Northern Paul Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hello all, I have a 300TDi Disco engine installed in my 90. It has been trouble free for years, gets regular oil changes every 6 months, it has been using coolant but not litres and litres, doesn't run hot (has aftermarket gauge fitted), is not down on power and doesn't smoke (more than any other 300TDi) but recently it has started to sound quite 'tappety'. The mileage on the engine is unknown but we can safely assume its well over 100 000. As I work offshore on 5 week rotations I left it with my local garage for them to try and assess the issue with a view to fixing it. Consequently, they have removed the head and discovered signs of water in no. 3 cylinder along with uneven wear. One of the pushrods is also slightly bent. Now, I am not that mechanically minded and the garage are saying that the head will need pressure testing and skimming along with the block sending off to a specialist to be assessed and potentially rebored. The crank looks OK visually (not been removed from the engine). Can anyone offer any opinions / help / advice as to how to proceed from here? Thanks in advance, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Had almost the same issue on a 300 would some times get lots of white smoke from the exhaust. Engine was a 200K plus mileage found a crack in the head in the exhaust port of number 3 you could see the crack by eye.... the water marks on my cylinder wall was not as bad as in your images so i just whacked on a replacement head job done and its been running for many more years. I would be inclined to just glaze bust that cylinder and stick on a replacement tested head if you don't want to go through all the effort of a complete rebuild. paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPLP Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Ive also seen a 300tdi that was high miles and there was a crack in the bore where it had worn through the side of the bore into the water gallery. H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 if the uneven wear is said to be the wear in the shells, it is to be expected that the "top" face of the shells would wear first as this is the face which sees all of the combustion force. i.e. the rest of the shells will never see the same forces. they dont seem TOO bad for an engine of its age and so long as the shells feel and look fine scoring wise and the crank is babys bum smooth in all journals, i would just replace the shells rings and the head and put it back together. obviously checking the bores for any hairline cracks or bad wear. are you running standard boost/tune? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Paul Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hello all, Being offshore means our internet isn't as reliable as home, apologies for slow response. Thanks for replies so far. Moose - it has shown no signs of spewing large amounts of white smoke. Discomikey - It has slightly increased boost, bigger intercooler, etc. Think next course of action is to get the head pressure tested and go from there. If that's foobar'd then a replacement head, shells and rings and put it back together. If the head is OK then ?? Anyone else offer any opinions?? Cheers, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 can you get it compression tested? i would also suggest a leak off test, maybe instead/as well as a compression test, as although you know that it is taking on water, you dont know how bad it is. it will give a better idea of the condition of the rings too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Paul Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 The head is cracked and warped. Garage have quoted a high 'worse case' scenario so I have decided to bite the bullet and order a remanufactured 300TDi from Turner Engineering with a gas flowed head on the basis that the Landy is my car for life and this way I'd know the engine was a good 'un. From what I have heard the Turner Engineering units are superb and my communication with them so far has been excellent. Thanks for opinions and ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 That sounds a really good move, Turners have a first class reputation. I hate to say this, but I'd have a good look at the turbo as well - it may well be fine, in which case, fine. However I have an engine which ingested a bit of failing turbo. It needed a new head, piston and turbo, annoying at any time, but just after a rebuild especially so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 +1 for Turner Engineering. Always had faultless service from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie64 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 +1 for turners also. ive spent a scary almount with them over the years and i definately agree with the turbo check, mine killed it self within 10 miles of my full engine rebuild, i thanked the gods oodles that night for nothing managing to enter my oil sump and destroying all my hard work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 +1 for turners, only place i considered going to for my engine rebuild bits, 20k later and still runs like a dream, (although could do with some new injectors as i couldnt quite afford that at the time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 The head is cracked and warped. Garage have quoted a high 'worse case' scenario so I have decided to bite the bullet and order a remanufactured 300TDi from Turner Engineering with a gas flowed head on the basis that the Landy is my car for life and this way I'd know the engine was a good 'un. From what I have heard the Turner Engineering units are superb and my communication with them so far has been excellent. Thanks for opinions and ideas. I went down this exact route when i did my 200tdi swap, the gas flowed head for me seems so much better delivering the power-much smoother than the old lump that was in there before, Yes it is a tad expensive but to be honest after the use mines had It's peace of mind when dealing with a decent company as Turners, If I needed another engine I would certainly be ringing them up and asking for them to do any work I wanted doing John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Paul Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Afternoon all, Just a follow up on this thread - the Turner Engineering 300Tdi is in and has just completed its 500 mile running in period. I got it with a gas flowed head and along with a new set of injectors, Alisport header tank, Alisport oil catch tank and a whole host of other new ancillaries. Unfortunately the turbo has just gone - but thankfully I caught it before it went bang and ruined my new engine. Its now in the process of being remanufactured and fingers crossed there ain't much else to go wrong now. Initial impressions of the engine are superb - powerful, smooth and a joy to drive. Whilst costing a fair whack I think it has been the right choice. Turner Engineering (in particular Frida) were an absolute joy to deal with as well. Heres to many more happy Turner powered miles! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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