tivrulez

New Member
Hi, its me again,
Well i have a 2.5 N/A diesel D90 and its been sputtering oil out of the engine oil filler cap for few months. There is also a leak from the rear crank oil seal.
My local mechanic tells me that its due to back pressure and replacing piston rings would be enough..:confused:

There is oil coming out of the dip stick when the engine is warm..

Well it doesn't feel underpowered compared to a non-turbo

would just fixing the rings help? or will there be other issues?

Any ways to diagnose these?

your comments , advice will be greately helpful!:)
 
Last edited:
thanks for your reply LEE.
replaced the engine oil lid with the pipe out, is that what you referred to as the breather? or is there anything else? Still theres oil comin out.
 
thats a 200tdi right? I dont have any breather apparatus like that... Just the lid on top of the engine.. 2.5 N/A:confused:
 
After wiping clean, 1mile run
14072009492.jpg


14072009493.jpg
 
look inside the filler cap to see if there is any guaze, like a brillo pad. clean this to see if it helps, just a chance. if not looks like crankcase compression.
 
start saving for pistons and gasket set, on the up side it is a job that can done by fairly easily yourself. lift cylinder head off drop sump, take note of position of big ends etc so they go back as they come out, inspect the bores for damage, if none deglaze and refit new pistons,torque up big ends, replace sump, clean head and block, refit head gasket, torque everything up as required, change oil and filter and run in as new engine, think that just about covers it.
 
Or buy a cheap disco and fit the 200tdi engine in yours then sell the rest for bits
 
problem is he lives in Sri Lanka, saw a two door disco for sale here the other day as rough as fcuk and they want 7,000 euros for it. they are only cheap in the UK.
 
actually discos are rarer here, and a used 200tdi engine would cost a lot compared to a rebuild.
 
Last edited:
A rebuild is the only way forwards in this situation. My N/A started doing the exact same thing a year or two ago. As stated above, it's really simple and relatively cheap to fix. It just requires the balls to do it and the time (a good 3 day weekend).

Here's a full run down:

The Problem:

Typically the N/A is regarded as the true workhorse of all Land Rover engines, even more so over newer engines. The military have certainly relied on them since production, and even chose them over the newer 200tdi engine for an extended period of time. In fact, many of them are still in use in the military right this very moment. So even if it's only covered 150,000 miles on the road for example, you can almost guarantee that it's doubled that in the amount of work hours that it's had. Lets not forget the farmers who've thrashed the nuts off them trying to pull broken down tractors out of muddy fields etc. etc.

Obviously, all this work wears down the rings, and in some cases, if the engine is neglected, it will cause further damage MOST of which you can repair along the way. Overheating will no doubt encounter cracks or splits in the piston crowns and if it hasn't seen an oil change for a couple of years the bearings might have started wearing a little quicker which leads to an unbalanced / un-true piston movement, which in turn wears your bores oval.

What to consider:

If you're enthusiastic about the engine and you don't want to splash out £400ish for a 200tdi or 300tdi engine to transplant, a rebuild is the way forward and will usually cost somewhere within the region of £250. It's a great learning curve, you'll enjoy it and best of all you know that it's going to be good for another 200,000 miles or so. If you can afford to swap the engine, most people will tell you to go for a 200 or 300 tdi. They're direct injection, turbo powered diesel engines and they're just as bomb proof as your N/A. The advantages being that it'll achieve slightly better fuel economy, it'll accelerate away much quicker and achieve a higher top speed and it has a higher torque figure, so you'll be able to pull a higher mass. The choice is yours.

How to rebuild:

Rebuilding your engine is really dead simple and it can be done left in place, attached to your vehicle. There's nothing to the N/A engines to make it too complex or too daunting a task. In theory, you can have your pistons out within 3 hours, if not less. YOU MUST make a cardboard organiser for your push rods and head bolts because they need to go back into the exact same thread / hole that they were removed from.

1) Drain Engine Oil from sump
2) Drain Coolant from engine block
3) Remove Glow Plug wires (leave glow plugs in place)
4) Remove Injector spill pipe (runs across top of injectors)
5) Remove Injectors (don't be scared to pry / tap them loose)
6) Remove Air Intake Manifold
7) Remove Exhaust Manifold (only unbolt it, then pull it away from engine)
8) Remove Rocker Cover (Held on with gasket / 3 stud nuts)
9) Remove rocker shaft (4 head Bolts, 4 securing bolts)
10) Extract all 8 push rods and store in order they came out
11) Loosen Head Bolts progressively and store in order they came out
12) Lift off head, may need some leverage VERY HEAVY!

You have now exposed your piston crowns. Inspect the surface of them very closely. White spirit on a rag will clean them up nicely so that you can see whether or not they are split or cracked. If there are any signs of damage, buy a set of new ones (about £35 each with rings fitted). You will want STD (standard) size pistons. Also briefly check the bores. If there are any vertical scores deep enough to feel with your finger nail, you'll need a rebore which is totally un-economical, so consider a 200tdi or 300tdi engine to transplant.

13) Remove all oil sump bolts
14) Prize off oil sump (it will always drip oil!)
15) Remove the big end caps from the conrods and keep in order
16) Knock the pistons up and out of the bores using a broom handle and a hammer
17) Deglaze bores with your glaze busting tool whilst simultaneously having someone spray WD40 into the bore you're working on.

Now you're ready to rebuild. It's the same, just in reverse. YOU WILL require a piston ring compressor tool to re-fit the pistons mind!

-Pos
 
i had d same prob...plonked it(breather cap) out cleaned it nice...kinda soft hammered it...no oil.
cheers
 
Last edited:
I've got a NAD as well that likes to "leave its mark" as well. Other than the breather on the oil filler cap, are there any other breathers that can be cleaned out?
 

Similar threads