Thread: Which engine in Defender 130 for the big trip?

Originally Posted by mcrover

Funny thing about timing belts, they are pretty much in 90% of all cars on the road these days but some people just dont like having to do a little maintenance.

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You just dont get it do you! So have sensors, and ecu's

[QUOTE=weeds;835717]

Originally Posted by dutchontoast

Only the prop, gearbox, diff and axle have broken? That's - encouraging dave! I only hope the defender hasn't got same gearbox, diff and axle as the disco...good chance

Does anyone care to comment on the overheating issue on long climbs? Go slower and keep the revs down comes to mind, any other suggestions? I suppose the outback has all the challenges you can throw at a defender, bar the long/steep climbs... if you cross the simpson desert you will have 1000+ short steep climbs....... [/quote]

As far as the axles and diffs goes, in a 300Tdi 130 it should have a Salsbury in the back but the same as the Disco in the front and there are stronger options that can be fitted and that would be part of my trip prep for a trip like this.

For long steep climbs you should use a lower gear so the engine isnt working so hard, if the revs are up the water pump is turning faster which may allow more flow through the engine but the main trick is to unload the engine.

[quote=mcrover;835704]

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Well then any aussie delivered 130 is going to be out of the question then isnt it Brian.

Funny thing about timing belts, they are pretty much in 90% of all cars on the road these days but some people just dont like having to do a little maintenance.

Timing belt is a non issue it is a serviceable item and you change it at the required interval and set it up correctly there is no reason you will have a problem.

Gear train conversions were crap apparently in the 300Tdi and timing chains fail nearly as commonly as timing belts as well as they are noisy.

Theres negatives to everything, and not everyone want to drive a sidevalve V8.

Well, take it one item at a time.

Just because your estimate of 90% of cars now have them does not make this a good design feature.
The only reason for Gilmer belt cam drives is cheapness of manufacture. There is no benefit from this innovation to anyone else except maybe the parts and service departments of a dealership. There is no benefit to the owners and operators. Gilmer belt cam drives are an added item of maintenance, and an additional point of potential failure.

I have a County-Isuzu which has a gear driven camshaft and is not beholden to fragile electronic systems for propulsion.

I lived and worked in remote areas of outback Queensland and would never have an electronic belt driven vehicle in this service. The mind boggles at touring the more remote and dangerous parts of the third world in one. You could die.

I commenced an apprenticeship as a fitter-machinist in 1957 and spent the bulk of my working life, owning, operating, building, repairing, maintaining, selling cars, trucks, ships, mobile and stationary plant all over Australia. I know what works, what is reliable, and what is easily fixed and maintained in bad conditions. Simplicity & sturdiness are the buzz words. I have never had a timing chain or gear drive fail in any machine I owned or operated. I only ever replaced failed fibre timing gears on a few cars long ago. Otherwise I only ever replaced gear or chain cam drives on high hour/mileage major overhauls, or when buliding a competition engine. I repeat, belt drives fail.

As to not liking to do maintenance, replacing belts is an unecessary item of maintenance forced upon the owner by a cheap design. Try running a fleet of heavy prime movers in Western Queensland or the NT pulling multiple trailers in potholes and dust, each running 150,000-200,000+ k's per annum and you will soon learn about real maintenance. Up to your **** in oil, grease, red dust, livestock poo, mud in season, spare parts a week and a 1000 k's away. You don't need more maintenance.
This is not maintaining your Ascham/St.Margaret's metallic paint carpeted city 4WD, changing the belt every few years and maybe rotating the tyres.

[quote=Brian Hjelm;836058]

Originally Posted by mcrover

Simplicity & sturdiness are the buzz words. … I repeat, belt drives fail…

Hi Brian - sounds like you know what you're talking about!

However, i'm confused… you advise against belt drives… which suggests you advise against TDI, which brings us to the TD5 engine… which has electronics… which is no good in the middle of nowhere… or is it? :-)

I don't really want to go to the expense of fitting an Isuzu engine in the 130… for one the resale value in the UK of a 130 with Isuzu engine is questionable…

Kai

Hi Kai - I put up a separate post 3 or 4 days ago about a good book to read, but don't know if you'd seen it, so am doing an off topic link in this thread:
Some reading for DutchOnToast (Kai)

Cheers
David

Kai,
2 years ago I would have sounded like all the doom sayers and condemned the TD5, but like my original post I still believe it is a realistic alternative. You need to remember by the time you leave any TDi you buy is going to be at least 10 maybe 20 years old, if you can find a low mileage, one or two owner vehicle with known history, go for it, but dont rule out a late model TD5, far better chance of getting a vehicle that has a known history and by far the simplest - for you to repair - fuel system with a bit of basic knowledge. You will not need to find a mechanic who only has a cold chisel and hammer to repair your vehicle. With a Nanocom (which is cheap) and knowledge of the simple electronic monitoring system and what each component does and doesn't do you will have no problem doing your own diagnostics. Bottom line, forget about engine types, buy the best value vehicle with the most honest history and lowest milage.
By the way my Isuzu County did a head gasket (I didn't know full history when I bought it) and subsequently bent a conrod and cracked the block, hence the reason I have a TD5.

Rick

Thanks David! I'm getting it - looks like a fantastic read…

Kai

[QUOTE=dutchontoast;836073]

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Hi Brian - sounds like you know what you're talking about!

However, i'm confused… you advise against belt drives… which suggests you advise against TDI, which brings us to the TD5 engine… which has electronics… which is no good in the middle of nowhere… or is it? :-)

I don't really want to go to the expense of fitting an Isuzu engine in the 130… for one the resale value in the UK of a 130 with Isuzu engine is questionable…

Kai

Amongst the reasons I bought the County-Isuzu are that it does not have a rubber band and does not have electronic systems. I had such a doing with modern cars and electronic failures that I cried enough. My late model Falcon ute has been tilt trayed to the dealership on no less than eight occasions with disabling electronic failures. Once it stopped on a station track in far Western Queensland and had to be towed (78 k's) to the homestead and thne put on a truck back to Winton. Call me a Luddite if you i will, but the Isuzu 4BD1's are almost perpetual in their reliability and longevity, and will probably dispute control of our planet with the cockroaches after the nuclear holocaust.