Putting it back together, what should I do?

[Aragorn]

The turbos compressor housing can be slackened off and rotated around its axis, so the discharge points in a different direction. So i guess he just means "rotated" or "turned"

[Tetsu0san]

I used the term as this is the term I read in another thread somewhere. Basically on the 200Tdi the turbo output is pointing downwards at roughly 4 o'clock (if you are looking at it from the front) which means that the pipework that comes off it and goes to the intercooler is pointing at the inner wheelarch. It would have rubbed if left so I was either going to have to cut the inner wheelarch to give it clearance or do something else. I read a thread or a webpage where someone took the front off the turbo, rotated it roughly 90 degrees, drilled and tapped a couple of new holes so the actuator would bolt back on and then put it back together. That is basically what I did.

I was a little daunted by the notion of doing this but it is actually very easy to do.

This should explain it.

Linky...

[Troll Hunter]

OK. Thanks, both, for enlightening me. I learn something new every day.

Mike

[Tetsu0san]

Just an update. Now the engine is further away from me in the engine bay and isn't a noisy old Transit engine, the whole ride has been totally transformed into what I would almost call civilised. I think the Discovery engine mounts certainly help with the vibration as there is virtually none whatsoever. With the old transit engine in and running at about 50mph you couldn't see anything in the rear view mirror as the vibration made it all too blurry, and the noise from that old lump was almost deafening. Bleeding eardrums was an excepted outcome of any journey! But now the rear view mirror is viewable, the noise levels allow you to hear your passenger talking, you can even hear the relay on the winkers! If I fit a radio then I think I might actually be able to hear it! And if I fit more sound proofing in the cab and in the engine bay, it might even sound like a real car!

Another thing I like is the power of the engine. The transit engine wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, but the 200Tdi actually (sort of) pins you in your seat if you really gun it. And the nice thing is that you don't have to have your foot to the floor all the time either. You can actually accelerate using the pedal rather than always pushing the pedal to the floor.

However, on a negative side you can hear all the groans and grumbles from a car that had done nearly 300,000 miles. These grumbles must have been there before the conversion but were masked by the overwhelming noise from that engine.

Oh, and I found some more pictures that I took while I was doing it:

Old engine

[Tetsu0san]

More old engine pics

Old gearbox in situ

Engine out!

Modifying the Discovery gearbox crossmember to fit the Defender chassis

[Tetsu0san]

The whole was too close to the edge so I added extra metal

In place!

Modifying the transfer box for the Defender transmission brake

[Tetsu0san]

Handbrake attached

Old engine mounts off

New gearbox in with welded clutch fork

Nice long bellhousing!

[Tetsu0san]

Geabox in place

Cut the seatbox

Engine offered up for the first time

[Maverik]

What where your reasons for going for a 200tdi over a 300tdi out of interest....

Its just got me thinking that's all... I've got a new project hi cap with a Diesel Turbo and happen to have a spare Disco 300tdi...

[Tetsu0san]

I already had a 200Tdi Discovery that I had just done a cam belt and head gasket on, and I knew the engine very well. And as the Discovery was complete I had all the pipework, radiator, intercooler etc. I thought about getting another engine from somewhere but then you have to be sure it's a good one, probably fit a cam belt, then you have to source all the ancillaries, pipework, radiator etc. This lot was already at my disposal.

And to be honest I find the 200Tdi a better engine than the 300Tdi. I know people say that the 300Tdi is a more refined engine and is better, and I must say that I prefer to work on a 300Tdi, but I have had better overall experiences with a 200Tdi. Maybe I have just had a few bad experiences with the 300Tdi, not sure.

But in theory as I have put the gearbox into the Defender 300Tdi position, if I did ever need to put in a 300Tdi engine it should fit with the minimum of fuss. Just cut off the engine mounts, weld on some new ones, swap the radiator and intercooler, fettle some pipework and it should be good to go!

[Maverik]

So your decision was mainly swayed by you having a spare 200 to fit in it.

After working on both I prefer the 200tdi's quirks compared to the 300's (not a fan of the various gasket less parts), the 200tdi its such a robust unit. I've got a disco 200 unit in the 90 and a genuine one in the Camel 110 and a spare genuine Def 200 to be re-built when I have the time.

Anywhoo I digress, you've managed to fit it in really well, nice tidy looking engine bay and you've got a decent air box set-up too which stumped me for quite a while. Good effort.

[Tetsu0san]

Thanks for the kind words, I am very pleased with how it all looks. The old setup had a lot of cable ties holding stuff away from bits rotating bits, or holding stuff closer to other bits, which I hated. I haven't had to use a cable tie anywhere (so far).

But you are right, it was more about what I have available but I had bought a 200Tdi Discovery because of the nighmares I had with my 300Tdi Discovery. I suppose that if I hadn't had so many problems with 300Tdi's over the years then I would probably have had a 300Tdi engine ready to fit instead. Plenty of people I have met say the 300 is a perfectly good engine, and I am sure it is, but I feel that the 200 is, as you said, a more robust unit.

I have to say however that I prefer the serp belt setup on the 300 and I am very tempted to convert mine to have a 300 front. Whether or not I do that is a different matter altogether.

And on a side note I have recently acquired a 300Tdi engine which needs a rebuild, so who knows what the future may bring!