stuck Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Gents, Looking at purchasing a defender for winter use, have seen quite a few ex-mod n/a diesels (90 & 110's) for good money, just wondering how usable a normaly aspirated diesel is for every day road use? (I've only ever driven tdi versions) If they aren't very good can a turo be retro-fitted? Many thanks, Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 depends what mileage you are doing and roads you are using. if they are hilly main roads then it will be hard work! if i was buying one i would put a tdi (forget the TD) from a disco straight in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGent Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 depends what mileage you are doing and roads you are using. if they are hilly main roads then it will be hard work! if i was buying one i would put a tdi (forget the TD) from a disco straight in. What he said ^^^^ I have spent well in my view, wasted ALOT of money getting the N/A engine in mine to run sweetly as possible and to no real gain. If you buy a decent Ex mod ( and I've had two from them) vehicle they are usually (BUT BE SURE TO CHECK) in good condition structurally at a good price, my piece of advice would be to factor in the cost of replacing the engine with a 200TDi unit (either Discovery or if you have the money a Defender). I am in the middle of doing the replacement of my 2.5 n/a diesel at the mo and there is plenty of useful threads - including the Les bible on how to put a Discovery engine into a 90!..just what you need. The above is of course IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks Gents, Will factor in the cost of a replacement lump when I go shopping, quick question, whats the difference between a 200 & 300 tdi? Cheers, Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGent Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks Gents, Will factor in the cost of a replacement lump when I go shopping, quick question, whats the difference between a 200 & 300 tdi? Cheers, Mick. I'm sure that some one who is a WHOLE lot more knowledgable on the subject will be along in a mo...and the can of worms will need the lid putting back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I used to have a 2.5NA 90, and yes, they are a bit slow and sluggish, but in my opinion, if you're not hammering it on the motorway, or wanting to go speeding up hills then they're fine, nice and basic too, so not much to go wrong. we now have a 300TDi 110, and yes there's more power when the turbo kicks in, yes it's a bit smoother, but to be honest, it's a defender, so it's never going to be fast or luxurious! if it's only for winter use and you're not doing the above, i'd save the cash and get one. you know, most places will let you have a test drive, so you can decide for yourself if the NA's for you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks Gents, Will factor in the cost of a replacement lump when I go shopping, quick question, whats the difference between a 200 & 300 tdi? Cheers, Mick. do a search as I posted this info fairly recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwcooper Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Wikipedia its about half way down the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks Gents, Good wikipedia article there. Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyNissanPrairie Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I've got an ex-Mod 110 with a 2.5NA, I actually chose it for its engine as opposed to a 200/300tdi due to the fact its cheap and easy to work and a long term work horse. Im heading to Capetown in mine next year. Its been my daily driver for the last 3 years. The engines are plodders on road but it dosnt seem to make much difference how much weight is in the back-I've lugged two pallets of slate flooring home and it still drove at the same speed as empty-and its the same now with all our expedition weight onboard. Offroad the engines are better than tdi's due to the low down torque available and also the lower ratio 1st & 2nd gears in 51A suffix gearboxes as fitted to some military 110's. The engines can be tweaked a little by careful static pump timing, replacing the centre silencer exhaust section, binning the inlet sound dampener/resonator and fitting a very late 2.5NA/TD head with the Ricardo modified porting arrangements. Shops are selling off old stock parts cheap due to everyone upgrading to tdi's, and finally fuel econmy is better than a tdi (but dont 100% quote me on that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinkydave Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I've been running my ex-MOD 110 with an N/A in for almost 3 years now. Apart from the problems I've caused myself (headgasket failure, fire, ect....) I have no complaints at all. Ade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 As said, the N/A aint all bad, they are good low down chuggers and quite good off road where torque is more important than speed. They are pretty slow though, especialy on motorways on even the meagerest of inclines, which can see you dropping down to third on occasions. The lack of power can be a bit of a plus, as they simply don't have the power to wear themselves out... Easy enough to stick a TDi in if you have a spare few hundred quid and like tinkering - a 200Tdi pretty much drops straight in with only a few mods to exhaust and some pipework. 300 Tdi needs mounts relocating. Ex MOD stuff is ok and I would say in general pretty well maintained without having amature modifications and bodge jobs like you get on civvy stuff. If you can get it direct from the MOD via somewhere like Withams, all the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyNissanPrairie Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 as above my 110 was in excellent mechanical condition with a mint chassis and bulkhead, cosmetically however it was a real dog with every panel dented and covered in 3 million layers of squaddy paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101sean Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I had an 84 110 factory registered military demonstrator. Great vehicle, looked civvy in DBG and limestone but left factory like that with dual voltage and Clansman kit etc. Also had a short bellhousing R380 fitted when BAe owned it. It was a great run around, just right for pottring around lanes and the engine was pretty much unbreakable if you change cambelt when you should. I regret selling it but due to a change in circumstances I needed a better long distance cruiser. Sold it back to it's previous owner at a profit and it's now in Bulgaria as his runaround when he's out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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