Hi, I feel a bit of a prat I have bought defender without getting anyone to check it although it passed its MOT the guy assured me it was fine I’ve driven around and now it has a problem, i’ve done a bit of googling as the problem im finding is the oil levels rising and there is a whiff of diesel in the oil, as people that know way way more than me out there (not hard) would you try and replace the injectors/seals or would you take it to a garage, I’m a heating engineer and have been for 30 years so happy to have a go at small jobs, I only suggested this as it something I have seen on the Internet (not because I think I know) any help would be much appreciated as I’m freaking out! G Reg, defender 90, from what I can see online the engine is 19 J?? lastly if anyone does think it’s something I could have a go at, is there anyone that you would recommend to buy spares from online?
Help please
- Thread starter Loveridge
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Turboman
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19j would be the standard engine for that vehicle, although it is not a Defender.
Oil level rising is not good, could be caused by a number of things, head gasket, cracked head.
Worth removing the head, and having a look at the gasket, check for flatness of head, and look for cracks.
Paddock Motors or any of the usual suspects are fine for parts. For engine parts and gaskets, make sure you get quality items. No copper head gaskets.
Thank you very much for this, I have been looking online for any videos to do this I guess I’m typing in the wrong thing or maybe there aren’t any do you know of any links to YouTube?
payydg
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LR direct website plus a parts manual is all you need for parts. You can choose which maker of each part you want. How quickly is the oil level rising? Are you sure its fuel and not coolant? You can get little chromatography strips that you put as drop of oil on and it'll show you what's in it. Sadly people often put a lot of faith into an MOT, it's really just a basic assessment of road worthiness - will it start, stop, steer and do the lights work.
v8250
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@Loveridge , check your radiator coolant level too - it's quite common for the oil cooler to rust through to the radiator as they're part of the same pressing. Do this by draining the coolant and oil, then pressure testing the radiator and oil cooler sections. Here's the radiator/oil cooler for ref', you can see the oil cooler chamber and F&R connections to the right
https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams...cooling-heating/cooling-system/radiator_52979
https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams...cooling-heating/cooling-system/radiator_52979
Turboman
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I can't think of any way fuel can get into the oil on a 19j.
Or none that I have ever seen happen in practice, anyway.
Turboman
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Good suggestion. Although a 19j is more likely to have problems with the head.@Loveridge , check your radiator coolant level too - it's quite common for the oil cooler to rust through to the radiator as they're part of the same pressing. Do this by draining the coolant and oil, then pressure testing the radiator and oil cooler sections. Here's the radiator/oil cooler for ref', you can see the oil cooler chamber and F&R connections to the right
https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams...cooling-heating/cooling-system/radiator_52979
An easy way to check the oil cooler is just to short circuit the two pipes on the oil filter adaptor, and drive around for a bit, see what happens.
Does that mean you think it’s possibly water and maybe the head gasket?
Turboman
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I would be fairly sure it is water. 19j are also well known to crack heads.
Appreciate this feeling really overwhelmed but don’t wanna give up on it as I’ve just spent a lot of money, don’t even wanna say how much!
Turboman
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19j are probably the worst engine Land Rover ever made.
On the upside, they are fairly cheap and easy to fix, or even get a recon engine.
And the rest of a Ninety is probably a slightly less troublesome vehicle than a Defender.
I suggest pull off the rocker box cap, and start it up. If there is vapour blasting out of the rocker cover, probably accompanied by a chuffing sound, your head gasket has blown.
Turboman
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No worries.
I run outside while the missus is doing Sunday dinner, and it’s definitely puffing I can even see fumes coming up through it and I’m sure I can hear a chuffing noise (don’t suppose you live anywhere near Weston-super-Mare do you??)
Presumably I need to take it all apart maybe send you some pictures so you can kindly tell me what I need to replace point me in right direction ??
Presumably I need to take it all apart maybe send you some pictures so you can kindly tell me what I need to replace point me in right direction ??
Last edited:
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You could do worse than get a Haynes manual. they usually cover head removal and replacement.
I've just tried to put up a link to one on Amazon but it is in France and the price was €264, which I was amazed at!
Maybe they are out of print.
someone in the UK could search, as could you obvs!
Head removal is very straight forward. You just need to remember to drain the coolant before you start, then to take off anything from the top of the head, that needs to come off, noting the positions of things like pushrods by sticking them through a piece of cardboard, then loosening and then undoing the head bolts/nuts in a spiral pattern from the outside in.
Once the head is off, get the head tested for warp and skimmed if necessary. If you have a long straight edge and feeler gauges you can test it yourself.
Then scrape it all clean not letting any cr@p fall into any holes or cylinders, and replace everything in reverse order, including a new gasket, the right way round and up, including the tightening sequence.
THIS IS A VERY ROUGH GUIDE get a manual or follow other peeps guides or you tubes to learn more. You WILL need a torque wrench. I just put this up to show you that it isn't that hard.
All the very best!
The first one you do will be the most heart-in-mouth experience, after that you won't think twice about it!
I've just tried to put up a link to one on Amazon but it is in France and the price was €264, which I was amazed at!
Maybe they are out of print.
someone in the UK could search, as could you obvs!
Head removal is very straight forward. You just need to remember to drain the coolant before you start, then to take off anything from the top of the head, that needs to come off, noting the positions of things like pushrods by sticking them through a piece of cardboard, then loosening and then undoing the head bolts/nuts in a spiral pattern from the outside in.
Once the head is off, get the head tested for warp and skimmed if necessary. If you have a long straight edge and feeler gauges you can test it yourself.
Then scrape it all clean not letting any cr@p fall into any holes or cylinders, and replace everything in reverse order, including a new gasket, the right way round and up, including the tightening sequence.
THIS IS A VERY ROUGH GUIDE get a manual or follow other peeps guides or you tubes to learn more. You WILL need a torque wrench. I just put this up to show you that it isn't that hard.
All the very best!
The first one you do will be the most heart-in-mouth experience, after that you won't think twice about it!
Last edited:
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Forgot to say you'll need to redo the tappets.
But you'll find all this out from a manual.
But you'll find all this out from a manual.
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I am really hoping this shows up as recently I have tried posting links to Amazon and they haven't but yes, Haynes manual you need available from them @£23 odd
Amazon product
Amazon product
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No problem and best of luck with it all.
Welcome to the baptism of fire that is LR ownership.
Great thank you so much
