Defender 2.5na engine rebuild

what has happened to your engine to warrant the rebuild?

the bits dont cost very much. its going to be the labour that costs you more.

I rebuilt my 2.5n/a. it was always a heavy breather and had an oil habit of about 1litre a day!

Youre local to me arnt you?.. i was driving to work one day in the landy. the oil light came on at the first set of lights as you drive down weston road towards crewe (just after caudwell/bargain booze). I carried on through the stop/go traffic and got all the way to the college on nantwich road before it ground to a halt and siezed up.

I found that the sump plug was missing. presumably it fell out at the lights. It managed about 2 miles in fairly heavy traffic - and still my engine didnt require any proper work, just bearings, piston rings and a gasket set - and it probably needed most of them before that point!

"Huw" wrote

You don't mention the age/mileage Huw, but if it's smoking it may well just be the valve stem seals that need replacing. Was on my 2.5 petrol (I changed them last week) and friends 2.5 na diesel.

I was under the impression you shouldn't change piston rings or pistons without a rebore as the step in the bore will cause premature ring failure, which is why I haven't changed the pistons in mine although two show some very old damage to the crowns (broken spark plugs bouncing around?). No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong (and I'll then get underneath and change them all). :-(

You can get piston rings with steps in them, to get round that issue ...

Or just file a chamfer onto the top ring (rough I know but it works).

Or use a ridge remover to solve the problem.

On or around Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:31:55 +0100, "Huw" enlightened us thusly:

chuck a decent second-hand TDi in it?

It is worn out basically. It knocks as if there is a man with a hammer inside. It starts and pulls fine although oil consumption has risen from about a litre every 2000 miles [which is what it has always used] to around a litre every 750 miles lately. The oil consumption is not what worries me, it is the increasing knocking which indicates a potential rod out of the side of the block.

If you consider 100 miles away local :-). Well I could be if you live in Ceredigion.

i was driving to work one day in the

Mine has just done an extrodinary amount of hard work.

Huw

1984 with 130,000 miles at an average of less than 10mph, about 15% of which has been towing more than two tons.

When the head was off to replace a gasket some five years ago there was no discernible step in the bore but the pistons themselves appeared worn and were quite a slack fit. I think maybe things have gone downhill a bit since.

Huw

If I did that then I would put the whole transmission in as well because with the amount of work it has done on original gearbox it is bound to fail if more power was put through it. The question is, I suppose, how much money am I justified in throwing at such an old and hard worked vehicle? I can't see many people queuing up to buy it, even at £1500, which makes it a viable project for someone I'd have thought. If it costs over £1000 including labour to fix the engine plus the £600 odd that it needs to pass the MOT, then it is aiming at the scrappy unfortunately. Everything wears out eventually although I am sure my 110 could be kept going for a while longer if I risked throwing good money after bad.

Huw

Can do it so long as stepped top rings are used and they're put in the right way up!

On or around Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:33:59 +0100, "Huw" enlightened us thusly:

Unless you're going to replace it with a MUCH newer (or new) one there's little to be gained by changing, though, unless you happen across a low-mileage one going cheap. If the chassis is OK on yours, there's some merit in keeping it; you know the history and which bits are likely to be a problem.

one of the chassis suppliers offers a built-up rolling chassis with either S/H or recon TDi powertrain in place including axles (depending on how much you spend - I think the one with everything reconned was about 5K).

which has the potential with a bit of work (have you got offspring to help?) to rebuild on a new chassis for well under half the price of a new one.

Hi-cap pick-ups in good condition are rare as hens teeth. Will not even consider the standard 110 pick-up because of the compromised load area although there is a four year old one available locally at £10,000.

If the chassis is OK on yours,

The chassis is original and fine due to waxoiling when new and a few additional sheets of galvanised sheet applied to stop shit settling on the rear crossmember.

The rest of the vehicle is hard worked and approaching the point where anything could fail.

No willing offspring and no time to do it myself even if I had the inclination.

Huw

Hi Huw After 2 attempts at half rebuilding lr diesel engines I can tell you it doesnt work. get it re-bored if your knock sounds like a loud diesel knock it will almost definately be piston slap due to worn bores

Icky

On or around Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:23:46 GMT, "icky" enlightened us thusly:

I'd go along with that - if you're going to the trouble and expense of a rebuild, do the whole thing. I too have done partial rebuilds and you don't get much more life for your effort.

But if I were Huw I'd be looking at a TDi transplant, complete with gearbox

- probably less work and a better engine at the end of it.

I bet your still laughing now ( i would be) the tdi option is without question the best option... discos going cheap cheap on ebay is a possible way of doing it