Thread: Help me sort my 2006 TD5 Defender

sounds like youre onto it.

just remember to check the injecotr loom plug semi regularly for oil, check the earths and the rest is the normal landrover watch for leaks drills.

Have had my Td5 since new (99) and it has never let me down and now with 270k.

It has though had the ECU replaced, as pointed out above the loom needs to be checked regularly for oil seeping into the ECU. Some consider this should be replaced annually! ECU has had mild tweak and it flies along easily keeping up with our 2.2 puma 90.

Being an early one it had the silly little plastic dowel in the head which required replacement, big job for a 5 cent component. Some gearbox problems, a 5th gear issue which seems quite common.

Otherwise has been a solid and reliable vehicle which we have done many great trips in. Regular maintenance seems to be the key!

Yours sounds very good, I’d love a bright yellow one!

My 2 cents,

I have two Td5s, a 2004 Disco2 and a 110, both with similar kms to yours. Only had the Defender for year but its getting most of the same work done to it as the Disco has had as preventative maintenance or performance enhancement.

1. Warped manifold, much written on this, remove it plane it deweb it then refit but use higher strength studs. I've fixed 3 x Discos with broken studs, always first and last stud.

2. Injector loom change, do it every 100k and check harness (to ECU) for oil until you don't find anymore. Trying a soldered and sealed one this time round to see if I can reduce oil migration.

3. Starter motor contacts, one day these will just carbon up too much and not make contact, cheap kit to repair. Change them before they leave stuck in a carpark like it did me.

4.EGR delete, intercooler and intake manifold clean, check replace turbo hoses and provent fitment. I fitted a hybrid turbo and larger intercooler when doing this as well a remap.

5. 3 inch exhaust.

6. Cooling system, yours shouldn't be running green non OATS coolant, check water pump (you can just replace the seals for $20), oil cooler especially outlet pipe near exhaust down pipe. Top and bottom hose have plastic bleed screws, i have seen one pop and most likely it will be stuck anyway, replace hose and if sticking to standard hoses then put in alloy bleed screws.

7. Engine and gearbox mounts, by 250kms this rubber will be past their best. An amazing change in the Disco2 after doing this. You can check the engine mounts by inserting a rod from below, rubber should be 10mm of the steel housing, mine were right down on it!

That's probably enough to get you started.. I'm a big fan of the Td5, I'm no mechanic and like to do the jobs myself, I read up the forums and websites, study RAVE and then have a go. Nanocom is a wise investment I use it on all long trips to monitor performance and to watch for faults.

Some may prioritise the list differently, there is plenty of this forum and others on the faults and fixes for the Td5.

Hope this helps, will answer questions if I can.

Cheers
Discofender

I would only add to elongate the end holes and the next ones when you deweb, and have it ceramic coated inside and out.
The Toyota 6 cylinder has a great idea for this with the manifold in two parts with a sliding


Joint in the middle
Regards PhilipA

Originally Posted by Discofender

My 2 cents,

I have two Td5s, a 2004 Disco2 and a 110, both with similar kms to yours. Only had the Defender for year but its getting most of the same work done to it as the Disco has had as preventative maintenance or performance enhancement....Hope this helps, will answer questions if I can.

Cheers
Discofender

Thanks Discofender I really appreciate the time taken!

1.The manifold was fixed some time ago. Did not get de-webbed though. Is this going to keep me awake until I remove and do that?
2.Injector loom is under 30k old…
3.Starter motor contacts…I’ll put that on my list
4.EGR is done
5.Can’t afford a 3” exhaust ATM
6.I called previous service people and it seems that it has had green coolant for at least 6 years. My previous TDi had green and I can’t find any reasons why on earth that should be bad for the TD5 (EU regulations demanded it as far as I can find out)…any ideas?
7.Engine mounts, checked…thanks for that tip

No problem at all, you seem to be on the right track to sorting your rig out. I also miss the simplicity of my 200Tdi but the Td5 for its faults is still a great engine. Also I met guy once in a D2 that had clocked up 600,000km in his. My vehicles are staying with me till at least that.

Have you started a member's ride thread on Big Bird?