timing belt now done so I am a happy chappy

did my timing belt on my 300 tdi yesterday so now kind of get that feeling of ahhhhhhhh, all relaxed and happy.

with no previous timing belt history it was making me twitch a little.

must say the belt was much easier to do than expected and everything went smoothly.

key bit that i took from it:

- air came in very handy for removing the 27mm bolt from the large aux belt pulley, it was quite tight. (took 3 charges of my little 25l compressor to get it off)

- for a locking pin i just ground down a 10mm bolt slightly until it fitted snug (guessing land rover proper locking pin is some sort of stupid size like 9.657893mm)

- didnt change the crank pully at the bottom as it wasnt leaking and i didnt get the oil seal in my kit, also it appeared to be the new type on mine anyway).

- removed rad and it made it 1000 times easier for the 10 mins it takes to remove.

overall 2.5 hours at a steady pace with coffee breaks. would recommend anyone thinking about trying to have a go, you may surprise yourself.

It is much easier and more reliable with the rad out of the way, as you can get a much better look, for lining up the timing marks.

Plus you have the opportunity of flushing out the rad which is a very good thing.

It gives a nice warm glow when you've done a job like this yourself, doesn't it?


Well done,


Dave