..actually, thinking about, I don't suppose it matters. But that raises other questions which have me confused. More on that later, back to the car...

Oops! When putting the flange back onto the shaft, how does one know the correct alignment? Should the front and rear prop shafts be aligned?

I found another washing which I had lying around and will use this temporarily. Perfect fit but similar to a gasket: I'll put one of those in for now and order the correct part. The splines on the rear diff are knackered so that'll be coming off again soon anyway. Took a jet washer then a...

Hi all, Replacing the hand brake shoes on a 1996 300tdi. The brake drum is absolutely caked with oil. I have a new oil seal for the output shaft but when I was taking it apart, I noticed that there's a felt washer between the big 30mm nut and the flange (item 10 in the diagram). The felt...

I'd second that. I have the standard three seats in the front and am very happy with them. Having three separate seats also means that the seats can be adjusted independently of each other. As I say though, if you're trying to replicate the rear benches then it would be a custom build I think.

Rear bench seats are only suitable for two people really, or without seat belts maybe three small kids. I can't imagine that the bench seats would be any use for the front. If you're absolutely set on a bench seat in the front which is suitable for three people then I think it would have to be...

All sorted thanks guys. Turned out to be a bit of a pig. Couldn't get the pulley to stay still to free up one of the bolts and the threaded pipe which goes into the pump was a bit of a pig too. Ended up removing the intercooler, radiator, and oil cooler so that I had better access. All in...

Haynes manual says to remove the radiator fan first, and not to drain the system but instead use hose clamps. Fingers crossed...

Pump just arrived so here goes nothing... Presuming it's just a case of slacken off the bolts. Empty the system of fluid. Slacken off the belt. Replace pump. Tighten everything back up. Bleed system to make sure there's no air. Anything else I should be aware of?

So I just tried bleeding the steering box... No air bubbles, but, turning left pumps fluid out of the bleed nipple, turning to the right sucks the same amount back in again (with the engine running). Or to put it another way; with a transparent tube connected to the bleed nipple, going from...

Has anybody done this with a middle seat yet? Any chance you could post some photos?

New pump then?

Belt was recently done by a garage. Shaft on the pump is spinning.

In novice terms please James, where's the pump shaft? :oops:

Have given the UJs on the steering column a good lubrication. My missus couldn't turn the steering, so whilst I went from full lock on one side to full lock on the other several times, she said the fluid in the reservoir may have moved but if it did then it was only about 1mm.

I got mine from paddocks too, complete with bearing, CV and swivel kit. Mid job I found that I had no bushing so used the one from the original stub axle.

My clutch is slipping and I have the gears grind when going into first from a stand still. Have been advised that it's more likely to be the master cylinder at fault but before I go ahead and start spending money I'd like a second opinion.

Hi guys, The steering on my 300tdi is suddenly very heavy making it extremely difficult to reverse onto my driveway. How do you know how much fluid should be in the reservoir for the power steering? I'm guessing the bit that protrudes from the bottom of the cap acts like a dip stick and has...

Just a thought... I know that some cars require the steering lock to be turned off before the steering wheel can be removed. Don't know if it's the same for Defenders but worth a try (i.e. try removing the steering wheel whilst the ignition key is in the second position and you are able to...

Incidentally, mine is also a 1996 but it has a custom switch in the middle of the dash which a previous owner must have installed. Perhaps they had the same problem?