Buying A TD5 110

[Wells97]

Hey guys
Going to have a second look at a 2003 td5 110 tommorow, whats some stuff to look for.. obviously there were some drips of oil but other than that couldnt see anything wrong with it, 240k on the clock serviced regularly rarely taken offroad clutch replaced a year ago etc

[jimr1]

I've had a Disco 2 , and I have a td5 Defender , I think that It is a good engine , There are plenty on here that would say the same !!.. Jim :)

[Patchy]

The usual TD5 problems would be....

Exhaust manifold warped : Not a huge issue get a spare manifold deweb it then refaced and a kit off ebay then swap it over when time suits

Engine oil in engine loom: look under drivers seat base in ECU compartment if there's engine oil in there the engine loom inside the engine will need doing.... very easy and fairly cheap job. Causes miss fires and other crappy little faults mine would miss at high speeds causing vibration

Oil leaks: mine was coverd in them when I got her.... sump gasket, rocker cover gasket, turbo drain and now leak free.

Fuel reg leaks: Not uncommon and not a big issue easy to replace but not the cheapest part going... its on drivers side back of engine tends to leak fuel into starter motor causing that to fail usually smell it before its seen.

Driveline backlash: Can be excessive but most commonly worn half shaft and drive members are to blame... simple jack up remove a wheel where the axle comes out in drive member watch that as you rotate the hub u will see if its got a lot of play...

I'm a mechanic and had all these bar the fuel reg issue with mine when I purchased it a year ago the td5 if mechanically minded is a very simple engine to work on and the one I purchased had full service history I put it down to a lot of mechanics see a land rover and simply say its not a toyota or nissan and dont know what to look for or care.... All those issues I used to get a better price hope it helps.

[Wells97]

Cheers for the response guys!