symeon Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 I have a 98 repatriated auto d1 300tdi, and I'm wondering if it's time to call it a day on trying to keep it going. In the 5 years I've had her it's had 2 turbos, another head after the rocker shaft let go and snapped into 3 pieces, 3 full exhausts, a radiator, numerous bushes, 3 batteries, various hoses, 2 sets of rear shocks, 3 flatbed recoveries, a visit from the fire brigade, full new brake lines, new brake discs all round twice, 2 timing belts, and she is now in need of even more. Do I keep her going only to discover something else in a couple more months, or is it time to strip her for what useful parts are left? Thanks for reading... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanco Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 Well without seeing the vehicle the 2nd turbo and the head work would be 'unlucky'....... 3 exhausts I presume was damage?, 3 batteries? a quality battery should last, don't know about that one. The rest of it seems normal, it probably comes down to corrosion, will it need much welding ? If not should be worth hanging on to, particularly if it came back from somewhere warm and dry where humidity and salt haven't yet featured greatly in its life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwhacker Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 I wouldn't have wanted to pay for all that work, but if you are able to do it your self (it takes a small bit of the sting out of it) I'm in the same mind myself as for calling it a day but not sure. Trying to revive a 95 90 300tdi and it's been a pain in the ass. Have a 86 110 csw for over 15 years and it's never ending. Had an 88 not std a RRC a Lightweight a 200 disco and a 300 disco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 It's an old car, there will always be something else, as others said if you're paying a garage every time it's not going to be cheap - depends what it's worth to you to keep it VS a replacement of unknown heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 sounds like its having a lot of the same stuff? I obviously have no background knowledge on your car in particular, but are you fitting genuine quality parts? It does make all the difference to reliability. Does it owe you much more than its own value? If so, you won't ever benefit from selling it.. If you do sell it, for a like for like model, how much of the same may fail after 6 months, or a couple of years again? I obviously wouldn't recommend going as far as ploughing thousands more into a vehicle if the shell/chassis are on their way out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 40 minutes ago, discomikey said: I obviously have no background knowledge on your car in particular, but are you fitting genuine quality parts? It does make all the difference to reliability. That's a good point - fit Britpart, fit it again 2 weeks later... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symeon Posted November 10, 2018 Author Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thanks for the thoughts guys. Luckily I can do my own work for the most part, otherwise it'd have gone the journey the first time the turbo went lol. I agree that another vehicle, landy or otherwise could have all if not more issues, I'm just getting fed up of the constant fixing lately, especially with limited funds. Think I'll just have to check it all through when I'm fixing it again in the next week or so, and see if I can pre-empt any future potential breakdowns. Cheers again guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwhacker Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 You have had a bad run with your D1but good to know at least you can turn a spanner to help with the running costs. Good luck with what ever you decide buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I recently had the head fail on my TD5 discovery, While i had it to bits i checked it over and replaced anything suspect such as the weeping water pump, and FPR, Racked up around £1k just on good quality parts, gaskets and fixings. But at least I now know it shouldn't let me down in the near future! It obviously hurt my wallet more than just swapping the head would but this was the first time it has let me down, i'd like it to be the last too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanco Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I still miss mine, such a good all-rounder..... What sort of mileage did it have and what year was the engine? I know it was supposed to be a Td5 weakness but I never saw any sign of trouble in 200k miles. Did you go 'Italian' replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symeon Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Well, the heads knacked. Took it off, and the valves for cylinders 2, 3, and 4 all have cracks between them, and also between injector holes and glow plugs. Time for a new or recon head, if the old spare one I've got is unsalvageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwhacker Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Hopefully the spare will get out of a pickle. I'm no expert (buy any strech of the imagination) but try and find out if possible what might have caused the damage. Elring headgasket and a new set of head bolts (bolts about £25ish) worth the expense make sure and do the tightening in the correct sequence torque lbs and degree turns. Hoping for good results for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symeon Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 Unfortunately the spare head has cracks too. Not to the extent of the one I took off, but still cracked. Got someone looking to sort me a decent head out, hopefully find out today if he's got one. Got gasket ready to put on as I was taking it off to do the core plug anyway, and the bolts were new last time the head was off so they're ok for another fitting. Knew the bloody thing was working ok for too long, then it all comes at once. Anyone know what you can do with scrap 300tdi cylinder heads, aside weigh them in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 On 11/16/2018 at 8:26 AM, Blanco said: I still miss mine, such a good all-rounder..... What sort of mileage did it have and what year was the engine? I know it was supposed to be a Td5 weakness but I never saw any sign of trouble in 200k miles. Did you go 'Italian' replacement? 138k, it had a hard life in the past 25k miles. lots of towing, hard driving etc. it's the first sign of any issues though! I went tested remanufactured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnoK Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 On 11/19/2018 at 1:44 PM, symeon said: Unfortunately the spare head has cracks too. Not to the extent of the one I took off, but still cracked. Got someone looking to sort me a decent head out, hopefully find out today if he's got one. Got gasket ready to put on as I was taking it off to do the core plug anyway, and the bolts were new last time the head was off so they're ok for another fitting. Have a look at the AMC heads for replacements. They seem to have addressed a lot of the cracking issues with their casting, and they come with or without valves. I'd replace the bolts as a matter of routine, though, but that's my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 To have that many failures, either the car is being pushed incredibly hard, or there is something deeply wrong with the sourcing or installation of parts. I went through a couple of turbos, have had a few gear boxes and recon engines over the decades, and what I learned was that few reconditioners do a proper job. Most build stuff up to last the six month warranty period and no more using scrap parts and cheap patter rubbish from India and China. Unless you pay top money to companies like Turner Engineering, Syncro Gearboxes, Turbo Technics and alike to get properly rebuilt units, then you're throwing your money away. The alternative is to have local engineers do the machining for you but for you to build up engines or boxes, if you have the tools and skills. But avoid the exchange units from anyone but the highest reputations. You also need to be scrupulous in how you fit parts, making sure they are fitted to well prepared other units - fitting a new turbo to an engine without having drained, flushed and redrained the oil to make sure the system is thoroughly cleaned is going to result in premature bearing failure (as does some people's habit of booting the throttle on start up and shut down because they like the sound of the turbo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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