Thread: TDV6 p38 ?

A diesel (not VM) classic would be my Land Rover of choice.

My rrc ownership goes back to the mid to late 70's (showing my age ) and the only downside IMHO is lack of a good diesel.

I have fitted a 300Tdi, but they lack the performance I wanted. A chipped TD5 might be ok, but I never knew enough about them, and did not see any around at the time I put the 300Tdi in. Nor could I find much about the BMW 6 cylinder diesel that Land Rover fitted into rangies.

I gave some thought to chevy 6.5 v8 diesels until I concluded it was a bad idea.

A duramax would be a good candidate now that they can be found for reasonable money - and they are easy to tune up, but the transmission might create some problems with 100" wheelbase.

thanks john, i know what you mean, the 300
tdi is a great engine but i allways thought the classic and p38 would benefit from a more modern diesel from the land rover line up. IMHO its the v8's vulnrability to terminal block probs that spoil the ownership off such great vehicles. maybe abit of modern technology could transform them???

As always anything is possible, with some $$$$.

Last year I was looking at a gen III for my p38, and the biggest problem with these cars is the darn integration of the Body computer.

The minute someone comes up with a way around this and is completely legal and reliable, let me know. A TDV6 in a P38 would be awesome.

I agree that the thing that let's these things down is the V8 and no diesel option.

Stu

youre right stu, ive had a terrible run on blocks with my softdash, but even when its running right (with RPI ignition on lpg) its not that good. I dont expect a sports car and have been a mechanic all my life but its very underwhelming. I wouldnt mind the fuel to much if it went well and was reliable but my experiances have been bad on all fronts. there are some bargains around on p38 but you cant help but think that the previous owners had all the luck with the engine. I too looked into a gen III and they are great but wouldnt it be good to keep a land rover motor in them??
mines parked up at the minute while i do some thinking.

I have been thinking of a diesel replacement in my RRC and have narrowed my consideration to-


PUMA- why not a Puma and 6 speed seeing they have an LT230 on the back. Without research surely a Transit PUMA will have very few ECU additions to consider. Sumps are available ie Defender .
.

The other engine that I like is the Mercedes 3Litre V6. Surely few packaging problems but I guess the ECU integration would be a trial, but I do not Know.
maybe one sourced from a Jeep Commander or Grand Cherokee would be the go.


Third the Mazda /Ford from the BT50 is reputed to be a very good engine and shouldn't have too many electronics seeing it is from a ute.
Regard sPhilip A

good choice phillip, whats the merc v6 fitted in? reckon the puma would be the go i reckon. Im leaning towards the TD5 in the soft dash using the compushift from those great people at ashcrofts. If someone had some time and money i dont think the electrics would be a problem at all and could be done very professionaly. it would just have to be at a reasonable cost to the end user thats all.

Originally Posted by neil 90

good choice phillip, whats the merc v6 fitted in? reckon the puma would be the go i reckon. Im leaning towards the TD5 in the soft dash using the compushift from those great people at ashcrofts. If someone had some time and money i dont think the electrics would be a problem at all and could be done very professionaly. it would just have to be at a reasonable cost to the end user thats all.

The Merc V6 OM642 is fitted to Sprinter & Vito vans and a few of the passenger range plus Ssang Yong's and Jeeps. All have different variants and are fairly common with regards to parts but there are exceptions.

As I work for Mercedes Benz, might have a closer look at this and put some info together.
Engines from the commercial range vehicles would be a better than from passenger as the BCM's are different and less complex in the vans. The ignition system would be the biggest issue with the smartkey system.

Will see what I can do over the next few days (having spare time) if anyone is interested......

Originally Posted by neil 90

Hi, Just wondered what people thought of the idea of some one offering a TDV6 conversion for the p38 or a TD5 conversion for the classic?. would this be something any one would consider if it was available?

Just wondered what everyone thinks?

cheers

If your in melbourne you can come and look at my P38 with a BMW 2.5 diesel in it. (it was imported). Its been chipped and has a larger intercooler purpose made (by Jermemy Fearn - look him up). Almost as quick as a 4.6 petrol!