Interceptorxj said:

You're joking, that defender in the photo looks mint and looks like it has hada fortune thrown at it?

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dag019 said:

On an '88 surely the lower shaft is the old style like this Pictured:
Shaft: RTC4738
UJ: VA133508

This is what I had fitted to my '89 110 originally. I changed the UJ's on mine and do not remember it being too difficult, it was one of the first jobs I did when I was still learning. I now have the later style lower shaft linked above as I fitted a complete 300tdi bulkhead that came with all the parts. But originally it definitely had the old style I have pictured, because when I had the head on crash that resulted in my chassis change I popped the joint in it (was the only thing preventing me from driving home)!

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Nerocuba said:

To be honest, I haven't even looked yet but will have a look this week, they seem very different so I should be able to tell which one I need. I wonder if they still do the older ones. Thanks again for the advice.

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dag019 said:

I don’t know if they do them as a fully assembled unit. But the part number I gave you are both still available. But unless there is anything wrong with the shaft I would just replace the two uj’s if that is what the issue is. No point wasting money for the sake of it. The shaft is not a wear item unless you have a front impact and the joint then pops to prevent the steering column going through your chest!

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Rougharse Racing said:

Just get the U/Js, they are easy to swap, once the bolts are out there is enough movement to slide them along the splines so they can be removed.
You do not need to unbolt the upper column.

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Rougharse Racing said:

The tight points on your steering mat be the universal joints on the steering column, there are two in the engine bay, These can dry out and rust, they don't cost much to replace. You can test by spraying the joints with loads of WD40, this may free them up, but is only TEMPORARY and doesn't fix them.
Before you spend money on a rack rod, it could be worth temporarily removing the bracket on the diff to see if this stops the rattling. If this does turn out to be the problem I would check to see if it is a standard track rod, as if a thicker one has been fitted, that could be the issue.
This bracket isn't essential as it is not fitted to Discovery and Range Rovers that use the same axle. It is there because the rear track rod is vulnerable for being bent backwards when the axle grounds whilst off roading, the bracket is supposed to prevent this, but in practice the rod just bends around it.
Before you fit up-rated parts, it is worth considering that when you add strength in one area, it moves the weak link to a different and possibly more expensive part of the chain.
As far as smoke on start-up is concerned, the smoke may just be un-burnt fuel if it took a while to start. I used to have a perfectly healthy 2.5N/A that was a reluctant starter from cold, unless you used the heater plugs and that smoked like a good-un on initial start-up.

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Pappasmurf said:

Heres a tip. Learn to do as much as possible yourself. It will save you a very large fortune in garage labour fees.

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