Timing belt replacement for defender

[Rob101]

I'm aware that replacing the timing belt on a vehicle is an expensive operation.
Land Rover Monthly Magazine December 2007 had a buyers guide in it .. 101 hints and tips for painless purchasing.

It said with respect to defender 90 and 110;
'With the exception of the 2.25 diesel, all other diesels need the rubber timing belt replacing at regular intervals.'

and

'Diesel timing belt history needs confirming, or fit new on purchase'

Is replacing the timing belt an expensive and time consuming operation. A close friend of past said to replace the one on his hilux was 2k because the engine needed to be shifted to get into the belt.

Is it painful (if i did it myself) or expensive (if i paid a mechanic dealer/other) to replace the timing belt on a defender diesel?
and what is regular intervals?

[waynep]

There's been plenty of threads about this subject in the past : try a search. There's even a full tutorial on how to do it buried in there somewhere.
For the 300TDi it's around $400 to get it replaced at a workshop, so that indicates time involved is not too bad.
Replacement interval is a bit of an ongoing debate but consensus seems to be every 80,000km
However if you need the upgrade kit for a 300TDi it can get more expensive. Most would have been done by now though.

Oh and a TD5 has a chain NOT a rubber belt.

[sclarke]

Timing belts in the 200 are recommended every 80k and on the 300tdi every 60k.... i think...

Cost... anywhere between $200 to $1000 depending on the parts required...

Yes you can do it yourself...

[weeds]

i have just had mine done, $550, 80K i was told was the intervals

[camel_landy]

It is quite easy to do yourself. Download the Defender workshop manual and follow it step by step. The only things to note are:

1 - Remember which bolts came out of which hole on the cover - They're different lengths!!!
2 - Don't use the tensioner torque setting described in the manual. It was revised DOWN.
3 - Get yourself a timing belt kit... Life is sooo much easier with one.

HTH

M