They are always very hard to push in and out. I don't know if the figures you give are good or not, unfortunately.

So what does the pooter say?

I have heard of people fitting rice-burner alternators with integral vacuum pumps but can't say I know exactly which one they used.

Errr actually it INCREASES it, by about 25c apparently.

No real benefits, lots of downside. Like don't take it out of the uk to anywhere that is even slightly dusty cos you can wave goodbye to your engine if you do. BTDT learnt my lesson the hard way.

Oh great! A Land Rover that doesn't work in the rain

If the shuttle valve kit doesn't fix the problem, then you need a new or second-hand abs pump. Over here they cost the equivalent of 1500 GBP so your quote was cheap (to us). Our last customer got a 2/h one for 200 though. Or you could take the bulbs out....

You'll have to have a professional press to get the ball joint out of its housing. Check with your local garages first if they will be prepared to do it for you. It's a quick job for them, just about impossible for you.

LR stealers can't read :D

See what's loose down there. It could be your steering drop arm about to fall off (or many other things).

To check if diff lock works, jack up a front wheel and drive off. If the wheel goes round and round the diff lock is off. If it drives off the jack, the diff lock is in. Or you can try to turn the wheel by hand: you can't if the diff lock is in.

I have changed mine twice, once from the original paper gasket and once after the fancy metal/plastic gasket started leaking. And then it started leaking again on a long trip, but I decided to ignore it as it cannot 'blow out' as used to happen with the paper gaskets with disastrous results...

Does yours have one of those 'spider' things in the front of the battey compartment? If it does, you can remove it and I'll tell you how to do that.

You may find that the engine will not run at high rpm, and that's about it. Many people do not rev their tdi's very high so they won't notice anything at all. You can try to pump using the lever on the side of the pump, but that is a bit dodgy because if the camshaft is in the wrong position...

Contact Brian at workshop@landyonline.co.za He has a 6.2 GM V8 and GM auto box in his Disco I and has fitted the same kit to a couple of Defenders. See web site in my signature.

Could be a crack in the servo tank itself - look carefully around the bolts where the master cylinder bolts to the servo. Also put your foot on the brake when starting the engine. The pedal should go down towards the floor.

I would drain the oil out of the LT230 and pour it on his head - it will be filthy after 30k miles. The LR recommendation is to change the Main gearbox ATF at 12k miles and the xfer box EP90 at 24k miles. If you use semi-synthetics or full synthetics you can extend that. Oil is cheaper than...

What often happens with tdi's is that the lift pump has been failing without the driver noticing. When the filter is changed the pump does not have the power to prime the system. Often people say, 'how come the pump failed when I had the car serviced, it was fine yesterday'.

Chances are it's the fuel pump. Tdi's work quite well even if the pump is stuffed, we normally find that the engine won't start after changing the diesel filter as the old pump cannot prime the system. But I would blank off the EGR and remove the cat as well, it doesn't cost much to have it...

Give the sensor a wee tap with a hammer to reseat it. That fixes most problems.