I'd invest in at least (2) good jackstands, as well as a good heavy jack.

I use to use my $39 pepboys jack just to get it up on the stands, but it beats the crap out of a cheap jack

Replaced with a 5 ton floor jack (harbor tools) $79 on sale, works great,

Please do not get under a vehicle w/out stands!! I know of (2) that fell, mine was one.

Also, don't buy the cheapest hand tools you can find, you'll regret it.
Buy used good ones if you need to.

As stated, keep us posted and WELCOME

luck,greg

 

Keep in mind these are metric, and usually larger sizes than most "standard" automobiles. My son had left a large Mechanics toolbox here with a variety of tools all disorganized.

But among them was a nice 1/2 drive socket set with a nice size breaker bar. I bought a large set of deep sockets for an air impact wrench that was half inch drive at Harbor Freight for a cheap price. They are very sturdy black steel. Aoid any cheaply made socket sets, you will just break the sockets or strip your fasteners.

The longer breaker bar makes a big difference in breaking the torque on fasteners without straining or busting your knucles or hurting yourself. The longer lever arm really helps out getting a stubborn bolt loose. Use plenty of PB Blaster or Liquid wrench when removing bolts/nuts that may not have been disturbed since original assembly at the plant.

Take pictures of everything before you disturb it and at major points along the way. This will provide you good reference if you get interupted or forget how something was before you messed with it. It will come in handy.

I started printing the applicable pages from RAVE and some postings to use as a "Work Order" to use during the project, and mark it up as needed to show socket sizes or other pertinent info that Rave often does not include. I also initial and date these and maintain a "Completed" binder with receipts showing the work accomplished as a record for future reference. I usually deal with a small group of parts suppliers that I check with first. I like Rover's North. They have great prices and a very knowledgeable crew who own, live, breathe, maintain and drive a large cross-section of Land Rovers. They have a good website and don't mind answering a boatload of questions if necessary to help you get what you need. I also placed an order with AB to get a list of things done.

 

Here are some pics of the drive shaft. Does it look like anything needs to be changed? And thanks again for the additional posts. This is extremely helpful!

 

The little nipple on the front is a grease Zerk. Roll the truck a little to check that the other 2 U-joints have them as well.. These 3 need to be hit with grease every oil change. A grease gun would be a good tool if you are servicing this yourself.

 

Just checked and there aren't three zerks. Is this something I should have fixed ASAP? Is this something that has a very high percentage of failing?

 

The front DS ujoint are almost guaranteed to fail it would appear. Mine nearly did but I was lucky.

 

Right now Harbor Freight has their 301 peice "Professional" hand tool set on sale for $149(#45951). If you don't have a lot of hand tools, this would be a good set to get, if you don't want to spend a whole lot. These will serve you well. I've got a mish-mash of tools, some import, some domestic. Some import tools are crappy, some are quite good. Spending more doesn't always guarantee better tools. This set I am referring to are at the upper end of the Chinese spectrum. I have some of the same tools from that set and have had absolutely no problems with them for several years. The key with any tool is not to beat them up or exceed their design limits and they will last. When I was 14 years old I bought a set of Korean made socket sets, metric and SAE to fix my motorcycle. Everyone told me how crappy they were and wouldn't last. I still have them to this day (almost 30 years later!) and all the chrome is very good. ...and I've done a LOT of automotive work and restorations over the years. Spending a lot of money isn't a guarantee on quality. My buddy bought a nice set of NAPA and ALLEN tools that set him bach quite a bit of coin, and the chrome has peeled off the sockets very quickly. He replaced many but the chroming and quality is not there. A lot of people like Sears tools. I have some and they are ok.

I have a set of SK SuperKrome wrenches and I absolutely love them. They weren't cheap but they've held up well. I've probably had them for 18 years now (where has the time gone). With Hammers, I really prefer the USA made ones. A couple good ball pein Vaughan hammers will last you a lifetime without the heads coming loose. Not too many places carry them anymore but they are really good. I personally don't seek out used tools. Most of what you see at garage sales and flea markets in used tools are old and worn out, not complete sets, often times rusty. The time you spend looking for them to me isn't worth it. I've stumbled upon a few gems here and there but more by coincidence. Oh, and I agree totally about the jack and jack stands. I would buy a big enough floor jack like a Harbor Freight 3 ton (#34271) which happens to be on sale right now for $59 and a pair of their 6 ton jackstands. I like the 3 ton jack stands personally for Disco and normal car work as they are lighter and easier to manouver. But I have 6 ton stands as well. Yeah changing your oil would be a good first step.

I definitely think you should get that front drive shaft off and in the shop right away. But for a newbie, I don't know if that is a good project to start on. Normal U-joint replacement isn't THAT difficult, but with a double-cardin joint, that's a different animal. Probably cost you $75 if you took it somewhere. That might be a better use of your time, unless someone local was willing to work with you. That's just my take. Well, good luck.

 

The biggest thing when buying tools is to make sure that they have a lifetime warranty. I use Craftsmen and Snap-On. I have taken tools back to both Sears and the Snap-On truck driver that have obviously been abused and broke. Never had them do anything but hand me a new one. Harbor Freight is a good place to by stuff like jack stands and you first floor jack, i picked up the one on sale for $59 for my father and it is not a bad jack for the cost. Make sure you get a name brand torque wrench and make sure that it stays calibrated. I would say go with a Craftsmen on the torque wrench cus the Snap-on ones are crazy expensive. Down load RAVE if you have not done so yet, its a big help.

 

you need to see if those two front joints have zerks like the third. then get yourself a grease gun off harbor freight and go buy some grease from an auto parts store and get under there and grease them. also get the grease gun accessory kit from HF like i said earlier it will give you the different tips so you can do the slip shaft as well.

 

YES!!!
There are TONS of threads on this and when they fail you will be buying a new transmission.