Land Rover Defender 90 Td5 - buyers guide, what should I be looking at

[lamar latrell]

Hello,

I've done a reasonable amount of research to know either will suit my requirements so now I'm in the market for a Defender Td5 90 or 110.

It will be my first Land Rover.

I've found a 90 and have to travel some distance to check it out, I want to make the most of the trip and make a logical decision to buy it or not (as opposed to buying it to make the hassle worth while)

Details:

• 2004 model
• ~80,000Km
• Manual, 2495cc
• 2 Owners - private sale

Story: "First owner a pilot, second hardly used it... Stored indoors." ... Not much more...

What questions should I be asking, and what answers would I want to hear?

What should I be looking at, listening to, feeling, sniffing ?

Any tips appreciated.

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum.

First of all don't buy the first one you find if you have never driven a land rover before get in contact with your local club if you have one and ask them if you can drive some of theirs.

Land rovers are very 'unique' sometimes. In a good way and sometimes in a very frustrating way, the seating position is strange and again not suited to all. But with all that said I wouldn't be without mine.

As for the 90/110 question again it seems to be a personal choice, I drive a 110 which suits me as I have kids so need the extra seats/space but if you don't then a 90 may suit but again I would try both out have a crawl around and then decide.

As for the TD5 engine if you have a search on here you will find the common faults FPR MAF oil in the loom etc but all are easily fixable, the only big problem is that they can suffer from cracked heads so check the oil level before and after you test drive one.

Some people will tell you that the 300tdi was the last real LR engine and as at first people were scared of the electronic side of the engine but now lots of people see this as an advantage as it allow you to easily change Engine maps and given the right tools see what the engine is doing and find faults.

Abs/TC is a nice option and makes ordinary tyres more capable off road, A/C is another nice option on the td5 it keeps you're knees cold but allows for quieter motorway miles although don't expect BMW quiet from a defender.

Defenders are prone to rust in the same places for all models bulkhead, doors and chassis to name a few so again do some research and be aware of chequer plate or stickers stuck over the steal parts.

Apart from all of that good luck and I hope that you find what you are looking for, any more questions feel free to ask.

Oh finally if you upload your location you never know someone on here might be close to you, it is after all a very small world.

Jason

[studmuffin]

That's a very low mileage truck for its age.

TD5`s are a great engine but really benefit from regular servicing, so check the service record.

2004 engines are 15P designation and are fitted with steel dowels so you are unlikely to suffer from head shuffle.

My own feeling has always been avoid an engine that has been chipped(remapped). This engine was designed by LR engineers and tweaked by BMW engineers. A lot of forumers will disagree but - If it was good to run it hotter they would have done it as standard.At the worst you can also get it reverted later.

Jasons advice is all good, but personally I like simple rather than all the bells and whistles like ABS/Air Con.

Take some old clothes and a hammer with you so you can get underneath and tap all the chassis to make sure its solid. My 2000 TD5 had a replacement rear cross member at 5 years old!!

Also enter the reg number and make on this site - https://mot-history.net

This truck should have 8 MOTs so they should all be shown. Obviously also HPI/Crash Register search.If its a private sale you do not have the same protection as buying from the trade.

Lastly, if the price is too good to be true then it is too good to be true. Prepare to pay top dollar for a good straight vehicle. The days of Defender bargains are long gone.

Good Luck

Barry

[Tanuki]

One thing worth doing on *any* TD5 is listening for the fuel-pump.

Open the windows. Turn the ignition on but don't start the engine. You should *just about* be able to hear a whine from the in-tank fuel pump. Wait for 30 seconds or so and the note of the whine should change.

If the pump is loud - screaming rather than a gentle whirr, so you can hear it from more than a few feet away - this suggests either the pump is not long for this world, or the fuel-filter is blocked. Simmilarly, any gurgling/swishing noises are a bad sign.

TD5 lumps have an issue with the copper sealing-washers on the injectors: these leak, allowing soot and combustion-gases to enter the fuel system. In time, the carbon combines with any condensation in the fuel-tank to form a sticky black 'goo' that progressively blocks the strainer-screen on the fuel-pump's intake pipe and/or the fuel filter on the chassis-rail beside the rear wheel. This blockage means the pump then works its little heart out trying to maintain fuel-rail pressure, and dies of overwork. Or the seals leak so much that there's no Diesel in the fuel-rail and your engine becomes a bad starter/lumpy runner. Or both.

You need to drop the fuel-tank from the chassis on a 90 (well, on Station Wagons at least) to fit a new pump (and to wash the tank out to remove all remaining traces of the 'black goo'). New pumps are £300-£500 depending on the quality/credibility of the supplier (it's a 2-stage pump which is why it's pricey). Replacing the injector-washers is relatively cheap and easy - to the extent that I would suggest doing it at 50,000 miles as a matter of course to save you ruining the much-more-expensive fuel pump!

Also, the fuel-pressure-regulator [rear of cylinder head, near the clutch master-cylinder) has a tendency to weep Diesel: new FPRs are not cheap (£150 or so) and can be fiddly to fit unless your toolbox contains a couple of double-jointed midgets.

It can do no harm to ask the seller if he's ever had any work done on the injector-seals/fuel-pump/FPR.