GlynD

Problem solved: Needed to lever the A frame into the axle. This created enough resistance to hold the ball joint in place.

Hi all, I posted a while back when I was about to buy my first Defender. I went ahead and bought it, it's a 1996 300tdi Defender 90 and have tinkered with it almost every day since. Today's job is the rear A Frame ball joint but it's proving to be a bit difficult. I've manage to free up most of the bolts with a big hammer. The problem I'm having now is that the ball joint thread is turning whilst I'm trying to undo the 30mm nut which secures it to the axle. Any suggestions how to stop the ball joint from turning so that I can remove the nut?

Found the answer here: https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/am-i-missing-a-drain-plug.85321/page-2

About to buy a 96 defender. 300 tdi. Looking underneath it's generally solid, but there's a lot of oil underneath. It looks to me like this is the drain hole for the gearbox oil and somebody has left it unplugged. Could somebody with experience please confirm? https://photos.app.goo.gl/imav3KV8QrEv2t1u1