I’m not sure, I’m struggling to get the top Two prop shaft bolts out and I’m Anxious about chewing the nuts / heads as they seem really soft. I’ll soak them overnight in some penetrating oil and see how they are tomorrow

So as the ribs are healing and I’m feeling a little braver, I decided to crawl under the old girl and have a look. lots of gunk from both front diff and transfer case and I’m assuming the front diff shouldn’t look like it does in the photo ? sourcing replacement parts as we speak…

AG ?

It’s a brave chap who messes with a Scottish woman with a broom…

well the votes of the Scottish Jury are in…. Seems the model fitted to the Auto (4.6 flavour at least) is the 44-62-003. I’m guessing the 001 is the manual variant of the transfer box. thank you so much for the kind offer, @tomcat59alan unfortunately I’m going to have to pass this time...

I may need a serious wire brush !

My special 9/16th spanner’s with a hex ring (instead of 12-pointer) came today so if the ribs permit, I may go and crawl Underneath the old girl and have a look

50kg !!? With my ribs ? will get a price from a tame Garage but it’ll likely be a few hundred no doubt… Will have good think to see whether I feel I can do it l myself or whether it’s beyond my level of competency. Bottom line is it likely needs doing.

I’d read somewhere that after 100k you had to watch for the belt, oil pump, seals etc - but that might have been Ashcroft putting the fear into me persuading me to go the whole way. it’s just having been bitten and managed to b*gger up two differentials, I wondered whether it might be the...

I think I’ve sort of come to the same conclusion. A refurbed VC is £330 if anything else in the transfer box is shot it’s going to be a better bet to do the whole thing for £745… It’ll need to wait until at least next month though. (Ribs and wallet !) Can I just double check, if I remove the...

Thanks ! I’m gathering tools and parts but I may have to wait until my ribs heal a bit before crawling underneath again. It’s all I can do to get up Of the sofa at the moment !

Fair point. I’ll be doing that regularly too from now on to avoid any more expensive consequential damage ! Am I right in thinking there’s just the one feeding the front prop or is there one going to the rear too ?

Then I bet that’s what it was, sounded like the power steering was struggling to turn the wheels or the tyres were rubbing -a handy symptom to look out for in future !

Keys liberated by handy RAC man with a long bendy rod... One thing occurred to me.... On Saturday, while the world was still Rosy, I had a noise when steering, initially I thought it was the front wheels rubbing, then when I checked that wasn't the case, I wondered if it might be the Power...

I have to laugh… or I’ll cry… ive got the RAC on speed dial so we’ll see if they can gain access - I’ll then need a kid to wriggle through to the boot as I’m not doing it, well, for many reasons, not least I’ve cracked two ribs by sneezing. I’d rather spend the £137 for a replacement key...

Well, I’m not going anywhere or testing anything for a while. The kids have just locked the keys in the boot. My spare key is in a bag… in the car. I could scream

can I still test it if the diff is toast ? Or will that complicate matters…

Bugger… so… wheels off, discs off, hubs and driveshafts out ? then hope that the diff itself isn’t a rusted disaster area. possibly a stupid question (the latest in A Series no Doubt) but is there a way to check for sure the diff is goosed ? and, while I will look at RAVE, Is the VC likely...

RAC on way to recover her (and me hopefully) will investigate in the dry and after pay day as rear diff nearly cleaned out my RR fund ! is the front diff more of a pain than the rear to swap out ? and is the VC a specialist job ? thanks again Bob

The whine baca me a rumble and then a horrible running scuffing noise. Not quite as dramatic as the rear, no vibration, etc. Maybe it’s just a UJ this time ??! it did let go a delightful odour of oil just after it let go. can’t see anything obvious but I’ll need to Get underneath her to be...