Thread: Big Td5 issues, coolant full of Diesel

Hi everyone,

This is my very first post so please excuse me and my apologies in advance if I'm not quite up to speed. basically I spent roughly 6 months sourcing a quality 300tdi or Td5, travelled all over NSW and viewed plenty of obvious lemons but just as I was losing hope I found what I thought to be a gem. 2000 Td5 full service history, 160xxx kms, very well looked after with zero signs of abuse (looked after its whole life by Bruce Davis in Sydney.) To my dismay approximately one month after purchase, the vehicle was dropping into what seemed to be a limp mode (very rough running, loss of power) which I in turn checked the common faults such as injector harness/oil at the plug etc before I took it to be properly diagnosed by an agent recommended by Bruce Davis as I could not risk the drive to Sydney (breakdown imminent.) Upon final diagnosis the cylinder head had cracked internally and as a result the cooling system was full of diesel, just about blew the cap on the expansion tank and all there was that much in there... The head is being replaced with a higher quality aftermarket example to hopefully avoid this happening again however I've been presented with the quick fix, ie, simply replace the head and all associated single use-parts OR to do the job properly with the long term in mind which they state involves the new head, new water pump, new radiator, all new hoses and a new fuel cooler (well rebuild kit, a brand new one is $990!!!) all due to the diesel contamination. I am not trying to undermine this agent/workshop they have been nothing but genuine, kind and extremely explanatory regarding everything, happy to have me in the shop to explain such a large job while the head was out and answer all questions. All up the job will come in around $6800 (this also includes doing the oil pump bolt to be safe and machining the manifold, top quality parts all round, $1600 labour charge) which for a Social Worker like myself is a punch in the nose and the consistently low bank balance, but for the things we love I am willing to pay this amount off in order to keep the vehicle for the very long term. I did consider an engine swap but due to the low KMS and excellent condition of EVERYTHING prior to this issue I was very reluctant. I just wanted to run this by AULRO as I know there are some veterans on here that will be able to spot/smell anything that doesn't seem quite right as my previous workshop experienced involved electrics not mechanics. I am truly hoping this is the early horror story I have to deal with prior to years of great times because the month prior to this incident you could not wipe the smile off my face behind the wheel.

Cheers!
-Isaac.

Having sourced a Spanish TD5 head thru Turner Engineering & done a very similar job myself a couple of years ago ( radiator & fuel cooler, thermostat & pump plus manifold skim) I think that the mob you are dealing with seem to be pretty knowledgeable & priced the job fairly. If I had to do it again, I think I would be pretty happy with paying that kind of $$


I'm very happy with the TD5 after this job... All these issues ( & yours) were due to overheating - probably before you bought it..