k1aas

Hi all, I'd appreciate some help to solve the problem I'm having: Our '98 300 TDi (170,000 miles) runs well overall. There is some blue smoke after a cold start, but that clears up within a mile. However, if after driving in slow traffic, it will start to blow lots of blue smoke, so much that other drivers start gesturing. This has been happening now for some months, and it is getting worse. Once I even saw sparks (and a flame) out of the exhaust, while not pushing the car hard at all. I don't think it is heat related, it happens with both a cold and a warm motor. After a while of highway driving, the blue smoke goes away. Turbo seems to be fine. There wasn't a lot of oil in on the high pressure side of the turbo. We do have some pressure under our oil filling cap, just enough to keep it up in the air a bit, but the stick has never been blown out. Air filter has been changed. Car doesn't run on its own, so I don't think there is oil blowing in from the crankcase. A good mechanic replaced the head gasket as a first guess, but that didn't help. He saw some wear on the cylinder walls and has suggested honing them. I'm puzzled by the fact that the problem only occurs after running stationary or slow driving. Any ideas? Would bad piston rings cause such a problem? Any suggestions what to check? Klaas

Nick, sounds like exactly what I am now experiencing, also with a 110 300tdi defender. I recently replaced a faulty lift pump. Haven't taken the time to pinpoint the problem, but I've exchanged less than you have, so I hope the problem won't be somewhere else.. Imho you have a small air leak somewhere. In my case it's probably either a leaky copper washer under the fuel filter bleeder screw or the olives haven't been tightened enough on the lift pump pipes. You might check both of these spots just to make sure.

Thanks everybody,I was able to find a (used) switch and it did indeed solve the problem. Also thanks Luke for the thread!

Hello Defender friends, Could anyone offer some advice on why my left/right turn signals don't work in my Defender ('98, 300TDi)? It seems to be related to the alarm switch. Hazard blinking works normally. If I push the hazard switch toward the the off position while the left/right turn signal has been activated, its relay behind the fuse rack buzzes (but no turn signal..) The problem didn't suddenly happen, it was off and on for a while and a jab at the hazard switch would cure it for a while. I don't have any electrical diagrams available. How does the turn signal tie into the hazard signal? Could the hazard switch be the cause? Thanks, K1aas

Wow, thanks Ralph for the offer, much appreciated! I just ordered some from the site you indicated, expect they can ship them to Africa fast, they'll respond tomorrow I think. They do send worldwide btw.

Thanks a lot Ralph! Also for the great website. The olives aren't expensive there! Main hurdle is how to get them here in Africa in reasonable time. We're now trying to find a dealer in Accra who might have some for me. Btw, the pump and gaskets arrived today (Britpart, hope that doesn't spell disaster as another thread is hinting). So at least most of the stuff is here.. I think I'll leave cutting the fuel lines for a last resort fix, still hope I can keep everything original.

Thanks a lot Les, James, Adrian. I'll give your suggestions a try. See if I can bring our Rover back to life.. Appreciate your speedy responses!

Thank you Les, maybe I'm using the wrong words (I'm Dutch..) The fuel lines connect to the pump with the help of olives that are squeezed onto the steel pipes protruding from the pump. My new pump came without the olives, so I can't make an airtight fit. Hope it's clear now..

Hi, I'm new on this forum, and am looking for some assistance. We have a 110 Defender which has been in Ghana for nine years now. After about 220k African kilometers (bad roads!) it is still in reasonably good shape. I'm struggling with some parts. My fuel lift pump doesn't work anymore. I ordered a new one but it came without the olives. Are the olives anything standard used in other vehicles? Or does anyone have another way of connecting the pipes to the pump? Klaas