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300tdi big end problems


munst

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Alright gents, I've posted this at a couple of other sites - really desperate for any advice!

Going round a round about on the way home last night all of a sudden the engine sounds like a drum kit. No sudden juddering or engine stalling it just starts making a loud (bloody loud) bang and looses power.

Pull over, stop engine pop bonnet to have a quick check, no oil lost, oil light didn't come on, no pool of anything under it, no visible external damage, nought.

So start it up, starts first time but still with the bloody horrible banging, ticks over really slow and un-even (about 500rpm). So figure its fecked and ring the AA etc.

Anyone ever had to do a big end on a 300tdi? Rang me local indy this morning and the guy didn't want to quote for anything other than a couple of hours labour to see what's really happened (understandable).

Do-able with the engine in? Just sump off job etc?

Cheers lads.

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Yep, sump off/ oil strainer off to access the big ends and some of the mains. Big ends knock when under load - pulling away, labouring in a high gear up a hill. Mains rumble all the time, so there's an identifiable difference between the two. The sump is glued on with RTV sealant, so takes some patience to get it off with a paint scraper or similar sharp bladed object. If the big ends are gone, then it might be too late to just replace the shells - the crank journals may be damaged/oval.

Les.

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I don't think it's the big end or mains. A damaged big end or main bearing would explain the noise but not the power loss.

On the other hand, big ends bearings going out of the blue is not common on 300tdis, only 200tdis.

More likely something wrong on the top end. You can start by inspectng under the rocker cover.

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Ok cheers gents, I'll take the rocker off and check the rockers etc.

Thing that makes me think it's bottom end is the loudness and clean-ness (if that makes sense) of the banging, it sounds like a .410 shotgun!

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possibly something to check, as i thought i had lost my bottom end, take off the auxiliary belt, fan belt, power steering belt, whatever you want to call it :P and check for play in your bottom crank pully, and all the others whilst your there

it probably isnt that but its a 2 minute check

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i had a pajero once ( IM SORRY!! i will repent!!)

and number one piston was smacking the cylinder head,dont know why cos i scrapped it after an astronomical quote to repair, only just 'kissing it' apparently, but sounded JUST like a 410 shotgun!

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The 300 (not 200) tdi has a magnificent oil pump and big-end problems are rare. Normally even reconditioned engines only require a polish of the journals and not a regrind. I have reconned something like 5 300tdis and none of them have needed a crank grind of any sort. Bore wear, yes, valve and seats have to be reground/renewed, but the bottom end seems bulletproof.

I would reckon something has gone wrong at the top end of the engine, although taking the sump off a 300 (not 200) tdi is easy. Think of it this way, if you are going to have to take the pistons and rods out you will need to take the sump off anyway. So do that for a start.

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Afternoon all!

Thanks for all the advice gents - finally just got round to taking the rocker cover off to have a look.

The adjuster on number 8 tappet (closest to the bulkhead) had snapped, the bell shaped bottom of it that mates with the top of the push rod has literally snapped off. The push rod is now loose (as in I can freely wiggle it with one finger and pull it up/down with no resistance at all, is this to be expected with no pressure on it?).

I'm unsure if this is the cause of the effect if you catch my meaning, the push rod is so loose it wouldn't surprise me if it was snapped. Anyone have any tricks of the trade for removing the bottom half of it if it has snapped?

Cheers!

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Seems likeley that it's your problem - the valve won't be opening. The tappet adjuster can be bought as a seperate item. You'll need to remove the rocker assembly to replace it as it only screws in from the pushrod side. If the pushrod appears damaged (and it may still be fine), then replace that as well and reset the tappet gap (make sure the valve cap is still there as well.

Part number for the tappet adjuster is - ERR4883 - 'Screw - Engine tappet adjuster'

Les.

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