Thread: TD5 engine life - discuss

2001 TR Defender... 118,000kms Chipped (big time) intercooled etc... since new...

Issues:

1 broken exhaust stud.
1 spat serpentine belt (my fault)

No leaks
No broken bits
No leaking injector harness
No fuel reg issues

In fact, nothing wrong...

Hey Sequel..... take out your double cardan and have it rebuilt BEFORE it breaks!!!! Thats the vibration, 90% guaranteed.

I have a 2000 disco td5 bought it 18 months ago with 48k on the clock, now have 148k. Nothing has happened.....let me find a LARGE TREE while I say this!!! Normal service items like a rear axle bearing a few weeks ago, but engine wise its a bloody ripper

Originally Posted by Feral

Tim,

Can you explain or even have a picture of what you mean by keyed?

I have my new bolt and sump gasket ready to install on the weekend and the LR supplied bolt looks like a very normal bolt to me with minimum Loctite on it.

I do not want to be in the position of sump off and the whole deal is wrong

Cheers,
Lyndon.

Hello Lyndon, unfortunately I have no pictures of the sump of my car and
I can only go on what the mechanic said. Here is a link to a picture that shows what a Woodruff key looks like

http://pvk.cc/store/images/200450transmission.jpg

NOTE: It is NOT a TD5 oil pump.

The Mechanic said that LR went from the straight bolt to a keyed bolt with very little explanation or warning. I can give you his phone number if you want to talk to him, just tbe aware he is flat out getting cars out the door for Christmas. He use to work for the local LR dealership whic his no more.

Tim W

Originally Posted by Weimar

Hello Lyndon, unfortunately I have no pictures of the sump of my car and
I can only go on what the mechanic said. Here is a link to a picture that shows what a Woodruff key looks like

http://pvk.cc/store/images/200450transmission.jpg

NOTE: It is NOT a TD5 oil pump.

The Mechanic said that LR went from the straight bolt to a keyed bolt with very little explanation or warning. I can give you his phone number if you want to talk to him, just tbe aware he is flat out getting cars out the door for Christmas. He use to work for the local LR dealership whic his no more.

Tim W

Sorry, that should read keyed shaft not bolt.
A keyed bolt would be a bit hard to tension.

Tim W

1999 TD5 Defender

bought almost 2 years ago with 62K, now has 92K.

On purchase had full Land Rover service history with all recalls, and no warranty claims.

Engine - no issues at all. A couple of tiny leaks, which were fixed with a simple tightening of the bolts. Very slight coolant leak from the top hose at 80K. Changed coolant and hoses, and put on better hose clamps - fine since. Always started and run without issue. Engine warning light came on once with low range & centre diff engaged at Stockton beach at about 85Ks in July. Stopped, switched off engine, drove carefully, but light never came on again.

Other issues - steering dampener just replaced, although probably still okay. Radius arm bolt came loose. Steering arm bolt came loose, causing steering judder when on right road camber. Both easily diagnosed fixed, the first with assistance from this board J.

Apart form that, it has been faultless (cross fingers)

Originally Posted by wardy1

Hey Sequel..... take out your double cardan and have it rebuilt BEFORE it breaks!!!! Thats the vibration, 90% guaranteed.

Thanks for the advice wardy. You are the 2nd person to recomend doing it before I drive it another metre! After I received the first warning, I slid underneath to have a look. The cardan joint feels tight (however I understand they seize rather than chop out?), the movement I felt was in the bearing on the front output shaft from the transfer case. Thinking about it now though, that may not be the cause of the vibration, but rather it is shagged due to driving around with a cactus cardan joint for the last 20,000km!

I'll have to get onto it! Now back to the TD5 topic....

Just a note on the Td5 head issue.

Firstly, I commisserate with all who have had problems with their Td5's, especially Ed who seems to have had the lion's share of it lately. (We ought to have an Aulro whip round to help him keep his truck after all his bad luck!)

SO....

I advise anyone who asks to 'think about' head gasket problems around 200K as I have had to replace many at about this time. As for the 300Tdi, I leave them to about 250 to 300 before worrying about them. I only have 1 Tdi that did 400K on a head gasket, and the highest mileage Td5 was 245K before the plastic dowels failed and it all went pear shaped. All in all I still think they are a reasonable engine, but the cost of repairing easily outstrips the Tdi, and not just in parts, the labour component is higher also. The bottom end of them seems very robust, and the head gas flow (porting etc) from the factory is very nice compared to some lesser engines. If only the rest of it would last like a 4BD1 it would be a world beater.

I still prefer to work on them than any other vehicle, its a landrover thing, many wouldn't understand.

JC

Originally Posted by justinc

Just a note on the Td5 head issue.

Firstly, I commisserate with all who have had problems with their Td5's, especially Ed who seems to have had the lion's share of it lately. (We ought to have an Aulro whip round to help him keep his truck after all his bad luck!)

SO....

I advise anyone who asks to 'think about' head gasket problems around 200K as I have had to replace many at about this time. As for the 300Tdi, I leave them to about 250 to 300 before worrying about them. I only have 1 Tdi that did 400K on a head gasket, and the highest mileage Td5 was 245K before the plastic dowels failed and it all went pear shaped. All in all I still think they are a reasonable engine, but the cost of repairing easily outstrips the Tdi, and not just in parts, the labour component is higher also. The bottom end of them seems very robust, and the head gas flow (porting etc) from the factory is very nice compared to some lesser engines. If only the rest of it would last like a 4BD1 it would be a world beater.

I still prefer to work on them than any other vehicle, its a landrover thing, many wouldn't understand.

JC

The bottom end is very good. When we had mine appart it looked like new. You could still see the honning markes even. For those wondering she was running like a deamon yesterday. I was told by the guy who reset the computer that a stock Defender is very reliable.