help with getting my defender on the road

Hi guys, new to the forum and have just got a defender 90 with a re-con 200tdi engine sitting on some gas shocks.

I'm just looking for a little bit of your knowledge with regards to the pricing of things. The 90 has been off the road for nearly a year but has been used as a light farm vehicle.

I would like to know roughly how much you would expect a garage to charge to change the clutch, i understand you need to take up the floor plate etc and feel that I don't have the tools and knowledge to do it myself.

The steering feels loose and have heard it might just need tightening, is this something I can easily do myself?

Sorry if these are easily answerable questions but i thought some help from a few fantics would get me back on the road quicker!

Hi and welcome (feels a bit wrong saying that as I'm new myself!)

don't wish to tell you how to suck eggs but will cover all inc. the basics

Ref the clutch, the gearbox can be lowered down in defenders as the chassis x-member unbolts unlike the series landies.. still not a fun job but thought I'd let you know, as for price.. no idea but I wouldn't pay more than £3-400 inc. parts

steering - best thing to do is get underneath while someone turns the steering wheel left to right.. I'd guess it'll be a balljoint, maybe the one on the steering drop arm, which is £0 for the entire arm, £11 for a rebuild kit (but the top cap/bearing race thingy can sometimes be so worn you won't be able to get it out

the local garage as heard of that balljoint popping out so worth checking for any play

if there's no play in sight on the steering balljoints, check all 4 wheels for any bearing play (wobble the wheel top/bottom)

Mine had wobble in the steering which turned out to be worn drop arm bushes (the bars that go from the chassis to rear axle so IMO always worth going through checking everything in the following order

-steering balljoints
-wheels for play (which suggest wheelbearings need tightening/replacing or if front play, swivel play)
-axle bushes

there's probably more but hope that'll be a good starting point for you

if you do the bush/balljoint work yourself.. parts are VERY rarely anywhere near over £10 each in those areas

Good luck

worn drop arm bushes what are they? Rear radius arm bushes im guessing?

drop arm - the angled arm thingy ma jig that sits under the chassis, bolted to the power steering box that the front steering bar joins to... if that makes ANY sense?

the balljoint on it is supposed to be packed with grease, but dries out and wears into the arm

There aren't any bushes in the drop arm - however the ball joint could be worn.

If the steering is a bit wishy washy then it's more likely that the panhard rod bushed need replacing - get some poly ones in there.

thanks very much guys, i'll have a good look at the steering and see what I can do, should be an interesting learning curve!

oooooooooooooo

nope, I'm just too simple to get it!

You can do the clutch yourself, its all only nuts and bolts. Instructions are clear and you need few special tools, just a good socket set and a clutch alignment tool. You will however need a friend as the gearbox is very heavy indeed. It's best to hire a crane which you poke through the door once you've taken the check strap off, which you use to take the weight of the transmission when you take the crossmember off.

Drop arm ball joint and suspension ball joints covered above.

Sounds like you have two weekends work and about £50-75 worth of parts, or use a garage and pay around £5-600 but go down the pub.

hmm, saving a few hundred quid seems sensible, so, along with the hire of a crane and a few tools, a clutch change should be possible with a haynes manual and a bit of common sense, might have to borrow a mate for that bit then