Conversion Progress

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planning on putting a 200tdi in my TD 90 ina few weeks. will i need to replace things like the PAS pump or can i keep the old ones?? cheers
 
The pump will come attached to the engine, so give your old one away with your old engine and then just use your existing power steering fluid reservoir

-Pos
 
ok cheers. description of engine is "Engine come complete with Fuel Pump, Turbo Charger and Injectors" are ther any other ancillaries i will need other than the radiator+intercooler??
 
Yeah, you'll need the starter motor and alternator ideally. It's not the end of the world if they're not there to be honest because you can use the starter motor off your TD and I think the alternator is a straight swap too. It just makes life easier, and you'll be getting "newer" and supposedly "improved" parts. Basically make sure that you get everything that you can. Some people will do bizarre things like remove the air intake manifold and daft things like that. You also want to take the fuel filter assembly off him too. I've done my engine swap on a budget, so i'll write up a list of things that I've done soon and how much they cost etc.

-Pos
 
Pos' Budget 200TDi into 12J or 19J Conversion Guide

This is my budget guide to swapping your pre-historic 2.5 N/A or 2.5 TD with a totally different breed of engine -- the 200TDi.

So far the project has only cost me £346 and a few tins of biscuits for the crew at my local landy specialist who have let me borrow their tools, equipment and space to do the swap. If you're friendly with a local specialist / garage, I'd suggest that you ask them if you can use their facilities. It might seem a bit cheeky but after all, the worst they can say is 'no' (and then chase after you with an array of sharp or heavy tools). I repay them with favors and odd jobs which they'd usually have to pay out to do themselves, so it's generally a good system. Also make it clear that you will rely on them to order parts and components, which will always seem attractive because they will be creaming a very small profit off you each time. That said, you'll be saving money in little trips to your local SAS or Andrew Page which costs you in fuel etc.

The best way to begin, is to sit down and brainstorm your conversion. Consider what's going to be involved and then double, if not, triple the amount of time that you initially think that it's going to take. I massively underestimated the amount of time that I thought it would take to complete the conversion, and that was with a Britpart, Bearmach, Land Rover and Allmakes 4x4 component store on site.

How to find a good TDi:

Generally speaking, ebay is swarming with a vast array of 200TDi engines, with anything ranging from 99p to £900+ if they've been re-conditioned. You may also notice that there are two different variations of the 200TDi engine. There's a Defender model, and a Discovery model. In the real world, a Defender model is the one that you want, because it has a slightly different exhaust manifold, with a turbo that is mounted above the engine. This makes fitting the exhaust down pipe a doddle, and you can just plonk the whole engine into the bay with the existing down pipe in place. The Discovery model has a turbo which is underslung and it sits to the lower right hand side of the engine. You will then need to buy or fabricate your own down pipe, because the standard fit disco down pipe, or even the defender down pipe if you attempt to fit it, will fowl the bulk head and simply not fit. Typically, and as you'd expect, a Defender 200TDi is almost double the price of a Disco 200TDi, but keep your eyes peeled, because there are people out there who don't quite realise what they're selling ;)

You can also use ebay to find an engine that is close to you, so that you don't have to run a few hundred miles up or down the country. Read the description carefully to ensure that you know exactly what is included in the engine, and if you can, arrange a visit with the seller so that you can hear the engine running. The rest of the guide is based on the assumption that you are fitting a Disco 200TDi.

What to examine on inspection:

- Check engine starts on first time with only 5 seconds of glow plugs
- Allow engine to run up to operating temperature and check it maintains temp
- Remove oil filler cap and check for 'blow-by' (steamy oily mist bellowing out) The less the better
- Remove oil dip stick and check for 'blow-by' (hold thumb over tube for 5 seconds and check for pressure build up) Should be none
- Remove coolant header tank cap and check that it is NOT bubbling
- Rev the engine as hard as you can and listen for any strange noises
- Check exhaust is not smoking like a trooper
- Check there are no major oil leaks

Bear in mind the milage that the engine has covered. This is usually irrelevant because it is never going to be a very accurate record of how hard or how many hours the engine has covered. This is why you're there to examine the engine your self. After all these engine will happily do over 400,000 miles without any major attention required. That said, a poorly maintained TDi that has covered 80,000 miles will not be in as good a condition as a well maintained TDi that has covered 250,000 miles for example.

What you want from the seller:

Before you exchange any money with the seller, ensure that you know exactly what is included in the sale. Ideally you want the complete engine. This consists of:

- Engine block
- Cylinder head
- Injectors
- Glow plugs
- Oil filter & oil filter housing
- Exhaust manifold
- Air intake manifold
- Alternator
- Power steering pump
- Power steering fluid reservoir
- Starter motor (although not essential)
- Wiring loom (although not essential)
- Clutch
- Earth strap

You will also benefit from:

- Radiator & Intercooler assembly
- Coolant hoses
- Air intake / Intercooler hoses
- Air filter assembly
- Fuel filter assembly
- Vacuum hose

Once you are happy that you've found a good solid example with al the parts that you need, offer up the money. I paid £240 for my Disco TDi, and it came with absolutely everything.

New Parts you will need:

Whether you like it or not, there are always going to be some new parts that you'll need. Most of the new parts can be determined by your own inspection and assessment of the engine. I didn't replace the clutch or the rear crank oil seal, because they were both in very good condition and the clutch had plenty of life left in it. I also chose not to swap or re-enforce my clutch fork to save time and money. A lot of people will think it's stupid but then again I didn't have the time or the money to make it viable. I was also happy with the condition of the components after inspection - so what's the need!

Learn from my mistake and order all the parts that you will need from day one so that you haven't got a mix match of parts arriving weeks apart - it will dramatically extend the length of the conversion project.

I made use of various bits of pipe work, old steering column, rubber hoses and tens of jubilee clips to make up my pipe work. Here's a list of new parts I had to order:

1) Lift pump to fuel filter assembly fuel line
2) Fuel filter assembly to injection pump fuel line
3) Exhaust down pipe - at bargain price from Oil Dripper (on forum)

The exhaust down pipe can be found here http://www.steve-parker.co.uk/products.php?cat=213 but it's a little pricey. If you scowl ebay for 200TDi conversion you'll find a few cheaper but excellent quality pipes that are available.
That is literally the list of new parts that I shelled out for, three parts and at a cost of around £65 A new clutch will cost you somewhere between £75 and £100 alone, so if you're happy with the one that's on, use it, it might have only recently been replaced any way.

Starting the Conversion:

This is where you will now start the conversion. Ensure that you have your 200TDi sat somewhere near by and be aware that you have your new parts well on their way to you, if they haven't already arrived. I will also suggest that you have a wide range of tools available as well as an engine crane / fork lift truck etc. and a friend who is quite competent and not afraid to get stuck in and make good progress. I imagine it will save you plenty of time. I was working mainly by my self on the cold **** wet through floor of the garage yard :doh:

Start by removing the bonnet from your landy. Lift the bonnet up, remove the split pin and down from the support arm and then push your bonnet right back as far as it will go. Lift it up hard on each side, to free the hinges from their plastic housings and it will lift off. You can have the 12J / 19J out within a matter of hours. It is now a matter of disconnecting everything that sits between or connects the engine to the rest of the vehicle.

- Radiator hoses
- Heater matrix hoses
- Air intake hose
- Exhaust down pipe (3 nuts on studs)
- Fuel pipes (two to injection pump, one to spill rail on injectors)
- Wiring loom unplugs near bulk head
- Glowplug live wire feed held on by small nut
- Vaccum pipe to brake servo
- Earth strap between right side of block and chassis
- Starter motor wiring

Also remove the radiator because you will not need to use your existing rad (unless you have the TD rad and intercooler already in place)

You will then best benefit from removing the transmission tunnel in the cab. So remove any carpet / floor mats and the rubber cover around the base of your gear stick. You then need to undo and remove the metal box that sits around the base of the gear stick which will; expose the gear box and bell housing. Bare in mind that I had to take the floor panels up so that the transmission tunnel came up, as it was held in place by a lip which sat underneath the floor panels.

- Remove all of the bell housing nuts (check you've got them all)
- Remove engine mount nuts

Now your engine is ready to lift out of the landy. Get a good rope around the engine and secure it properly and then simply hoist it up and out. You are now ready to swap components from one engine to the other:

Engine parts to swap:

You will need to use the engine mounts from your old 12J / 19J, so unbolt them from your old engine and bolt them onto the TDi. On the right hand side of the engine there are two mounting options. You need to bolt the mount to the two threaded holes towards the back of the engine. There is only one option on the left hand side of the engine.

Also swap the wiring loom from your old engine onto the TDi. I am not too confident with wiring so i had a mechanic swap it for me. There were only a couple of modifications to do at the alternator end, and you will need to use a previously redundant connector to connect to the new thermostat / temp indicator on the TDi.

If your old clutch was new and you'd rather use that, now is the time to swap it. You will need an alignment tool or a piece of old drive shaft to ensure that the clutch is aligned before torquing it down.

Prepare engine bay before fitting:

Before you go and plonk the TDi into the engine bay, there are a few jobs that you will need to do first.

- Remove old fuel filter housing from bulk head
- Leave the fuel return pipe in place - you'll be using it later
- Locate the clutch pipe union bracket on the passenger foot well. This is held in place with spot welds. Drill the spot welds out and relocate the bracket at least 5CM further over to the right nearer the wing.
- Lower the radiator mounts by 3CM - Angle grind them down, and weld the lug holes back on.

You will also find that the bell housing on your gear box and the studs on the engine do not all mate. you will need to carefully observe the two mating surfaces and decide which two or potentially more studs need removing or moving into newly drilled and tapped holes on the fly wheel housing. I found that I had to move three studs. Luckily for me, there were small marks to the side of the existing studs which indicated where I needed to drill and re-thread the holes to fit the stud. There will also be at least one locating down which you need to remove. This simply pulls out with pliers / mole grips.

Before fitting the TDi:

You're almost ready to fit the TDi now, but before you do, there's a couple of things to do before you plonk it in that will save you time and a few outbursts from your swearbox.

- Fit the new exhaust down pipe and use exhaust repair paste to ensure a good seal
- Steam Clean or pressure wash the engine whilst it is out of the bay. Make sure you don't get water into the turbo or the air intake manifold
- Double check the rear oil seal and clutch

The Power Steering pipes?

I don't have a power steering box on my 90, and I do not intend on fitting one in the near future. That doesn't necessarily mean that you don't need to fit the power steering system to the engine bay however, because it will save you a lot of time effort and it'll make your landy future proof. Initially I was going to remove the power steering pump and do away with the hole system. Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as that. You'll notice that the 'alternator' belt is driven by the crank shaft pulley, which then drives the water pump, the viscous fan and the power steering pump. The alternator its self is then driven by a very small belt from another slot at the back of the power steering belt pulley. If you remove the power steering pump, you are left with no drive to the alternator because the pulley is set further back than the water pump and fan pulleys. Your only options are either to cut into the timing case and make a bracket which will allow you to mount the alternator further forward or in fact leave the power steering pump in place. The second option is the most logical. You can make a bracket and mount the power steering fluid reservoir on the mounting lip on the inside of the wing. Mount the power steering pipes from the pump to the chassis so that they take the shape that they are supposed to take and then simply connect a length of rubber pipe between the two ends. This way, you are essentially keeping the power steering pump in place and simply by passing the power steering box. The idea behind mounting the power steering fluid reservoir is to provide constant lubrication to the power steering pump. If you simply leave the power steering pump pulley rotating without any fluid lubricating the bearing, it will cease and you will then have no belt drive to your alternator and then main belt will struggle to rotate around the pulley, which could result in over heating due to the water pump pulley nor rotating. It also means that if you decide to fit a hydraulic winch or a power steering box in the future, the system is there and ready to be tapped into. By no means will it reduce the performance of the engine simply cycling fluid through a looped pipe system, it just seems un-necessary, but it really is the best option. Of course, if you have a power steering box, you can simply just connect it up!

MORE TO COME SOON
 
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Pos - can you tell me where you got :
1) Lift pump to fuel filter assembly fuel line
2) Fuel filter assembly to injection pump fuel line
from? Cheers...
 
Pos - can you tell me where you got :
1) Lift pump to fuel filter assembly fuel line
2) Fuel filter assembly to injection pump fuel line
from? Cheers...

I'm not sure about Pos but I just extended the existing lines using 8mm id (internal diameter) fuel pipe. This was then sleeved over the existing pipe and secured with small jubilee clips.

Like this...

DSCF6784.jpg


Think it cost me about a fiver for a metre length which was easily enough.

Hope this helps
 
I'm not sure about Pos but I just extended the existing lines using 8mm id (internal diameter) fuel pipe. This was then sleeved over the existing pipe and secured with small jubilee clips.

Hope this helps
Cheers Richard. My problem is with the connection to the filter holder - it ain't the same as my old 19J filter...but thanks anyway.
 
Cheers Richard. My problem is with the connection to the filter holder - it ain't the same as my old 19J filter...but thanks anyway.

I used the 200TDi filter housing with my 200TDi engine and the problem was just that the length of the pipes meant it couldn't be mounted on the bulkhead. I then just lengthened the pipes using the 8mm fuel pipe and all is fine. Are you still using the old TD filter as apparently you need to block off some connections and re-plumb etc which sounded like a pain to me?
 
IT'S FINISHED! :)

Good evening, I've completed my 200 TDi conversion today and what a fantastic feeling it is! It pulls like a train, has bags or torque, plenty of power and even accelerates up hills!!! I'll have to get used to the turbo lag (it's only about a second) and other little bits like not accelerating away too hard in second gear so that third gear slows the thing back down haha! I still need to get a different temperature sender, but I'll sort that tomorrow or at least get one ordered in. The oil pressure light wire needs extending and connecting but other than that, it's a beast of a machine and I feel quite proud of myself. Also I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who's helped me out, especially Oil Dripper and Sean, both who have been helping me out behind the scenes (PM's) and what not, and even more so to Sean who has provided me with a nice new intercooler :)

The total cost of the conversion is just short of £550 which isn't too bad considering some people will ask that for a disco engine anyway, so I've got myself sorted at a good price.

I will make a video tomorrow and I'll whack it on here tomorrow evening. As for tonight, I'm going to go and have a play about and see how well it goes up certain hills. I'll also change the fuel filter tomorrow and whack a **** load of injector cleaner through it.

The verdict is however, if you're thinking about doing it:
SWAP SWAP SWAP!

-Pos
 
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IT'S FINISHED! :)

Good evening, I've completed my 200 TDi conversion today and what a fantastic feeling it is! It pulls like a train, has bags or torque, plenty of power and even accelerates up hills!!! I'll have to get used to the turbo lag (it's only about a second) and other little bits like not accelerating away too hard in second gear so that third gear slows the thing back down haha! I still need to get a different temperature sender, but I'll sort that tomorrow or at least get one ordered in. The oil pressure light wire needs extending and connecting but other than that, it's a beast of a machine and I feel quite proud of myself. Also I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who's helped me out, especially Oil Dripper and Sean, both who have been helping me out behind the scenes (PM's) and what not, and even more so to Sean who has provided me with a nice new intercooler :)

The total cost of the conversion is just short of £550 which isn't too bad considering some people will ask that for a disco engine anyway, so I've got myself sorted at a good price.

I will make a video tomorrow and I'll whack it on here tomorrow evening. As for tonight, I'm going to go and have a play about and see how well it goes up certain hills. I'll also change the fuel filter tomorrow and whack a **** load of injector cleaner through it.

The verdict is however, if you're thinking about doing it:
SWAP SWAP SWAP!

-Pos
well done mate! its a nice feeling when its all done aint it ;)
 
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