Bigfoot Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Anyone got experience of the GMC V8 diesel in a Land Rover? I've was offered one of these engines last night complete with adapter kit, engine mounts, clutch etc etc. At the right money. How would it be in a 90? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigster Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Anyone got experience of the GMC V8 diesel in a Land Rover?I've was offered one of these engines last night complete with adapter kit, engine mounts, clutch etc etc. At the right money. How would it be in a 90? I have heard that it will break the running gear of a Lr with easy, and the only thing LR that will cope with the grunt/power is the running gear of a 101. but that is just what I have been told by a man who had one in a Rangie rover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 This subject comes along every so often. In my honest opinion, it is just not suited well to a land rover. Though of course someone will come along and say they've been running one for years getting 50mpg, never breaking a component nor requiring maintenance and a 0-60 quicker than a Hayabusa... The weight is the main factor for me - land lumps are heavy enough, if I change it, I'd expect to save weight, not add it. Especially as they are pretty front-heavy things in the first place... The notorious Land Rover driveline just isn't suited to that much torque. But hey - throw it ion if the money is right, let us know how you get on. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR90 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I've was offered one of these engines last night complete with adapter kit, engine mounts, clutch etc etc. And is it available because the current owner has replaced it with a 300TDi or similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MogLite Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 There are at least 3 in Ibex's Lots of issues with overheating, the owners have spent a small fortune on rads and fans etc and a big fortune on bulletproof axles to go with them !!! Also very front heavy for a 90 - if it was for a 130 I'd think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Go like sh*t of a stick If set up well and Auto recomended to save axles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I remember an article about the team of two Ibexes running them, they had uprated all the driveline components with expensive bits and still broke them, ISTR they were getting about 6-12 months out of a brand new R380 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 That'd be Mr Feeney's truck. IIRC he's ditched pretty much all of the LR drive train appart from the LT230. I remember seeing an article a few years back that said he kept blowing up propperly built ZF boxes and LR axles so he's now got a US gearbox and some very bling, D60 based, axles. I suppose I might think about one for serious towing but I'd save your money and get a 2.8 tgv instead. You get good torque, its nice and lively and isn't laggy. Having said that I don't think they're much better on R380s. Even road vehicles seem to go though on easily in 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPR Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Check http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=26 PBB - there's at least one regular on the board that has done the conversion - aloharover - and plenty of information. It is not an entirely uncommon conversion. Pretty good engine despite bad press aux etats unis. Recent story on rebuild/upgrade in Diesel Power (US) - I may have it. It's a little heavy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 The ZF box needs alot of adjustment to coup with the 6.2 but two people that I know that have the 6.2 have changed to tdi's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I agree with what has been said. Too heavy and I have seen a Rangie break a diff by just hitting the throttle with too much grip. The rest of a Landrover is just not up to the job. Magnificent engine though. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I think they sound nice but in all other terms they suck, overweight, substantially under powered, if you are set on one then chuck a good condition TF727 behind it and you wont have any probs. The turbo 6.5 was marginally better but still a lardy bit of kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bush65 Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I was going to put a 6.5L chevy diesel in my bushie (why the 65 is in my name), but I saw the light and got a 3.9L Isuzu. They are very old technology and are not as robust as we expect diesel engines to be. IIRC the last of the 6.2L engines were buit around 1968/1969, so they are getting long in the tooth now. The 6.2L has problems with cracking in the webs near the main bearing bolt holes and in the webs in the valley between cyl banks. The cracking in the valley was rectified when they changed the casting for the 6.5L (latest 6.2L use the same casting). They crack heads very often. The good news is that is is possible to repair them by reaming out the hole in the jacket an fitting a sleeve to make them water tight (it is ok to leave the crack as long as the water leak is fixed). They have a problem with pockets of steam forming in the water jacket at the rear of the heads causing local overheating. This was only rectified with the late 6.5L, which has a high output water pump and twin thermostats. The high output water pump can't be fitted to earlier engines, because it is driven with a serpentine multi-vee belt that rotates the pump in the opposite direction. They have a different firing order to normal v8, which produces high impulsive torsional loads. These impulsive loads are what destroy gearboxes such as rovers. They also lead to flogging of the keyway for the harmonic balancer if the retaining bolt is not torqued correctly. The rubber element in the harmonic balancer also deteriorates and this leads to broken crankshafts (if you notice the rubber bulging out, then change the balancer as soon as practical). Later models have a computer controlled injection pump which does not live as long as the earlier pumps. There were a few different capacity injection pumps over the years. The best is the last of the mechanical pumps from the 6.5L (sorry I can't remember the designation now). There were so called, heavy duty and light duty engines. This does not refer to durability, but power/torque output. The light duty has exhaust gas recirculation and smaller valves. They are indirect injection and have a high compression ratio, which is not ideal for turbos. They also have a problem with breaking starter motors, but this was rectified by adding an outrigger support bracket to the end of starter motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Thanks Guys Bush65 - according to what I found here, the 6.2 isn't as old as you reckon: The Diesel Page The one I've been offered was put into an old Range Rover when the engine was new and covered less than 20,000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 And is it available because the current owner has replaced it with a 300TDi or similar? Sort of Trev - but not really. I'll explain! The engine was new when it was fitted to an elderly Range Rover. The guy drove it for just over a year and then parked it up as he went overseas for about 3 years. When he returned, the Range Rover had decayed badly and wasn't worth MOT-ing. A friend of mine bought it in Spring 2005 and got it running. He dismantled the Range Rover and stored the engine and all the bits in his workshops. He was going to put it into a 90 and then thought better of it. He has now bought a 110 converted to Double cab pickup and intended putting it into that. However the 300 Tdi that is in place is going very well and he correctly decided not to tamper with it. I have two possible homes for the engine (which is costing "humble" money). 1) A very good early 110 Hi-cap pickup that has a dead Rover P6 V8 in it. The Land Rover is crying out for a Tdi but the GMC V8 can be had for a fraction of the cost of a Tdi. I don't own the Hi-cap, but can have it very cheaply, if I want it. 2) I have a 110 2.5 diesel with a brand new heavy duty chassis. This Land Rover is for sale, but I could keep it and sell the 2.5 for probably more than the GMC V8 is costing. Either way, the Land Rover that I choose (if I go ahead with the project) will be a load-lugger to replace my current pickup - and won't do a high mileage (2500 - 3000 miles per year) It won't be subject to the heavy stresses of off-roading, mud-plugging etc. How do these factors affect the advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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