rjblank

I have some additional photos of the motor mounts and the turbo/intercooler install. I thought I had added them earlier.

Looks like an easy time for the engine mounts... I see your mounts are not parallel with each other either like mine on the 200TDI. Small price to pay for an uprated engine.

PM sent...

I have some additional pics from the install and some of how the engine is today (for those that want more info), and some before and after photos of the engine bay.

Looks like alot of sway off road (or maybe the snorkle is just really heavy on that side of the Landy...

David, There are a number of options to choose from here with a varying of price and advantages/drawbacks. You need to look at each, and your wallet, to determine what is right for you and your landy. 1. Install different gears in the diffs. This will affect all ratios (high range and low range) and provide better economy. It will also mean not as low of a crawling speed off road in low range. If you do not need such super low gearing off-road, then this shouldn't be an issue for you. The cheap way to get to your target is install 10 spline 3.54 RRC diffs which will give you about a 30% increase in gearing and are a bolt-in option. Used, they can be purchased for around 100 quid for the pair. I do happen to have a set if you are interested. Or you could buy new ring and pinion gears from one of the suppliers (more expensive) with a variety of gear ratios. Your biggest drawback is an incorrect speedometer. 2. Like Todd was saying, install an overdrive. Your speedo will stay correct, you get essentially another gear for on the road, off-road is not affected. I have no familiarity with them, but read about reliability issues alot. They also may prove to be difficult to find and quite expensive. Hopefullly someone familiar with them can speak to this option. 3. Install the Ashcroft's high-range gearbox. This gives about 30% higher on-road gearing while not affecting the off-road low end gearing. Speedo will stay accurate. It will cost about 300 quid. and is a bolt in. I have one of these and absolutely love it. My landy will do 70 (although I don't drive that fast) and get good economy. My 200TDI is averaging 7.5 miles to the liter consistently. 4. Install bigger tires. This is essentially the same as installing different gears in the diffs, only in smaller percentage increases. A 10% taller tire will give you 10% bettter gearing, 10% better economy (theoretically) and your speedo will be off by 10%. Cost may be a factor here as tires are not all that cheap, especially really big ones that may force you to different wheels. 5. Install a five speed gearbox. On an 88" vehicle, this can be a challenge. It can be quite costly to perform, once you source a box and transferbox and/or adapter to the series trasfer box. It will also mean new propshafts or moving engine/gearbox mounts forward. This will give more gear options on/off road and resolves the series gearbox "weak-link." From what I read, this is alot of work, means moving the drivetrain forward to avoid a too-short rear propshaft, modifying the floor pans to accomodate the new shifter positions and gearbox size. Some say this is the best option for installing a 200TDI in the series, but if you are going to do all that work, why not just buy a Defender to begin with. It saves you all the trouble and expense, and preserves an original series vehicle. 6. Go wild installing a multitide of different axle/gearbox/tire size combos. In the end, your wallet may decide your fate. Contact me if you decide to go with the RRC diffs.

That's fantastic Graham. Welcome to TDI land...

Sounds like you hurt the internal rectifier in the alternator. It is pretty cheap to fix. I just rebuilt mine recently. If you search the dreaded EBay, you can find a complete rebuild kit for ~16 GBP, or a complete one for ~40 GBP... It is a Lucas A127 alternator. Use a multimeter to see what voltage the Alternator is putting out. It should be between 13 and 14.5 volts DC. Undercharging, you will end up with a dead battery, overcharging, batteries have a tendancy to explode... BTW, are you getting rid of your old bonnet?

I would certainly think so... As stated before, I've seen higher horsepower engines with fewer bolts, and none on the bottom. I really doubt that a non-turbo 300 will make enough power to override all the bolts you have in there. Others may think I am daft, and that may be a good conversation for another thread, but I think you have a good reliable setup from what I see...

Just a little update on the old landy... It's been my daily driver since the conversion. About 800 miles on the clock since and it is running better and better. I think the injectors were just a little dirty from sitting. The last tank of fuel shows it has settled on 7.5 miles to the liter. I would really like to have it up around 10, but that may be a bit of a stretch for a box in the wind. To see how close I can get, I will play with the fuel diaphram and see how many more miles I can squeeze out of a liter. I finally relocated the battery to the box under the seat. The wife is happier now that she has a place to put her feet.

It sure is... only difference is the plug at the alternator. If you use the series alternator, then it's all plug and play, but you have to adapt the alternator to the engine (fairly straight forward. The only other wire that is needed is a 12volt switched for the diesel injection pump. According to Richard, at Glencoyne Engineering, the old 2.25 series diesel ignition switch does not work for this conversion. In the "Start" position, the accessory and run circuits do npot get 12 volts. There are two ways to fix it. The best way is to replace the diesel ignition switch with a petrol switch. the next best thing is to install a seperate switch on the dash as an on/off for the engine. While this is effective to run the vehicle, it makes loaning it out to one's friends bothersome in that you have to tell them about the seperate switch... but then again, this may help confuse vehicle theives...

If you are using the alternator that came with the 200TDI, The colors are the same as the series: for the charging circuit (large brown wire) and the charge warning circuit (small brown wire with a yellow trace) You may have a white or yellow wire extra that is used only for the rev counter... it is not needed. Connect the large wire to the positive side of the starter (if it is not there already), and the small wire to the charge warning circuit of the series wiring, and you are done. The wire colors also match up for the oil pressure warning and temp guage. Good luck, David

Cool, thanks. There is a slight difference between the two. The 200TDI has a few more holes in it than the 300TDI. I'll get some pics tomorrow. never the less, it looks like you should have plenty of bolts available to hold gearbox and engine together. The US General Motors V*s only use six bolts to hold engine and gearbox together... and have for 60+ years... I believe 11 larger bolts should be able to cope with the 300TDI.

Todd, on my 200TDI flywheel housing, I found that the holes were already drilled, but not tapped for studs for the bottom holes that match the series gearbox holes. I just tapped them out and installed the studs. They are adjacent to the holes used for the stiffening ladder in the engine. Does the 300TDI have the same setup? can you shoot some pics of the stud side of the 300TDI flywheel housing for comparison?

Well, yes it does "mate" or "bolt up", but there is a stiffening ladder in the bottom of the engine that is anchored by the four bolts in question through the bell housing. Some will tell you that they are not really needed... I believe they were put there for a reason. The easiest way to resolve the situation is using 80mm allen head bolts... here's some more info for your reading pleasure... http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/200tdiconversion.htm It may explain it better than I can...

Looks great Todd! My recommendation, countersink the 4 lower holes and use allen head bolts that sit below the bell housing mating surface. I found that I could not get two of the four bolts to go in through the bellhousing due to the curved surface and the other two needed an angled spacer to bolt up square.

They are both Rover diffs, at 4.70 ratio. The rear has a bit of a whine at 30 mph. It sounds like it needs a new pinion bearing...

Thanks, they do look the same, and they have been in 4wd before. No problems, no parts spit out on the ground, and feel like the same ratio... I was curious if they were interchangable. Thanks again

Is there a difference between the front and rear diffs for a Series 3? Are they interchangable?

Here is the best company I know for wiring harnesses/upgrades. They have a UK dealer as well. I hope it helps. http://www.painlessperformance.com/

Well the roof is settled then... Anyone have a safari roof they would like to turn loose of? I have a standard roof in great shape (no dents or holes)...

Graham, Thanks for the info... I rarely drive that speed for long, but I may now with the TDI... I found one up your way for 50 quid, but I don't know when I could get up there to pick it up... So when are you starting on your TDI?

I have a 'lectric fan from a BMW 530 (V8) in my Landy. It takes up most of the radiator. It moves lots of air...

Thanks for all the info... Sounds like the majority like it. I don't have an isue with power in my Landy with the 200TDI... Now I just need to find one...

I've been looking at the Safari Roofs on other Landy's and I am thinking about trying to find one for mine, but I would like to know what owners of them think of them... Every one I have seen has a commonality... The retaining screws rust and the plastic spacers broken. So, Are they worth having? Are they more trouble than they are worth? Do they leak more than a standard Landy Hard top? (mine likes to leak where it meets the windscreen)