200tdi into Defender td. Conversion
To do the conversion the way I did it you will need the following:
From a Discovery:
Engine plus all ancils (power steering pump, alternator, starter, fuel pumps etc.
Coolant bottle
Fuel filter housing
Power steering reservoir (not essential)
Intercooler plus oil pipes
Specialist Parts
Steve Parker exhaust down pipe
Steve Parker intercooler and radiator kit (not essential but makes the job MUCH easier)
Parts to keep from your td:
Air box
Engine mountings
From a motor factors and others
9.5mm rubber fuel hose. 400mm
4 hose clips for above
12.5mm rubber high pressure oil hose
4 hose clips for above
300mm of 15mm copper tube
2 hose clips for 20mm tube (expansion bottle pipe)
The process:
Remove old engine. In doing so disconnect the engine wiring loom at the connector next to the fuel filter housing. I undid the individual connections once engine was out, they were easier to get to. You use your old engine loom not the discovery one. Unscrew the fuel filter from bulkhead and leave connected to engine, you do not need it. Disconnect fuel return line and feed from tank. Undo exhaust from just after the turbo. Disconnect starter leads and undo the engine mountings and the bell housing bolts. All are accessible from either under the vehicle or from the engine bay. The only one that is hard to get to is the one just above the starter. To do this one I drilled a hole and cut a small square out of the interior, on the gearbox tunnel. It made it so easy. I will MIG it up later or fit a plastic cover to allow for easy access later. I also undid the gearbox mountings and jacked up the gearbox to get the engine over the rubber engine mountings and slide off the gearbox. It took about 1 ½ hours to get it out!!! It was so simple. I used a mates tractor to lift it off.
The next issue was the bell housing. I had heard so much about this. It was very straightforward. They are basically the same. You need to cut the two locating dowels off and remove some studs from the disco unit. It was easy to see which ones to remove when the two engines were on the floor next to each other. The lower part gets only 1 stud which is not ideal and if you have a drill and tap this is the time to cut some threads. It is again easy to do.
You need to fit the exhaust down pipe at this point and cut the brake line support bracket from the wall off the engine bay. It is too close to exhaust really. I did not fit the engine mountings at this point. It was much easier to lower the engine in and move it around without the mountings in the way. They just foul the rubbers and make movement hard. They are easy to fit once the engine is in place on the gearbox. You use your old engine mountings as noted earlier.
The engine and gear box fit as easily as you might expect. It took me about 20 mins to get it right in. The angle and height need to be perfect. I lowered the gearbox about 1 inch and sat the bellhousing and gearbox on a piece of 4x2 on a trolley jack and then slid the two together. It worked perfectly. The whole lot once bolted together needed jacking up to get the engine mountings on. There may well be better ways to do it but it worked for me.
Radiator mountings were lowered by 30mm. Very easy but a welder is required. Takes about 30 mins to do neatly. Top supports also require welding but again are easy. There are some tabs to cut off the radiator with a hacksaw.
The rest is pretty fiddly. I cut both oil cooler pipes in their steel sections and lengthen them with pieces of rubber pipe I got from a local hydraulics place. The power steering pipes fit perfectly! No mods required. Electrics were simple. The td loom fits easily except for the alternator. This needs a ring connector for the main cable and a spade connector for the small cable. All other bits are identical and just fit straight on. I used the fuel filter housing from the Disco so I only needed to join the lift pump to the supply from the tank, identical to the old setup. I did need a length a 9.5mm tube to run the return from the injector pump to the plastic return line. I used copper pipe to lengthen the pipe to the expansion bottle.
Exhaust is so easy! The Steve Parker kit fits perfectly and takes no time at all to fit. Measure where to cut carefully!!! I did end up cutting twice being too conservative with my first cut. Better that way!!! I cut it in the garage having removed it from the car just before the middle box. It was too tight to cut easily under the car!
The toughest bit is the lower intercooler pipe. It is SO tight. Steve Parkers kit is not a great fit but it works not pretty though or a clean flow of air, but it is OK. The elbow needs cutting right into the bend to make it fit. Lots of fitting and removing. I soaked mine in boiling water before fitting as it is a very thick walled tube and went on easily. Unsoftened it is hell to get on and off.
The final point is about complexity. I am not a mechanic but am a very practical enthusiast. I teach D&T in schools and can weld and problem solve. I really enjoyed it and found it pretty easy. It cost about £800 by the time you do the belts and service the 200tdi, do oil seals and clutch and buy the kits. You could do it cheaper.
The engine and all bits with it cost me £400. It had 107000 miles on it and I checked it in the L reg Disco before removal. It drives superbly and is a must for any td owner. Happy to offer any advice if I can help. It took me 16 hours start to finish on my own. Mate helped drive the tractor!!!
To do the conversion the way I did it you will need the following:
From a Discovery:
Engine plus all ancils (power steering pump, alternator, starter, fuel pumps etc.
Coolant bottle
Fuel filter housing
Power steering reservoir (not essential)
Intercooler plus oil pipes
Specialist Parts
Steve Parker exhaust down pipe
Steve Parker intercooler and radiator kit (not essential but makes the job MUCH easier)
Parts to keep from your td:
Air box
Engine mountings
From a motor factors and others
9.5mm rubber fuel hose. 400mm
4 hose clips for above
12.5mm rubber high pressure oil hose
4 hose clips for above
300mm of 15mm copper tube
2 hose clips for 20mm tube (expansion bottle pipe)
The process:
Remove old engine. In doing so disconnect the engine wiring loom at the connector next to the fuel filter housing. I undid the individual connections once engine was out, they were easier to get to. You use your old engine loom not the discovery one. Unscrew the fuel filter from bulkhead and leave connected to engine, you do not need it. Disconnect fuel return line and feed from tank. Undo exhaust from just after the turbo. Disconnect starter leads and undo the engine mountings and the bell housing bolts. All are accessible from either under the vehicle or from the engine bay. The only one that is hard to get to is the one just above the starter. To do this one I drilled a hole and cut a small square out of the interior, on the gearbox tunnel. It made it so easy. I will MIG it up later or fit a plastic cover to allow for easy access later. I also undid the gearbox mountings and jacked up the gearbox to get the engine over the rubber engine mountings and slide off the gearbox. It took about 1 ½ hours to get it out!!! It was so simple. I used a mates tractor to lift it off.
The next issue was the bell housing. I had heard so much about this. It was very straightforward. They are basically the same. You need to cut the two locating dowels off and remove some studs from the disco unit. It was easy to see which ones to remove when the two engines were on the floor next to each other. The lower part gets only 1 stud which is not ideal and if you have a drill and tap this is the time to cut some threads. It is again easy to do.
You need to fit the exhaust down pipe at this point and cut the brake line support bracket from the wall off the engine bay. It is too close to exhaust really. I did not fit the engine mountings at this point. It was much easier to lower the engine in and move it around without the mountings in the way. They just foul the rubbers and make movement hard. They are easy to fit once the engine is in place on the gearbox. You use your old engine mountings as noted earlier.
The engine and gear box fit as easily as you might expect. It took me about 20 mins to get it right in. The angle and height need to be perfect. I lowered the gearbox about 1 inch and sat the bellhousing and gearbox on a piece of 4x2 on a trolley jack and then slid the two together. It worked perfectly. The whole lot once bolted together needed jacking up to get the engine mountings on. There may well be better ways to do it but it worked for me.
Radiator mountings were lowered by 30mm. Very easy but a welder is required. Takes about 30 mins to do neatly. Top supports also require welding but again are easy. There are some tabs to cut off the radiator with a hacksaw.
The rest is pretty fiddly. I cut both oil cooler pipes in their steel sections and lengthen them with pieces of rubber pipe I got from a local hydraulics place. The power steering pipes fit perfectly! No mods required. Electrics were simple. The td loom fits easily except for the alternator. This needs a ring connector for the main cable and a spade connector for the small cable. All other bits are identical and just fit straight on. I used the fuel filter housing from the Disco so I only needed to join the lift pump to the supply from the tank, identical to the old setup. I did need a length a 9.5mm tube to run the return from the injector pump to the plastic return line. I used copper pipe to lengthen the pipe to the expansion bottle.
Exhaust is so easy! The Steve Parker kit fits perfectly and takes no time at all to fit. Measure where to cut carefully!!! I did end up cutting twice being too conservative with my first cut. Better that way!!! I cut it in the garage having removed it from the car just before the middle box. It was too tight to cut easily under the car!
The toughest bit is the lower intercooler pipe. It is SO tight. Steve Parkers kit is not a great fit but it works not pretty though or a clean flow of air, but it is OK. The elbow needs cutting right into the bend to make it fit. Lots of fitting and removing. I soaked mine in boiling water before fitting as it is a very thick walled tube and went on easily. Unsoftened it is hell to get on and off.
The final point is about complexity. I am not a mechanic but am a very practical enthusiast. I teach D&T in schools and can weld and problem solve. I really enjoyed it and found it pretty easy. It cost about £800 by the time you do the belts and service the 200tdi, do oil seals and clutch and buy the kits. You could do it cheaper.
The engine and all bits with it cost me £400. It had 107000 miles on it and I checked it in the L reg Disco before removal. It drives superbly and is a must for any td owner. Happy to offer any advice if I can help. It took me 16 hours start to finish on my own. Mate helped drive the tractor!!!
