martin.beek

Problem found! The hole in the thick metal bracket which sits around the lever which holds down the rubber surround was far too small, which didn't allow the lever to travel far enough left to engage the lock. Never expected that would be the culprit! Thanks for the help. Martin

Hello, I'm having trouble engaging diff lock on my 200tdi, fitted with a LT230 (Discovery ratios), and wondering whether anyone has any suggestions. The diff/lowbox lever works smoothly when engaging lo/hi, much less so when engaging diff lock (from lo, hi or neutral). The lever moves to the left, and seems to be in the right position for diff lock (though it does have a tendency to move back to the centre slightly when released). However, the lock rarely engages. On the few occasions when it does engage, it often jumps after a few hundred meters. I've tried engaging diff lock while at standstill and on the move, and getting a passenger to keep pressure on the lever, to no avail. This is no new symptom - its been like this since the car was purchased. Oil recently changed, level is good. Is there anything worth checking without removing the transfer box? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks, Martin.

Hi Does anyone happen to know the torque settings for the cylinder head bolts on a 6cylinder petrol 2.6L Series 3? Cheers, Martin.

Hello I'm struggling with the following issue - any suggestions welcome! SIII with a 6 cylinder petrol engine, which in the recent past has started to overheat occasionally. Water has started to appear in the engine oil. Suspecting a problem with the head gasket. However, no air bubbles appear in the water, and the engine still runs fine. Typical gasket problems, or could the symptoms point to something else? Thanks, Martin.

have taken the injectors out. One was completely seized. Once dismantled, the pin inside would not budge. Replaced it with another which seemed to fix the problem, only to for another injector to seize 300yards further along. Could this just be one large batch of faulty BM Injectors? Called McD, they put it down to the latter, and offered to send us yet another set from another supplier. L:K#%Y(*&DFJH!!!!!!!

Hello all - I'm in need of some assistance/advice relating to the 2.5NA Diesel McDonald engine i purchased a couple of weeks ago. The previous thread is http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=18879&st=0 In short, engine was bought, ran with huge smoke issues and leaking injectors. Had injectors checked and checked the timing. Both were off. Injectors were reset, and the timing was reset too. The latter was blamed on a tow start. The injectors kept leaking, but the engine ran ok. McDonald refused to even consider accepting responsibility for the timing problem, but given that it seemed to have caused no damage (engine has now done 1000 miles without trouble), it's not much of an ongoing issue. Mark at McD was distressed about the faulty injectors (2 seriously leaking, 1 far too high a pressure, the last an improper fit), and sent me a cheque for 150 pounds and asked his supplier to ship 4 new injectors directly to me. Mark had asked them to be to double checked so as to avoid trouble. They arrived yesterday. With 2 injectors still leaking heavily (from the copper ring below the hexagonal head), we decided that the 4 new, tested injectors would polish things up nicely and solve the last outstanding issue. 1 had rust stains along the bottom head (part which sits just above the piston), and the plastic cap was near impossible to remove. So much for 'recently tested injectors'. Once put in, the engine started, but an immediate knocking sound became apparent, one not heard before. To check whether it was indeed engine speed related, we raised the revs slightly, and the knocking increased. Just before immediately releasing the gas, a single louder knock was heard which then died down with the revs. We had the injectors checked this morning. 3 were ok. The slightly rusty one gave out the correct amount, but rather than spraying the diesle out properly, it would spray some out and then dribble the rest out on the test bank. This was corrected. The garage who fixed them this morning are the same who tested and fixed the injectors with which the engine ran 1000miles trouble free, so i'm assuming they're not at fault. When bleeding the fuel system, rusty particulates came out of the injection pump air-release screw. ??? We put the injectors back into the engine, but again, the knocking sound, (now louder) remains. We reset the tappets (for lack of other thigns to test!), but found them to be well within spec. We are now about to check the injectors...again. We'll release them one by one and see what happens. Any suggestions? Given that when we left the garage, the injectors were ok, is it possible that some slight dirt ingress could cause such troubles? More importantly, could having run the engine before the injectors were checked (therefore with one dribbling one) for all of 20seconds caused any subsequent damage, now responsible for the knocking? Or is it more likely down to a improbable (but not impossible) leak or other injector malfunction? Called McD. Mark was annoyed at me, for 6 of the 8 injectors he and his supplier had sent were faulty, which was against all odds, espcially since he'd fitted twenty this morning without trouble. Simply fitting an injector without running the engine however obviously wouldn't show any faults with them! As always, any comments at all welcome. This is now well past frustrating! Many thanks, Martin.

A quick update: Marc from McDonald called me this morning (I did not need to call). He for the most part stands by the fact that the tow start is the likely cause of the belt slippage, but that 2 teeth out is unlikely to have caused any damage. He was up in arms about the faulty injectors however (supplied to him externally), and vowed to sort the issue out as quickly as possible. I am unable to part with the current injectors since they work, despite leaking slightly, as the car needs to drive, but Marc said he'd call the supplier none the less and get them to send me 4 new, (perhaps calibrated this time?) injectors, and get them to remiburse me 150pounds for the inconvenience. If that could not happen quickly, he suggested that he could send me a cheque for the same amount and then get reimbursement himself. I'm disappointed that he refused to budge on the belt slippage (claimed problems as manufacturing was 'impossible', since the fly and fuel wheels were locked using special tools, and then the cam and crank set dot-to-arrow, and double checked). Said he could tell from the belt if slippage had occured, but couldn't since we're abroad. As far as i can tell, there's nothing to see on the belt. He was adament in trying to convince me that his engines were of the highest quality, and that he would do everything possible to sort this issue out as fairly and as quickly as possible. Let's wait and see. I'm very curious. Cheers, Martin.

Hello all - Finally some good news! Having found the timing to be two teeth slow on the cam yesterday, we timed the engine up and drove 80miles without a hiccup. The smoke has vanished, the 'power' is back, and the engine seems to be running normally (and comparatively silently) - at least in as far as I can tell. There's no unexpected rattle etc. If damage has occured, is it likely to show up later on if it hasn't done so already? Or if as the engine seems to be running fine now, maybe two teeth out wasn't enough to harm it? Still have been unable to get the injectors to work properly however. They were calibrated, but 3 are still leaking. They seem to be leaking from around the copper ring half way up the injector. Can the top part be tightened, or would this de-calibrate them? Do you suggest sending them back and asking for new ones, or should tightening them up clear up any trouble? I don't really want to be sent a new set which may then need re-calibrating, again at my cost. On monday, I shall call McDonald back and hopefully speak to Mark to see what he has to say. I will certainly mention your views and support. I hardly expect he'll offer to cover the 100-odd pounds i've spent so far on screws, seals and garage bills to get the engine sorted to spec, but an apology perhaps would be a good start! Once again, thank you all for your thoughts, help and support. Hopefully the word will spread and others will consequently avoid our misfortune - it would be the only good thing to have come from this! Best wishes, Martin.

Good morning Les - The timing on the cam was two teeth behind (below the arrow) - that is, having removed the belt, the cam sprocket needed to be turned clockwise two teeth. The white smoke no longer appears - only during the very first 10-15min stationary run. The last 20 miles were consistently black. Would those symptoms fit the retarded timing? Will turn the engine on soon, and get back to you. Cheers, Martin.

Thanks for the responses. Between a rock and a hard place sums it up best! I'd never worked with either Legs, Turner or McDonald, so choosing one was a bit hit and miss. Turner were expensive - 1800 for a stripped engine. Both legs and mcD offered a stripped for 1300. I spoke to them all, and all were extremely friendly and sounded very professional. After a long conversation with Mark, the head engine engineer at McDonald, we agreed on a 10% discount on the stripped engine, and he'd prepare it with a new injection pump and injectors. Our current injection pump had done 280000km, and a new one in the UK cost as much as having the old one revised, so the deal sounded like a reasonable deal. Total purchase cost came to 1600. We collected the engine ourselves, and all seemed well. Asked McDonald many questions and they were happy to answer them. At the time we unfortunately didn't notice the missing exhuast manifold bolts and starter bolt, but then we weren't really looking for missing components on a new engine! We swapped the sump out for a version with an breather hose, and at the time, the big end looked clean and new, as did the pushrods etc. We were filled with confidence while putting it in! It's a shame it didn't work quite so simply! We reset the timing this evening, but ran out of time to fire it up. Tomorrow we'll know if it has helped. The belt looks perfect, no sign of slippage or wear etc Mark. The tension seemed completely normal too. I do just think as you all say, things got timed up inappropriately at the start. Assuming things run fine tomorrow, is it worthwhile removing the rocker assembly and checking the pushrods, or if everything seems normal, may we (or they!) have gotten away with murder? We're taking the engine on a 15,000mile overland trip, so things do need to be in order! I spoke to Acer (gentleman at McD who put our engine together. Mark, head engineer, comes back on Monday) many times today - friendly, but completely unwilling to look past the fact that the slippage is due to the tow. I find this so irritating. I'm annoyed at myself for having mentioned the tow, but then I was just trying to describe the situation as clearly and as honestly as possible to them with the aim of finding a suitable solution. Mistakes happen - what i find most unprofessional is their unwillingness to even momentarily consider that fact that just perhaps, a mistake at manufacturing was made. An apology, an offer of some solutions and some new pushrods if necessary for example, would have cost them nothing, and while it would not have prevented us wasting a huge amount of time and money on this affair, it would at least have been courteous and professional. Instead, they know that we're abroad and that a trip back up to the UK is far less economical than having it sorted here, and if things do subsequently go wrong, i'm likely to get the response that because i inspected the engine following the troubles myself, rather than returning it to base, our warranty is void! In hindsight, I would have happily forgone my 10%, or paid the extra 500pounds at Turner's! But then we all know what they say about hindsight... I'm very very grateful for all of your comments. I'll keep you posted on how we get on and what they say. Do let me know if anything else comes to mind. Best wishes, Martin.

Hello all Thank for all your responses. have removed the timing cover and found the cam shaft to be 2 teeth slow (2 teeth behind the arrow marker when turning the wheel clockwise). The crank and fuel sprockets correctly align. What next? I (perhaps slightly inappropriately) called Legs and Turner, but they were kind enough to take the time to confirm what you've all said - that a tow start could not possibly have caused a timing belt slip. I called back with the news, but they're insistent that they've 'heard about two starts causing slip on new engines, because the tolerances are so small and everything is so tight, and because there's so much pressure on the cam the first time round', but that on 'old engines its ok'. Assuming that the belt could have slipped, would it then not be the case that the fuel wheel would be out by the same amount, since i suppose there's negligible resistance on it and it just would have been pulled along with the slipping belt, no? Next step i suppose is to reset the timing, which i'll do now, and check how it runs. I take it the push rods are the weakest point, and would have suffered first if 2 teeth out is enough to cause damage? This is so irritating. i should not have told mcdonald we tow started it, as i'm sure they're now going to stay stuck on this, but did to describe the situation as clearly and as honestly as possibly, absolutely convinced as you all are that a gentle 10mph tow start could not possibly cause the belt to slip! Once it's properly timed, how do we check for potential damage? Would there by extra play on the tappets? If we take the rocker off and check the pushrods, and find no bent ones, can we be sure that no other damage has occurred? How do i check if the tensioner was properly tensioned/torqued? I suppose the belt could have slipped if it wasn't tensioned properly. Thanks you very much for the help. martin.

That would indeed be my preferred solution Mo, but I exported the engine to Belgium, so unless the engine needs to be completely replaced, it'll unfortunately be more 'economical' to try to fix it up as much as possible here rather than driving all the way there - though somehow i'm starting to think that that may indeed become the cheapest option soon. I'm very disappointed. Cheers. M

Had the injectors checked today. They were all over the place! 1 doesn't properly fit in the engine block (needed to be pulled out using a screwdriver underneath for leverage, and needed some sanding down to put back in again!), two had loose lower components - the lowest unscrewable section (unscrewable by hand!) - fuel leaked out everywhere when under pressure on the test bank. The last was giving out much more pressure than it should have done. They were all fixed and returned to the engine, to little avail. It seems to be smoking slightly less (but still far to much). I'll take the timing cover off tomorrow and check the timing. Called Mcdonald. They suggested it could be the timing off due to our initial (very gentle) tow start which could have caused some belt slippage. Is this plausible? The tow was at slow speed, in 3rd, slowly eased in the clutch. I'd be more inclined to think it was never properly timed in the first place if we discover some timing issue. After 30miles, oil is completely black. Is this normal with a new engine, or is this a sign of diesel leaking into the sump or so? Les, i take it that retiming the engine if it proves necessary would sort your suggested sprocket issue? Thanks for the help. Martin.

Hi - Having a few issues with a newly purchased remanufactured 2.5NA stripped Diesel engine. Any suggestions welcome! Following engine failure, I ordered a new (remanufactured) engine (stripped (sump to rockers), along with 4 injectors and a fuel injection pump, and set timing belt) from McDonald Land Rover Engines in oswentry. Collect it last week. While the service offered was quick and friendly, I'm disappointed by the engine finish - a few bolts on the flywheel housing missing, a missing starter bolt etc. I put the engine in the 110 today. I was unable to start it while stationary as I was having difficulty priming the fuel lines. A tow start did the job. It initially started which huge clouds of white smoke - presumably water in the exhuast etc (car stored in a humid-ish garage for 2 weeks stationary while swapping the engines). It ran relatively well at tick over at a stand still, puffing white smoke for about 10 min. Later in the day, i took it for a drive. Covered 30 miles. Throughout the drive, and now at a standstill also, it billows black smoke. Not particularly thick, and cetainly not blue, but much more than i'd expect from an very worn or badly timed engine, let a long a brand new one. Along with the smoke, there seems to be an excessive metallic noise coming from the engine, which to my ear sounds like excessive tappet noise. Is this usual for a brand new engine? It also seems to lack power. at 35-40mph in 4th, i'm unable to accelerate further in any meaningful way. Called McDonald who suggested checking the tappets and injectors. I checked the tappets this evening. Some are a little loose (no drag at all on the feeler blade (0.01 inch), others are a little stiff, (feeler blade needs to be wiggled and pushed in to fit). That is, they're not all the same, but i'm unsure if they're sufficiently off to be causing the (a) problem. I haven't yet swapped the injectors. What could cause such problems if not the above? Could it have been badly timed? I understand black smoke is ofter badly burning or badly delivered fuel? Any comments or suggestions welcome. Thanks, Martin.