Potential new Series 2a owner with questions on powerplant and drivetrain

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I have a 2 1/4 Diesel which is happiest even with over drive and 7.50 tyres at 45 to 50, but lacks power so I have been thinking of a 300 TDi simply because they are more readily available and I had one in my disco, I am put off rushing out and buying one because of this apparent NVH issue. I find that 45 to 50 is my happy speed nowadays and find myself going that slow in my daily as well.

David
 
It's a good question. Heavier gearbox? Better engine mounts? Better soundproofing? Mines dreadful by car standards, but I can have a conversation at motorway speeds.
 
Toonarf said:
I have a 2 1/4 Diesel which is happiest even with over drive and 7.50 tyres at 45 to 50, but lacks power so I have been thinking of a 300 TDi simply because they are more readily available and I had one in my disco, I am put off rushing out and buying one because of this apparent NVH issue. I find that 45 to 50 is my happy speed nowadays and find myself going that slow in my daily as well.

David
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Compared to a 2.25 diesel it might not be such a step. But from the petrol I'd say it is. I would say a 19J Turbo Diesel is more refined than a Tdi. Tdi's are good engines, I have a 200 in my 88 coiler. But that is also massively unrefined compared to a 90.
 
Toonarf said:
Sorry to jump on your thread, and I know everyone has an opinion but I need to ask this question, Why is a TDi seemingly quite acceptable in a Defender but too noisy and harsh to use in a Series? Is a Defender so radically different from a series in construction? It is something that puzzles me.

Agian sorry for jumping your thread.

David
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Not much room under a series bonnet, loads under a defender bonnet.
Series has zero sound proofing, defender not much but at least some.
One thing is for sure is that the 200tdi in a series are pretty noisy!
Years ago I did sound check mine, it was not good.
 
300bhp/ton said:
Compared to a 2.25 diesel it might not be such a step. But from the petrol I'd say it is. I would say a 19J Turbo Diesel is more refined than a Tdi. Tdi's are good engines, I have a 200 in my 88 coiler. But that is also massively unrefined compared to a 90.
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I must admit I was leaning towards the idea of a 19J, at least it would look like it had always been there, but most seem to be knackered now and need expensive rebuilds which sort of put me off a bit along with future parts availability potentially being poor due to their bad reputation. There will always be loads of TDis about in Defenders so spares availability should be good.

David
 
lynall said:
I have added mods on mine over the years, and it I was doing it again I would have a separate fuse panel for anything add on, with one large relay providing power for add on stuff, so if you get any issues you can just flick the relay power off and keep on driving.
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I cannot agree more with this and have just done exactly that for the additional things in my 110. it makes it easy to diagnose and fault find in the future, and if you use colour coded wiring and make your own circuit diagrams (i did) it is even more straight forward. You also get the option to just disconnect or remove without causing issue to the main vehicle wiring.
 
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Toonarf said:
I must admit I was leaning towards the idea of a 19J, at least it would look like it had always been there, but most seem to be knackered now and need expensive rebuilds which sort of put me off a bit along with future parts availability potentially being poor due to their bad reputation. There will always be loads of TDis about in Defenders so spares availability should be good.

David
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I would be thinking about doing a major service if not a full rebuild on any Tdi as well. It's not 2006 anymore, and the days of being able to buy a rotten Discovery, driving it home and swapping out the engine (which could be fairly guaranteed to be in reasonable condition) are more or less over. Chances are you would be buying an unknown engine on a pallet, which in any case will be at least 25 years old.

A 19J or 2.5 petrol wouldn't be any less of a risk and the prices are lower.
 
FlyingPete said:
I would be thinking about doing a major service if not a full rebuild on any Tdi as well. It's not 2006 anymore, and the days of being able to buy a rotten Discovery, driving it home and swapping out the engine (which could be fairly guaranteed to be in reasonable condition) are more or less over. Chances are you would be buying an unknown engine on a pallet, which in any case will be at least 25 years old.

A 19J or 2.5 petrol wouldn't be any less of a risk and the prices are lower.
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That is almost word for word what I said on a similar thread recently (might have even been this one I cant remember) and I could not agree more! Any engine swap these days is going to need at least a light rebuild so you might as well rebuild what is currently in it and keep it original.
 
steve2286w said:
If your commute involves a lot of miles requiring 60-70 for me that would be a bit hairy with Series steering and brakes, low range might be useful in slow london Traffic, might a historic car be more appropriate, turning circle not great either.
you can fit an overdrive as standard as another option with the petrol to get better gearing
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Why would it be hairy? I frequently drive on 60mph roads and dual carriageways with my S3 with no problems at all. If yours is hairy to drive at 60 then it is likely that the brakes or steering have something wrong with them. Low range in traffic? I find the standard ratios more than low enough for town work. The only time I have to use 1st gear to pull away is when the engine is cold and I am using the choke or when pulling away uphill. I do agree about the overdrive though, I would love one. Mine will cruise happily at 60 without one but above 60 the noise becomes uncomfortable and the fuel consumption is distressing.
 
boguing said:
I had an SIII with 200tdi and 90/100 diffs with an overdrive. (And the twin leading shoe front brakes). It was ok for 80ish max and 70 cruise but the noise was intolerable and so used decent ear defenders or headphones for any distance.

The petrol 2.25 is streets ahead on engine noise but still not great on transmission din and you won't be comfortable at 50. I'd suggest changing the diffs and/or an overdrive. Whether it's overdrive, diffs or hight ratio transfer ox they're all around the 30% mark, but price is a factor and I'd suggest going for diffs for the sake of budget, or an overdrive unit which gives a far better spread of ratios.
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2.25 petrol not comfortable at 50? Really? Mine will happily cruise at 60 all day with standard diffs and 7.50 tyres.
 
Bezdonian said:
Regarding the 110, I've got someone looking at it next week and another interested. I'll send you the details later as its had a lot of work done since I bought it back in 2020.

I would agree with both you and Wildefalcon about the engine. My main concern its reliability and how often it would require tinkering. As I said about the 200 tdi, it just needs the odd oil top out and an alternator retention every now and again. Is the 2.25 any more maintenance heavy or just the odd adjustment? Performance can come later after maybe changing or refurbing the injectors, replacing the rad and so on.
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I have not had any problems with the 2.25 petrol on mine at all. All I had to do when I got it was to adjust the timing slightly as it was igniting at TDC and is now set to 3 degrees BTDC and to adjust the fuelling with a Gunson Colortune. The Zenith carb on mine seems very reliable and has not needed any adjustment other than mentioned above. I check and top up the oil every couple of weeks with 20/50 oil. I would imagine the diesel is much the same, unless there is something wrong with the injector pump they should not need frequent adjustment nor should the injectors. The 2.25 engine, both petrol and diesel is a generally reliable engine. Use the correct grade of oil and drive it properly, no full throttle until at operating temperature and it should be fine.
 
Bezdonian said:
Out of interest what sort of improvements can be made to the 2.25 diesel or simply to improve the performance a bit. On another forum someone changed out the fan for an electric bosch one for instance.
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To be honest there is not a lot that can be done to improve the performance of a 2.25 diesel. A good healthy one will make around 60 bhp at the most and there is not much you can do to improve that. I doubt an electric fan will make any noticeable difference, maybe freeing up 1 horsepower at the most. fitting an overdrive will make it more pleasant to drive and may raise the cruising speed slightly, but there just isn't enough torque from the diesel at the right engine speed to take much advantage of the higher gearing.
 
Wildefalcon said:
Super charge it, run on LPG, drop in nitrous. Rebuild every 30,000 miles.

Seriously? To get the best out of it, ensure the cam, skew gear and timing chain are 100%. They're usually not. Replace.

Then get the IP and injectors rebuilt.

Even at that, it's still a small indirect injection 3 bearing diesel pushing a heavy brick.
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Do you know the part number and location for the screw gear as I'm not sure where its is. Thank you in advance.
 
Screenshot_2023-10-18-15-45-42-361_com.microsoft.skydrive-edit.jpg
 
18. It's driven by the cam shaft. It drives the IP and the oil pump.

Unless you've the engine in front of you don't just buy parts. See what's worth and replace.
 
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