PS_Bond

For the 300TDi, tighten to 37lb ft (should still rotate with no play in the bearing), back off 90 degrees, tighten to 7lb ft. Then fit the lock washer, then the 2nd nut & tighten to 37lb ft. After that you can test end play on the drive shaft with a DTI if you have one.

I've not checked the manual (not having one), but I don't think they use the lock nut/lock washer arrangement.

I suspect my 1/2" drive 52mm socket came from Difflock, but it was a while back. Looks slightly disproportionate on the 1/2" drive but does the job. Working from memory, I think the TD5 setting is in the order of 150lb ft while the max on the 300TDi is 37lb ft (first nut gets backed off 90 degrees, then done to 7lb ft). Do check that though!

Socket not box spanner on the TD5 - the hub nuts on those are torqued so high that a box spanner will deform rather than cope. Bitter experience from some muppet doing my 300TDi's nuts up to the wrong torque...

I threadlocked all the bolts you list. It's a pest if you have to take them out shortly after (when refilling swivels, for example!) but it's one area where I'd prefer to have the additional security.

Worked like a charm, thank you. One down, one to go.

Ed's is a railko, mine is a '96 110, so bearings top & bottom - I'm just hijacking his thread (Sorry Ed!)

Went and got some more shims - used 0.80 of shim in the end. Oh well, plenty of room for adjustment later. Using the feeler gauge I came out with an approximation of 0.090, so not a completely lost cause. The oil seal retaining plate is indeed what I was wittering about - I've not bothered Hylomaring it as it isn't a seal, just a seal retainer. Well, so the logic goes... Onto the next one - should be faster having gone through it once. Oh, one thing - warmed the 1 shot, started to pipe it in - into a very cold swivel, so the stuff congealed again... I'll see if it has settled tomorrow, I've only got about half the pack in.

I think I'll slacken the bolts off equally & use a feeler gauge to get a rough idea of how much extra shimming I need, then once I've got an approximation do it properly. The other thing that surprises me slightly is the kit has no joint washer for the retaining plate - then I thought about it and couldn't really see that it would do much good.

Yup, that's not on yet either. Wondering about reusing the old shim(s) along with the new ones.

Yes, but it's only about 1kg lower than the static reading.

Roller - sorry, should have said.

Well, I've reassembled the first of mine, used all the shims in the pack - and I'm seeing a preload of about 6kg. I see the LR manual says 1.16-1.46kg, while the Haynes manual says 3.6-4.5kg. A) Which is correct? B) Have I goofed something (can't really see what)? C) What's a normal shim requirement for new balls & bearings?

Same general shape on a good day The fragility/brittleness of the coating surprised me a bit - given how resilient some of the spray on/bake on coatings can be, I'd not expected it to be quite so delicate. Does mean I'm being quite careful handling them prior to fitting.

Looking at how readily the coating chips off corners while fitting the outer races, I'm not sure that I'd regard it as terribly robust. Remains to be seen though.

Now of course the minor hiccough is that the only M8x30 I have on hand are stainless... Probably do to get the thing set up though.

Woohoo! Or words to that effect. Built up a pad to fill in the area drilled out in the bolt, slipped a washer over it & tacked it, then tacked a nut to that, filled the inside of the nut with weld and the whole thing came out with no issues. My welding needs much more practice though - haven't done much in ages.

Thankfully, it's on the bench. I might buzz it with the welder to anneal the extractor stub - there's not quite enough protruding to weld anything to, more's the pity. That would sort the threadlock too. Argh! Thank you... Damn them! Even so, that's not a lot of force for an M8 to fail at.

This morning's joy. Having worked out the right way up for the swivel balls, I started to reassemble. Bottom pin in, top pin loose to hold it in place, tightened up the lower swivel pin bolts... As I was torquing one of the bolts (58 lb ft according to the manual), I felt it go loose. Yup, the top of the bolt has torn off. Drilled out the centre of the bolt to 6mm, screw extractor in, shear screw extractor. At the moment, I'm thinking of going in with a carbide burr to carve the extractor out; once that's done, I'm not entirely sure of the ideal way to remove the remainder of the bolt. At least it's a through hole, so I should be able to hollow the entire thing; I'm thinking of either slotting the remaining end and trying an impact driver, or drilling all the way through before trying to carve the metal away to the threads. Any thoughts? I have, of course, threadlocked the blasted thing too - which is why I was trying to get it free immediately it sheared.

For the 300TDi Defender, the manual specs EP90 (or 80) GL4 or GL5 for the transfer box, GL5 for the "final drive units" (and the swivels, with a mention of Molytex EP00 for later vehicles). Mind you, this is the same manual that specs ATF rather than MTF94 for the gearbox, so it may have been superseded.

Just to tag onto this with a stupid question - which way up do the balls go? Can't tell for certain from any of photos. (Never mind - just seen it: The bolt holes are asymmetric & there's one TDC) Oh, and even gaffer tape can mask areas being blasted for a while. I've only degreased & wire brushed my housing before painting it - didn't mask any of the machined areas (but tried not to just slap paint over them), just waited for the paint to set and used a razor to take it away from those areas.

I'm saying you'll cut through the plating so a) the area won't be protected and b) you'll end up with the surrounding chrome flaking away (in part from corrosion working under the plating with the steel being exposed). It'll last for a wee while, but you'll eat your seals as a result. If I was strapped for cash I'd possibly do it, but recognise that I'd have to redo it maybe as soon as 3 months down the line (it's Winter, there'll be a lot of salt around soon). SWAG on the 3 months, BTW. Of course, you could find a suitable plater somewhere and get them stripped, polished & rechromed, but I wouldn't have thought it would be cost effective. And you'd still have a flat spot from the damage.

They're (or were) chrome-plated, aren't they? So any surface damage - like that - will either have gone through the plating, or you'll knacker the plating trying to rectify it. Replacements aren't *too* bad for price - and if it's any consolation, yours are in far better nick than mine are currently.

Got to say - I had no problems with either this weekend. Ring spanner + rubber mallet might have had something to do with it....

Well, once they're back in, they're greased for life. In theory. Until your seals leak 1 shot grease over the back of the mud guards... As for the rest - the manual refers to the service schedule, but I don't actually have a copy; mine's been out of action long enough for me to just run through everything on the list.