[200 Tdi Dipstick problem]

I'm just swapping the dipstick over from my defender engine to the disco block. Once removed it was obvious it had dropped at some point as you could see the depression in the tube where the olive was originally crimped on and it was very loose. It seemed that the dipstick had dropped about an inch and a half below this level so I may not have had enough oil in for some time.

Just done a search and Western had measured his as 255mm from the top of the nut to the top of the dipstick so I'll reset mine to this.

Worth checking though as you could be running low on oil without realising.

Mark

Sorry my mistake make that 295mm, I've just re-read the thread.

[200 Tdi Dipstick problem]

I'm just swapping the dipstick over from my defender engine to the disco block. Once removed it was obvious it had dropped at some point as you could see the depression in the tube where the olive was originally crimped on and it was very loose. It seemed that the dipstick had dropped about an inch and a half below this level so I may not have had enough oil in for some time.

Just done a search and Western had measured his as 255mm from the top of the nut to the top of the dipstick so I'll reset mine to this.

Worth checking though as you could be running low on oil without realising.

Mark

[200 tdi crankshaft rear oil seal]

Bolt the flywheel housing to the block first then fit the new seal, there should be a nylon sleeve that fits over the endof the crank to prevent damage to the seals lip, a smear or oil or grease will help too.

Yes there is a sleeve with the seal. I presume this is withdrawn and discarded once the seal is fitted.

Mark

[200 tdi crankshaft rear oil seal]

I'm about to put a spare 200tdi engine back into the 110 after swapping my own parts over onto the disco block. Next job is to refit the flwheel housing and cranshaft oil seal. I have a dowty seal but should I fit it to the housing first or after the housing is bolted to the block?

Cheers Mark

[Starting an old engine]

A 3-bar cylinder hone won't make the bores round (they wear slightly oval due to the thrust side of the engine.) I wouldn't use one while the pistons are in it either - the hone wears as it removes metal/rust, so there will be abrasive particles in there still. To measure piston ring wear - you have to remove the ring, push it 2/3 way down the bore with an inverted piston (to make sure it's square in the bore), then measure the ring gap. £20 for a set of rings is a reasonable price - you are in effect getting 12.

To use a cylinder hone - you use them with oil (I use WD40). Insert the hone in the bore, then start the drill. Move the hone slowly up and down the bore all the time the drill is running and replenish with oil as necessary. A picture of the pitting would be helpful?

Les.

Rings were nearly £20 per piston! Mind you theres only one bore where the rust is bad (there must have been water sat in there at some time) so I think I'll just do this one. I'll take a picture but I've never managed to get one uploaded in the past.

Mark

[in need of help please]

thanks for the advice guys i'm going to put it on a flatbed and get it home and replace the cv joint do you think i'll have to replace the hal shaft as well?

thanks thierry

Had similar - drive flange splines gone. Cheap and easy fix. You'll see quite clearly if you remove the rubber hub caps.

Worth a look and ok to drive it like this in difflock for a short distance.

Mark

[Starting an old engine]

Cheers Les will let you now how I get on.

Mark

Thinking of nipping out to machine mart and grbbing a cylinder hone as I'm still not happy with finish of the bores. Any tips for using one. Will I have to fit new rings (there not cheap, best part of £20 inc.vat from Turners) or will the old ones bed in ok?

I'm guessing new rings.

Mark

[200TDi head gasket]

Elring, 100%. Don't get the metal gasket type either.

3 hole is good if you don't know your thickness (that sounds bad if taken out of context ), and I think they do a no hole type which is even thicker. 3 hole should be fine though.

After fitting a couple of cheap head gaskets from paddocks which both lasted just over a year I've put an elring on my own and a mates vehicle. Both have been ok so far. Turners do them quite reasonable.

I've not yet seen a 200tdi with anything other than a three hole gasket but the only way to know for sure is to check the piston protrusion above the block. This will also highlight the presence of any bent con-rods. Ask me how I know!

Mark

[200 tdi/2.5 N/A flywheels]

Anybody know if the flywheel on a N/A 2.5 is the same as the 200 tdi. Also are the housings interchangeable?

Cheers Mark

[Temperature sensor thread size]

It's 5/8"-18 UNF on the Defender 200Tdi, don't know for sure about the Disco variant. I have no reason to believe it's different, but you never know...

When I fitted a digital gauge to my 110 I just drilled out and tapped the old sender to 1/8 NPT to accept the new digital sensor, there's a thread about it somewhere.

Mark

[Starting an old engine]

I wouldn't leave the rings to clean the rust off - iron oxide is very abrasive and it would end-up elsewhere in the engine before finally being filtered out. Clean the bores with 1200 wet/dry, with WD40 or a very light oil. An engine running on it's own oil is down to sticking rings, excessively worn bores/pistons, Oil entering the bores by other means. It's a bit unlikely that the the engine will run away just because it's been stood for a while. You can be prepared for it however - get ready to block off the inlet manifold, or stall the vehicle if it happens.

Les.

Cheers Les will let you now how I get on.

Mark

[Starting an old engine]

I'm going to fit an old disco 200tdi block into my defender. I've had it lying around in my garage for a while and it was sat in a scrapyard for some considerable time before that. Mileage and condition unknown but it looks ok and turns over smoothly.

As I'd taken the head off it to lend to a mate the bores have gone a little rusty, should I try and clean them up before refitting or will the action of the rings clean it off?

Also I'm a bit worried about starting it up as I've heard horror stories about tdi's running on their own oil. What precautions should I take?

Mark

[Couple of gearbox leaks]

I've got a couple of leaks from the gearboxes (normal i hear you think!)

One is clearly EP90 and i suspect it is the intermediate shaft o ring/hole elongation that we have talked about recently. I have bunged some liquid gasket up there for now to see if that stops it - the other possibility is the bottom plate gasket or one of the bolts that goes through the gearbox housing into the transfer box cavity, although i feel the shaft o ring is probably the cause - if the gasket slows the leak that will confirm it. The handbrake drum has some EP90 on it and my first thought was rear output seal, but i think what i can see is just splash back from another leak. Any other ideas of the source of the leak are welcomed!

The other leak i can see is high up and has me a little stumped. Looking straight up past the LT77 drain plug and filler plug i can see red ATF where the breather hoses pass and around the reverse gear plunger (i think this is the plunger on the right hand side). Any ideas on the likely source of leakage here? is there a gasket that may have faile on the reverse gear plunger? (i didnt think much ATF would get up that high). I need to take the transmission tunnel off to have a proper look at this, but any ideas are welcome!

Thanks

I have also got a leak of ATF from the same position and was also surprised to see a leak that high up. I've currently got the transmission tunnel off so will take a closer look but at first glance couldn't pinpoint where it was coming leaking from. Will let you know if I can locate the leak.

Mark

[200tdi-Re-con or Rebuild?]

depending how bad the scoring is have it honed out(rebored if scoring is bad) new pistons and ring maybe new bigend shells and i cant see why you won't see it hit 250miles or more.

Anyone know if it can be rebored with cam in situ. I'd rather leave cam bearings alone as I hear they have to be line reamed. Are cam bearings prone to wear? Judging by the state of the others they probably could do with changing.

Other option is a disco block which I have in the garage. Don't know if its a runner but looks ok. Theres a bit of rust started to form on the bores though should I try and remove this?

Mark

[200tdi-Re-con or Rebuild?]

Just got round to taking the engine out of the 110 after running it for the last 6 months with a suspected bent con-rod due to a head gasket failure.

Found that

-no.4 conrod bent like a banana (had to grind some off to get it out)

-oil control ring broken

-cylinder has score mark at bottom, I presume where con-rod has contacted it

-this piston was also wet (diesel?) others were dry

-big end and main bearing shells worn back to copper

-crank and cam look in good condition and no noticeable wear lip at top of cylinders

Not sure weather to partially rebuild it or get it professionaly reconditioned (current mileage 160,000). Biggest problem I think is damage to the bore but as it is mainly at the botton will it still run ok?

Any opinions much appreciated as its the first time I've attempted this.

Mark

[Disco axle on a 110?]

If yours is just leaking Mark, is there any reason why you can't fix it? It may be a lot cheaper than sourcing a replacement.

Les.

Trouble was when I've tried to repair the leaking pinion seal in the past (i'm now on the fourth one, they seem to start leaking again after a few months)I forgot about the collapsible bearing spacer so I don't know if the nut is tightened correcly. How difficult a job is if to fit a new spacer? If it means dismantling the diff I'd need to make a spreader to stretch the casing.

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

Landy is now running well and on its way back to London.

Just to re-cap I had the timing set as follows

Woodruff key at 12 o'clock and timing pin engaged in flywheel grove

Dot on camshaft pulley aligned with arrow

Injection pump timing pin fully engaged and also dot on pulley aligned

But in this state the engine ran badly chucking out loads of smoke

So I set back the cranshaft and camshaft pulleys back so woodruff key is at 11 o'clock (ish) and dot on cam pulley is 1 tooth (ish) before the arrow with injection pump in correct position.

Now the engine runs fine with no smoke.

They only thing I can think of is that the boss on the injection pump shaft isn't set correctly so it looks like the pump will have to go to an injection specialist. I'm sure the boss hasn't moved whilst doing the job as the timing was previously in this position with old belt. I know the vehicle has had 3 reconditoned injection pumps fitted in the last 5-6 years so maybe something went wrong then?

Has anybody else come accros this?

Thanks for your help.

Mark

Just checked the timing on my own 110 and everything lines up perfectly. Even more convinced the problem with my friends vehicle is related to the injection pump.

[Disco axle on a 110?]

110CSW if it has the self levelling unit fitted is 2950kg,

by fitting a Disco Rover type axle it equats to down rating the vehicles load carrying abilities & insurers should be informed of the change which could result in their not continuing cover.

would be better all round to source a like for like replacement or repiar the existing unit.

I've also got a similar leaky salisbury and I'm looking at getting a reconditioned unit to replace it. (It sounds a bit dodgy fitting something that can't cope with the load rating)

Can anybody recommend where to source one.

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

Are you timing the crank by using the Narrow slot in the edge of the flywheel ?

& the crankshaft woodruff key at 12 o'clock in line with the arrow in timing case.

Landy is now running well and on its way back to London.

Just to re-cap I had the timing set as follows

Woodruff key at 12 o'clock and timing pin engaged in flywheel grove

Dot on camshaft pulley aligned with arrow

Injection pump timing pin fully engaged and also dot on pulley aligned

But in this state the engine ran badly chucking out loads of smoke

So I set back the cranshaft and camshaft pulleys back so woodruff key is at 11 o'clock (ish) and dot on cam pulley is 1 tooth (ish) before the arrow with injection pump in correct position.

Now the engine runs fine with no smoke.

They only thing I can think of is that the boss on the injection pump shaft isn't set correctly so it looks like the pump will have to go to an injection specialist. I'm sure the boss hasn't moved whilst doing the job as the timing was previously in this position with old belt. I know the vehicle has had 3 reconditoned injection pumps fitted in the last 5-6 years so maybe something went wrong then?

Has anybody else come accros this?

Thanks for your help.

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

Thanks Les,

Will wait till the morning and give the engine a try.

Mark

Wouldn't start at all this time - timing obviously way out.

Had another fiddle and set timing by eye to what is was before I changed belt ie. with FIP timing pin in the crank key was just before the twelve o'clock position and grove in flywheel not even visible.

Engine now runs much better, smoother and no smoke although I've only tested it for a few seconds as timing case is still off.

I think this confirms there is a timing issue but how do I set the timing right if its wrong when everything is in the correct place? If you see what I mean!

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

You can run the engine for approx 20-seconds with no harm. If it's in good condition then it should start straight away and tickover niceley. Press the accelerator pedal and the engine should rev straight away. If it does this, then it should be fine.

Les.

Thanks Les,

Will wait till the morning and give the engine a try.

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

If you only loosened the centre nut, then it's highly unlikely that you have moved the hub from it's original position - they are very difficult to remove - even with the nut completeley removed. I would look elsewhere before going the expensive route.

Les.

Have backed off the FIP pulley by 1 tooth which seems to be the position it started in. About to start the engine for a few seconds without the timing case on, will this do any harm?

Is it possible to rebuild an engine with the timing marks set wrongly? The engine was rebuilt a few years ago and the timing belt hasn't been looked at since.

Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

Makes me think mine has been 'adjusted' slightly....

Hmmm

Before I took off the old belt the FIP timing pin wouldn't fit in with the pin locked in the grove in the flywheel housing. That is why I changed the timing.

I've just backed the FIP pulley off by 1 tooth to see if its any better (the pin won't quite fit which is how it was before). I'm about to start it up. Do you think it will be OK without the timing cover on if it's only run for a few seconds?

Is it possible to rebuild an engine in such a way that the timing is out even with pump, cam and cranks aligned?

Thanks Mark

[200 tdi Timing Problem]

You should have not touched the centre nut but loosened the 3 small nuts to rotate the FIP pulley slightly to get the timing pin in. On a Tdi it will run lumpy and smoke if you are only ever so slightly out on the timing alignment - less than 1 tooth.

I'm not sure "how you get it back" though... sorry..

Yeah the centre nut on the FIP pulley came loose accidentally as it wasn't very tight. Tightened it back up straight away and didn't see anything move. Hope this isn't the cause of the problem as I can't find any reference to it any of my manuals.

Just confused as to how it can run so badly with everything lined up perfectly. Just stripped off the cover and cam pulley dot is also dead on the arrow with FIP and flywheel timing pins in.

Mark

Mark

[noisey defender]

Clutch thrust bearing?

Also had the gearstick rattle but it was fairly obvious. Thread in gear knob was so worn I had to 'glue' it with silicone.

Mark