George123 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 I was having a conversation with someone earlier and they reckoned a range rover Diesel engine from the 90's would be a good idea to put into my defender. What do you lot think and iff so what would the engine be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 More info needed really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George123 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Well that's what I was hoping you lot could provide, I have no idea what engine he was talking about. I'm open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 probably talking about the VM 4 cylinder diesel, A 200 or 300tdi would be better. VM's are even older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George123 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 He said it was a five cylinder? Is that right? What is the performance like on a vm then compared with a 2 or 300 tdi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrovernuts Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 VM engines should only be used for anchors IMHO! They did make them as 4 cylinder for the RRC, but also 5 cylinder And 6 cylinder for other applications. I had to go on a VM course many moons ago as they used them for marine use and even the bloke taking the course said they were junk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 If it's 5 Cylinder, he may have meant the Td5. Never fitted to Range Rovers - but it was to Discovery's (and Defenders) That's a first class engine IMHO, so long as you find the later 15P type fitted from 2003? onwards. The earlier 10P was fitted from about 1999 - so fits the 90's criteria - if not the Range Rover. A 300 Tdi - which was fitted to RR's in the 90's, though 4 Cylinder is still a good engine and a good match to Defenders, though IMHO the earlier 200Tdi is better. Personally if I were looking for a retro-fit engine I would go for a 15P Td5 as they pull like a train with a bit of light chipping and are hard to fault. I think 200 and 300Tdi's are a bit under powered - but that's just me! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George123 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 What do you mean light chipping? How hard would it be to fit the td5 to my 1990 td? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 I think you need to provide more info. Why do you need an engine? What is your vehicle now? Is it even a Defender? What year? VM engines as mentioned were used in Rsnge Rovers. The 2.5 was a good engine and would tiddle all over a Tdi tbh. But would be an odd engine to seek as a transplant for a Defender. There were some Tdi Range a Rovers too. But these engines were also fitted to Discovery's and Defenders. So no need to source one from a Range Rover specifically, in fact that would be the hardest way of getting one. Td5 was fitted to Discovery 2 and Defenders. There was a 2.5 BMW 6 cylinder in the p38a Range Rover. But probably not the best or easiest transplant to a Defender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George123 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Ok to clarify I have a defender, it's a 1990 hi cap with a 2.5 td in it. I find the engine completely gutless not to mention it breathes heavily and drinks a lot of oil. I do alot of heavy towing and carrying(in the back) on both short and long journeys. Basically instead of throwing good money after bad with the current engine I'm pondering on the options of a transplant. Iff I'm going to do it I only want to do it once so i need to make sure I get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 A 200Tdi will bolt straight on as a direct replacement. You might need to move the engine mounts (can't remember) but it's not that big a deal. That will give you 25% more power than the engine you've got. It's a good engine for towing as it has a lot of torque at low RPM. 300Tdi & Td5 are intended to mate to an R380 gearbox rather than your LT77. They can be bolted to one another with a bit of fettling - but they will likely kill your gearbox fairly quickly so you might as well change both at the same time & make the job a whole lot easier. The 300Tdi is probably only 10% more powerful than a 200 but the peak torque & power are at higher RPM. This makes it better for motorway driving but I was not keen on it off road or towing due to the lack of low end torque. A Td5 as standard is 10% more power than a 300Tdi - but with more low end torque. However, because it's a more electronic engine, it's easy to load a new fuel map and get another 50% fairly easily without killing the engine. This adds lots of low end torque and makes it great for towing - but it will keep pulling until you are breaking the speed limit by some margin, even towing a trailer. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George123 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Thanks for all the replies from everyone. So it sounds to me like the td5 would be the best option. I agree I would need to change the gearbox as well because my current one is very very clonky. What would be involved electric wise fitting said engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 200Tdi is an easy bolt in conversion. No welding. A td5 swap is possible but a lot more work. It's been done before, so your best bet is do some searching on Google and reaearch it. An alternative option and maybe a less popular one. Buy a cheap Disco2. It'll do everything the Defender does but better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Totally agree about the DII's abilities - BUT many "cheap" DII's are cheap for a reason,they are rusted out chassis wise and are not easy to repair properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 I would suggest buying a Manual Disco 2 and just transferring the engine & box. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrycol Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 If you want to upgrade your engine - why one out of a 90s RR - basically all similar performance so why not just go for a later Defender 300TDi diesel. Putting a TD5 our of a 2000s Defender is a huge job and will require ECUs etc. I would forget anything related to that era RR as there are no advantages and go for a late 300TDi out of a Defender and get a Defender R380 gearbox to go with it. Easiest with cost effective power increase - and if you have a bit of money you could buy a 2.8litre kit to make the 300TDi even more powerful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Late RRC had a 300TDI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrycol Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 For sure, but why go for a RRC or a Disco 300TDI when there are plenty of Defender 300TDIs around and basically go straight in - less hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Personally I'd avoid a td5 transplant unless you are very comfortable with modern engines and ECUs- yes they are fine when all is well in a factory fitted car but it doesn't take much to get them to throw a wobbler and fault finding isn't straight forward. Also the added problem of installing the right fuel tank and high pressure pipework. A Discovery 300tdi goes in very easily and will absolutely mate to your existing gearbox, you just need to weld in new engine mounts, drill a couple holes in the bellhousing to accomodate different stud positions, fabricate an exhaust and make some mods to intercooler/oil cooler pipework as the engine will sit further back than in its factory position. Defender/Discovery 300 engines are the same. A Defender 200tdi engine is the easiest installation as it will be almost a straight swap for your Td barring rad/intercooler/exhaust - but not so many about and tend to be pricier. Discovery 200tdi swap is my least preffered, it doesn't sit so nicely and some power is lost due to the poor exhaust positioning. Go buy yourself a rusty Discovery 300tdi for £600 and you'll have everything you need to convert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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