300 tdi in a series.

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dr pepper

dr pepper

New Member
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Hi guys,

Been offrered a 300tdi engine cheap, was wondering what is involved in converting a series 3, I've tried reading some of the threads here but I'm a little confused.
The 200tdi fits straight in a series using the original series mounts, but I've heard that people have re positioned the mounts with disco ones ground off the donor car when converting to a 300 tdi.
Can I just drop in a 300tdi into my series without the turbo using the usual mods on the flywheel housing etc, or do I have to move the mounts etc.

I need to decide which way to go soon, whether tranny engine or 300tdi, the tdi would be nicer as its quiter and would be worth more once converted.

Ta.
 
Is the stud pattern on the flywheel housing of a 300tdi engine the same as that of a 200tdi engine then? Can you bolt it onto a series gearbox without too much trouble as you can with a 200tdi?
 
I've got a feeling that the flywheel housing on a 300tdi is incmpatible with a series gearbox. Perhaps it's possible to use the flywheel housing from a 200tdi? The other option is to use the R380 gerbox which is what the 300tdi is designed to have bolted onto it, but then you run into problems of making custom propshafts (where the rear prop is likely to end up being too short because the R380 gearbox is longer), altering the transmission tunnel and seat box, welding on new gearbox mountings, and the problem that the front axle on a non V8 series Land-Rover is unsuitable for use with a permanent 4 wheel drive gearbox. If you want a turbo engine in a series Land-Rover then I think a 200tdi is the simplest and least expensive way to do it, but turbo engines need a larger bore exhaust system than the standard series exhaust and a large bore exhaust system for a series Land-Rover with a 200tdi engine would be difficult to make yourself and buying one from Steve Parker is going to cost about £300. There is then the problem of mounting a radiator, oil cooler and intercooler and plumbing them all in. A 200tdi engine without the turbo seems a very simple and fairly cheap way of getting a decent engine into a Series Land-Rover, because the standard series exhaust system, and cooling system can be used, although it does seem a bit of a fiddle to fit a series diesel exhaust manifold to the tdi engine. I doubt a 200tdi engine with the turbo taken off would go as well as a non turbo transit engine though.
 
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bollix, glad I didnt buy it then, the tranny engine the same guy has is a turbo and it will fit with the turbo on, its a modded tranny turbo engine not an original, it has a garret tc2 charger and yellow injectors as well as a bosch 146 pump, all in all a well sorted motor owned by an enthusiast I spoke to the owner a bloke from a garage local to the breakers.
The exhaust size is a concern, but I can adjust boost pressure a lot lower which would help things.
The geyser at the breakers wasnt so sure about which one the disco was a 200 or a 300, how can you tell the diffo, it was a L reg thats all about I know, I tried the gearbox ID trick by looking for the reverse gear but the knob was missing!.
 
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The 300 and 200 Discovery Tdi engine are interchangeable as far as gearbox mating goes, so a Disco 300 will bolt straight onto the Series box.

You will have to move the engine mounts as there are in a different place between 200 and 300.

The 300 turbo is also in a higher location and is actually a pretty good place for putting in a Series. This can be espcially handy with a LWB Series as the chassis rails are deeper top to bottom and the 200 turbo ends up 'clashing' with the chassis.
 
andyb66 said:
Depends upon which 300 you mean. The Discovery 300Tdi one will fit either LT77 or R380 boxes without modification (save for engine mounts)
Click to expand...

Well if you visit the link I posted which has a very easy to follow photo-guide. he is quite adamant that you have to change the adaptor plate for a N-A's adaptor plate. Of course I've based my posts on what I've read on his thread and on what I've heard/or been told by other people that have fitted 300tdi engines in to 90/110's. So yu could well be right . But as he has actually done the swap and discovered that the 300 adaptor plate wouldn't fit. I wonder how you have got round this problem??

Just realised I didn't post the link into my earlier thread so here it is now http://www.thewinchesterclub.co.uk/landrover_110_engine_page.htm
 
redhand said:
Of course I've based my posts on what I've read on his thread and on what I've heard/or been told by other people that have fitted 300tdi engines in to 90/110's. So yu could well be right .
Click to expand...

Fitting a 300 into a Defender is not the same things as putting one into a Series.

As you say the 300 will only mate to an LT77 from a TD engined Defender with the TD flywheel housing etc fitted to the 300 Tdi.

However, with the exception of engine mounts, a 300Tdi from a Discovery will bolt to a Series gearbox. IIRC a Defender 300 will fit a Series box with the removal of 4 studs.....but can't for the life of me remember which ones. It would be obvious with the engine and box next to get other :)
 
Thanks guys, you made my day, the deal with the 300 is back on again.
I also did some reasearch on the net and pretty much found out the same info, moving the engine mounts is the only tricky bit about it, and thats no problem esp if you look at the new brackets required, they are only a bit of angle iron with a hole in, I'm sure I can strectch to that, and the other good thing is the turbo being high up meaning that the turbo will fit the series lwb chassis is deffo another bonus, although its probably a good idea to adjust the 300 tdi's boost pressure a bit lower so as to avoid blowing up my tired lt44 and transfer box/drive shafts, as well as causing an issue with the smaller dia of the series petrol exhaust.
Another trip north then and this time with a trailer.
The mrs and the dog loves it.
Oh yeah and heres a couple of liks about the 300tdi, one states that the backplate is the same between all 4 cyl landy engines, and the other is a 300 tdi in a deffy, which backs up the story about changing the flying wheel backplate.

200tdi 300tdi 300 200 tdi land rover defender conversion engines

300 Tdi and LT77 Conversion

Thanks guys.
 
I'll soon be able to tell you guys what the script is with the 300, I'm going to pick it up on Wed this week.
I went back today for another look, and the pump is deffo a mechanical job with a throttle cable not a fly by wire, and the bellhousing looks similar to the series, and the starter is in the same place as the series, the clutch slave is diffo but thats on the engine backplate.

Ta.
 
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You may find the number of studs doesn't match the number of holes, I think there may even be a locating dowl, but any extras can be easily removed, a couple of unused holes wont be a problem (I have come across a gearbox with only two nuts on the studs!). The remaining holes on the gearbox bellhousing may need opening out a tad (mine didn't) to take the metric studs, so check carefully before you get it up on te hoist!
 
Ok then, maybe I'll just offer the motor to the box in the vehicle and magic marker what needs to be bashed off, any issues with the clutch?, did you just fit the series friction plate to the disco clutch assy.
Check out my other thread regarding wiring to the injector pump and turbo wastegate.
 
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