Marks 110

cheers Western You reckon its not totally ruined then. I'll definately have to get the head skimmed first, any idea how much material can be taken off? Not sure if its been done before, I've had if for the last 8 years. Mark

I've just removed the head on my 200tdi which went up in smoke on monday. It seems the gasket has gone between the triangular shaped coolant passageway and No.3 cylinder. The triangular area on the surface on the head is badly pitted. I'd noticed this last year when I changed the gasket (it had blown out the back of no.4 cylinder), that'll teach me to have em skimmed. I'm not sure if this head is reuseable but thats not too much of a problem as I am thinking of putting a disco one on. More worrrying is if the engine has been damaged. At least it explains why the cooling system has been excessively pressurised. The oil is all emulsified and the feed to the turbo as well, is this likely to have damaged the turbo? One pushrod is badly bent, the others seem o.k. I've certainly lost a lot of coolant (header tank empty and rad 2/3full) a lot of this seems to have been sprayed around the engine bay. Iwonder if the header tank cap has a relief valve and its blown out of there? A few more questions There was coolant sat in the crown of no.3 piston. Will this have bent the conrod, how do I check? Is the engine likely to be reusable, what other things do I need to check and how do I flush out the contaminated oil? Where has the water got into the engine, past the rings in no.3 cylinder as it was compressed I presume? Any help on what to do next much appreciated mark

Cheers thats useful to know

Is that the timing belt tensioner pulley bolt? I presume thats a defender part or is it common to both. Cheers for the tip!

Might be worth me considering buying a cheap disco and swapping the defender ancillaries on to it if my engine turns out to be knackered. I'll be looking at mine first thing in the morning so I'll decide what to do when the extent of the damage is known. Cheers for the advice, nice to know it can be done. Mark

Just a straight swap then? I'm sure I remember somebody telling me there were some slight differences, thermostat housing or something? If it will fit thats great as Les Henson has good one for sale. mark

Does anybody know if a disco 200tdi head will fit on a defender block and what mods are needed? mark

Sounds good but a full engine recon on a 1991 110 is going to be pretty pricey, then theres the chassis which really needs replacing, B-Posts and when I looked the other day the aluminium floor area under the second row seats seems to be turning to powder! Still I can't think of a better vehicle for touring through Europe carrying canoes, fishing tackle, climbing equipment, bodyboards, camping gear etc.etc. I suppose if the jobs done properly it should be good for another 150,000+ Maybe time for that full restoration we all dream of. I might even be able to get the new doors to shut properly if everythings stripped down and realigned! I've spoke to the people from Turners before and they seemed very helpful I'll certainly give them a ring when I get the head off. Cheers Mark

I guess the temp gauge going almost up to the red before backing off was good warning sign then. Yes the 110 certainly let go in style this morning. There was that much white smoke I couldn't see out of the windows when I got to work (the first day starting my new job as well - a bit embarassing). Haven't had time to survey the damage yet as had to abandon it in car park but a quick look revealed plenty of coolant sprayed about under the bonnet. I reckon the best case scenario is head gasket but the head itself may be knackered or worse. Judging by the amount of white smoke there must have been plenty of water in the bores, there was also blue smoke evident as well. Renewed the head gasket almost exactly a year ago, took my time and thought I'd done a decent job (put in recon injectors as it had gone through the back of No.4 which I believe is a sign they are faulty), guess Iwon't know what went wrong until it comes off again. Think I might get the head reconditioned by Turners if its still in one piece as the vehicle is used for our annual holiday France so I want it to be reliable. Anybody used them, gas flowed head also worth a look? Anyway if you notice the temp creeping up higer than usual and excessive pressure in the cooling system when cold beware! Engine has done 155,000 and uses a fair amount of oil, a lot of which seems to end up in the turbo, air filter and intercooler - do you think its time for reconditioning? Any tips for doing head gaskets or other possible causes much appreciated. Hope your day was better than mine Mark

Cheers for that. Once had a kenlowe myself but chucked it after the thing wore through the radiator where it was mounted causing a coolant leak. Since then (about three years ago) I haven't bothered with a fan at all apart from when we drove through the pyrenees last year (thought that might be pushing it a bit). Until now the temp has always stayed rock steady just less than halfway on the gauge when warmed up. I keep the fan in the back just in case but have never needed to put it back on. I think It saves me a few m.p.g. Somebody's gonna tell me thats a bad idea aren't they!

I can't say I've noticed the gauge going up more at night!? (mind you its a bit difficult to tell as last time I had the instrument panel off the bulb for the temp gauge fell out and I haven't got round to putting it back yet). I'll certainly try getting a new temp sensor before taking the head off. I think Paddocks sell em quite cheaply. How long has yours been like this? cheers mark

I did check the head with a straightedge and it looked fine. I'll check the pump in the morning, I didn't get round to it today as our other car failed its mot and the landy has been used to collect firewood from a tree I just cut down. It seems to be running ok and heater is the usual luke warm. By the way do you mean one of those infra-red thermometers, it would probably be worth buying one anyway as it would be useful for my job (gas fitter) and making toffee!, I seem to recall screwfix selling them. What sort of temp should I be looking for with engine warmed up? Does anybody know what the resistance should be across the temp sensor when cold? Cheers again, I'll let you know how I get on.

Yeah I'll certainly check the rad. Would I need to drain some coolant before checking the water pump as you suggest cause I thought with the header tank being higher than the rad plug it will run out as it is removed. I suppose a compression test would show if it was the head gasket. I dont want to remove the head again unless I'm certain, only did it last year when it blew out the back of no.4 cylinder. cheers anyway Mark

The temp gauge on my 200tdi has started going right upto the red after 10-15mins driving before backing off slightly and sitting just past half-way. I changed the thermostat for a new 88 degree one but it has made no difference. How can I test the temp sensor and gauge for correct operation? Any other ideas on the cause of the problem much appreciated - water pump, airlock spring to mind but I'm not sure what to look for? The cooling system also seems to over pressurised with much hissing and gurgling when I remove the expansion tap with engine stone cold - head gasket??

Is the problem only apparrent with diff lock or is it also happening in low box.I remember a similar problem on my 200tdi (which also had a new gear and transfer box), whilst driving the off road course at Driffield it kept jumping out of low at the most inconvenient time. In the end my girlfriend ended up physically holding the lever in low throughout the duration of the course. To remedy the problem I removed the transmission cover and adjusted the linkage (after geting some excellent advice from Ashcroft Transmissions). I can' remember exactly what I did but I think there was an adjustment nut on the rod which shifted into low, its obvious when you see it anyway. That was about 3 years ago and its been fine since. Hope this helps, Mark

Cheers, I never though of trying Cookes I normally just use Paddocks mail order. Sorry I seemed to have caused some confusion, this is a 200tdi which I have done before so I suppose I should be OK, was just looking for any words of wisdom. I have the manuals thanks. If the head needs skimming you don't happen to know anywhere in the Scunny area that does them and a rough idea of how much I should be looking to pay?

Cheers for the the reply Was fearing the head gasket but just wondered if anybody knew any other likely causes. As head gaskets go would people recommend genuine or a cheaper one from the likes of Paddocks, also any other tips on changing gaskets would be appreciated, i've done one on the 200tdi but any advice would be appreciated mark

I needed new handles as the corroded metal fixings just spun inside the the plastic handle. You'll probably break some of the door card fixings and there's also a self adhesive sound deadening pad although how much difference this makes i'm not sure. On my 110 second row doors I also used a length of window channel and had to make up a couple of brackets which hold the small rectangular piece of glass next to the openable window. Its also handy to have a few spare countersunk self tapping screws I think there 3/8" i know that you can get the right ones from screwfix anyway. Be warned, you may spend a fair bit of time seaching for these screws which are hidden in the window channel! Good luck If you get stuck let us know i'm now on my 6th door! Mark

Hello there, First time posting on the forum, been very impressed with the information i've found on here. Anyway the story is a mate has given me his 110 CSW to repair as it failed its M.O.T. Another problem I've found with the vehicle is that its cooling system always seems over pressurised even when the engine has cooled overnight there seems to be a massive amount of pressure when removing the cap on the expansion tank. Most of the hoses seem to have evidence of small leaks which i've seen as another sign of excesive pressure. Only modification that may affect things is a Kenlowe Hotstart system which has been fitted for years but never used. I thinking it may be the head gasket but if anyone has any other ideas i'd been keen to know. Also if it is the head gasket how could i confirm this?