Engine swap ideas

skipofthedump said:

Cheers for all the replies, here is the engine, I will be taking a lot at the internals within the next week or so. I think I'm missing at least one cylinder ....I was told it was a 200, but as I mentioned I'm new to the defenders. Again all input appreciatedView attachment 329645

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That looks like a 19j 2.5TD (officially called a Diesel Turbo). They make 89hp stock. They share the same block with the Tdi engines (and the 2.25 engines from the Series). This was the first turbo engine of this type and in its day was a world beater.

They are nice engines, but do not like to be thrashed. Drive them gentle and they run ok. I would guess a cracked piston or similar. I also have a 1989 Ninety out the front now. We replaced a piston last year due to being cracked. Apart from some grunt work it was a cheap fix at about £60 for parts.

With 235/85 or similar tyres they should happily cruise between 55-65mph, but are no speed demon. But are nice to trundle around in. On wide open A roads or dual carriage-ways they do feel under powered, but in the hills when laning and the like, they actually have plenty of grunt and feel quite lively.

As it is this engine, technically this is not s Defender, it would have been branded as a Ninety in words.

What country are you in?

If doing an engine swap, how much do you want to spend?

Will you be doing any repair conversion work yourself?

As said, I have one of these. If you are prepared to do some spannering, it might be a cheap fix. A compression test will give a clue to any compression issues. All you need to do is take the head off and the sump. You'll be able to take a piston and replace. If the bore and shells look good, very little else is needed apart from putting it back together.

£45 for a piston inc rings: https://www.paddockspares.com/etc8670s-piston-assy-with-rings-std-2-5-turbo-diesel.html

If you want better cruising there are a few options.

However I personally believe that the TD would happily pull a 1.2 transfer box as the internal gearbox ratios are shorter than those on a Tdi. It would potentially blunt in gear acceleration, but mean less frequent gear changes when pulling away, so probably similar speeds when pulling out of a junction. But it would give you better cruising ability by 5-10mph.

Older LT-77 + 1.2:1 transfer box gives very similar overall gearing to Tdi+ LT-77/R380 gearbox + 1.4:1 transfer box.

If you do want to go engine swap routes there are lots of options. The easiest swap is a 200Tdi, but you'll still need a few bits. If a Disco engine is used the turbo is in a different place. My brother has this in his Ninety, which is also 1989 vintage and had the 19j previously.

I'd suggest you'd want to budget £1000-1500 if doing the work yourself.

The Tdi is much more stout and tuneable, but is arguably less refined and louder. They also take an age to warm up compared to a 2.5 TD.

Just swapping the engine will not make it better cruising as this will be down to gearing still. The 1.2 transfer box would still be the easiest option.

I've not done a 300tdi swap, I believe there are kits these days. Some say you can get a 300Tdi more easily. I'm not really convinced on this. The additional parts will mean a 300Tdi swap will probably cost the same or more, but is more work to fit. I have nothing against the 300Tdi, but there are no real tangible benefits of them over a 200Tdi in regards to performance or mpg.


There are lots of other engine swap options, from the Rover V8, Td5, BMW M57 and more. But most will require more work and cost. Including maybe a different gearbox, seatbox etc. don't forget about things like exhaust, cooling, rads, intercoolers and the like.

I am looking to do the work myself. Or at least as much as I can, the plan was to park it in my stables out of the way and do as much as I can. Passable welder and more than capable of most of the bolt ons. I have started to fiddle. But mainly avoiding the engine. The closest I've come to that so far was the turbo which was simple enough. The old one was truly buggered and easy enough to spot as a problem.

I'm not really familiar enough with the car to know how it should behave and the advice I have received so far has been mixed, it was sold as a 200tdi and it looked similar to the one in the manual. It's always been a little underwhelming and I think perhaps it's had some major issues that I don't have the experience to notice. I put it through an MOT about two months ago and it was a little iffy due to emissions but passable. It's always been a bit lazy to start. Tended to get hot but I've never been daft enough to boil it. It drops oil but I know the rate of drop and I can start chasing leaks later on.

If the engine is easier to fix then that's definitely the way to go, I'd like more top end but I have no real issues so perhaps changing the gearing is something to look at later. (main reason I was advised to go disco).

I got it for 4k I've a budget of 3k left at a push. The goal is to get it reliable by next spring. Maybe even a radio, I can't sing louder than she rattles Ive done most of the simple stuff but the task of the engine is perhaps a little beyond my pay grade at least for now.

Wheels I put on are 235 85 16.

List of work done so far:
Service
Turbo
Glow plugs
Lifted
Injectors removed and checked over.
Bit of paint
Fuel adjusted to a normal rate ( ran super rich)

Based in north Yorkshire near ingleton.

skipofthedump said:

I am looking to do the work myself. Or at least as much as I can, the plan was to park it in my stables out of the way and do as much as I can. Passable welder and more than capable of most of the bolt ons. I have started to fiddle. But mainly avoiding the engine. The closest I've come to that so far was the turbo which was simple enough. The old one was truly buggered and easy enough to spot as a problem.

I'm not really familiar enough with the car to know how it should behave and the advice I have received so far has been mixed, it was sold as a 200tdi and it looked similar to the one in the manual. It's always been a little underwhelming and I think perhaps it's had some major issues that I don't have the experience to notice. I put it through an MOT about two months ago and it was a little iffy due to emissions but passable. It's always been a bit lazy to start. Tended to get hot but I've never been daft enough to boil it. It drops oil but I know the rate of drop and I can start chasing leaks later on.

If the engine is easier to fix then that's definitely the way to go, I'd like more top end but I have no real issues so perhaps changing the gearing is something to look at later. (main reason I was advised to go disco).

I got it for 4k I've a budget of 3k left at a push. The goal is to get it reliable by next spring. Maybe even a radio, I can't sing louder than she rattles Ive done most of the simple stuff but the task of the engine is perhaps a little beyond my pay grade at least for now.

Wheels I put on are 235 85 16.

List of work done so far:
Service
Turbo
Glow plugs
Lifted
Injectors removed and checked over.
Bit of paint
Fuel adjusted to a normal rate ( ran super rich)

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£3k is certainly enough to have a good crack at an engine swap. Now don't get me wrong, Tdi's are nice engines. But they are old these days and rather unrefined.

A Td5 or M57 is a better bet. I would think an M57 is out of budget, but a Td5 might not be.

Or there is still a lot to be said about a nice Rover V8, so long as you are ok with the mpg. Which annual mileage would really dictate.

But there really is no limit to engine options out there.

I would say, a Ninety is not really a high speed motorway machine. If one with a modern engine. Also if you go for lots of speed, you'll want to look at swapping on a disc axle instead of the drums and you'll want to make sure all of the steering is in good shape.

I wouldn't get carried away on a lift either. Certainly not saying don't lift, but you don't need to in order to do pretty extreme off roading. Defender type vehicles ride higher than most other 4x4's, they essentially come from the factory with a lift when you compare to similar year Jeeps or Toyotas. Most of the off the shelf so called lift kits ride terrible and often reduce off road performance.

Now you can improve the suspension for off road capability, but you don't necessarily need a lift.

Plenty said above about options you have above now you have to decide to take the high road or the low road on what you need your truck to do. General run around or motorway speeder.
The two most basic options are fix the 19j or fit a 200 from a defender or 200 from discovery [ bit more work]
Compression test will give a good idea of 19j's condition @300bhp/ton description of these units above is pretty much spot on.
The only welding to fit a 200 is to lower rad mounts a bit so rad intercooler unit for a 200 will fit and allow bonnet to close all the way.

skipofthedump said:

Cheers for all the replies, here is the engine, I will be taking a lot at the internals within the next week or so. I think I'm missing at least one cylinder ....I was told it was a 200, but as I mentioned I'm new to the defenders. Again all input appreciatedView attachment 329645

Click to expand...

Sorry, that's not a 200tdi.
That is a 19j (or TD engine in a Landrover Ninety).

skipofthedump said:

Also I'm clarifying that the mile I do on the motorway are generally towards spots where I'll need the off road capabilities. Off climbing in Portugal next spring for example and greenlaning in Scotland

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I know the discussion has moved on a little as it looks like you have a 19j which would be one of the issues in terms of cruising speed. But the low range gearing is the same in the transfer box regardless of the high range gearing.

On the engine swap though I would be recommending a tdi. Disco 200tdi is what I swapped my TD engine for. But they are basically the same as a 300tdi other than engine mount locations. In terms of then having cruising ability as said I do high miles a year with no issues with that setup. And similar to your aspirations I have taken it to Italy, Spain, and Morocco driving down through France.

Phill said:

dag019 and Anaconda live in the Thames valley and Warwick. Both flatlands compared to Wales. A 1.2 would probably be fine there.

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I did say i would Not necessarily recommend for living in the mountains!

dag019 said:

I did say i would Not necessarily recommend for living in the mountains!

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I wasn't having a dig, merely drawing a line under it. I've read hundreds of posts across forums about these T-Boxes and the most important factor is almost always missing when deciding to fit these boxes; the topography of where the vehicle is used.
You know it, I know it, but from what I've witnessed online, I think most people don't.

Phill said:

I wasn't having a dig, merely drawing a line under it. I've read hundreds of posts across forums about these T-Boxes and the most important factor is almost always missing when deciding to fit these boxes; the topography of where the vehicle is used.
You know it, I know it, but from what I've witnessed online, I think most people don't.

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Completely agree. The primarily usage is what is the deciding factor. My primary usage is unloaded motorway so makes sense for me. It will do mountains and it will tow with the higher gearing (hence disagreeing with people who say it won’t) but would not be suitable for either of those things to be the primary use of the vehicle.