Thread: Sell Me On a TD5 Defender

The first thing is confidence in the vehicle,,

I would think a pre-run in either would be advisable,,

remember Glen,,
you only hear the bad things on the net,,,


keep us in the loop as you go looking---

get a nanocom and take or have ready to be sent to you a couple of the critical parts....

130K Km without a problem that I couldnt fix without computer assistnace yet and so far the worst thing has been the lack of correct maintenance by the dealers (which I was only paying for for warrenty) and the oil in the harness thing.

Every thing else has been routine services and maintenance that every other vehicle needs anyway

and at an average fuel consumption of about 10.5l per 100K over that whole 130 K Km I think that in and of itself is a good enough reason to buy one let alone the fact that your getting the best out of the box 4x4 what more could you want.

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

get a nanocom and take or have ready to be sent to you a couple of the critical parts....oil in the harness thing.

Every thing else has been routine services and maintenance that every other vehicle needs anyway

and at an average fuel consumption of about 10.5l per 100K over that whole 130 K Km I think that in and of itself is a good enough reason to buy one let alone the fact that your getting the best out of the box 4x4 what more could you want.

What do I look out for with the motor, I know the oil pump bolt issue, the oil in harness, head gasket issues (are there ways to check for and prevent this) also what would you suggest as critical parts?

What sort of K's are expected before major work?

Does chipping the motor mildly make it any less reliable or problematic?

Originally Posted by seqfisho

What do I look out for with the motor, I know the oil pump bolt issue, the oil in harness, head gasket issues (are there ways to check for and prevent this) also what would you suggest as critical parts?

What sort of K's are expected before major work?

Does chipping the motor mildly make it any less reliable or problematic?

i've had mine chipped since it was 2 weeks old
never had a problem yet............

and believe you me this car of mine is not treated well at all
or serviced on a regular basis.......

250,000k's and still going strong and yes i'd top the oil and water up tomorrow and head off across this big country of ours ........

like pedro said said its about trust

I agree with Dave, but the POTENTIAL for problems is higher than a Tdi due to the complexity of the engines management systems.

I would personally stick with a Tdi but they are becoming harder to obtain in good condition now.
However;
I have a customer who wants to sell his 110 Td5 after owning it from new in 1999. His was the test bed for some of the early John Davis chips and intercoolers apparently and has these still fitted. It must've seen some serious dyno hours etc at less than 10K old. It has now travelled 225K, and apart from a head gasket issue with the plastic dowels early on, has had no problems at all. It has about 160KW and at least 475Nm on tap, and this has been there for about 210,000km now.
He has changed the engine oil and filters at 10,000km intervals since new, allways using Castrol TXT Softec (Now called 'performax'??) 5w30.
When he sells it, he'll complain that it has gone, it's been a good well travelled vehicle.

JC

Justin what are the potential problems?

Is there only the one ECU for the motor? Is it possible to carry a spare and plug n play should one develop a problem or is cost prohibitive?

Does it have a limp home mode?

Hi Glen,

The main offenders with the electronic diesel engine are;

The throttle potentiometer, which is located at the drivers footwell in the defender, at water level
The in tank hi pressure pump and its associated wiring/ relays/plumbing, the reliance on an ECU under the seat, a security system that 'unlocks' the ECU via the 10AS alarm system when the key is cranked, mobilising the engine to start. An airflow meter, a MAP sensor, a set of electronic unit injectors that require scrupulously clean, water free fuel, and the requirement to ensure the battery voltage is absolutely correct.
These engines have a limp mode; it only allows the engine to revert to idle, with no throttle operation at all.
As regards carrying a spare ECU, this is the least item to actually cause a problem, unless it gets submerged in water etc.
I have no doubt that very few vehicles suffer all or even any of these problems, except for deep water and other obvious catastrophes. But as I explained, these vehicles are capable of travelling some extremely remote and inhospitable places, with the possibility of contaminated fuel, high ambient temps and moisture/ humidity....etc etc causing a potential failure of one or more of these systems, each one can render the vehicle inoperative and can not be repaired by your local outback mechanic.

Would I forgo the simplicity and ruggedness of my 4BD1 for a Td5 or any other electronically controlled engine for long distance travelling?

The answer is no, even though I would rather drive one than mine for long distances, I feel the reliability of a simple engine gives a great peace of mind.

Hope I haven't added too much to digest here! And may I add these are my opinions only, others have had no issue with there electronic engines ever, and the decision is obviously completely up to you.
The must frustrating thing for me as a repairer, is that I love driving them, (everytime I do I want one,) and they aren't that hard to work on, until I remind myself of the above reasons why I built the RR

JC

ok the ones I know off..

injector seals leaking (rare)(show stopper/engine killer if it runs away)
oil in harness (frequent)(annoying but it still works
fuel pump regulator leaking (average)(doubles your fuel usage over time)
TPS failure (rare)(idle only)
ABS/TC sensor problem (average)(no abs/TC on the effected wheel)
fuel cooler leak (rare-average) (show stopper and engine killer if undetected)
oil cooler leak (rare, engine killer if not diagnosed)
Fuel pump failure (average)(effect varies)
oil leak from turbo/filters (rare-average)
manifold warp/loosening (every other day or so)(makes a noise, costs you power)
intercooler hose collapse (average-often)(can be nursed but can cause total power loss)
EGR failure to close (average)( costs you power, can make it idle funny and make you think injector harness leak)
expansion tank cracks (once)(engine killer if you dont work it out)
MAP sensor failure/contamination (rare-average)(usually caused by something you didnt find earlier)
bad earth connections (twice a day 4 times on a saturday)(everything from show stopper to making the radio sound funny)


I think that covers most of it. and bare in mind that the frequency indicator isnt of all the TD5's just the ones that Ive been involved in the diagnostics of or spun spanners on.


yes the ECU has a limp home mode (acutally its got a couple of different ones depending on what triggers it), there is only one ECU and Yes its perfectly feasable to carry a spare, my old man has 2 and different maps on the both of them and he swaps them depending on what he needs it to do. you should get the ECU preprogramed with your injector numbers but thats just a fine tuning thing, ANY ecu of the same type (NNN or not) will swap with one of the same type..

If you were going away from everywhrere Id take

Gaskets, seals, belt, idler+tensioner, ECU, TPS, Fuel pump, fuel Regulator. Filters and oils..

But since everywhere I know of I can get parts sent to I wouldnt worry about the expensive ones.. I havent yet and It hasnt bitten me.