Thread: Runaway TD5

Originally Posted by justinc

Last one we saw was caused by the failure of the turbocharger, bearings failed and then the shaft actually broke in 2, injecting engine oil at high pressure into the inlet and exhaust sides of the turbo, drawing it into the engine via the intake system and presto. He Was able to prevent complete destruction by stalling engine out (Was a manual thank goodness) and you'd only get one chance at that I reckon

The owner had apparently noticed a lack of power for some time, presumably as the turboblades were striking the housing continually as the bearings failed, and a lack of boost would've been the result.

JC

THis is exactly what happened to my TD5 Defender 50km's out of Darwin on my return trip to West Australia.. I had to stall mine out and amazing amount of white smoke out of the exhaust.. I got lucky and only had to replace the turbo as we caught it... thankfully seeing as I have a brand new head that was only 3 weeks old.

Morning All

I almost had a similar issue with my 2002 Defender TD5. Happened to read a post on Land Rover Zone about the exact same issue which resulted in the guy having to replace the turbo and the head and emptying almost £3k out of his wallet.......

So I decided to have a look at my oil level, and it was around 2cm above the upper fill level. Changed the oil and checked the level a week later, and once again it was above the upper mark. So I changed the oil again, and got the injector seals changed. This didn't help.

So got it booked in at our local dealer, declined their offer of a refurb head, and bought a new AMC head from Turner Engineering in Surrey (Landrover were initially not too happy about this).

Turns out my head was cracked around injectors 2,3 and 4. Caught it earlt, so it cost a little over £2k....

Before I got the new head, I googled "TD5 diesel in oil" (that's how I found AULRO) and it looks like it is a very common problem, so well worth looking out for.

Tom

Originally Posted by Galladry

Hey Guys wondering if anyone here has experienced the following and has any ideas of what sort of repair costs I could be up for ?

I had almost completed my morning 63k commute in to work on Friday morning when sitting idling at lights in neutral my disco revs up to about 6000 rpm by itself and stays there, first I turn off the ignition, then remove the key, all the while the poor td5 is belching out phenomenal amounts of black smoke. This continued for probably about 20 seconds (seemed soo much longer) before the coolant boiled and exploded everywhere. The engine then idled down and eventually stopped after much coughing and spluttering.

I manage to roll to the side of the road (not so easy on bowen bridge road at 7 am).

Leading up to this happening I can say that there where a few small things I had noticed but not taken much notice of which probably added to or was caused by this problem. They where 1. Reduced performance over the period of about 6 months, 2. blowing more smoke than usual on the days leading up to (but still within normal diesel amounts) 3. fuel economy fell through the floor in the last full tank I ran.

I have been told about the possibility of diesel entering the engine via a cracked head or head gasket, this is the most likely scenario according to the mechanic I had it towed to. Im after second opinions before I get the mechanic report on Monday.

Thanks Tom. Glad you caught it in time.

For those that want to know, here is the link to Turner Engineering.

Land Rover TD5 cylinder head LDF500170, LDF500160, 300TDI cylinder head, 2.0TCie Freelander cylinder head LDF107830L, 2.5 & 2.5TD cylinder head, STC 803, LDF109390L 1.8 Freelander petrol cylinder head, crankshafts 300TDI, 200TDI, spin on oil filter a

So here is the damage !

Just got off the phone from the mechanic. This is the list so far.

2 x injectors
1 x new head
1 x new piston (to replace the one that melted)
4 x glow plugs
1 x fuel regulator
1 x fuel cooler
4 x Glow plug wiring loom boots
1 x glow plug wiring loom

Luckily most of the damage was contained to the motor, the turbo and intercooler where undamaged. I have tracked down a checked and pressure tested stripped long motor from British Offroad for a reasonable $3650 with 3 month warranty and $550 exchange on the cactus motor.
Probably looking at a total of $7k ish once its all said and done. Im told Im getting away with it fairly lightly but my wallet says otherwise.

I wonder if there is an engine oil level sensor you can get which warns you when its too high not just too low ?

Originally Posted by Galladry

So here is the damage !

Just got off the phone from the mechanic. This is the list so far.

2 x injectors
1 x new head
1 x new piston (to replace the one that melted)
4 x glow plugs
1 x fuel regulator
1 x fuel cooler
4 x Glow plug wiring loom boots
1 x glow plug wiring loom

Luckily most of the damage was contained to the motor, the turbo and intercooler where undamaged. I have tracked down a checked and pressure tested stripped long motor from British Offroad for a reasonable $3650 with 3 month warranty and $550 exchange on the cactus motor.
Probably looking at a total of $7k ish once its all said and done. Im told Im getting away with it fairly lightly but my wallet says otherwise.

I wonder if there is an engine oil level sensor you can get which warns you when its too high not just too low ?

Ouch!!!!!!!! You have got me worring. Hope it goes well. I only drive my Disco on weekends now as i have a company vehicle. So I guess when you change the oil, do not fill it past the top mark on the dipstick so you can keep check on the level.
Regards Robbo.

Originally Posted by Galladry

So here is the damage !

Just got off the phone from the mechanic. This is the list so far.

2 x injectors
1 x new head
1 x new piston (to replace the one that melted)
4 x glow plugs
1 x fuel regulator
1 x fuel cooler
4 x Glow plug wiring loom boots
1 x glow plug wiring loom

Luckily most of the damage was contained to the motor, the turbo and intercooler where undamaged. I have tracked down a checked and pressure tested stripped long motor from British Offroad for a reasonable $3650 with 3 month warranty and $550 exchange on the cactus motor.
Probably looking at a total of $7k ish once its all said and done. Im told Im getting away with it fairly lightly but my wallet says otherwise.

I wonder if there is an engine oil level sensor you can get which warns you when its too high not just too low ?

Did the mechanic say that the fuel reg and cooler require replacing as a direct result of the incident?

gawd, I really feel for you....that sort of cost makes some sort of safety mechanism essential!!! Wonder why they don't have one?

The ECU would have registered overboost and cut the fuel supply off.
It makes no difference as the engine is now running on the diesel mixed with the sump oil.Removing the key as reported makes no difference.If you are lucky with a manual you can stall it before the revs build,after that it will just fry the clutch too.
There are in sump oil level gauges.My grader has one,I dont use it I check the dipstick EVERY morning.If its not on level ground it reports either over full or low.No substitute for a physical check on any vehicle.If its suddenly got 1" more on the stick you will see it and save your engine.
Andrew