Thread: Modifying a TD5 for more performance

Tombie is the Td6 upgrade the same?,I've looked into it and the best improvement that any chip upgrade does doesn't warrant the cost involved,most are only around 10% improvement for a grand or more and I've had a D4D hilux work ute that cost $1300 and I didn't notice any improvement. Pat

good start. will watch this thread with interest and see if i have done good

I'll add a caveat to that.....

If you are planning to upgrade the inlet and exhaust do that before you get the ECU done as in some but not all cases changing those after you do the ECU remap can require an additional tweak.

My reccomended sequence of upgrades for more power/performance is

exhaust mods (including port/polish/matching of the head/manifolds)
Intake mods (including port/polis/matching of the head/manifolds)
ECU/engine internals (camshafts/rockers etc.)

of course if you're not planning to upgrade one of those just skip that step.

Originally Posted by Tombie2

Many of you would like a bit more go from your TD5, be it Discovery or Defender.

But how does one go about it? What are the pitfalls etc...? Well hopefully this thread will help those of you on your journey to enhance the performance of your TD5.

Firstly, what are you looking for out of your TD5? Driveability improvement? More power for towing? Outright grunt? Dont say 'more economy', as a well maintained TD5 is about as economical as it gets... Its hardly worth the costs of modifying it to save money

So lets look at the basics...

The TD5 is a unitary injected, ECU controlled 5 cylinder diesel turbo.
In factory trim its running ~1 bar boost.

To improve the output we can look at the basics...

Improved inlet and exhaust
Increased boost pressure
Improved flow and Cooling of intake charge
Optimised fuelling and timing

These are essentially all that can be altered in the TD5.

Some have gone as far as to custom cast cranks etc for larger swept capacity but these are very expensive for the gains made...

Where to start: Driveability upgrade...

Start by getting the ECU modified to a better mapping.
- On early ECUs this is done by 'chipping' - replacing a 44 pin chip on the board in the ECU by de-soldering and fitting a newly programmed chip.
Early ECUs are generally 1998-2001 and have a part number MSBxxxxxx

- Later ECUs have this done by a 'remap' or 'flash' upgrade - done by connecting a programmer to the diagnostic port of the vehicle and actually overwriting the current program with an improved version.
This is extremely effective and time efficient.
Later (flash upgradeable) ECUs 2001+ have part numbers NNNxxxxxx

The base level (Stage 1) upgrades provide approximately 30% more output from the engine. The torque increase and power will enhance the driving experience, enabling smoother overtaking and acceleration, reducing lag, improving towing and making the vehicle much nicer to drive overall.

It places very little stress on the engine, however, if towing in particular, can accelerate the inevitable Exhaust manifold warp. please note that this is going to happen to ALL TD5s not just modified units..

EGR removal - To protect the engine from contaminants and also due to the commonality of failure of the EGR system due to contamination, it is wise to consider the removal of the EGR unit.

This unit on earlier models allows soot etc to be pumped back into the engine intake - not good! Later models also have a valve for throttle.
And EGR removal kit will remove these and their restrictive nature allowing a smoother flow of air charge into the engine, and the benefit of keeping the intake cleaner.

These 2 simple modifications are the basis of an upgrade and will enhance the driving experience for a large number of owners.

Combined with efficient mapping, and once the owner gets over the 'happy week' where they enjoy and use all the available power owners often find their economy is the same, or marginally improved over stock.
(More to come next Crib break)

I have flashed a few of Tombie2's (BAS) maps, and EVERY ONE has improved the fuel consumption, and the owners can't stop raving about the performance enhancement. Thats BEFORE the intercooler or EGR upgrade in most cases Thoroughly recommend them

(Yes I DO sell them, but I AM very happy with the feedback I have had)

JC

im still saving,,, and can't weight to get teh 200kw chip and biiiigggg inter-cooler

bang for buck the best performance mod to a Td5 is to remove the middle silence box and if present the cat.

Originally Posted by Naks

bang for buck the best performance mod to a Td5 is to remove the middle silence box and if present the cat.

I agree.
But now the engine tends to go into over boost while going hard uphill at 120K/h.
Power gets cut and the D2 slows dramatically.

Originally Posted by Rudolf

But now the engine tends to go into over boost while going hard uphill at 120K/h. Power gets cut and the D2 slows dramatically.

AFAIK, that should not happen. Have you bypassed the turbo vacuum advance thingie?

Not sure what the proper name is, but there's a small pipe (approx 6mm diameter) that goes from the inlet manifold into a (stupid) device, and from there another similar pipe goes onto the turbo.

If you bypass that device, the boost goes to 1.2 and stays there. In the original setup, the boost fluctuates wildly between 0 and 1.2.