An eventful evening (short version)

[spudfan]

Short version.
Travelling home yesterday evening in the 2008 2.4 Puma the engine developed a knocking sound so I pulled over. Pulled the bonnet got the Mrs to start the Puma. Once the revs started the knocking started so cut it off. Some weeks ago our daughter who has special needs developed all of the symptoms of a blood clot in her leg. Once in hospital she was being treated for a blood clot but all the test said it was not a blood clot but did not say what it was. So we were sent home and the leg improved over the next week or so. Usually if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. So even though my daughters symptoms look like a blood cloth, walk like a blood clot and quack like a blood clot, it is not a blood clot
Yesterday evening the blood clot symptoms had returned and my daughter's leg did not look great so stranded at the side of the road was not the place to be. Anyway (short version) got the Land Rover towed to a secure place, got home. The Puma is to be recovered today and we have a doctor's appointment for my daughter this afternoon.
The Puma? It could be something as simple as an injector but I was not taking any chances and the engine going bang when driving in traffic.
The way things are going the Puma will be sorted quicker than my daughter.

[shack]

I'm sure there is no doubt a much much longer version to all this.

All the best for your daughter, a little more important, even than a defender...

[Tins]

I hope all is well with your daughter mate.

[Slunnie]

I hope all goes well for your daughter also and the Drs get it all sussed out quickly.

[RANDLOVER]

All the best for your daughter and the Defender.

[V8Ian]

I hope both issues are sorted promptly.

[NavyDiver]

Some dayz playing in your head? Hope its all sorted quickly mate

[spudfan]

Update.
Got a call from the machanic this morning. Grim reading.
Two injector seals went.Exhaust got in. Carboned up the oil and blocked the oil feed pipe. Result a replacement engine or a rebuild. Oil light did not come on, so a fault there.
Even though there is about 218.000kms on the Land Rover (service book in Land Rover) the engine has only done half that, just over 100,000 kms as it was replaced by Land Rover in 2014 owing to the PCJ issue.
Update on my daughter. They are treating the symptoms as they cannot tell us what the root cause is. My daughter is much improved.

[prelude]

Good to read that your daughter is on the up, now let's hope the car will follow. That is a rotten bit of luck :(

Cheers
-P

[spudfan]

Good to read that your daughter is on the up, now let's hope the car will follow. That is a rotten bit of luck :(

Cheers
-P
Thank you for that.
We are waiting on a further scan for my daughter and an appointment with the blood specialist.

The annoying thing about the Land Rover is that it is well serviced and looked after. Anything that needs done is done. Engine/filter usually no more than 8,000kms. The strange thing is that doing my regular oil level checks the oil always looks good. Wipes off the fingers straight away leaving no residue so not loaded up with impurities.(See below)
I cannot fathom how the oil feed was getting blocked and that the oil pressure light did not come on at idling. If cannot have gotten blocked in one sudden movement so to speak. The oil filter does not show undue contamination, just normal oil. I use Hengst oil filters as they used to be white so anything untoward would show up. Hengst stopped making white filters. To be floored by something as simple as exhaust getting in passed injectors seals is annoying. I use to take comfort in the fact that I did not possess one of the modern Land Rover self destructing engines. I was actually thinking of the output shaft and getting it checked in case it went and left us stranded!
I have decided to get the engine repaired. This leaves me at the mercy of a third party but the mechanic currently looking after the Land Rover has had work done by him before and recommends him.
While the Land Rover is out of action I am considering getting the output shaft checked but with over 200,000kms on the original shaft perhaps I should leave well enough alone.
You do all of the checks and preventive maintenance but it will be the unexpected that gets you....

(I mentioned this some years ago here but I will do so again to explain the above. Some years ago a heavy machinery driver told me that when he worked overseas in out of the way places, every morning he would check the oil level of his bulldozer. Then he would run the dipstick through his fingers and wipe them with a cloth. If the oil came off his fingers without leaving a residue it was still good and fit for service. If on the otherhand it remained on your fingers and you needed to scrub it off it was time for a change.
Also if you rubbed the dipstick between your thumb and finger then slowly moved them apart and the oil stretched between your thumb and finger it was still good.
This was before mobile phones and the fitter/mechinic came once a week so these checks served a purpose. I know oil has come a long way since then but I still do these checks.)

[prelude]

Let's hope the bloodwork comes back clean or at the very least with a solution!

Regarding the engine, I feel your frustration. I myself would desperately want to know why and how this could happen so that I might try and prevent it. Still, I exchange my engine oil every 5k religiously and still my bearings do have some minor signs of wear. It almost makes me want to add a pre-oiler, ie a tank than stores about a litre of oil that is pushed into the system before you start so that there is minimal wear during starting.

Oil pressure lights are a joke. I used to own a Honda diesel (the only engine they ever made, the 2.2ictdi) which ran with 3 litres of oil missing! no light, but the crankshaft died in the mean time.

I have always done my own car maintenance, including rebuilding engines etc. The only thing I can't do is diesel pumps and I have never done an automatic gearbox. Still, I bought my V8 from RPI since I really wanted to have "the perfect" engine. It managed to break in the mean time anyway, in proper land rover fashion :) Should I have done it myself? not sure.

Anyway, keep us posted!
Cheers,
-P

[spudfan]

Got this today from the mechanic.
", engines out and stripped, it's going tomorrow to to get rebuild, and I've the turbo going tomorrow also to get checked, the injectors will be sent out on Friday, for check and reconditioning"

Will not know the full damage to the engine until it is stripped. Might not be too bad then again it could be very bad. Turbo being checked incase there was oil starvation.
Engine oil check light works on start up to show that the circuit is O.K.
The Land Rover side of things is moving, unfortunately the tests for my daughter are not.

[V8Ian]

Is it not a simple ultrasound needed for your daughter?
Good news on the Land Rover front, but your daughter is more important.
I hope both issues are resolved promptly.

[spudfan]

Yes it is an ultrasound scan. They did these before including her leg but nothing showed up. Her doctor has requested an ultrasound scan on her mid regions which was not done before. She is in good fettle now as her symptoms have well eased. We would like to get to the bottom of this as her leg did not look too good at that last outbreak.
Symptoms. Leg was swollen. The bad leg was six cm bigger around the calf than the other leg. It was very red, dry,warm and hard. This time the skin cracked like little cuts down her leg. Probably due to the dryness of the skin and the swelling. These did scab over and are well cleared now. This is the first time we had these cuts or leisions. It would be a relief to get to the bottom of this. When this does occur my wife takes photos and emails them to the local doctor.
Regarding the Land Rover, hopefully some answers will emerge once the engine gets a thorough examination to find out what needs repaired. Now that the engine is out it would be a good time to get the clutch checked, the intermediate shaft checked and get the rear crossmember replaced. I am holding off on these until I get the report on the engine.
Normally I am a great believer in preventive maintenance. If anything shows up during a service or I notice anything that might be an issue down the line, I get it seen too and replaced as necessary straight away. This incident with the engine has floored me. A couple of weeks before this incident I noticed some small oil stains on the ground below the Puma at the front. On examination (classic lying on the ground looking up at the engine pose) I noticed oil on the front of the sump . Seemed to be originating from behind the lower pulley. I had it examined and the crankshaft oil seal was replaced. I do attend to issues straight away. The wife (and daughter) always inform me of any strange noises or issues that they notice when driving. They can be highly inventive with their performances discribing these too me. Like a quiz show,"Guess this Noise"!

[workingonit]

It was very red, dry,warm and hard.

No doubt it could one of a hundred things, but for me, having had it, cellulitis springs to mind. Infection got in through a wound the size of a pin head. Drip fed antibiotics for two days. Hope it all goes well for your daughter.

[spudfan]

Hello.
Thanks for that. This is cindition with our daughter flares up regularly. The first instance we considered it might be an infection but as it recurs on a regular basis we feel something is triggering it. She has had antibiotics to help her. She is 29 and has Down Syndrome so her immune system is a little different to ours! I will mention the cellulitis to the doctor incase she has not been checked for it.
Once again many thanks
Thomas

[shack]

Hey Spudfan,

Your inbox is full and I wanted to contact you..

[spudfan]

Have taken a shovel and emptied some of it!

[spudfan]

Hey Spudfan,

Your inbox is full and I wanted to contact you..
Hello Shack. I received your message ,thank you very much. I was sending a reply but unfortunately.....your inbox is full! Where have I come across that lately[bigwhistle]

[shack]

Hello Shack. I received your message ,thank you very much. I was sending a reply but unfortunately.....your inbox is full! Where have I come across that lately[bigwhistle]There's no doubt a psychological term for that! I'll fix it now.

[V8Ian]

Spud, did you receive my PM?

[spudfan]

No I am afraid not.

[V8Ian]

[bigrolf] I bet you binned it, making space for the complainant. I'll resend it.

[V8Ian]

Winging its way to you again, mate.

[spudfan]

Update.
Got a call. The turbo is ready to collect, it needed a complete rebuild.
The engine postmortem stated today. So far number 1 liner is in a bad way. Do not know if it can be honed or needs to be replaced. More to follow on this end of things. I am expecting a fairly extensive damage list here.
Saw the injectors. Two of the sealing washers were pitted. The nozzles are distorted i.e. flared at the tips on two of them. They go away on Friday to be examined.
The oil pickup pipe was completely caked inside.
He checked the timing end of things. All O.K. here except that everything was covered in a hard gunk like the blocked oil pipe pickup pipe.
The engine oil always came out in good shape. It is amazing the damage that can result from damaged injector seals.
While the engine is out he checked the clutch plate but it and the springs are fine. The clutch slave cylinder will be replaced.
I asked him to check the intermediate shaft but with aboit 218,000 kms on it since new, he told me to leave well enough alone.
When I get more news on the engine I will keep everyone updated.
.................................................. .................................................. ........................................
My daughter is doing fine and her leg is normal. Long may it remain so. Thank you to everyone for your good wishes.

[RANDLOVER]

It's probably a bit late now, but here is another option for a blown Defender engine the Ford 2.3 ecoboost, but it looks like the gearbox has to be changed to the 10 speed auto as well,it's turbocharged but a petrol, the websiterefersto Puma but I don't think Pumas were petrol...Just a moment... (https://fordauthority.com/2025/06/ford-ecoboost-2-3l-engines-power-classic-land-rover-defender-suvs/amp/)

[spudfan]

Latest update on our daughter.
We were referred to a lymphoedema clinic with our daughter. The issue with our daughter's leg was the fluid was not draining out of it. The leg was measured and the measurements sent to a place in Germany where a compression sock was made to fit. My daughter wears this during the day and the improvement in her leg has been quite marked to say the least. The swelling is well down and her leg is soft to the touch again. Infact it is very similar in size to the "good" leg. We are much relieved and very pleased with this result. It is coming from something as simple as a custom made compression sock. Her lymphatic system is damaged so the sock is probably a lifelong accessory but it is better than medication.
The mystery of the red rash and vomiting is still there and by our calculations is due again soon, but hopefully this will not come. We are told that the swelling in the leg, the rash and vomiting are not connected but they always coincide with one another.
Things are improving and has allowed me to catch up on Land Rover things. Things like the electric window driver's side in the 2008 Puma not working. Turned out to be a broken wire previously repaired by me some years ago.
The pump for the window washers needs changed as the existing one is all gummed up and cannot be cleared.
Finally got room in my head for the Land Rover stuff so things are getting back to normal!

[spudfan]

Bit of a relapse this morning so we are not really sure where we stand. The next few hours will be nrevy. An issue is that our daughter will not complain until things get really bad as she does not want a hospital stay with all that involves.
It is the intravenous drip thing that gets her. She has very fine veins and they can be hard to insert. She would put her arms around me and hold me tight and cry while they were doing it. Some personnel were good some needed multiple tries. Also the flushing out was very uncomfortabe for her.

[BradC]

Hey Spud, have you tried asking for a PICC line by any chance? Once inserted it's kinda a plug in sort of affair. There are other tradeoffs in management and weekly dressing changes, but nothing that requires sharps. Commonly used in cancer patients to reduce frequent trauma.

[spudfan]

I will certainly take this up with her doctor. Thank you.
This time the vomiting just came once. The rash did not come. Her leg did start to swell and was very hot to the touch. We started on antibiotics immediately so managing at her. So the relapse was less severe than usual so maybe they will keep getting less.[bigsmile1]