 | Home > Technical > Should I work on my brakes/CV/steering/wheel bearings? |
 
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| lohr500 Member Since: 14 Sep 2014 Location: Skipton Posts: 1317   
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Sounds like you have the common sense and aptitude to do the work you are describing.
Ask yourself this. If you sent it to a general garage and they put their new apprentice on the work, would he/she do a better job? If you do the work yourself and follow the workshop manual to the letter then you know the jobs have been done correctly, correct torques used, etc. You will also save yourself a lot of cash. But only you can decide if you are confident enough to take on what needs doing. |
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22nd May 2016 8:01am |
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| Swac3 Member Since: 21 Feb 2015 Location: Aberdeen Posts: 363 |
Time on tools is the best education for mechanical maintenance, Ive worked with a couple of degree educated 'engineers' who I wouldn't let near anything more than a torch.
Out of what you mention If you have anything like a normal ability with tools I wouldn't think you'll have much of a problem , Sometimes you might end up feeling a shade uncomfortable with the brute force required to remove some fixings or to separate parts from each other, namely rotors from the hub if they're anything like mine were ( I was almost convinced someone had welded them together 
Cleanliness when doing bits and bobs like the wheel bearings CV's, I use kitchen ziplock bags for stuff like that especially as my workspace isn't exactly dirt and grit free. Likely the most nervous you'll be is separating the CV from the shaft, all well and good forums and books saying 'chap' it with a hammer and it'll pop off but till you've done one...... Failures, nothing much to fess up on the landy so far really, have dropped a lovely new wheel bearing in the dirt which impressed me no end ;p Oh and cock ups I did strip the complete hub/shaft CV's to try and find where the horrible graunching on full lock was coming from, had all the bits on the bench and looked fine then noticed the shiney rubbing marks on the radius arms where the tyres were rubbing... /doh all back together and then a much more simple adjustment of the steering stops !!! You've got to start sometime if you're planning on maintaining it your self, a lot of people get all flustered and wont work on brakes ....but its still just nuts and bolts Proper penetrating oil not WD40 if you find corroded looking bolts and nuts,and if its not a rush job then get a spot of it on the day before to give it some chance of seeping in, And a can of Brake cleaner for the rotors. OH.... Decent Axle stands on a solid level base Please !!!!! 3 Landrovers |
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22nd May 2016 8:51am |
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| Retroanaconda Member Since: 04 Jan 2012 Location: Scotland Posts: 2656 
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First job I did on my 90 was the front wheel bearings. Followed the workshop manual and a bit of online guidance (e.g. not using a DTI) and all was fine. Same bearings are still going strong 8 years and 115,000 miles later.
It's just nuts and bolts, nothing to be afraid of. The workshop manual is a godsend, both for procedures and also the useful exploded diagrams. There are also lots of pictorial guides on the net, mainly on other forums where people work on their own cars a lot more. But the information is out there. Decent tools are a bonus, for example a proper socket to undo the big stake nut on your wheel bearings would be good - plus the breaker bar to go with it. And a big torque wrench for doing it back up to the specified F.T. torque. |
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22nd May 2016 9:08am |
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1763 
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You'll be fine. As long as you're methodical and careful, none of the routine maintenance jobs on a defender are particularly complex. Land Rover toolbox videos on the youtube are great for axle rebuild guides (and more). I was born and raised around cars, dad being a mechanic all his life, but we tackle most jobs with a cup of tea, a bacon sarnie and some patience. We're doing OK so far!
People always worry about brakes and rightly so, but as long as it looks the same after as it did before, and everything is done up tight, there's nothing to worry about. |
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22nd May 2016 9:43am |
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| Rickydodah Member Since: 14 Jul 2014 Location: East Sussex Posts: 1091 |
My twopeneth: I too have an engineering degree and many qualifications around mechanical, civil and production engineering with a good experience of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems. What I also have is an ability to listen both to other people and my gut, heaped with what I call common sense. Over more years than I can remember I've built up a good understanding of most things engineering wise up until the advancement of electronic controls and things like canbus systems. These are like voodoo to me, I don't understand them, have no experience with them so therefore I will only dabble around the periphery. With out sounding condescending I'd say you have enough of the aforementioned common sense to know what jobs you're capable of and what maybe better left to others until you have more experience. Defenders in the main are just nuts and bolts and you can follow sound mechanical practices to do most jobs. I too have come across many academic engineers who could paper a wall with their qualifications, we used to call them "lighthouses in the desert" very bright but no good to anyone. Give it a go, there's loads of really knowledgable members of this forum who will steer you straight if you need help but remember you're the one on the end of the spanner..
 I started with nothing and still have most of it left! |
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22nd May 2016 10:05am |
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| sako243 Member Since: 08 Jul 2014 Location: Wales Posts: 1222  
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Go for it. At least if you do it yourself you know exactly what's been done. A colleague at work had a main Ford dealer forget to install split pins (or something similar) into the brake calipers. When it went for the MOT it was just sheer Damn luck and the fact they hardly drove it that the brakes still had pads inside them.
I had never even seen inside a gearbox and engine before I dismantled them on my Series 3. Rebuilt them successfully, I find the workshop manual much better than the equivalent Haynes guide. That and the parts book for exploded diagrams. All that gave me the confidence to do work on my TDV8... Ed 82 Hotspur Sandringham 6x6 95 Defender 110 300Tdi |
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22nd May 2016 1:13pm |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471 
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Armed with the appropriate WSM a decent array of tools and somewhere to work I'd say yes go for it, especially as it doesn't sound like you are afraid of chipping a nail;) Steve.
Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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22nd May 2016 5:28pm |
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| LR90XS2011 Member Since: 05 Apr 2011 Location: bickenhill Posts: 3643 
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you will be fine if you go steady ensure you have loads of time and few distractions, most mistakes are made when people are distracted or in a rush. DEFENDER 90 TDCI XS,
I hope everyone is well and your land rovers make you happy |
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22nd May 2016 7:54pm |
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| agentmulder Member Since: 16 Apr 2016 Location: Outer Space Posts: 1324 
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Thanks for all the comments, I'm definitely going ahead with this.
I watched the relevant LR toolbox videos and it looks like I might need a 3/4" drive breaker bar (52 or 57mm sockets? cant recall, obviously will check) - it's the first time I've heard the guy swear: "these nuts are fμckers to remove". 
He is an excellent resource, I hear the subtle and then not so subtle hints that he drops, leaving some of the thinking to you - beers owed in my opinion. Anyway, so it's making me think that my largest torque wrench won't cut it at 200Nm max (1/2") - I'll scope out the relevant sections of the manual, give em a read. I'll throw some cash at some accessory with an independent to get a working relationship going and also source some paper gaskets from him for the look see... (alternatively hylormar blue which I have on hand here, will read into that). Long term goal to maybe borrow his large torque wrench, leave mine with him for security (reasonable quality Facom). Reckoning 4.5% chance of success with that proposal.
Lots of thoughts in response to your comments, but this one struck me as a must quote:
I know the ones, I went through engineering after a bit of real world/hands dirty, quite disappointing to see. There is a huge disconnect between engineers and 'engineers'. Not really sure which one I am, if any ...  Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants... |
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22nd May 2016 8:35pm |
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| jimbob7 Member Since: 06 Jul 2013 Location: uk Posts: 2055 |
If you've worked on bikes you can work on cars.The hub nut is 52mm,you can get a proper impact socket on the bay for £15 ish,For torque wrench,the usual Halfords,Machine mart,Draper etc sell em for £40ish and go up to around 210-220.A quality 12 point 13mm socket for the caliper bolts,cheap ones can easily crack,maybe an oversized breaker bar or a pipe to extend what you've got so you can remove said caliper bolts
 .Some people have had to cut their front drive members off,so an angle grinder and proper cutting discs are good.
As for parts try to buy genuine OEM (but not from a dealer),not "OEM QUALITY". Pov.spec,ftw. 2006, 110,TD5. |
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23rd May 2016 8:01am |
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| agentmulder Member Since: 16 Apr 2016 Location: Outer Space Posts: 1324
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52mm - all good, thanks - I'm shopping here:
http://www.tbs-aachen.de/Hazet/20mm_3/4_St...6_9391.htm (got a German buddy to help me sort my Schiebestücks from my Drehmomentschlüssels) Either that or the 1" drive at 700mm ... >Angle grinder yip yip. >Quality 13mm 12-point 1/2" drive yip yip. I've got 2 Drehmomentschlüssels already - ahem, torque wrenches - spanning 10-200Nm. But mention of 210Nm here: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic30893-30.html I'll go to 200Nm with my current tool, then hang 30.6Kg of water at 700mm from the nut and see if it creaks a wee bit  Solved the bowel problem, working on the consonants... |
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23rd May 2016 8:38am |
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| jimbob7 Member Since: 06 Jul 2013 Location: uk Posts: 2055 |
FFs,dint see you was a for'ner
,Halfords,Machine Mart gonna be no use to you,lol!!Would be better to borrow a torque wrench then,or move to England...whatever's cheaper.
Will also emphasise QUALITY 12 point socket. Pov.spec,ftw. 2006, 110,TD5. |
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23rd May 2016 9:45am |
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| sako243 Member Since: 08 Jul 2014 Location: Wales Posts: 1222
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I'd double check units, just in case. When I rebuilt my old Series I thought that the crank (or something similar) was done up to 250Nm, which was beyond what we had available. Turned out it was 250ft-lbs which is just under 200Nm so we could. I doubt they'd still be using ft-lbs in later Defenders but worth checking. Ed 82 Hotspur Sandringham 6x6 95 Defender 110 300Tdi |
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23rd May 2016 12:20pm |
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