kevseabass110 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 i bet most of you are sick of engine conversion advice. please bear with me as i'm new to landrovers and love them already apart from being overtaken by lorries and milkfloats. i have a 110 2.5 n/a, i've been offered a well mantained 300tdi disco lump with auto gearbox. what are my options hear, will the two go together in the defender with a bit of chopping and glueing or do i need to get a r380 if the auto box won't work, what mods would couple the gearbox to the engine and make it work OR should i forget the whole 300 idea and get a 200tdi and put onto my existing gearbox? the chap's holding the engine till tomorrow, so if there is anyone still awake please run me through the best options so i can enjoy my landy even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 You can fit the 300TDi engine to your existing gearbox (is it the LT77?). The clucth is the same, so you will need to get a flywheel. I'm not sure if the auto and manual flywheel housings are the same though as there's no clutch slave on an auto. So probably flywheel, flywheel housing, clutch slave, clutch pipe, clutch pedal assembly, and clutch master cylinder. If you do this conversion - your truck will suddenly go like a rocket in comparison to the old engine. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 . I'm not sure if the auto and manual flywheel housings are the same though as there's no clutch slave on an auto.Les. No, thhey're different.... however, the manual (flywheel) versions are cheap as chips, probably about a tenner second hand. and the auto backing plates are rare as hens teeth, so you could probably make £100 or so just flogging that to someone desparate to install an auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 There are plenty of autos running in Defenders so it cannot be rocket science. If the engine and auto belong together than fitting them should be relativly easy - I think you will need to move engine mounts to do it so as long as you can spanner, grind and weld you should be fine. Be sure to get things like the auto shifter, cable etc. as well as the radiator and intercooler. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you like auto's stick with what's in the disco. Fitting shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you want to use off the shelf parts then the only fabrication work you should have to do is moving the engine mounts as IIRC you can use a standard 300tdi defender gearbox crossmember (the tdi R380 and tdi ZF4 HP22 are the same length and use the same mounts). This is a more expensive route as a lot of the parts you need are either genuine only or limited run by the specialists (like the NAS copy of the centre consle). If you want to be a bit more inventive then it can be done fairly cheaply.In the end its not rocket science although it does take time - a couple of weekends should do it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSIIA Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 As Will says ^^^ , fitting shouldn't be much of a problem. 300Tdi mounts (keep the ones with the engine) are different to 2.5NAD & 200Tdi - chassis-wise they're a bit of angle iron with a hole in and a couple of bits of plate. The engine should sit in the standard 300Tdi position so the exhaust becomes a standard 300Tdi item. PAS pump fits straight to standard hoses for a 4/6 bolt steering box. You might need a different throttle cable (get the Disco one to start with). Radiator & intercooler (with frame) drops straight in. Hoses are probably different, but you can use standard items. There are bound to be other minor items in the engine bay which can be sorted with standard items. Your 2.5NAD transfer box will probably be too low geared for the 300Tdi, so the Disco one would be a better starting point. You'll need to swap the speedo drive gear for the one off your 2.5NAD though. If the auto box is mated to a Borg warner transfer box, you'll need the matching front propshaft (it's longer). A LT230 would be a direct fit. The 300Tdi handbrake will most likely be different to the 2.5NAD - either change over the old assembly or try the Disco cable. The tricky bit will be the centre console. I'd salvage the one from the Disco if possible and work something out from that. Performance wise, it'll be a lot quicker than your 2.5NAD but you might find a tweak of the fuel pump will give a little more to compensate for losses through the auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 What age Disco is it from because it could have an EDC (electronic diesel control/ Flyby wire) pump not a mechanical pump. Not that it is a big deal to swap it over to a mechanical pump if it is EDC. you would just need to source a pump. Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAVED_GORILLA Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you fit the 300 or 200 tdi you will need longer or defender oil cooler pipes as they are shorter on a disco compared to a defender and the2.5 petrol doest have them. They dont need to be LR parts, a local pipe specialist will be able to make them for you. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevseabass110 Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 thanks for the advice everybody its from a p reg disco. i think i'll get the engine and auto box together then i don't reckon my gearbox will cope with the extra power. to recap what you are saying the disco engine and gear box will go in but i'll need a longer prop shaft? i take it that the prop would get loosly fitted to make sure all the mounts are in the right place before weilding? i'm ****ting myself about this conversion but i suppose he who dares wins. so between you what is the definative list of bits i'll need to complete the job? from the disco and sourced bit just so i can tell the scrap yard what the need to take off. many many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Where abouts in the UK are you? You may find there's someone who's close who'd reassure you that you were on the right tracks. Yep, if you want the simpler bolt on solution then you want 300 tdi props (the front's shorter, back's longer). You could keep the current props but then the engine would be in a non standard postion meaning less bits (like rad cowls, pipework etc) are off the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevseabass110 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 i'm near yeovil somerset. hopefully there is someone out there nearby who might be intrested in helping me out for some $$$ of course. do you think it'd be best to try and get the whole disco until the conversion is finished in case other bits are needed. another question is how different is the gearing on an r380 to lt77, if i haven't got the nerve to do the auto conversion i'm confident i can do a 200tdi as well as better power i'd like a better top speed than what i've got now i assume what ever i put on my current box the engine will be screaming 60+. what are the options here and what can i expect speed wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 The transfer box on yours will IIRC be 1.6:1 where as the later defenders are 1.4:1 and the discovery one will be a 1.2:1. So if you use the transfer box from either the discovery or a defender your top speed will improve. This only effects high range so you low range will be the same. As the disco is P reg I am reasonably sure it will be EDC and therefore you will need to replace the injection pump with a mechanical one or use the ECU and other assorted parts that go with the EDC system including modifying the throttle pedal to take the throttle potentiometer. Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Mine's a 300Tdi with a V8 auto behind it. Yours will be easier since you've got all the relevant bits but mine was a pain to swap - make sure you've got as many parts as you can from the donor. If you'd like to see how it'll drive with a 1.4 t-box, I'm only in north Bristol and quite willing to take you for a spin. Mine was originally 2.5NAD and the difference in changing to the Tdi is unimaginable. Mine had an R380 before I went auto, now it's a little undergeared so I've built a 1.2 box to swap in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I am in Weston and am willing to give advice having fitted a 200TDi auto into my RR.. The most important thing I can think of is GET THE WHOLE DONOR VEHICLE becasue if you don't, all the money you "saved" just buying the engine and box will be spent many times over on buying all the niggly little bits you forgot about. When you are done you can recoup some costs by breaking the rest of the vehicle - it is surprising how much you can get for odds and sods as long as you are willing to remove them from the vehicle and bung them in the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevseabass110 Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 thank you so much chaps i'll keep you posted and let you know how i get on! kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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