Looking to buy Td5 - problem lookout and advice

[Jethrosocean]

Hi all,
I am sorry if this is an issue already covered or seemingly not worth addressing; I had a trawl through and couldn’t find anything.
I am wanting to buy a Td5 defe preferably in WA... and looking at one currently but it has a couple of issues;
- single clunk when engaging in lower gears (synchros? Maybe not a big deal)
- consistent jumping/shuddering when engaged in diff lock (more concerned about this)
- whining from engine when running (could be anything)
I was not able to look at it myself because of distance but my friend looked at it for me so I can’t know about these for sure. Not that I am remotely a mechanic! I don’t want to buy a dud and fork out thousands for a new transmission or something like that. So any insight that anyone can share would be much appreciated! Any other recommendations on buying a defender for a newbie would also be appreciated.
Thank you.

[mfc]

If the jumping ,clunking shuddering etc is on for down or the likes it could be a sloppy driveline[uni joints, worn drive flanges etc etc diff slop.] it adds up in landies...you’d be able to sis it out with a pry bar and jack...even worn bushes will give you clonks on braking acceleration etc
If the wine is more a whistling rattle they do warp exhaust manifolds and break studs...otherwise I’d be sticking a screwdriver on the idlers
Water pump even
Sone known issues are oil in injector loom[fixable]...pull both the plug at the ecu [under drivers seat..and at front of engine[round plug on drivers side front of rocker cover].exhaust manifold and studs..check all the bolts are there and look for sooty/oily spots ,if there’s not broken studs it’s easy enough to fix...new gasket and studs while it’s off and get the manifold flattened out.
Traction control and abs light.....if this is on its will light when you start[if the bulb hasn’t been taken out] abs should come on if you hit the brakes hard on a dirt road.same with tc..same light will come on on loose surfaces if you give it a bit......if it stays on it’s ****ty to find what’s wrong and fix ..costly and a crappy job.
Fuel pump....if it’s realy noisey[you can compare it to a d2 disco or a good defender]...there expensive 500 upwards ..one thing is to cut an access panel for the pump as soon as you get it..I’ve had to cut one in a caravan park with 100 litres in a long range tank.way better to be able to get to it from above
I’ve had clonking gearbox issues that were fixed for me, turned out to be a case of adjusting the gate from within the car ...if there grinding it’s a wear issue...different grade gearbox oils can effect shifting to,for example someone has put in an oil that’s better in the heat and it’s the middle of winter there harder to shift..
If it’s 2002 or older and has the salsbury diff[the rear will be larger than the front housing] there stronger than the rover diffs...
Look for a good service history if you can
Also it’s well worth taking it to a landy mechanic before u buy...they’ll be able to pick up all the issues
In saying that I didn’t ,and I’ve had issues but none that I’d be shocked to get in another brand of car seeing as how mines used
Cheers mark

[mfc]

Get up under and around the rear crossmember and check for rust where the chassis meets the crossmember, and have a look at the front foot wells as well

[Gillie]

Engine whine may be a harmonic balancer. You should get some change out of $2,000 to get that issue fixed.

[JoshV12345]

Hi all,
I am sorry if this is an issue already covered or seemingly not worth addressing; I had a trawl through and couldn’t find anything.
I am wanting to buy a Td5 defe preferably in WA... and looking at one currently but it has a couple of issues;
- single clunk when engaging in lower gears (synchros? Maybe not a big deal)
- consistent jumping/shuddering when engaged in diff lock (more concerned about this)
- whining from engine when running (could be anything)
I was not able to look at it myself because of distance but my friend looked at it for me so I can’t know about these for sure. Not that I am remotely a mechanic! I don’t want to buy a dud and fork out thousands for a new transmission or something like that. So any insight that anyone can share would be much appreciated! Any other recommendations on buying a defender for a newbie would also be appreciated.
Thank you.

I wouldn’t be buying anything, especially a Land Rover without getting it looked at by someone who knows what to look for. Even little jobs can be annoying and time consuming to fix if you’ve never done it before. I’d be looking for a car in better condition given the issues you’ve found.

[Jethrosocean]

If the jumping ,clunking shuddering etc is on for down or the likes it could be a sloppy driveline[uni joints, worn drive flanges etc etc diff slop.] it adds up in landies...you’d be able to sis it out with a pry bar and jack...even worn bushes will give you clonks on braking acceleration etc
If the wine is more a whistling rattle they do warp exhaust manifolds and break studs...otherwise I’d be sticking a screwdriver on the idlers
Water pump even
Sone known issues are oil in injector loom[fixable]...pull both the plug at the ecu [under drivers seat..and at front of engine[round plug on drivers side front of rocker cover].exhaust manifold and studs..check all the bolts are there and look for sooty/oily spots ,if there’s not broken studs it’s easy enough to fix...new gasket and studs while it’s off and get the manifold flattened out.
Traction control and abs light.....if this is on its will light when you start[if the bulb hasn’t been taken out] abs should come on if you hit the brakes hard on a dirt road.same with tc..same light will come on on loose surfaces if you give it a bit......if it stays on it’s ****ty to find what’s wrong and fix ..costly and a crappy job.
Fuel pump....if it’s realy noisey[you can compare it to a d2 disco or a good defender]...there expensive 500 upwards ..one thing is to cut an access panel for the pump as soon as you get it..I’ve had to cut one in a caravan park with 100 litres in a long range tank.way better to be able to get to it from above
I’ve had clonking gearbox issues that were fixed for me, turned out to be a case of adjusting the gate from within the car ...if there grinding it’s a wear issue...different grade gearbox oils can effect shifting to,for example someone has put in an oil that’s better in the heat and it’s the middle of winter there harder to shift..
If it’s 2002 or older and has the salsbury diff[the rear will be larger than the front housing] there stronger than the rover diffs...
Look for a good service history if you can
Also it’s well worth taking it to a landy mechanic before u buy...they’ll be able to pick up all the issues
In saying that I didn’t ,and I’ve had issues but none that I’d be shocked to get in another brand of car seeing as how mines used
Cheers mark

Thanks a lot Mark. I really appreciate the extensive info. I’ll keep a note of all of those things.

Interesting about your works on the fuel pump 👍🏼

On the salsbury diff, would you say that they are better on the pre-2002 or post?

Yep. Simple advice. And this one doesn’t have that and it’s got a bit of wear and tear indicating lack of care... so I’ll be cautious about it.

Cheers!

[Jethrosocean]

I wouldn’t be buying anything, especially a Land Rover without getting it looked at by someone who knows what to look for. Even little jobs can be annoying and time consuming to fix if you’ve never done it before. I’d be looking for a car in better condition given the issues you’ve found.

Cheers mate. Yeah good advice. I’m going to take my time in looking for a good one... seems a tough task at the moment as td5s that aren’t flogged and/or heavily modified are being snapped up at good prices. Appreciate the help.

[Jethrosocean]

Engine whine may be a harmonic balancer. You should get some change out of $2,000 to get that issue fixed.

👍🏼 Cheers. Definitely something for me to be wary of then.

[Gillie]

👍🏼 Cheers. Definitely something for me to be wary of then.


I was told they fail prematurely on vehicles that spend alot of time idling. Mine failed at around 145K but spent some time of its life as a fire appliance which typically spend alot of time idling. Not sure if its true or not.

[mfc]

Thanks a lot Mark. I really appreciate the extensive info. I’ll keep a note of all of those things.

Interesting about your works on the fuel pump [emoji1360]

On the salsbury diff, would you say that they are better on the pre-2002 or post?

Yep. Simple advice. And this one doesn’t have that and it’s got a bit of wear and tear indicating lack of care... so I’ll be cautious about it.

Cheers!

Much stronger than the river diff .... a set of maxi drive axles and a Detroit locker and U will never have to worry about the rear .... only thing is they have less clearance than the post 2002 diffs

[Bigbjorn]

The T in TD5 stands for trouble. Keep well away from worn or heavily used ones.

Get a good Perenti.