Thanks very much judderbar, I've copied that to my files - gearbox info is so hard to come by now that Haynes don't include it any more. There is a lot of mention of "caulking" in it. Doesn't seem to be the same as I would understand from the word caulking - which I would associate more with seams in bodywork or home decorating. Any idea what they mean?
JDP 12. You ask whether the bearings need pressed in? Well not really so much as far as the casing is concerned but that is pretty irrelevant as they will be a very very tight fit on the diff cage. You will not get them off in situ. The diff casing will need to be split so you can remove the crownwheel/diff cage assembly and work on the assembly on the bench. Not only will they need pressed on (you might manage to drift them onto the diff cage with a punch if you heat them in the oven first, but I wouldn't try as you are likely to knock lumps off them) but you will usually find they are very stubborn to get off! If you are not a regular enthusiastic car maintenance/repair sort of guy/gal with a good selection of tools you will probably find this to be quite a challenging "adventure"!
Good luck with whatever course of action you decide on - hope it doesn't hit your wallet too hard.
Kind regards
Jock
Many thanks for the info, I will order the diff bearings, pop the diff off and take it to a local garage, I may have over spent by ordering a few of the minor failed parts from the mot, but I have roughly 0.00000001% idea how the brakes past, so I'll do as much as I can myself.
Local garages are a bit iffy so I prefer doing the work myself, again thanks to everyone for all the input, I will update this thread as to wether or not the bearings worked when they're fitted !