Disco 300tdi Rear Radius Arms/Trailing Arms?

Hi guys

Go easy on me if this is really obvious as I'm still learning.

Had this 1995 M reg 300tdi a year now. First Land Rover.

So far I've had to learn how to take the front end out to clean intercooler. Repaired keyway on crank pulley and did timing belt whilst I was there. Replaced brake fluid chamber. Took top off injector pump to fix leak on acc shaft and set up pump on re assembly ( starts and drives much better now ). So I am learning bit by bit.

Anyway today .... I'm 7 miles from home and it felt like I hit a massive pot hole. Big bang/thud and then the steering was all over the place. Car felt like I was sliding on ice. I look around and under car to see if I can see what's happened and the rear wheels are offset at an angle. The rear nearside wheel is way too far back in the arch. I get underneath and there is a round rod ( about an inch dia ) that connects from a foot inside the rear axle to a frame welded onto chassis about 2 feet towards front of car. Front end of this rod goes through a thick rubber bush that looks attached by 3 nuts. This rubber bush is all cracked. The rod has broken clean through just where it goes through that bush.

I used my tow rope to tie up as tight as I could between axle and that forward frame. Obviously a rope isn't a solid bar but I wanted to support it as best I could to see if I could get home.

I set off home but it's clearly not right. Just 200 yards down the road is a garage so I pull in. I wanted to ask if they thought it may be ok me driving home like that or would I do more damage. Job as it was so far looked fairly simple?

Usual sharp intakes of breath from mechanic and he says he wouldn't drive it another yard like that. So I ask him for an idea of a price for them to keep car and fix it. He gets straight on his mobile and rings the same place locally where I get my LR parts from ( Beamend near Werrington ). He is talking to the guy at the shop on his mobile and he walks around the back of the car and says " It just says tdi " ... I'm shouting " it's a 95 300tdi ". He then carries on talking to the shop on his phone ... " Yeah so I want the trailing arm and a bush ".

He gets off the phone and he tells me that it will cost about 60 quid for the parts ... 45 for a trailing arm and 15 for a bush. He says it should only take an hour to do so labour will be 30 quid.

I ask him to confirm what he is replacing. He says " You need a new trailing arm and a bush ".

So I'm thinking that I will have to buy those parts anyway and I would have to try and scrounge a loan of a mate's car so I could get the parts, and drive home like that ... so for 30 quid I tell him to keep the car and just do it.

He says he will pick the parts up on his way home tonight ( this was earlier this afternoon ) and try and get them fitted tomorrow.

I've just been having a look on the net and I'm confused as to whether my 95 300tdi has a trailing arm or a radius arm. Forgive my ignorance ... like I say ... I'm learning.

Any thoughts / comments on that please?

Many thanks

your cool it has both bud

at the front the hockey stick shaped things are your radius arms and the rear straight bits are your trailing arms !

i wouldnt drive far with it like that either - effectively your rear end is free to twist under power ..... or jam up solid at speed !

Ah I see. I'd posted as I'd done a search and found posts talking about rear trailing arms on some models and rear radius arms on others?

Just as well I left it then.

Hopefully it's as simple a job as it looked with no other surprises.

I didn't like the look of the rear nearside shocker. It looked well stretched?

Thanks for the swift reply.

not long had the bushes renewed in the front radius arms on my 300 too mate,the steering was scarey to say the least,all great now though,did the trailing arm bushes while i was at it...

DAZ

if you are having bushes replaced on trailing arm to chasssis one side you need to do the other unless other is new as these 2 arms hold your axle square to need to be secured equally one worn bush and one new will skew axle