BogMonster

Keep it as is.

That is exactly what it was. The viscous fans on Td5s take a while to "unstick" if they have been sitting for a while. If it lasts for more than about 30sec there is something wrong with it, and they do seize completely so they make a hell of a noise all the time, sap the engine power and waste lots of fuel. On the plus side it sounds somewhere between a 500hp V8 and an angry meat-eating dinosaur when you give it some beans B)

What a surprise...

I thought LR sold the bits individually but I don't have a parts manual handy to check.

It is most likely just the misfire caused by the fact LR chose to put four glowplugs in a five cylinder engine, so in cold weather on the first start of the day, they often run like a bag of bolts for the first few seconds until the fifth cylinder catches - basically the engine is running on four cylinders till the heat from the compression strokes is enough to make number 5 ignite without glowplugs. No I don't know why they only fit four glowplugs before you ask...

That would be the second option.

Welcome. This site approves of the use of punctuation so there is no need to be afraid of , . ? ! ; and : It could be the head gasket now, if it has been boiled a couple of times, but for the original leak you might also want to check out the radiator where the end tanks are crimped onto the radiator matrix, it is not uncommon for them to leak there - signs of lots of pink coolant stains are the giveaway. Also check the header tank cap is actually holding pressure as this can cause the water to boil.

Ta, I will look into those. Yeah that is sometimes the case with price. Defender OEM headlights less than a tenner, a set of headlight protectors £25 or so

Some of the faults (fuel pump and injector harness) will not show up as fault codes on any diagnostic computer 80% of the time, so you won't necessarily be any the wiser and it doesn't pay to rule out those things "just because the computer says it is ok". I have long since lost count of the number of Td5s I have seen in the workshop where the engine is running like a bucket of sh** and the computer says there is nothing wrong with it!

Does anybody know if you can get the clear acrylic headlight protectors for the headlights on a P38 Range Rover? I know they are available for Discoverys etc though the later vehicles can only be bought as aftermarket items not direct from LR. Somebody asked me to find a set but Google has not turned up anything conclusive and I don't even have a Genuine accessory catalogue for the P38 as they have never been imported to this country - they are only coming in now they are cheap and break down a lot Part number or a link to a supplier would be great - I am sure they will be available just not sure who makes them. Ta

The ratio(s) are different on the diesel though I don't know if the gearbox is otherwise a straight swap. The diesel is an L series engine not a K series so may be completely different?

Best bet is to chisel the cups off the axle bracket and use the old-style washers and bushes, they last a darned sight longer! Also the pin on the shock is a different length so you can't use old type bushes/washers with new type shocks or vice versa. If you chisel the cups off the hole in the axle bracket is the right size so no problems there

If anybody thinks something is worthy of the tech archive then please shout. I may be speaking out of turn here but personally I would say that the only circumstances under which such a request would be declined would be if the moderators felt that the post in question was recommending something that was either wrong or dangerous.

Interesting point David - I would be pretty sure that Land Rover didn't sell the copyright to the original map so unless the tweakers wrote their fuelling maps from scratch (which seems pretty unlikely) you are probably right. I suppose the difficulty comes with proving that they ripped off the original and then modified it, whereas it would be fairly clear if you were using a direct copy of something. Sounds like a way for lawyers to make lots of money

I think you may find some of the owners of the modified maps (the owners being the ones holding the copyright) might get a bit upset at people swapping them for nowt!

From the misfire I would guess the injector harness, it would be where I would start anyway.

Never had a problem with fitting aftermarket head units in any Discovery though admittedly not something fancy - just a normal head unit feeding standard speakers.

Amen to that, says it all.

OK first 2 checks probably not but worth ruling out as you feel an arse when you find them after spending lots of money: is the throttle pedal stop bolt in the right place (i.e. hasn't come loose) and is the adjustment on the cable correct at the pump end i.e. no slack in the cable? Both are not uncommon and both are often responsible for "power loss" complaints 300Tdi's do hunt sometimes at idle especially when cold - my new one (7000 miles) does it quite a lot, it varies between engines. Usually a sign of the idle speed being a bit low. Hoses: depends on how much, a small swelling is normal (ooer) have you taken off the small right angled hose and checked it inside as well as outside? again this is often a cause and is invisible till you take it off. Air filter OK? How quickly did the power loss appear is it overnight or gradually over days/weeks?

I am pretty sure non EDC ones are the same - I will have to try it and see but I think you can see the lights brighten a little after a few seconds when the timer unit switches the plugs off and the battery voltage jumps. It doesn't switch them off when the heat light goes out, its a few seconds later than that. Foot on the clutch to reduce the load is an excellent idea and I always do it on any engines petrol or diesel. The paragraph quoted in my post above was actually from the owners handbook for a non EDC Defender Tdi which has no electronics at all. There's no AA here either

OK well if you don't believe me here is the relevant passage from the Defender Tdi owners manual: "Before starting the engine and driving, ENSURE you are familiar with the precautions shown under ’Catalytic converter’ later in this section. In particular, you should be aware that continued use of the starter will result in unused fuel damaging the catalytic converter. 1. Check that the handbrake is applied and that the gear lever is in neutral. 2. Switch off all unnecessary electrical equipment. 3. Insert the starter key and turn the switch to position ’II’. Wait until the glow plug warning light extinguishes. NOTE: When restarting a warm engine, it will not be necessary to wait for the glow plug warning light to extinguish. 4. Turn the key to position ’III’ to operate the starter motor; DO NOT press the accelerator pedal during starting, and RELEASE THE KEY as soon as the engine is running." I think the last paragraph confirms my comments as I would have thought the people who built it ought to know what they are talking about. It should not be necessary on a properly functioning engine and if it is, then something is not right!

Yeah it tells me there is a problem with the vehicle and it is not performing normally. Not that this is the "correct" way to start I have started probably the best part of 1000 different Land Rover engines in the course of my 10 years at work...

Eh? Most diesels I have ever come across are quite capable of starting without this and in fact I am sure I remember reading somewhere that on Tdis if you touch the throttle it disables the extra fuel for cold start...

Maybe they could be coated with a popular underbody coating solution which might begin with a K

You should fit bearings and races as a matched set as supplied, to the best of my knowledge. I don't think running a new bearing on an old race would be a good idea! The cage will probably break off if you pull on it...