fergus98 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Hi all After recently removing the engine from my 90 to do the rear crank oil seal, I also though i would re-seat the valves. But after stripping and cleaning the head of my 200tdi I have discovered a hairline crack that runs between the inlet and exhaust valves on cylinder/piston 3. It has been running fine and don't know what to do about it, as spending a vast sum of money on a new head isn't something I want to do but fear I'll have too. Any suggestions would be most helpfull Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 It is garbage. Finding good used head is pretty hard. The cheapest solution is to use a 300TDI head. These are still available new. You need to use the complete rocker assembly, injectors, injector lines and thermostat housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 if the crack has not penetrated the valve seats it could be cut out & welded up & head skimmed & valve seats recut, some info on head cracks on Glencoyne's website http://www.glencoyne.co.uk/tdipage2.htm#c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 IMO, those cracks are not repairable and you will be taking a big risk. This is the main change with the 300TDI head, moving the valves further apart to prevent this failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Fergus, I had similar cracks on my 200 head last year. I was advised against reusing the head by the specialist at the engineering company and so had to use my precious spare head. I know that Reb78 also found cracks in his 200 head and was advised likewise. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Yep, I have a similar crack in exactly the same place. Luckily I had a spare head on the shelf. Whilst a 300tdi head will fit, I was under the impression that it also puts the injectors in the wrong place so you ought to look at changing the pistons as well?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkie Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 It also looks like it has cracked between the valve seat and the injector port. £200 seems to be the going rate for a secondhand 200Tdi head off ebay. It is a gamble, but I got a good secondhand head for my 19J off ebay and took it to a local engineering shop to be skimmed and tested for peace of mind. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-rover-defender-discovery-200tdi-cylinder-head-off-road-engine-series/182984829654?hash=item2a9abeead6:g:kVkAAOSwFb5aN5~n If you don't want to gamble then Turners for example charge £750 with VAT for a head https://www.turnerengineering.co.uk/rtc-6896-cylinder-head-complete-c2x20634382 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergus98 Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 This is what I feared, will probably gamble on a head from ebay and hope for the best. A new head from Turners would be nice but its a little pricey. Will a 300tdi head fit and work properly without too much modification? Cheers guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L90-v8 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I agree 100% with the above the head is not great its knackered imo and if it was mine I would rectify the problem by sourcing another head or welding the crack but a friend of mine come over with a blown head gasket on 300tdi 4 months ago and wanted me to do the head gasket we pulled it apart it had 3 cylinders cracked between the valves and every cylinder was cracked around the glow plug it was warped to the point you could see clear daylight between number 2-3 using a straight edge he asked me what should he do with it I said the heads knackered find another head an fit a good one job done but he couldn't do that at the time as he needed to get to work the following day so we bolted it back together with a new gasket and its still going now 4 months later it don't over heat don't use a drop of oil or water runs perfect I cant believe it myself that it still runs with no issues I'm sure its ready to let go at any point he has now has sourced another good head for a sensible price so when we have a chance will get it sorted its not what I recommend and its not what I would personally do to my own vehicle but it shows you how forgiving a tdi is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I'd say it's a dead head, and needs replacing. The problem with welding it is that there's a risk the weld will let-go and then the pressed-in valve seats can come loose. If one drops, it then jams the valve open sufficiently that it gets whacked by the piston. [Had this happen on a Transit minibus some years back: I'm not sure if it was my cursing or the burst of machine-gun rattle from the engine but it certainly woke-up the sleeping old-folks in the back!] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 8 hours ago, reb78 said: Yep, I have a similar crack in exactly the same place. Luckily I had a spare head on the shelf. Whilst a 300tdi head will fit, I was under the impression that it also puts the injectors in the wrong place so you ought to look at changing the pistons as well?? That's the case as I understand it too. You need to change to 300 pistons as well, as the crown is a different shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 The difference is not enough to worry about. Many have done the change without the pistons and nobody has had any issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmayco68 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 If your still after a head Fergus just spotted this on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Discovery-defender-200tdi-Cylinder-Head/222783580063?hash=item33deefa79f:g:X8sAAOSw05taT3Bv cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 On 02/01/2018 at 4:55 AM, Red90 said: The difference is not enough to worry about. Many have done the change without the pistons and nobody has had any issue. Even if the pistons do suffer, you'd only be changing them in just the same way later on anyway, so it may be worth leaving the pistons as they are and trying your luck - a cracked piston won't wreck the engine if the worst happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 FYI, turners no longer supply 200tdi cylinder heads if you don't have a serviceable/repairable item to supply them with. The only way you can get one from them is stuck on top of a refurbished engine block too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 2 hours ago, Maverik said: FYI, turners no longer supply 200tdi cylinder heads if you don't have a serviceable/repairable item to supply them with. The only way you can get one from them is stuck on top of a refurbished engine block too.... That does not appear to be the case any more. https://www.turnerengineering.co.uk/rtc-6896-cylinder-head-complete-c2x20634382 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Well that's changed in the past 6 weeks and i'd be giving them a ring to check, i assumed that and got a firm "chat" from Frida outlining the former. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) Maybe they have some low paid labourer pulling engines from every breaker in the country. That is what I would do. Great way to corner the market. Edited January 9, 2018 by Red90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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