TD5 Head – Recondition or Replace?

[James]

Is it better to replace or recondition the cylinder head?

My 1999 Defender TD5 with 105,000 K has symptoms of the dreaded ‘head shuffle’.
The well maintained cooling system is being over-pressurised.
There is no sign of water in the oil, oil in the water or increased oil level.
To the best of my knowledge it has never been overheated.

It seems that the early TD5 heads suffer multiple problems, including cracking around the injectors (fuel into the oil) and porosity.
Perhaps the money spent re-conditioning would be better put toward a new head.

This vehicle is a keeper and I want it to be reliable long term.
Many of us have been faced with the same problem.
Which is the best way to go?

Thanks in advance.
James

[djam1]

I would replace it with an AMC head it deals with pretty well all of the weaknesses.
Dont forget to replace the plastic dowels with steel ones

[D110V8D]

I'm looking at this situation at the moment as well unfortunately. :(

I am seriously considering replacing the head. I have read too many bad things about early TD5 heads to even want to do all that work and risk something else being an issue.

I did read that replacing the plastic dowels with steel ones on early TD5's could be bad, causing cracking of the head or even block? :eek:

Don't know how true that is though. Anyone with any real world experience of this?

[PhilipA]

Shouldn't you check whether it is a simple head gasket job first?
From what I have read 105KK seems very low even for a head gasket.
Do you have it chipped or tow something very heavy?

Regards Philip A

[Robdog_89]

I'd replace the head gasket first and fit steel dowels as well - it might be that simple. I've got a '99 td5 and it blew the gasket, all it needed was machining and it's been fine for the last 50k or so.

It's pretty easy job to change the gasket yourself too - but for gods sake but genuine head bolts or you will regret it.

I can send you more info including pics on the job if you're interested.

[Psimpson7]

Just do the gasket. Also, I run the LR steel dowels in my 01 and have had no drama. Just check the length if you have any concerns.

[130man]

Hi , I second the idea of doing the head gasket first. I buggered up my TD5 head earlier this year but at least I got 300,000km out of it first. A contributing factor was the corrosion of the water pump which reduced the volume of water going around the motor. It may be worth checking that your water pump, which is not behind the fan, is pumping correctly. How that is best done is up to you or your mechanics. I went the AMC road as I was advised that a proper recon job was not all that much cheaper than an AMC new head and that they were a significant improvement on the original. Hope this helps. Cheers, 130man.

[James]

Thanks everyone for all the info, you have certainly given me plenty to think about.
Things have been a bit hectic for me, my apologies for not responding sooner.




D110V8D I am seriously considering replacing the head. I have read too many bad things about early TD5 heads to even want to do all that work and risk something else being an issue.
This is my main concern. The early heads have a poor reputation for reliability. I only want to fix it once.



PhilipA Shouldn't you check whether it is a simple head gasket job first?
From what I have read 105KK seems very low even for a head gasket.
Do you have it chipped or tow something very heavy?
Good questions Phillip.
I have kept the engine standard.
Overall the vehicle has been set up for extended outback touring. The weight is now around 2700 kg.
The head problem started after I towed an 8’ x 5’ single axle furniture van from the Blue Mountains to Melbourne. In 10 years of ownership, it was the first time the vehicle had been run for a long time with a load.

105,000 k does seem low for a head gasket. However the vehicle is now 14 years old. If I put a new head on and it lasted another 14 years I would be happy with that.



Robdog_89 I'd replace the head gasket first and fit steel dowels as well - it might be that simple. I've got a '99 td5 and it blew the gasket, all it needed was machining and it's been fine for the last 50k or so.

It's pretty easy job to change the gasket yourself too - but for gods sake but genuine head bolts or you will regret it.

I can send you more info including pics on the job if you're interested.
Great to hear that you have had success with replacing the gasket.
Doing the job myself was not something that I had considered. It would make an excellent project and a good way to get to know the TD5.
Thanks for the offer of pics, will let you know if I go down this path.



130man Hi , I second the idea of doing the head gasket first. I buggered up my TD5 head earlier this year but at least I got 300,000km out of it first. A contributing factor was the corrosion of the water pump which reduced the volume of water going around the motor. It may be worth checking that your water pump, which is not behind the fan, is pumping correctly. How that is best done is up to you or your mechanics. I went the AMC road as I was advised that a proper recon job was not all that much cheaper than an AMC new head and that they were a significant improvement on the original. Hope this helps.
The water pump started weeping and was replaced at 90,000 k.
More recently the radiator was replaced after the header tank started leaking. It’s possible that this was the result of the cooling system over pressurising.
I have also relaced the coolant bottle cap.

Reliability is important to me.
I do not want to risk destroying the engine by overheating or by filling the sump with diesel.

It seems that the AMC head addresses some of the inherent weaknesses of the early TD5 heads.
Are people getting good mileages out of them?