Jump to content

Best diesel to stick into a 110SW


Recommended Posts

Or you could have a big log burner that provides reliable hot water and heat and costs very little to heat the house for the year, but creates quite a lot of work and requires tools and storage to achieve. Sounds like the correct Landrover metaphor..

Then you can have Stihl or Husky discussions!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't get me started on Stihl/Husqvarna, it's all I get every day at college! :P

Back on topic, as much as I hate to put down the 200Tdi as it is a very good engine, they are a pile of poo to drive with until they warm up! Rather sluggish. Not so much of an issue if you generally do longer journeys, but for short 5-minute drives they're not much fun.

An engine pre-heater would fix that, and be kinder to the engine, but other engines may be better in this respect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all for the replies - seem interesting ideas there.

LPG had been my original intention and I've built/installed the Megasquirt with the options for a 2nd fuel and ignition map switched at the dashboard. What's pointing me in the diesel direction is both having a good home for the Megasquirted V8 in the Lightweight and a bit of concern that LPG is only cheap 'cos the tax is low and I wouldn't want to bet too much on that being the case in a few years time (and knowing my luck, as soon as I'd fitted a gas kit, the chancellor would get busy...).

I've e-mailed Jeremy Fearn to see what he suggests and will do some digging around the BMW boards. Otherwise it'll probably be a Td5 and some mods for few more horses.

Cheers,

AndyC.

P.S. I see I've been moved to the Defender forum - I wasn't sure which to choose but figured that there's plenty of diesel knowledge in the Disco/RR people as well, so I went for the catch-all International forum.

P.P.S. Husqvarna all the way, 357XP, 18" bar, bwaaarppp, bwaaarppp ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The LPG tax issue has been cited since it began ~10 years ago, it seems to be staying cheap, and the same is true for most of Europe. TBH you take the price gamble with any fuel type, depending what the greens/tax man/car manufacturers have a bee in their bonnet about at any given time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LPG with a good megasquirt job cheap powerful and safe, use ELDIS coils and it'll be almost as waterproof as a diesel.

200TDi easy to convert and sundry items like hoses are cheap - dont ask how I know that this will be an issue.

2.8TGV international if you have the cash.

Nissan or Mazda if one can be found - but will still suffer from ancilliary parts costs.

Isuzu 2.8/3.1/3.9 All good engines but as above.

Having just struggled through my conversion I would only look at 2 options the 3.9 on LPG or the 200TDi route, the diesel can be tuned up a bit and intercooled etc. Depends on how much of a grin factor is required.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked the 300tdi, though i did have to change the head gasket and have the head skimmed. It was fine when it warmed up and averaged 31/32mpg.

Contrary to earlier opinions I think the puma 90 is great--quiet, fast and economical. Rocky

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LPG conversion seems a no brainer (and I don't like non diesels)

Have you thought of a propane injection system on a 300Tdi?

Much as the Mazda lump is superb (as are the 3.9 Isuzu and the 3.5 Nissan FD amongst others) insurance hikes will hurt

Also bear in mind the new rules coming out form the DVLA reference replacement engines; so buy a donor vehicle with V5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah well. The nice people at the DVLAwon't issue a new V5c for an engine number swap unless you have the history of the replacement engine. That includes V5 from the donor vehicle. Mind you since when has the majority of the 4x4 world cared about what the DVLA thought and such minor issues as road legality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What if the engine was bought from a breaker? Why should I have the V5 for the vehicle?

I belive it is so you can prove the legality of your ownership of said engine

A reciept from the breaker should suffice as he or she will no doubt have reported the breaking of the donor vehicle to the DVLA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I belive it is so you can prove the legality of your ownership of said engine

A reciept from the breaker should suffice as he or she will no doubt have reported the breaking of the donor vehicle to the DVLA

Cheers HH, I am glad I kept that receipt now :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to follow-up. I spoke to Jeremy Fearn yesterday, friendly bloke, about the BMW diesels. The good news is that it's not hugely tricky - I'd need to swap the LT85 for an R380, the flywheel needs a mod, the gearbox needs an adaptor ring and then things like the rad need changing to one with an intercooler. For me the big surprise is that the electronics aren't tricky - the M57 (as opposed to the later N57/M57N) is pretty self-contained and uses DDE4. The latter N57 units do need to talk the gearbox and the likes, which is more complex. It is also an immensely strong engine, depending on tune & turbos it comes in anything from 181bhp/290ftlb to 282bhp/430ftlb - I'd be looking at the lower-end, so plenty in reserve. The bad news is, as I'd expected, the cost - engine, gearbox, other bits and labour will come to close on £8k, which as Jeremy pointed out, is a lot of petrol. It's also not hugely more than putting in a Td5, which would involve a lot of changes in itself

LPG would still seem the most obvious route, assuming it stays cheap, which I'm not convinced it will. I'll have to give it a deal of thought, but the idea of 3l 24v turbodiesel 110 does appeal (as does sticking the 3.9i V8 into the Lightweight).... ;-)

AC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm assuming 8k is for JF to do it for you, not DIY.

It is, and that includes all the bits. It's a project I'd love to take-on, having done a few V8s and the recent Megasquirting, but with a young family every hour of Land Rovering is subject to 'negotiations'* and even then tends to end-up under a cloud, it *really* wouldn't be a good idea to go the DIY route, IFYSWIM.

AC.

* - take heed the young & free - I remember reading posts from people who couldn't get time-out to work on their Landy and thinking "that would never happen to me"......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't bother then - 8k buys a sh*tload of fuel, or a good 2nd hand Disco2, P38 DSE or Freelander TD4 and a lot of diesel. You won't see much/any of the 8k back from an engine swap, that's for sure.

Heh - I've long since given-up on rational economics where Land Rovers are concerned ;-) Seriously though, the Defender is a 'keeper', hopefully for many years and has already had a lot of money thrown^H^H^H^H invested in it (Galv chassis, extensive sound proofing, Scenic seats, etc.), so resale value isn't of huge concern. I probably should have been clearer - I don't get a huge amount of time to *work* on the Land Rover, *using* it is a different matter, as that is a 'family thing' and it's also a practical motor for the things that interest the boss!

A tidy D2 Td5 or even a P38 has occasionally crossed my mind but it's an idea I'd have a deal of trouble selling to the family and to be honest myself as well. I'm on touchy ground here, but to me a Land Rover is a Series or a Defender (with maybe honourable status to the RRC as it was a pioneer, although arguably it set the way for the rise of the SUVs). If it were simply the case of £8k on the best car for the job, I'd just go out and get a 5 year old 530d estate and be done with it.

Cheers,

AndyC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Less than a grand gets you a decent enough LPG setup which you can always take off and flog if your plans change althoughs its value will be questionable if tax on LPG rockets. As was said, this has been rolling around for 10 or so years

True, but as I mentioned to FF, the Landy is to last us many years so I'm after a fairly permanent solution, that's why I'm keener on going for a more efficient engine over an artificially cheap fuel; it seems a better choice in the long run. I know the issue of tax on LPG has been rumbling on for a long while, but it's fair to say that the economic climate for most of that time was a lot different from now (and if our financial controller at work, who is extremely savvy, is to be believed, it's going to get a whole lot worse in the next few years). I'm old enough to remember all the cabbies converting to LPG in the '80's, before diesel was big, and then getting their fingers burnt when the government saw a nice little earner and shoved the tax up a few 100% - lots of cabs with half their boots taken-up by an empty LPG tank.

Cheers,

AC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andrew, out of personal interest, how does that £8K break down? How much would be the parts to DIY, as I'm sure you'd be sourcing the engine and box for less money than buying from Jeremy Fearn? Could you get together the parts and then bribe some freinds to come round and blitz the engine change in a short period of time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andrew, out of personal interest, how does that £8K break down? How much would be the parts to DIY, as I'm sure you'd be sourcing the engine and box for less money than buying from Jeremy Fearn? Could you get together the parts and then bribe some freinds to come round and blitz the engine change in a short period of time?

Not too sure on the precise breakdown, as it was a fairly introductory conversation - "this is what I want to do, is it possible", "yes, not too tricky but all-in you'll be looking at the best part of £8k" type of thing. We did talk about the cost of an M57 in general and JF has had them for between £650 (ebay, fitted to his wife's P38) and £2,000 (from Equicar, top-notch condition). Once I decide whether to go-ahead we'll doubtless have a more detailed conversation on costs. Depending on what they are, I'd be prepared to go out and source engine and gearbox myself. There's a chap from Lithuania selling lots of M57s on ebay for £1k, fully dressed, but Lithuania is long way to go with a return!

Getting some mates over to do the swap would be tricky as my only LR buddy went and upped-sticks to Gloucester - very inconsiderate of him. Mind you I don't think he gets too much spanner time either with 3 kids under 10. Being in Cambridge there's a bit of a shortage of Landy people around here, not like Derbyshire where I spent my first years, being driven around in a SIIA....

Cheers,

Andy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy