Thanks for all the helpful suggestions (and the rest). Having changed the offending wheel bearing I have now done 100 or so miles with no trouble so I guess it is sorted - until the next time!

There is a thing that looks like a choke but is actually the stop cable - you pull it out to stop the engine and when you turn the key to start the engine it should spring back in. Unless it is broken of course, or has come detatched at the injector pump end - in which case the less violent way...

If the coil doesn't fix it I'd try the contact breaker points (in the distributor) - sudden poor starting and loss of power can be down to pitted points. Buy a spare set anyway - if they arent wrong now they will be one day. And if you really want to make it run better try fitting electronic...

Than for all the advice guys - just taken a look at the offside front wheel bearing - inner race lubricated more with rusty water than grease, so that's the favourite target now. To be fair to me it is in the same direction from the dirver as the gearbox! Never heard a wheel bearing scream like...

I'd wondered about that, but depressing the clutch makes no difference - just rolls to a hit still grinding away just the same. If the gearbox has to come out I'll replace it anyway just in case, but I don't want to pull the gearbox out unless I am sure it is something I can't get at from...

Thanks for the rapid suggestion but I alreadychanged those - it made no difference! Percyatok

Any expert out there help me with this? I have a Series III diesel landrover which I rebuilt on an new chassis a couple of years back, so I figure I know my way around, but this has got me stumped. Normally all is fine but from time to time, when I reach about 45mph there is a really loud...