TD4: Front subframe/beam - replacement bolts?

Am in the middle of replacing my slave/clutch on my 2001 TD4.

Haynes seems to suggest I need to replace the two big front subframe-to-chassis bolts on the subframe when refitting with new bolts. (afaik they're 'stretch bolts' so should always be replaced, not reused)

I had them on order with the local LR dealer, but they told me they were 'obsolete' and can't be got. Got a little knarky when I asked if he had any idea where I could get them then.

Does anyone know the LR part number for these bolts (to aid me shopping around with LR dealers further afield)?

Does anyone know of a suitable alternative that I might be able to pick up in some motorfactors or Halfords or somewhere?

(Couldn't see a similar thread, so I'm assuming this inability to get these bolts is either dealer specific or limited to Ireland!)

Thanks!

i just fit the old bolts back as do most garages ,never heard of anyone having an issue

According to Microcat there are 6 bolts in total holding the subframe on?

Anyway, they are as follows:

ANR5332 x 2 (M14 x 124) = number 2 below
ANR5333 x 4 (M12 x 115) = number 3 below

Is/was it much extra work to get to the clutch after removing the IRD?
I need to replace my IRD shortly and was wondering if its worth doing the clutch whilst its all apart.

Cheers

Darren

Thanks for the response lads!

Good to know people reuse these and also the spec of the bolts (they're the m14). Think I'll probably reuse these for now, but order a few for the next (inevitable?) engine repair!

Darren, as far as I'm concerned, once you have the IRD out, you're most of the way there to getting at the clutch (at least if you're following either Haynes or the old Rave workshop manuals).
The worst 'stuck' bolts I ran into are ones you need to remove to get at the IRD - the gearbox ones were relatively okay.

There was one bad bolt (the innermost bolt on the engine bracket on the top of the gearbox) which was difficult to get at because of obstructions in the engine. In the end, I found it easier to remove a few pipes and the ERG (less than a minute or so each to do) to give myself more room.

As a complete novice, dropping a gearbox for the first time, I had a lot of learning to do. It's taken me time, but it's certainly doable. I'm not rushing the process myself, but I'd guess it's taken me an additional hour of actual work to get the gearbox off.

Some tips:

1. I had the use of an engine support bar to 'hang' the gearbox from - things would have been a lot more difficult without.
2. It was certainly feasible for one person to do.... but I did get a bit of help when it came time to drop the gearbox.
3. Also, break the tension on the bolts on the gearbox before removing the engine support bracket on the top of the gearbox... just makes life easier.
4. And don't bother to remove the gear selector quadrant - once you've disconnected the rods/linkages, there's more than enough room for the gearbox to come out.

psicic said:

...I'd guess it's taken me an additional hour of actual work to get the gearbox off.

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thanks.

how much time did you take to get to the clutch?
just wondering if its a weekend job or i need time off work.
whilst ive done clutches / gearboxes etc on other cars on the driveway, i havn't done one on the FL yet :scratching_chin:

In all honesty, I'd need the extra day, but it's kind of a 'how long is a piece of string'-type question.

If there wasn't so much muck and rust around the engine bay, I'd probably need less time. Since I've Monday booked off work to do some work on the car, I'll post back here to update you on how long everything took... and how much I've still got left to do!

jamesmartin said:

i just fit the old bolts back as do most garages ,never heard of anyone having an issue

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You mean most garages don't know how to do the job properly.....now there's a surprise! :rofl:

psicic said:

I'll post back here to update you on how long everything took... and how much I've still got left to do!

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Finally following up on this more than a month later - the job took substantially longer than anticipated. Disassembly is all very straightforward. Reassembly is a right pig of a job requiring determination, rage and a lot of cursing... or that may have been just me. I assume you've probably already done your job, but it took about three days longer than I expected to get the clutch done and everything back together. :clap2:

(As an example of one of the extra 'tasks' that delayed me, there was an airlock in the slave cylinder after fitting that normal bleeding wasn't clearing. In the end I sorted this by first using a syringe to place the entire assembly under a vaccum and, after doing that several times, reverse filling the whole slave/master system. All of a sudden the airlock bubbled out the top of the master cylinder and everything worked okay. Even though that should have taken twenty minutes tops to figure out, it probably took me about nine hours to get right.)

I'll be doing my Dad's clutch in his Freelander TD4 starting tomorrow. Now that I've done it once, I think I can get disassembly done inside of a 'short' day, and reassembly done inside of two days. I can see how someone with experience could get the job done in substantially less time.

(FYI: still no luck sourcing replacement subframe bolts though.... they're not a standard thread - I got some 130mm M14 bolts with a standard thread and they just wouldn't work)

just a bit of peace of mind I ordered some a few years ago from Stratstone's and they said why do you want them , We never replace them,

Vertuas said:

You mean most garages don't know how to do the job properly.....now there's a surprise! :rofl:

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i dont think you really know what your talking about how may times have you done the job ?

psicic said:

Finally following up on this more than a month later - the job took substantially longer than anticipated. Disassembly is all very straightforward. Reassembly is a right pig of a job requiring determination, rage and a lot of cursing... or that may have been just me. I assume you've probably already done your job, but it took about three days longer than I expected to get the clutch done and everything back together. :clap2:

(As an example of one of the extra 'tasks' that delayed me, there was an airlock in the slave cylinder after fitting that normal bleeding wasn't clearing. In the end I sorted this by first using a syringe to place the entire assembly under a vaccum and, after doing that several times, reverse filling the whole slave/master system. All of a sudden the airlock bubbled out the top of the master cylinder and everything worked okay. Even though that should have taken twenty minutes tops to figure out, it probably took me about nine hours to get right.)

I'll be doing my Dad's clutch in his Freelander TD4 starting tomorrow. Now that I've done it once, I think I can get disassembly done inside of a 'short' day, and reassembly done inside of two days. I can see how someone with experience could get the job done in substantially less time.

(FYI: still no luck sourcing replacement subframe bolts though.... they're not a standard thread - I got some 130mm M14 bolts with a standard thread and they just wouldn't work)

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fitting other bolts would be poor idea bolts like that are usually special bolts ,designed for the job ,both in tensile strength and shank length

jamesmartin said:

fitting other bolts would be poor idea bolts like that are usually special bolts ,designed for the job ,both in tensile strength and shank length

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^^^^^^^^^^ I strongly agree only the proper bolts on the sub frame