Hargreaves’s or Jeepey up north

Anyone got a recommendation for getting the pinion bearing changed out on a WJ (Dana 30?)

Something that’s beyond my skill level after looking at what’s involved.

Cheers Joe

are you sure they are scratches and not cracks, if in doubt, i would exchange that head for another, the "VM specialist " ( 01246 455350) will sell you a exchange overhauled head at a reasonable price, they rebuilt an engine for me for my second 2.5TD XJ at a very reasonable price, i learned that if you have a 2.5TD XJ, and you want to keep it, start by getting the engine overhauled by them, then you will have no further problems for years to come. 

Hi Frosty i cleaned up the cylinder heads and noticed a few scratches on the surface of the head where i think the leak was coming from. i've attached a few pics, could these be big enough to cause the leak?

There's a core plug on the end of that cylinder, close enough to that, is there a way of testing the core plug with the heads out?

it is easier just to remove and replace it, when you get the old one out, you will be able to see if it was leaking, they are a known problem.

There's a core plug on the end of that cylinder, close enough to that, is there a way of testing the core plug with the heads out?

I bent a spanner and undid the nut one  flange at a time, very time consuming. once loose 1/4 drive extensions and sockets with universal joints is another option

is there a core plug in the head near to that point

Cheers for that frosty, managed to get them off by leaving the turbo and exhaust manifold attached and lift it out in one piece.

Here's some images if this helps diagnose the issue.....