Defender TD5 Won't Do More Than 70 MPH

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richardtd5

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My 2004 TD5 Defender Won't go above 70 MPH in fifth gear. The accelerator pedal is approx. 3/4 depressed when at 70 but pushing it to the floor does not give any more oomph. Land Rover pulls well through the gears and up to 70 when foot is to the floor hence don't think its the electronic pedal switch.
Someone suggested it may be Ex Local Authority or similar and may be limited to 70, has anyone had this before and if so how can the limiter be removed.
Any other suggestions much appreciated.
 
Hmm, some authorities used to get them limited them by changing the aerodynamics, I believe the popular way of doing this was done by some guys down solihull.
 
My 2004 TD5 Defender Won't go above 70 MPH in fifth gear. The accelerator pedal is approx. 3/4 depressed when at 70 but pushing it to the floor does not give any more oomph. Land Rover pulls well through the gears and up to 70 when foot is to the floor hence don't think its the electronic pedal switch.
Someone suggested it may be Ex Local Authority or similar and may be limited to 70, has anyone had this before and if so how can the limiter be removed.
Any other suggestions much appreciated.

I think maybe you've bought the wrong vehicle. They ain't built for speed!
 
When you notice that your 'fender reaches 70, can you hear any change in engine note, or can you feel the engine vibrating more when you push the accelerator the last 1/4 of its travel? Is there excess smoke produced from the exhaust? If the ECU is responding to your throttle position and it is indeed giving the engine more fuel, you should notice one of the aforementioned characteristics. The first thing I would suggest is a good service. Replace your engine oil, fuel, air and oil filters; filling the fuel filter with injector cleaner before fitting. Turn the ignition on and quickly dab at the accelerator ten times until the fuel system begins self priming (you'll hear it whirring away). Take it for a good blast and observe the characteristics of the engine. If the service hasn't helped things along, you might want to take note of the exhaust in your wing mirror as you press the throttle right to the floor nearing 70mph. If you see black smoke, you might want to consider the air intake side of the engine. Check all hoses between the intake vent on the drivers side wing, to the boost pipe between the intercooler and the inlet manifold. Any internally collapsed or perished hoses anywhere along the air intake system will suck flat and prevent air from reaching the engine. The same applies to splits or loose jubilee clips on pipe work after the turbo, which will allow compressed air to escape to atmosphere. If there is white smoke or inconsistent puffs of smoke from the exhaust you should be looking along the fuel supply line. Air leaks, blocked fuel lines or a failing low pressure pump in the fuel tank are all be potential suspects.

A good TD5 should certainly achieve circa 85-90mph.

-Tom
 
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If you feel it's limited can you not disconnect the speed sensor and use a sat nav to measure your speed just to see if it is the problem? Just an idea
 
When you notice that your 'fender reaches 70, can you hear any change in engine note, or can you feel the engine vibrating more when you push the accelerator the last 1/4 of its travel? Is there excess smoke produced from the exhaust? If the ECU is responding to your throttle position and it is indeed giving the engine more fuel, you should notice one of the aforementioned characteristics. The first thing I would suggest is a good service. Replace your engine oil, fuel, air and oil filters; filling the fuel filter with injector cleaner before fitting. Turn the ignition on and quickly dab at the accelerator ten times until the fuel system begins self priming (you'll hear it whirring away). Take it for a good blast and observe the characteristics of the engine. If the service hasn't helped things along, you might want to take note of the exhaust in your wing mirror as you press the throttle right to the floor nearing 70mph. If you see black smoke, you might want to consider the air intake side of the engine. Check all hoses between the intake vent on the drivers side wing, to the boost pipe between the intercooler and the inlet manifold. Any internally collapsed or perished hoses anywhere along the air intake system will suck flat and prevent air from reaching the engine. The same applies to splits or loose jubilee clips on pipe work after the turbo, which will allow compressed air to escape to atmosphere. If there is white smoke or inconsistent puffs of smoke from the exhaust you should be looking along the fuel supply line. Air leaks, blocked fuel lines or a failing low pressure pump in the fuel tank are all be potential suspects.

A good TD5 should certainly achieve circa 85-90mph.

-Tom

I couldn't get past 75 with the pedal to the metal. It's been maybe 4000 miles since the last service where most times I change most of the filters, though I know there is one filter which is only changed about every 40,000 miles (or at least that's what the garage said). The engine doesn't feel like its vibrating more or anything, just it won't make it past 75. Not sure about the hoses any everything, maybe I should give them a look too ... no white smoke for sure, would've noticed that. Not sure about black smoke though. I would check again but the bad thing is there ain't much road to try this kind of test where I live...

Btw ... it's a 90 Defender...and not much accessories to slow it down. Safari snorkel and steering guard, and some checker plates on the bonnet which I wouldn't think would be too bad?
 
My money is on the snorkel. Take the lid off the air box and whip the filter out. Take it round the block with the lid off and see if it runs stronger. If so you have your answer. I hate snorkels especially when trying to get any performance out of an engine. When was the last time you saw a race car with a snorkel?
 
EGR has been bypassed ...

Shifty, run the engine with no air filter at all? I have an oil based air filter from Alive Tuning, i.e. not the paper onces but a "performance" filter, although not sure what kind of increased performance is based on the air filter alone...

I wonder about the snorkel ... excuse me for asking but if its quite wide and everything, why would you expect it to have a performance hit?
 
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EGR has been bypassed ...

Shifty, run the engine with no air filter at all? I have an Oil filter from Alive Tuning...mmm.

I wonder about the snorkel ... excuse me for asking but if its quite wide and everything, why would you expect it to have a performance hit?

The distance the air has to travel.... Resistance....... stock air filter set up air travels about 3 ft to intake............ snorkel air travels about 7 ft before intake.

any time something goes through a tube/pipe you create friction/resistance which reduces flow rate.
 
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