J
John Stokes
Guest
Like Baldrick, I had a cunning plan which went badly wrong. My defender was
MOT'd the other day and failed on only seven comparatively minor items, so I
thought, get up at four on Saturday and get most of the work done before it
gets hot. Unfortunately I couldn't find my wheel bearing spanner, so I had
to wait until Craddock's opened.
I'd already done the first job. Apparently the drivers door has to open
from the inside, something which it hasn't done for two years, passing MOT
with no problem last year! When I'd been to Craddock's I started on the
other jobs. Top shock absorber rubber, no problem if you hacksaw through the
bush and fit it from both ends. I had to get a neighbour to run me down to
buy a second 24mm spanner and another breaker bar before I could persuade
the rear anti-roll bar to part company(How do Land Rover justify £6.75 for a
bolt?)
This morning I started early again and tightened up the nearside wheel
bearing with no problem and separated the drag link ball joint from its
housing. Then the fun started, after spending an hour with WD40, heat from
a camping stove and anything else I could think of I managed to unscrew the
old ball joint. The new one went so far in and stuck! With a bit of
persuasion I got over this and broke for lunch.
At about four I started again on the last two jobs, an exhaust rubber and
the offside wheel bearing. when I bent over the wheel I noticed a smell of
cat pee and made a mental note to hang the neighbour's cat from the roof
rack next time I saw it. I should have known better, as soon as I removed
the rubber end cap oil poured out from the diff. Bloody oil seal gone at
four on a Sunday afternoon.................bloody land rovers.
Cheers, John
MOT'd the other day and failed on only seven comparatively minor items, so I
thought, get up at four on Saturday and get most of the work done before it
gets hot. Unfortunately I couldn't find my wheel bearing spanner, so I had
to wait until Craddock's opened.
I'd already done the first job. Apparently the drivers door has to open
from the inside, something which it hasn't done for two years, passing MOT
with no problem last year! When I'd been to Craddock's I started on the
other jobs. Top shock absorber rubber, no problem if you hacksaw through the
bush and fit it from both ends. I had to get a neighbour to run me down to
buy a second 24mm spanner and another breaker bar before I could persuade
the rear anti-roll bar to part company(How do Land Rover justify £6.75 for a
bolt?)
This morning I started early again and tightened up the nearside wheel
bearing with no problem and separated the drag link ball joint from its
housing. Then the fun started, after spending an hour with WD40, heat from
a camping stove and anything else I could think of I managed to unscrew the
old ball joint. The new one went so far in and stuck! With a bit of
persuasion I got over this and broke for lunch.
At about four I started again on the last two jobs, an exhaust rubber and
the offside wheel bearing. when I bent over the wheel I noticed a smell of
cat pee and made a mental note to hang the neighbour's cat from the roof
rack next time I saw it. I should have known better, as soon as I removed
the rubber end cap oil poured out from the diff. Bloody oil seal gone at
four on a Sunday afternoon.................bloody land rovers.
Cheers, John
