Thread: I need advice. Defender or dico?

Originally Posted by shack

People need to realise they weren't designed to go off the bitumen.

Toyotas? Land Rovers? I'd have to differ; I have two close friends who work as vehicle testers for a mob who contract to both LR and Toyota, they drive the vehicles for extended periods in fair-dinkum 4wd conditions including some of the most challenging terrain I know in the high country as well as big circuits of remote outback roads for days on end, the data and reports are all fed back to the vehicle manufacturers for their design and development people. They break stuff, they bog, drown and recover vehicles. They're extreme 4wd-ing so much it's boring for them.

Originally Posted by POD

Toyotas? Land Rovers? I'd have to differ; I have two close friends who work as vehicle testers for a mob who contract to both LR and Toyota, they drive the vehicles for extended periods in fair-dinkum 4wd conditions including some of the most challenging terrain I know in the high country as well as big circuits of remote outback roads for days on end, the data and reports are all fed back to the vehicle manufacturers for their design and development people. They break stuff, they bog, drown and recover vehicles. They're extreme 4wd-ing so much it's boring for them.

I was talking 200 series and dusted motors, and obviously the comment was quite tongue in cheek...

That said I've been quite surprised how many 200's have come up for sale locally in the last 18 months that are advertised as having the motor replaced, but I can't remember a single 70 series advertised with a replaced motor. (Locally)

And in the interest of fairness I acknowledge that ALL the V6 diesels land Rover have released have a plethora of issues.

Even the beloved TD5 has an extremely sub standard air filtration system.

I know of at least 2 locally that were dusted, unfortunately I've only ever seen them after the horse has bolted..i.e. the engine is wrecked and a new filter is in place.

It seems though that the filter works ok, but if it gets blocked, it ruptures and kills the engine in seconds.

Be interesting to know what brand filter was used.

Cheers
James

Originally Posted by shack

I was talking 200 series and dusted motors, and obviously the comment was quite tongue in cheek...

That said I've been quite surprised how many 200's have come up for sale locally in the last 18 months that are advertised as having the motor replaced, but I can't remember a single 70 series advertised with a replaced motor. (Locally)

And in the interest of fairness I acknowledge that ALL the V6 diesels land Rover have released have a plethora of issues.

Even the beloved TD5 has an extremely sub standard air filtration system.

I know of at least 2 locally that were dusted, unfortunately I've only ever seen them after the horse has bolted..i.e. the engine is wrecked and a new filter is in place.

It seems though that the filter works ok, but if it gets blocked, it ruptures and kills the engine in seconds.

Be interesting to know what brand filter was used.

Cheers
James

Like ANY other engine if it isn't serviced or pre start checked you will Kill it especially if being used in adverse conditions.
You would be amazed at the amount of people that NEVER check even the oil level let alone anything else on their cars and these extended service periods are only making things worse.
How hard is it to lift the bonnet in the morning and check the fluids, tap out the air filter and have a look around at the buisness end Before you head off.
Most modern 4WD's are well designed and made But they are Not "Idiot Proof".
Servicing and maintanance (including pre start checks) are Essential to keep your beloved 4WD it peak condition and a "Dusted" engine is simply a result of neglect by the owner/operator.
YES the airbox on the 200's is not an "Ideal" design But with ANY vehicle driven in dusty conditions the air filter WILL clog up and it is a simple job to clean or replace the filter.
Even with a snorkle fitted the air filter WILL accumulate dust/bugs.
A "Dusted" 200 series engine or any other engine for that matter is operator error/neglect Not a design fault.

Originally Posted by shack

And in the interest of fairness I acknowledge that ALL the V6 diesels land Rover have released have a plethora of issues.

Even the beloved TD5 has an extremely sub standard air filtration system.

Be interesting to know what brand filter was used.

Cheers
James

I have had both,TD5 and LC200,the TD5 air filtration system was the worse by a country mile,it would even let grains of sand through,and I had the same problem with all three I owned.Grease around the sealing edges of the airbox helped but didn’t sort the problem completely.

Many of the LC issues are caused by aftermarket air filters.
I always run genuine filters,and it should be noted the genuine 200 air filter was changed a few years ago, it seems to seal better,and is a different colour,so it can be identified from the older model.

The D4 has a fantastic air filtration system,but as we know the Ford/LRV6 has quite a number of other issues.

Originally Posted by scarry

I have had both,TD5 and LC200,the TD5 air filtration system was the worse by a country mile,it would even let grains of sand through,and I had the same problem with all three I owned.Grease around the sealing edges of the airbox helped but didn’t sort the problem completely.

Many of the LC issues are caused by aftermarket air filters.
I always run genuine filters,and it should be noted the genuine 200 air filter was changed a few years ago, it seems to seal better,and is a different colour,so it can be identified from the older model.

The D4 has a fantastic air filtration system,but as we know the Ford/LRV6 has quite a number of other issues.

Big difference in gasket sizes/sealing ability between brands of air filters for the TD5, too.

Even genuine ones were sub-par a number of years back, that coming from Terry Sutton in Alice Springs.

Even with a Mann or Mahle element (the best sealing of the filters I've tried so far) the primary surface area appears miles too small and they tend to leave a very fine talc like smear of dust in the ducting.

Any car with the original, awful flexible hose between the guard and air box will leak like a seive, too, dragging in far too much dirty, hot air, and worse, water, into the air box.
Then the element collapses and hello dusted engine.

There is a much better synthetic rubber bellows/flex hose available from the US that seals a million times better.

Originally Posted by rick130

There is a much better synthetic rubber bellows/flex hose available from the US that seals a million times better.

Is this the stuff I see Nugget selling on his website for puma air boxes? I’ve been meaning to get some, I’m just using the cheap flexible hose from super cheap at the moment, seems to seal ok.

Originally Posted by trout1105

Booring, As in not happily spending hours of enjoyment on the spanners keeping it running or supporting your local indie doing the repairs for you.

Definitely agree with that, but can’t really compare a td5 era defender/disco to a 200 as they are a lot older (for reliability reasons anyway)

Buying a ‘cheap’ disco td5, and replacing pretty much the whole driveline (and known weak spots) with stronger parts could be done pretty easily under the cost of even a prado or hilux let alone a 200. Then you end up with a beast 4wd as well as a reliable tourer. Especially if you do the work yourself. Best driving position of any 4wd too I reckon.

Best driving position of any 4wd too I reckon.

x2 plus