FridgeFreezer Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 to jump into a vehicle and just press the GO button, driving soon becomes boring. You need a Series with a V8 then, never boring, always makes you grin. Of course it's a totally different thing to a nice standard Series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Funny that if your Ford Focus made the same noises as a good 'ol series motor in good condition, you'd be severly worried about the huge bill from the garage to fix it all Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_s Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 it's when the noises stop in mine that i start to worry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty_wingnut Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I was part of the group that built the 200tdi P4 - and it was rapid. Having said that it wasn't as rapid as my MGB on the narrow roads near home, but it was better on fuel. Problem with the P4 is that it handles like a complete shed and is terrible through corners. It was a full fat install, the turbo wastegate wound open, intercooler in the inner wing and some very short runs of pipework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 You need a Series with a V8 then, never boring, always makes you grin. Yep, been there, done that. You are spot on Mr Fridge. My 3.5 powered 88" was a damn sight quicker than the 90 with same engine (did I mention it was soft top? ). With 3.5:1 diffs illegal cruising speeds were easy to achieve and maintain. Even with that engine I had no issues with the series transmission, you can still go quick and be gentle(ish) to the gears, even when towing big things. Biggest problem was always cooking the drum brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 My personal view of transmission life is that the biggest factor is the way its used - mechanical sympathy is all.BUT,saying that a v8 is alot smoother in use than the lumpy rotations of old Perkins 4.203's etc.Back in the day I did alot more rebuilds on them than with v8's. The main worry for me is the quality of the parts we are stuck with when rebuilding now,gone are the days when I would start at the first motion shaft,and Trevor at MJ Fews would note down the parts I asked for,(And prompt me if I missed something he thought I ought to replace) and while we were passing the time of day he would then price it all up,(All prices in his head) for a reasonable total.... LR dont even list bits for the guts of a Defender Puma box..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 The trouble with these modern engines in a older classic vehicle is that they'll drive like a modern car. Ha Haa, yeah, really sounds like my TDi'd 88 and 109 that does, drive like a modern car? yeah right pull the other one. There is no-one at work who can drive my 88, every trip out is an experience, especially with The 109. Planning gear changes, anticipating braking, countering vague steering, bracing for speed bumps, hoping the lights work when you flick the switch, wondering whether the speedo is accurate when it bounces at the 30 end or the 60 end of the sweep, even wondering if the tank really does have 20 litres left in it...all daily features of driving my landies, non of which have anything to do with the modern engines. On top of that of course, come the summer, the top comes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 There is no-one at work who can drive my 88. i know of a handful who can drive mine too, and i know one who thought they could in a field, then went sideways into a fence and took a gate and post down too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony109 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 My personal view of transmission life is that the biggest factor is the way its used - mechanical sympathy is all.BUT,saying that a v8 is alot smoother in use than the lumpy rotations of old Perkins 4.203's etc.Back in the day I did alot more rebuilds on them than with v8's. The Perkins 4203 produces alot more torque at low revs that the V8. its a slow reving engine so to drive it, you change up much earlier than in a petrol 2.25 or V8. Pulling in top gear up an incline at 30MPH is what strained the boxes. I had two very healthy boxes suffer behind a Perkins. Change the 4.203 for a 2.25diesel and the performance improved greatly. The point is, an engine for a classic Rusian Gaz is required. The original side valve petrol would be the ideal engine. A 200 tdi would just be a nightmare. Its turbo'd its rubber timing belt, all the ancilleries. Get a cheap 2.25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 . A 200 tdi would just be a nightmare. Its turbo'd its rubber timing belt, all the ancilleries. Get a cheap 2.25 come again?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Whats wrong with a 200 TDI having a timing belt ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I think claiming a 2.25D is superior is pushing things a bit far, a 200TDi is not exactly a fragile bleeding edge technological monster of an engine. Granted it's out of keeping, but given that the thing is basically a re-bodied Series it's not really one to be puritan about anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 As the owner/driver of 2 200's concurrently clocking up high and hard mileage on and off road working and relaxing, I completely fail to understand how you can call the 200 'a nightmare' on account of its turbo and its ancillaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 here here. i am 18. how do you think i drive my series TDI? the only engine problem i have ever had is water pump (because of crash) and alternator (170k miles of life and all it needs is new contacts) the rest of the land rovers a different story haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony109 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Did anyone read the post? Its about an engine for a GAZ jeep with landrover running gear slapped on it. A 200 tdi would be a good choice for most land rovers if going faster was your only concern. But for a classic and rare Gaz 69 fitting a simpler and more relaxed engine, instead of some hi tech, turboed, intercooled, rubber belted machine would be more suitsble, quicker an cheaper. Its bad enough its got land rover running gear, and we know that a 200tdi will give things a hard time.. Rover Axels remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Did anyone read the post? Its about an engine for a GAZ jeep with landrover running gear slapped on it. A 200 tdi would be a good choice for most land rovers if going faster was your only concern. But for a classic and rare Gaz 69 fitting a simpler and more relaxed engine, instead of some hi tech, turboed, intercooled, rubber belted machine would be more suitsble, quicker an cheaper. Its bad enough its got land rover running gear, and we know that a 200tdi will give things a hard time.. Rover Axels remember. Gaz 69 rare ? - Maybe in the UK,but not elswhere. If a 200TDI is too much, take the turbo off and run it NA.Still retain the reliability,easy starting,excellent fuel consumption and long life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Why, FFS tell me why a 200TDi will give things a hard time???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 ej - I don't understand it either, but some people just like to take the turbo off when fitting a TDi into a series. If they want to make that decision, then it's up to them. (Personally in my 300/88" conversion - I'm fitting the largest intercooler I can find, winding the wastegate as far as it'll reliably go and 'tweaking' the fuelling until there's a smoke screen behind me. I've had much more power than a TDi will give in the front of a series and not broken anything yet.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 It just gets me that my 88 and 109 have been pushing knackered gearboxes around driving rover axles, one of which has been uprated to 3.54 diffs, and nothing has broken as a result of the TDi, in fact, nothing transmission has been broken, and its been 4 years now. I completly fail to see why anyone can claim that a TDi 'will give things a hard time - rover axles remember', this isn't some extreme challenge truck vehicle, and anyway, there are challenge trucks out there running TDi's and series gearboxes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_s Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 i broke more gearboxes and diffs with the 2.25 than i have with the 200tdi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Why, FFS tell me why a 200TDi will give things a hard time???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? here here. the only thing to have gone in my driveline is the layshaft bearings (wouldnt have mattered what engine in plonked in front of it) and the rear diff pin has just worn to buggery. (a result of lots of off road wheelspinning. i.e. not the powerplant) my engine is about as tuned as a TDI can get. and the only wear has been engine irrelevant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 A 200 Tdi might be too much for a vehicle driven in 2wd with a Rover rear axle in the long run (I don't know), but as others have suggested, mechanical sympathy goes a long way to making thins last. When I was looking at converting my 109, most people said the gear box would break. It has been pushed hard since the Tdi was fitted, but the gear box has been fine. It's gentle pedal inputs that make the difference, not the ultimate torque applied; we all know of people who regularly break gear boxes, diffs or half shafts with 10J diesels and poor technique. The timing belt issue is a red herring. I know it's one of your big worries, Tony, but really, it's unfounded. The belts need replacing every 72000 miles, and as long as that is done, then failure is extremely rare. You have an obsession with timing chains, and while they are also robust, they stretch and can also snap. Neither system is bullet-proof, but both seem to have similar reliability. Belts are much easier and cheaper to change, though... If a Tdi is deemed too much for a Rover axle, and it doesn't seem to be problematic for most 88" owners who have done it, then maybe a 200Di (stripped Tdi) would be an alternative: simple, frugal, reliable and of similar performance to a 2.25 petrol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 snagger. rear wheel drive with a TDI isnt a problem. even with a heavy right foot. unless you have a complete disregard for mechanical sympathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 snagger. rear wheel drive with a TDI isnt a problem. even with a heavy right foot. unless you have a complete disregard for mechanical sympathy. I don't see it either - the torque put through the rear axle in 2wd with a Tdi is less than put though similar Rover diffs on highly tuned TD5 Defenders, Discoverys or Overfinch RRCs. I know the 3.54 crown wheel is stronger than the 4.71's, but I don't think the difference is enough to be significant in this case. My use in the first paragraph of "might" was very much in the hypothetical technical sense, ie. from a design engineering viewpoint with all the life-time longevity and probability safety factors built in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 As someone who fitted a disco 200Di to a previously petrol 109 I have views on this matter. I went for the di as it was MUCH simpler to fit, less plumbing and less hassle with the turbo/exhaust etc. I've done 3,000 ish miles in it this last year and I'm quite pleased with it. The bad stuff: It's not powerful enough to tow a fully laden (3.5 tonnes according to the ferry company) trailer up and down hills unless you LIKE 2nd gear, it's noisy and the idle is rough. The good stuff: It's as powerful as the petrol it replaced, it has great economy (30 mpg at 50 mph with a lightly laden trailer) and it's reliable. I took pains to keep the look very series, so it looks "right" in the vehicle. It's no louder than the petrol at higher speeds. With an overdrive it's capable of illegal speeds on the motorway. I've had no gear or halfshaft issues, but I did change the oils and add a gearbox additive or two at the time. My gearbox is a late series 3, which is generally considered to be strong enough. I wonder what torque the six cylinder petrol engine fitted to series had? G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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