Mid life refurb?

[Treads]

Our old girl ('95 Defender Tdi300 Wagon) ticked over 367,000km on the way home from our big summer trip today! :eek:

We did 3,164km (150km of dirt/gravel, 1,900km of 'B' roads & the rest freeway), all of it towing 750kg of camper trailer and it never skipped a beat.

She used 409 litres of diesel, giving us an average fuel consumption of 12.93L/100km (21.85MPG) and costing about $610 :o

So the question is: What do we do with her now?

She got a new gearbox and transfer back in August and a new set of shocks earlier in the year. Last year saw a new radiator, water pump, hoses, etc.

The engine is getting tired, lacks power and is chewing belts. The interior is getting untidy and she definitely needs some TLC. She'll need new rubber in the next 12 months and I'm thinking of ditching the 255/85's in favour of either 235/85's or 265/75's. There's a vibration from somewhere between 85-95km/h on certain surfaces and I occasionally notice some diff whine from the front.

Do I get the motor rebuilt or start from scratch and put something else in?


Advice needed! :)

Edit - I'll probably take her off the road mid year and do something similar to Bushman83 here: http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-tutorials/151777-around-australia-touring-defender-build.html

I'm just about to get myself a xmas pressie by ordering some new gear from http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/shop/

[redrovertdi]

refresh the engine and tidy up the interior and a bit of general tlc-stick with what you know

[PAT303]

Funny enough now I'm keeping my Tdi with over 400k on her I'm going to give her a midlife clean-up,with the cost of parts from the UK so cheap it's an easy thing to do. Pat

[The ho har's]

Assume you are talking about the 110 not Tulips/Megan getting tired:o:)

Your fuel compsumption seems reasonable. Go with what you know, hey throw in a 4BD1T in it:twisted:, they will be for sale soon:D

Mrs hh:angel:

[justinc]

Refurb is the way.:D

Recycling is what these vehicles are all about:)

My 110 is a 1985, now 209,000km on the clock.

Was a V8, now an Isuzu turbo.

When I rescued it, it was destined to be a chook house at 190,000km! due to the purchaser only needing the running gear, not the body shell:o

I anticipate seeing many, many years yet:)

JC

[Treads]

So who should I get to do the work on the engine, and how much should I budget for?

[justinc]

the budget is entirely to do with your love of the vehicle and your expectation of lifespan

jc

[Treads]

I'm gathering that a block-up rebuild would be preferable? ;)

Would say $4-5k be a realistic figure?



Minimum then would be new piston rings, assorted gaskets, seals, timing kit, bearings?

[wrinklearthur]

I'm gathering that a block-up rebuild would be preferable? ;) Would say $4-5k be a realistic figure?
Minimum then would be new piston rings, assorted gaskets, seals, timing kit, bearings?
I'm thinking that a new head at anything over 250,000Klms would be good insurance as well.
Fit a set of thrust washers on the crankshaft, especially if there has been a lot of clutch work in that Landy's past.
.

[justinc]

RE the rebuild of the engine, check the compressions first, does it use oil or have excessive blowby? If not, then leave it be, with the exception of head issues if overheated etc these engines last and last.

Crank failures are quite rare, if a 1998/99 build these seem to be the ones prone to bearing and subsequent crank damage at higher mileages IME.

Done properly, 4 to 5 K isn't enough if factoring in a new head and labour etc. More like $7K to 8K+ if sleeving the block, drive in drive out includes new radiator cooling system components like water pump and all hoses, labour etc . The last 2 high KM rebuilds we have done have been sleeved back to standard bores, mainly due to one having porous bores and the other already been rebuilt and was at +.040"

They are a great little engine and we have a few at 400 to 500,000km with no major problems encountered except for operator error....:o


Also, Fitting an engine saver alarm and replacing the expansion tank is also now a warranty must if I supply an engine and/or cylinder head.

JC