BigBlue90 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 hi guys, turns out my 200tdi defender engines buggered. So I'm wondering, how hard is it to put a 200tdi disco engine into a defender?? What do I need to do?? What's different because as far as I can tell, they look nearly identical apart from a few minor things here and there. Also- I'm looking for a decent, low mileage, totally nothing wrong with it 200tdi engine so if you have anything, speak up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsu0san Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Take the turbo manifold off your original engine (if it is a genuine Defender one) and fit this to a replacement Discovery engine. Then all the rest should just be a bolt together thing and very easy. You could change the timing belt cover too but I don't think there are any advantages to doing this. If you don't fit the Defender manifold you will have to route the turbo pipes to avoid the inner wing and route the exhaust pipe around the footwells. What is up with your engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue90 Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Many many things are wrong with my engine! Duff turbo, excessive smoking and rough running from some unknown but irritating internal problem after a run in some deep water with no snorkel and a duff steering pump and she has 180k on the clock too, so really I figured why not just swap it out for a younger one. So is the wiring the same?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Wiring will be the same except the plug that joins to vehicle. I have got a complete 200 Tdi Disco engine if you are interested. Complete with everything on it, however I would like to keep the flywheel though. Its done 122,000 miles, with a newish alternator for £375 There is a brand spanking new wiring loom with it, so you can plug it straight to the Defender. Also there are the pipes for the intercooler and the radiator and intercooler assembly with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 swap from Defender engine on to discovery engine complete timing case PAS/Alternator bracket manifolds & turbo turbo oil feed & drain hoses oil dipstick & it's tube engine loom is common AFAIK but the connector block to vehicle loom maybe different Defender loom has rubber cased connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibex94 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 swap from Defender engine on to discovery engine complete timing case PAS/Alternator bracket manifolds & turbo turbo oil feed & drain hoses oil dipstick & it's tube engine loom is common AFAIK but the connector block to vehicle loom maybe different Defender loom has rubber cased connections. If you need replacement defender loom I've a reasonably good one here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 swap from Defender engine on to discovery engine complete timing case PAS/Alternator bracket manifolds & turbo turbo oil feed & drain hoses oil dipstick & it's tube engine loom is common AFAIK but the connector block to vehicle loom maybe different Defender loom has rubber cased connections. ... and just to add to Ralph's list - The FIP brackets Pipes from the injection pump to the injectors Power steering pump You may also need to change the thermostat housing, I seem to remember the timing case fouling on it. I'd also suggest a new timing belt and tensioner and a clutch whilst you're at it. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsu0san Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Do you really need all that? Surely the main difference that will be an issue is the height of the turbo and the route of the exhaust if you don't swap the manifold over. The flywheel housing also has different bolt holes but this is a fairly easy swap too. If you are trying to make a Discovery engine look like a Defender one then I agree with all that but just swapping an engine is not that intensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If you just change the manifolds then the alternator is between the turbo and the intercooler. Where do you put that then ? You don't need to change the flywheel housing. It is not about looks it is about making everything work as it should and making less work in the long run . It took me about 5 hours as a semi competent diyer to swap stuff over from one lump to the other so it's not even time consuming. As someone who found out the hard way from well intentioned but misguided advice regarding the 200 defender/discovery conversion, I don't want to see others fall at the same hurdles. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I agree with Mo , it's much easier to swap the front end over and manifolds to Def spec, it just makes it all std and easy and is not a big job . Make sure your next one is sealed and breather'd for deep water , your old one sounds like a bent con-rod from water in the intake... cheers Steveb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsu0san Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 OK, fair enough. Didn't think about the alternator, didn't realise it was in a different place to a Disco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I'd be going down the route of keeping the original Defender 200tdi bits and just swapping out the block and head etc. even though Disco engines do fit, its not exactly a quick process, now I've got a genuine Defender 200tdi doner engine I'll be removing my Disco installed unit when I have a quiet moment to do it! Mav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue90 Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Well that's all great help, but can't I just remove my duff tdi with everything on it, put in the disco one with everything on, connect up the loom (with either proper defender or discovery connectors), buy converter kits for intake/exhaust pipes for a proper fit with little modifying and connect up the steering pump from the disco to the defender system? I don't want a defender 200 in there anyway I much prefer the looks of a disco 200. So basically, does the flywheel and clutch from a disco engine go on a defender box? Can I fit the disco steering pump and make it work on he defender. And will I need a plate to mount it on the defender box?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 YES to all of that, except you do NOT need to but any adaptors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Well that's all great help, but can't I just remove my duff tdi with everything on it, put in the disco one with everything on, connect up the loom (with either proper defender or discovery connectors), buy converter kits for intake/exhaust pipes for a proper fit with little modifying and connect up the steering pump from the disco to the defender system? I don't want a defender 200 in there anyway I much prefer the looks of a disco 200. So basically, does the flywheel and clutch from a disco engine go on a defender box? Can I fit the disco steering pump and make it work on he defender. And will I need a plate to mount it on the defender box?? You should have a look through the Tech Archive as this subject has been gone over a few times if you are dead set on doing it. In short - flywheel and clutch are transferable Discovery steering pump will fit, but you may come into a few issues with the high pressure fitting to that pump, there where quite a few different types of fitting and it wasn't documented very well, so its more a suck it and see and fix it when you have all the bits apart. You wont need a plate to mount it to the box. but the discovery flywheel housing has I think 3 holes less than the defender flywheel housing, meaning the flywheel housing isn't attached to the bellhousing as well as it should be, so you might want to keep the defender one. - again a well documented problem that a fewgoogle searches would be able to explain. Disco 200tdi's are becoming quite rare to find now let alone low milage ones. If you've got cash to spend Steve Parks now sells conversion kits to allow the air systems/exhaust systems and PAS sytems to be bolted stright in to hook the engine up I think, but they're not cheap, but I belive work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I'll take the shagged Defender engine from you for spares for my own if you don't need it, BigBlue90. PM me with if you are interested. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 By the time you've fannyed about swapping everything you could have re built you're existing engine and it would be right. It's very very hard to make a conversion look and work correctly and I have seen many many awful attempts. Just my 2p. Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 By the time you've fannyed about swapping everything you could have re built you're existing engine and it would be right. It's very very hard to make a conversion look and work correctly and I have seen many many awful attempts. Just my 2p. Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I'll take the shagged Defender engine from you for spares for my own if you don't need it, BigBlue90. PM me with if you are interested. Mo I know your game Mr Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue90 Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 By the time you've fannyed about swapping everything you could have re built you're existing engine and it would be right. It's very very hard to make a conversion look and work correctly and I have seen many many awful attempts. Just my 2p. Will. I get where your coming from but I have a turbo on the way out, duff steering pump, duff starter and ofcourse the engine itself. It's easier to just swap engines tbh, it's cheaper and I reckon it'd be more reliable if I grabbed a low mileage 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue90 Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 I'll take the shagged Defender engine from you for spares for my own if you don't need it, BigBlue90. PM me with if you are interested. Mo Sorry mate, it's destined to go in my spares heap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I struggle to understand how a *new* engine would be more reliable than a used one but you know what your doing. Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UdderlyOffroad Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 If you have the Defender 200 tdi engine, IMHO it would be far easier swap its inlet and exhaust manifolds over (fitting the good turbo, obviously), along with the timing chest. Solves all the exhaust/conversion kit issues at a stroke, because, effectively, you have all the correct parts already fitted. Or, put another way, the disco engine conversion kits from Steve Parker et al are to get around a problem you don’t have! But if you’re set on wanting to keep the disco engine ‘stock’ can I suggest that you at least swap the flywheel housing over from the Defender engine, this will save having to drill and tap holes to mate it to your gearbox. Whilst you have that in bits, you can treat it to a new OEM rear crank seal and clutch (depending on condition). Just my £0.02 Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 The block itself is the same regardless of wether it's a disco 200 or defender 200, It's just as easy to swap all of the ancililaries over from the dead defender engine to the lower mileage disco block-along with the good turbo from the disco engine and then you'll be basically back to square one regarding the standardised parts on your original engine so it stops you having to mix and match between the two, and it saves drilling and tapping extra holes for the flywheel housing too when using the disco engine to mate to the LT77 G'box John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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