) was gone so he replaced them
Tracking was miles out so he sorted that
Tyres are oversize but not sure if thats an issue or not apart from it stops the rear wiper from working as it gets jammed.
What size are the tyres? you have to be getting very large before they will casue problems. I run 265/75/16, which i think were the largest you could get standard from the factory. But you can run up to 33/12.5 without needing modifications.

Manifold is where the engine oil leak is and where the psh psh noise is coming from (so at least its not head gasket). He also said he reckons thats the only oil leak so thats good.
I am about to change my manifold gasket again. This is a job which should not be difficult but access makes it hard as does the potential for all of the bolts and studs to snap causing no end of problems and potential needing the head removed to drill them out! If you are going to attempt this yourself make sure you spend a good week covering all of the manifold and turbo bolts with penetrating oil to ensure they come off.

Front shocks weak
Another fairly straight forward job to do yourself. You will NEED replacement turret rings as they will shear when you remove them. It is also a lot easier with new shock turrets as well as it is very difficult to remove to old shock from the old turret is the nut has seized.

Shock removal:
Undo the bottom nut
Remove the plastic cover in the inner arch at the top of the shock.
Undo the 4 nuts around the top of the spring which hold the turret on. (These are the turret ring studs which WILL shear)
Remove the whole turret including the shock.
Undo top shock nut (realise it won’t come I done and replace the turret as well)
Refitting is the reverse.

Turret ring removal:
The shock needs to have been removed before the spring can be removed.
Jack up vehicle as high as you can and place an axle stand under the chassis
Lower the axle as far as you can
There should then be enough clearance to just remove the spring. If there is not you will need some spring compressors to make is shorter so it will come out. you can then remove the turret ring and fit a new one.
Refitting is the reverse.

Again there are some very good write up with pictures for how to change shocks which would be worth looking at


Diff and axles have severe backlash
A lot of this back lash will probably be in the drive flanges as these are the quickest to wear. to check remove them and look at the teeth in the center. If they are pointed it will need replacing, as they should be square and flat. These are cheap and quick and easy to replace. .
it they are visible you do not need to remove the wheels, if you have alloys you will need to take the wheel off first.
Pop off the rubber cap from the end of the drive flange and undo the circlip
Undo the 5 bolts and remove the drive flange.
Refitting is the reverse.

Front washer pump faulty
This will want testing to check if it is the actual pump which has failed or if it is the switch or the wiring. If you do not have one it woul dbe well worth investing in a multi-metre as you can then check each part of the circuit is getting power. If the pump is not getting power it will be the switch or wiring at fault rather than the pump itself.

I did ask was anything good on it and he just laughed.... haha.
The mechanic was quite sad that someone had made such a mess of a Defender but on the positive side he never said its a wreck and get it to the scrapyards so I have still got a tiny glimmer of hope! :)
 
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Nothing there is too bad so I would not worry too much. The biggest problem on the list will be how much work the chassis will need but nothing is insurmountable. If you get it back into good condition it will all be worth it, and even if you only do some of the easier work yourself it will leave you with a much better understanding of how it all works and the confidence to tackle larger jobs on it in the future.

Please see comments in red on the quote of your original post.
Thanks thats great info! :)
I think some of those jobs are defo out of my league at the moment. Especially as I have real trouble getting nuts/bolts off.
If the mechanic agrees that the range rover classic axles are ok to stay on it that should save alot of money for a start off!
Ill take a pic of how the shocks are later on.
Tyre size is LT265/75 R16 112/109S
I couldnt find any body shop open today (its TT over here so most places close for 2 weeks) so thats a bit annoying as the sooner I get it in the sooner I can start using it! I think once the chassis is sorted it will be properly usable. :)

Im gona go out in a minute and straighten the steering wheel. (the seller gave me another steering wheel so might change it to that one)
 
Thanks thats great info! :)
I think some of those jobs are defo out of my league at the moment. Especially as I have real trouble getting nuts/bolts off.
If the mechanic agrees that the range rover classic axles are ok to stay on it that should save alot of money for a start off!
Ill take a pic of how the shocks are later on.
Tyre size is LT265/75 R16 112/109S
I couldnt find any body shop open today (its TT over here so most places close for 2 weeks) so thats a bit annoying as the sooner I get it in the sooner I can start using it! I think once the chassis is sorted it will be properly usable. :)

Im gona go out in a minute and straighten the steering wheel. (the seller gave me another steering wheel so might change it to that one)
That's great info from dag019. You might be surprised at how much you can do yourself, with a bit of guidance off the forum. Doing one thing builds your confidence and leads to another. You save money, but more importantly I think, get great satisfaction from doing it yourself.
Did you make sure the drop arm was facing straight forward when you refitted the steering wheel?
 
Thanks thats great info! :)
I think some of those jobs are defo out of my league at the moment. Especially as I have real trouble getting nuts/bolts off.
If the mechanic agrees that the range rover classic axles are ok to stay on it that should save alot of money for a start off!
Ill take a pic of how the shocks are later on.
Tyre size is LT265/75 R16 112/109S
I couldnt find any body shop open today (its TT over here so most places close for 2 weeks) so thats a bit annoying as the sooner I get it in the sooner I can start using it! I think once the chassis is sorted it will be properly usable. :)

Im gona go out in a minute and straighten the steering wheel. (the seller gave me another steering wheel so might change it to that one)

265/75/16 were a factory fit tyre size later in production and are not over-sized for a defender. They are the same size I am running on mine so will not cause you any problems. If the spare on the rear door is fouling on the wiper you may need a spacer on the carrier so it is held further away from the door. This can be as simple as another nut put on first followed by the wheel, then the securing nut, similar to the setup in the pic below (taken off google). Although If you have 265/75 tyres that is a lot of weight to be carrying on the back door and it may be worth looking into a swing away wheel carrier similar to the one pictured which will solve the wiper problem and mean that you door and hinges last a lot longer!

283052211.jpg
 
That's great info from dag019. You might be surprised at how much you can do yourself, with a bit of guidance off the forum. Doing one thing builds your confidence and leads to another. You save money, but more importantly I think, get great satisfaction from doing it yourself.

I agree with the above, you will be surpirsed how much you can do once you start on things. If you are worried about doing some of the jobs yourself, I would avoid the chassis repairs or manifold gasket as they are the biggest jobs with the highest possibility to go wrong. But having tackled the prop shaft you should be able to comfortably do a few of the others.

I would start with the rear hub seal. The first job I ever did on mine, which was the first thing I had ever done on a car, was a wheel bearing change. That is fairly straight forward job and hugely satisfying as it feels like you are taking the whole axle apart if you are not used to working on vehicles becasue you end up with nothing left on the end of it!
Couple of vids to give you an idea of the job.
Write up (do not need all of this but has the hub removal as part of a larger job)
wheel bearing 1
wheel bearing 2

The above guide also shows you how to remove the drive flanges which for the price of them would be worth replacing all around to reduce some the back lash you are experiencing.


After building confidence with the hub seal you should be able to tackle the front shocks as a slightly more involved job, but again it is all just nuts and bolts.
Write up
Video

I know you are limited as you are on the island but there may be other members on here local to you who could give you a hand and share their knowledge. That is one of the best things I have found about owning one is that most other people who have one will be interested in yours, and more than happy to help out either on here, or locally by lending tools and experience or coming and crawling around underneath it with you to show you how to to do the job.
 
Thanks. I had thought I wonder if I could put a spacer on the spare tyre holder so will look at that and the swing away wheel carrier.
I didn't get time to change and straighten the wheel last night but will have a go this afternoon.
Glad I didnt as none of the guides i had seen online mentioned the drop arm so I will google what that is right now!

Thats food for thought, especially the rear hub seal job.
Cheers
 
Thanks. I had thought I wonder if I could put a spacer on the spare tyre holder so will look at that and the swing away wheel carrier.
I didn't get time to change and straighten the wheel last night but will have a go this afternoon.
Glad I didnt as none of the guides i had seen online mentioned the drop arm so I will google what that is right now!

Thats food for thought, especially the rear hub seal job.
Cheers
The drop arm being central is needed to set the tracking correctly so the garage should have done this. It would be an easy way to check their work. To correctly set the tacking the steering drop arm needs to be central, then you set the wheels to both face straight by adjusting the lengths of the track rod and drag link bars. Then finally once this has been done you can centre the steering wheel by removing it from the column and rotating it.

If the garage have correctly set up the tracking all you need to do is unbolt the steering wheel, remove it from the splines an rotate it until it is straight.

Setting the tracking on mine is the bane of the garages life as my steering wheel is deliberately not straight and I have to tell them to use the drop arm on the box rather than the steering wheel. (I have rotated my steering wheel clockwise two splines so that the spoke is at just the right height to sit comfortable in my right hand when my elbow is resting out the window on the door top in the typical Landrover driving position!)
 
Also the drop arm has a location hole that you can poke a drill bit up to make it stay centralised to the box
 
Do not expect the steering wheel to just pull off.[ it may though ]The book way is to use a puller but I have removed them by pulling on one side and whacking under the other side with a big rubber hammer.
 
Good tip is to put the steering wheel but back on but only a couple of turns, that way when your straining to pull the wheel off it won’t suddenly let go and break your nose.....
 
Well I've tried for 2 days and the wheel ain't coming off. Bought a rubber mallet especially for the job.
Ah well. Turned my Attention to the rear sliding windows as they seem to have a meadow growing out the rails. Cleaned them up and got one window open but not the other.
Can I spray wd40 on rubber to try lubricate it a bit?
 
Soak the steering wheel with WD 40 or better stuff like plus gas,leave for a day and whack some more it will come off.
You can spray the window rails.
 

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