skirky dave

steve b / lo- fi God i wish you two wasn't based down south !!!! . I have thought about taking the head off,and turning the crank round by hand to see if each piston comes up to the same level.This would indicate if one of the con rods was bent...yes ??? And also whilst the head is off, i could then check 1. The top of the Pistons. 2 remove and check each Push Rod. 3 The Head gasket. AND As lo-fI suggests, the Lifters.. I have NEVER done the bottom end before, IE Removing Pistons, rings. Bearings, Honing out Cylinder Heads, etc etc. An old mate of mine did his own Honing Out with something that he bought off Ebay which resembled , what can only be described as Haemorrhoids on a stick. he messed things up if i recall, and his engine never ran the same again, so with that in mind guys, it might have to go to Sheffield Engine Services, if things don't look good God more expense. I don't have the luxury of a garage , it's all outdoors on the concrete And guess what..................it's raining.....AGAIN.

Also , no details of lorry, it was throwing it down with rain, a torrential downpour and the lorry was traveling at a stupid rate of knots, ridiculous for the conditions. So much for highly trained HGV Drivers.......NOT!!!.

steve b, high again mate, hope your well. Do you mean loosen one of the injectors , meaning both 13mm nuts or take one out completely. Could the pushrods still give the correct tappet clearance if one was slightly bent ?? Steve, i don't look at it as bad news, just help towards eliminating the problem, but once iv'e found it...hey ho. The Police were nowhere to be seen. signs up and gone. At least not on that stretch of road. I had heard the Police were further down the road. 1/4 to 1/2 a mile dealing with other drivers in deeper water and preventing motorist from coming that way from the motorway area. Just my luck really.

Hi Maverik, The only breather on my engine, ( started life as a Sherpa 15 j but then made a few changes to bring it up to speck as 12J ENGINE) with the exception of the round pan air filter was has remained in situ, the only other breather is from Rocker cover to air filter. That was also wet. As for the pushrods,... i only checked them by using the feeler gauges to re check tappet clearance, which were all spot on. I'm guessing that, had their been a problem with the pushrods then the tappets would have been out , ie, a substantial gap. Am i correct in my thinking of that ???. Good question regarding the wading plug, you mean the one for the timing case. Mmmm don't think that was in position. Cheers mate for the advice, appreciate it. Dave.

So sorry to hear about your awful news. They want their fingers chopping off !!! Anyway, all may not be lost. There's a place based in Scotland i believe, XMOD. look them up on internet. Ive had a few bits from them when i couldn't get them from anywhere else. They MIGHT, be able to sort you out. Good look mate. All the best Dave.

Hi again everyone, Sorry not been here for a while, ( family problems ). So, where to begin. .....Last Friday 8th Nov, late afternoon. Here in Sheffield the floods came big time. One of my neighbours came knocking on my door and asked me if i could help her daughter and little boy that was stuck in the car due to the flooding. She had been stuck for almost 3 hours and was beside herself with worry. I drove down to where she was ( 1 1/2 hours to get to her, and only 2 miles away !!) fortunately the flooded water was 3 inches below her exhaust pipe. However...the water depth i would have to pull her through, further on was 18 -20 inch. Turned off her engine and pulled her through, no problem, and got her home safe. There must have been a further 40 cars in the same predicament, so i went back to help. By the time i had reached the stranded vehicles. the water had risen considerably. More motors pulled through and again no problems. UNTIL...I started my way back home. Their was a stretch of water that was now 20-25 inches deep and the Police had closed the road from the direction i was heading,... and from behind me. Still no problem as long as i created a bow wave at 5 mph. That's when the driver of an articulated lorry, i shall call him ( RICHARD THE HEAD ) decided to plow straight through the police road block sign, and, must have decided to create a new world record for creating the largest bow wave , or ( Wall Of Water) i have ever seen. It was almost like being sat in front of a dam wall as it gives way. I FLASHED my lights at him, constantly, waved my arm up and down out of the window to try in my attempt to get him to slow down but ....NO. He drove past at considerable speed and the entire landy 2.5 Diesel got covered. My heart sank as my engine DIED. Some water must have been sucked up into the air filter. I was dead in the water and it was lashing it down with rain with all my tools at home. So now what ? i thought. I gave it 10 minutes and tried starting the engine again, ...( I know guys...before you say it,....WRONG THING TO DO !!.) but i was clean out of options. Anyway....she fired up. She pluthered large amounts of grey white bluish smoke from the exhaust but after a short distance .1/4 mile, she cleared up, but sounded a little lumpy. with what can only be described as a ting ting ting noise, but clear exhaust. Yesterday i dropped the oil and filter and replaced with fresh oil 20/50 along with oil filter. Removed air filter K/N, and again replaced with clean spare filter. Started her up with no problem apart from....pluthers of white grey blue smoke which covered the street. However... i drove her around the block and again it cleared but sounded rough. Still pulled very well. just rough with the tinging noise as described above and a bit knocky. So i then removed the cover and checked the tappet clearances to see if a pushrod might be bent, but no, all good their also. So....my problems are,....Engine starts but covers street in fumes as described, but clears after short run.... Engine temp normal. No coolant loss. NO water in Diesel filter, i checked and replaced that also. Any suggestions guys as to what it could be. All help much appreciated Cheers Dave.

Many years ago now, i was introduced into a completely new way of braking. The Ambulance service senior driving instructor tought us about Cadence braking. ( Part of the old Police Drivers book called Road Craft )This i later put into practice whilst driving my 2.25 Diesel at that time. Cadence braking along with the engine braking of the diesel and being in the correct gear changed the way i drove completely and i still drive using this method today. Any members on here who knows Rivelin Valley Road, Hillsborough Sheffield will know of Hagg Hill, that's one hill you do NOT want to experience brake fade especially in winter, it's lethal. Must be a 1 in 5 in parts Look it up on Google maps. Brake fade on on this hill has been the cause of many many accidents at the bottom of that hill, onto the main Rivelin Vally Road. Even new cars with Anti lock brakes. Yes the new kits are far easier to maintain and quicker to change the pads etc etc but are by no means the be all and end all. On my drive through Ecclesfield when the snow and ice was 8 inch deep, i had no problems negotiating the steep hills at all. You just have to change down earlier, let the engine do it's job, cadence brake if need be and your ok. Driving old school, for want of a better term..

I am but almost everything has to go through the books and that's alot of pennies. Every time i drive in the yard the main secretary comes out rubbing her hands. She tries to make a joke of it when she says "We'll soon be charging you by the hour for all this advice you know these are trained mechanics and we are busy" The lads just say.."Come back after 4 Dave when Cruella's gone. Which is fair enough, it is a business afterall but i'm also sure she wouldn't mind a box of chocolates at xmas as a way of saying "Thank You" The lads didn't mind when i bought them a beer a few months ago.

Nick... I had the injectors checked and the guys at sheaf diesel said they were spot on. The HGV guys down the road from me are really pulled out with it at the moment. As they say, too many lorries, too many problems and not enough hours in the day to get them sorted, yet management want them on the road. There working whilst eating...go figure. Have to say they are a good bunch though. They also said to me " Your friend on the internet forum seems to know his stuff, which makes a change" so..there's a feather in your cap. Monkie.....no problems mate, hijack away, the more the merrier. Some interesting points there mate. Like you, i have to give the old girl 10-15 seconds on the glow plugs and on freezing cold days about 20+. I no longer have the smoke problem when accelerating hard up hill, that seems to be alot better now. Just white and blue ish from starting from stone cold in the morning and a little rattle with a slight knock, I do feel as though i'm getting there ... SLOWLY. However ...it's SO temperamental trying to get it bang on, so there's no knock or should i say much less of a knock first thing. I find myself coming back to the pc to read Nicks part over again regarding advanced and retarded timing. God, don't you just love em.

Hi Nick, It's been raining here almost all week.Driving rain at times, what with the gale force winds so it's been somewhat difficult to have a look at the timing again. However, i feel i'm almost there, although as you say, it may need looking at properly when the weather improves . I have read SO MANY posts and information regarding this kind of problem and as you say, dynamic timing might be the way to go, although i feel that might be a little above my head to be honest. I would need to observe that practice with my own eyes as those bits of kit are not exactly cheap, BUT i agree are very helpful tools, even though it may get used every blue moon. I think it was a Land Rover Toolbox video on You Tube where i watched that. Very clever but a little daunting when you've never done it. Starting from stone cold, the engine gives the following results,....Starts straight away after 15 seconds of glow plugs,.blip accelerator to put out the battery charge light, then observe the exhaust, which blows ( pluthers ) out light grey/white ish / light blue ish smoke. Then increase revs for 10 seconds which then stops the smoke, it clears up, Then..slightly increase revs on the hand throttle for 5 mins until the engine revs suddenly increase ( As though it's waking up) as the engine is getting warmer. Then return the hand throttle to it's normal position and Idle...no smoking but the very odd chuff of smoke every now and again but not as bad as before. Leave engine to idle for further 5 mins and drive off. Little clattery whilst engine is still cold but quietens down after 2.5 mile. Once engine temp is 75% towards the ( N ) , the engine becomes much smoother / quieter. Once at normal temp and warm air is blowing through the heater, it quietens down a further 80% compared to the cold clatter from cold. Does this seem the correct procedure to you Nick. My eldest son has just given me his old iphone , ( very generous of him as mine was buggered ) so i shall make a video of the procedure and see if i can post it.... That should be fun as i don't understand these things at the best of times. Lucky you for getting hold of an almost brand new Diesel pump...those are not cheap!!. Shame about the Land Rover Wolf though.

Nick......ok, so the rain stopped so i thought i would spend an hour on the timing, ....or so i thought !!!!!. I read over your advice regarding retarding and advancing of the pump with all the symptoms of problems associated with diesel smoking and starting of the engine, especially from cold. My god, what a day !!!! Yes, a DAY!. I popped into the HGV yard intermittently just to let them have a listen. They stood there and smiled at me. Your getting there,..they said. Just keep at it......I lost count as to how many times i laid on my back to loosen the 13mm nut under the pump, and the lower injector nut closest to the engine. Plus all the other nuts and injectors, just to move the pump a FRACTION of an inch, first one way then the other in my attempt to find the sweet spot. Then take it for a drive up hill and down dale keeping an eye on the wing mirror for pluthers of smoke under load. Phil, at the garage said that you were correct in everything you said but, because neither Phil or i could actually find the timing pin location hole on the fuel pump shaft with the pins we were using, he seems to think that (A) There might be some wear to the pump as the timing pin ( in his opinion ) is only a natts off . (B) Leave as is for the time being until i change the timing belt or until summer when i could get the diesel specialist to overhaul the pump, OR that the pump could be slightly out of wack in which case it could be corrected with minimum effort once the front is off and the whole lot can be properly looked at. ( That was his advice ). He popped round after work and followed me as i drove around my test drive area , as i call it. Some 2.5 miles up hills, on the flat etc etc. He said that going up hills under load, all he could see in his headlights going up hill,was, light grey smoke, which as he put it...may make your brand new Merc, Jag and Bently driving tree huggers pull back a hundred yards but apart from that, i wasn't causing a problem for other road users or PC plod good cause for concern to pull me up. Having said that,...it all depends on the pc, after all he can pull you up for anything if he so wishes, within reason. If anything.i would say the pump requires retarding a TINY amount and i mean a fraction, that's all. He also said...You've got to remember, it's an old engine from 1986 and you don't know the history as to the quality of the fuel that's been put through it or the mileage covered before i got the engine. which is fair enough i suppose. The problem with having the pump stripped , checked, new seals, re calibrated etc etc is cost £££. The other advice he gave was, to start the engine from stone COLD, look listen, drive and observe. If not good then let the engine go totally cold again, then..adjust the pump, look listen drive etc. Until it starts as it should ,and then drives smooth after warming up. He said ,..these old Diesel lumps can be a bit lumpy on a freezing cold morning but once up to temp,their a good engine, even newer Turbo Diesels be it Landy's or HGV'S can pour out black smoke when under load, but they can be a Royal pain to sort out at times. As it happens, it's raining here ... again, but....i'm NOT finished yet!! I think i may be able to get it a little bit better, although it's much better than before. Much much smoother. Oh well....more scrambling about on the concrete, i'm determined if nothing else. Cheers Nick,

Chicken Drumstick...let us all hope your correct..I heard that share prices in Jaguar / Land Rover had been hit quite hard the other week. You can bet the price of Diesel will continue to escalate to stupid levels. When i first had the 2.25 n/a in mine, Diesel was £0.55 ppl, then out came the Renault GT Turbo in or around the mid 1980's.Then company motor pools changed to Diesel and whalla.... up went Diesel prices overnight. So much for DPF Filters eh.

Mmm couple of interesting points there, ok there's plenty of hp but not the best for heavy towing and yet they put them into the Dico 1 Mpi. I was always under the impression the Disco's were very much favoured for their towing ability. Parts , as you say could also be a problem in the future. As i said before, when my 2.5 n.a packs up i'm not quite sure which way to go what with the rumour of Diesel engine's being kicked into touch by the government and the electric car being the only thing allowed on the highway in the future, years away from now i know but still,....My driving days may well be behind me by then!!. Having said that, the T series 2.0 litre n/a seems a nice engine. Any ideas on mpg roughly.

I bet he's very proud of it as i'm sure you are. I bet he's not too bothered about the mpg. Maybe you could post a video of it for us all to see. I'm sure the many members here would like to see the flying machine doing what it does best. I must admit, i've always liked the shape of the lightweight. I think that's where the Ibex shape came from.

Mmm, i think that if my trusty 2.5 n/a should give up the ghost one day, then, i would have a lot of head scratching to do

Aargh , my fault, typical!!. I think i would be a little worried about all that torque going through my series 2A box though. i know people do it but i have heard of a few horror stories of the gearbox going bang, AND TRUST ME, the luck i've had lately.....it probably would. If you get the chance, have a look at that Perkins Phaser on youtube. Also...the Big Purple One, Cummins 6BT, got to love the sound of the larger diesels. The pulling power must be immense.

Talking of engine upgrades, i came across this beast on youtube last night, by jack brown engineering...Perkins Phaser producing 500 lb ft torque and 200bhp. Sounds a bit of a beast...in a series 1,

Just that, according to the read up of that engine, ( project Tomcat ) i thought they may have used it in the land rover 90 as a stop gap if you like before the 3.9 efi, or have i got that wrong.

It has to be said, that, i have a lot of admiration, for anyone who's willing to grab the bull by the horns and try something different. The sheer time, effort, not to mention the expense. The trial and error and above all patience. I feel i'm getting a little too long in the tooth to even contemplate these ideas, plus i can't really afford it. I also think a good understanding in mechanical engineering helps. Some peoples understanding of it all on here is mesmerizing.......However i admire from a distance. That 220 turbo engine does look a peach though. Wonder why they didn't carry on with it ?.

lo-fi ...Mmmmm

Tanuki.....seems the montego engine was pretty good compared to the 2.25 Diesel, but although an interesting conversion, that 220 turbo is something else. even with the turbo taken off it looks as though it would suit a series box very well.Would love to see a n/a version in a series.

LO-.FI....OH , well i guess it just goes to show, not every conversion works as well as people make out. You must have felt gutted after finding that out. All that hard work and expectation down the toilet, i would have been megga peeved.

Bowie69.....Wow , that's some engine and a nice tidy installation, but a tad above my expertise i think. Always enjoy reading a new project. iI suppose it starts to get expensive when you take into consideration the R380 box, intercooler, etc etc. plus i do have a soft spot for the Red and Yellow levers. Bet that was a beast to drive. Cheers for that.....good read.

That rover 22o turbo does look impressive, if it bolts straight in, then why has nobody fitted one to a series. I've certainly never heard of that before. Wonder how it would cope in low box.

Bowie69 ...thats a new one.......more to read