Thread: Drop arm, kit or whole arm, that is the question?

Hi all,

well I had in the past used a kit to change the lower ball joint on the Drop arm, however when i removed the top shim, I damaged the inside, which caused the new shim to crack, so I bought a whole arm off ebay which cost $66-00 delivered. A little bit more than the kit itself. Link below.

LAND ROVER DROP ARM ASSEMBLY - eBay, Other, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 30-May-10 07:17:19 AEST)

First of all I went to my local trade tools supplier and bought a good puller for just under $24-00.



Then you'll need some other tools, a large socket set, or a 32mm spanner to remove the large drop arm nut and a 19mm to remove the ball joint nut, however I also had to have a 22mm for the new ball joint nut. A chisel to bend the locking washer, a ball joint separator, a hammer, pliers a rag.



Once you have these it takes about ten minutes to change. I loosened the large nut. but don't remove it fully, as this prevents it from dropping.





Once you have done that, remove the ball joint with the 19mm and the separator







Once this is done, place the puller on the drop arm and wind up until it pulls the drop arm off the splines of the steering box.



Now remove the nut and the arm comes off very easily.





Now we can compare the new and old drop arms. Look inside the spline part of the drop arm and the shaft from the steering box, you will see there is a wide spline to ensure you put the arm on correctly, as shown.





Once lined up, push the drop arm on by hand and place the locking washer and nut then tighten with the socket.



Once tightened to the desired torque, bend the locking washer.



Then place the drag link on and tighten the nut placing the split pin in to prevent the nut becoming loose.



All done and check the drop arm and get someone in the vehicle with the engine running and turn the steering side to side. Once checks are done, it's good to go and it only took me ten minutes.

Hope this helps, cheers Mark

Land Rover 200 Tdi Defender owner

I just fitted mine tonight, better check it for grease