I just purchased a Defender 90 E reg 1988 2.5TD, its an unfinished project, when i went to see look at it befor buying it the engine started with no probs & did not smoke! Since getting it home its being a real pain to start, it seems like a flat battery prob so i went & got a new battery, still the same! really does give off all the vibe's of a flat bettery (turning over real slow befor it just stop's & the solidoin just clicks), i have had it started on the new battery & checked the charging system & all seems fine! Any way since getting it started the engine is smoking like a good one! I've left it on tick over for about 25 mins & the smoke does not clear, when you rev it the smoke does get a little worse, the engine was rebuilt 2 years ago & has covered 9000 mile (if i've been told the truth) After you turn the engine off it then won't start again (Flat battery vibe, but the battery is new & charged) Can Any One Help In Any Way? Many Thanks Dan
p.s i don't know too much about Land Rovers (hents "i know nothing" lol)

Theres a lot of different problems/challenges in that post...

Start with the easy one..charge the battery overnight. Then, pre-warm the glow-plugs for 30 seconds before attempting to start. Do NOT touch the accelerator UNTIL she starts. (Not while its turning over etc..wait til its ticking over).

What colour is all this smoke..if its white it may mean (in worst case) a head gasket failure and water in the system. Check your water level. Is it using a lot?

It its black smoke then its possibly diesel..check glow plugs/injectors and pump.

Change all filters and oils/coolants. You have no idea how long they've been in there.

Hi

Just a quick note , check the earth, clean it up or install another.
Hope it helps.