Thread: 300 Tdi FAULTS

I have a defender with 300tdi, had 350k when I got it about 2 years ago. To be honest, most of the things in your list I have either had to do or ignored. Most of that stuff is pretty easy home jobs so long as you invest some time doing thorough research on the job. I get the impression a lot of jobs gone bad come from people not knowing what they are getting into.

Originally Posted by WillsTdi

engine & gearbox mounts 'sagging' [COLOR="rgb(139, 0, 0)"] probably not unusual [/COLOR]
rear tailshaft coupling torn
front and rear trailing arm bushes worn done that, normal thing. Do all of them, they will all be stuffed
fuel filler hose perished
'various' engine oil leaks i was under it this morning looking for a new one!
oil cooler hoses leaking is it on a stage joint? If so swap it out quick smart, I had one blow on the road, spontaneous oil change!
left hand rear axle seal leaking yep
rear brake pads and rotors very worn yep
power steering hoses leakingfrom resovoir or pump? I think it's only a problem if the pressure side of the pump leaks. My resovoir leaks a little
left front hub grease cap missing.
There are others, like a non functioning steering damper and new wiper arms needed as well as a brake system flush, auto transmission service, diff & transfer case oil changes.

Do the fluid changes I think unless you know for sure they are up to date. The guy that owned mine was a bit random on his work!

all minor and all DIY.

the oil leak is most likely going to be the rockercover gasket, the oil lines on the filter themrostat for the cooler or the turbo oil feed/return line.

good solid days work to sort the lot. The engine mounts will probably be the most swearword inducing.

Thanks Guys. I'd love to able to do all the repairs myself, but a severe work related back injury means I can't take any risks of doing more & permanent damage. I have a good mechanic I've used for over a decade, money spent on labour is better than ending up totally incapacitated and unable to earn any income at all. I don't wish to go to that place I was seven years ago!


I guess I was shocked at first sight of the list, but as I want to keep the Disco long term I'll be spending the cash[well, the Banks cash]to get it up to par. I've already ordered and paid deposit on an Xrox winch bar and a set of ARB sidesteps[so I can reach the roof basket without straining] Looking forward to getting it all sorted so I can take it offroad and onto the beach knowing it'll be reliable and safe.

My vacuum pump had an oil leak when I got it. Another place to look.

Originally Posted by tonic

My vacuum pump had an oil leak when I got it. Another place to look.

What is a symptom of that? The Disco starts instantly hot or cold, and does everything it should. The only obvious fault was the crook serpentine belt that was squeaking, it was missing a full row of rubber along its full length as if a piece had been cut off it

Originally Posted by WillsTdi

What is a symptom of that? The Disco starts instantly hot or cold, and does everything it should. The only obvious fault was the crook serpentine belt that was squeaking, it was missing a full row of rubber along its full length as if a piece had been cut off it

Oil leaking from it onto your diff and steering dampener..... Mainly

Originally Posted by Robmacca

Oil leaking from it onto your diff and steering dampener..... Mainly

OK, cool. The servicing mechanic gave the whole engine & front half of the chassis a thorough degrease yesterday and with the limited running the engine has had since then all I can see is a slight weep from the rocker cover gasket Touch wood

Originally Posted by WillsTdi

..................... The only obvious fault was the crook serpentine belt that was squeaking, it was missing a full row of rubber along its full length as if a piece had been cut off it

This is worth a closer look. It may be that the belt had been installed '1 rib out' so the flange on the side of a ribbed pulley has guillotined the edge off the belt or it could be that the belt pulleys aren't aligned properly causing the belt to skew causing the same problem.


I had a similar problem where the belt tensioner was worn internally and its internal spring skewed the pulley which caused the belt to jump one notch which caused the same problem. The previous owner had installed a piece of flat plastic (looked like it was cut out of an ice cream container) in a semi circle shape mounted vertically between the head and the tensioner to offset the skew (if that makes any sense ). It worked very effectively.


Deano