Just looking at my vid again you have the same engine I did and I got 55 quite easily, , maybe check what the issue might be , tappet gaps, timing , wheels binding , throttle cable not fully opening , butterfly valve in inlet manifold , clogged air filter a few things to look at
I saw the same thing, yeah. I have already checked a few of these (binding wheels, throttle cable, air filter) and they all appear to be fine, but I will put the others on my "to learn" list - it's all very new to me!
 
Timing chain, skew gear off cam shaft, injection pump timing, injectors. That's where I'd focus. After fuel filter, lift pump and fuel pick up pipe.
 
Go electric it's the future :)
I drove a new diesel pickup in the sixties for work, 45 was flyin and it had no power
 
I put a 2.25 diesel back on the road a couple of years ago, which had stood for 10 years. Performance was dire, so slow it was embarrassing. It had and still has a Fairy overdrive and 750 tyres. After a couple of weeks use the modern diesel took out the seals in the injector pump so it started leaking more fuel than it burnt. I took the pump off and had it resealed (big thumbs up to Diesel Bob who is near me). Whilst he had it in bits he found the advance part of the pump was siezed so he changed that as well. Refitted and timed it now is much improved. I think my driving style has changed as well, I anticipate hills and get momentum up. It will climb moderate hills in overdrive, it will definitely accelerate on the level in overdrive 4th gear, I tend to stick it in overdrive at anything above 30mph on the level.my
I am very slowly refreshing a 19j TD to do an engine swap but am in no hurry, I suspect my engine is a good one, the injector pump is not at the end of the slot to get enough advance into it, so the chain must not be very worn,

Hope this helps .
 
I put a 2.25 diesel back on the road a couple of years ago, which had stood for 10 years. Performance was dire, so slow it was embarrassing. It had and still has a Fairy overdrive and 750 tyres. After a couple of weeks use the modern diesel took out the seals in the injector pump so it started leaking more fuel than it burnt. I took the pump off and had it resealed (big thumbs up to Diesel Bob who is near me). Whilst he had it in bits he found the advance part of the pump was siezed so he changed that as well. Refitted and timed it now is much improved. I think my driving style has changed as well, I anticipate hills and get momentum up. It will climb moderate hills in overdrive, it will definitely accelerate on the level in overdrive 4th gear, I tend to stick it in overdrive at anything above 30mph on the level.my
I am very slowly refreshing a 19j TD to do an engine swap but am in no hurry, I suspect my engine is a good one, the injector pump is not at the end of the slot to get enough advance into it, so the chain must not be very worn,

Hope this helps .
That does help, thank you so much for your input!

As for driving style I'm sure there's a skill to it that I don't have - but currently the throttle is fully open 95% of the time anyway, I carry as much speed as I can into hills and can never keep it above about 28 or so. Your ability to accelerate with the overdrive in is inspiring! Particularly given you're on 750 tyres. I'm wondering, in that case, whether I'll be able to get more power out of the engine with a tear down and recondition, though that's not something I've ever attempted before. The temptation is always to get an expert to look at it, but the whole reason I got the series was to learn to do it myself! So... I'll be learning to do it myself.

If anyone has any good guides they'd recommend for engine overhauls, checking timing etc, do let me know...
 
Get the green Bible, the Landrover series repair operations manual (ROM). And the Haynes manual.
The rom can be downloaded from various sites on line.
 
I've got both the green bible and haynes manual already (both extremely well thumbed) - if they're the best places to look for practical guides then I'll stick with what I've got, thank you!
 
Something is wrong then.
^^ I think the above is the case form everything you have described here. I have a 2.25 5mb diesel in my series 3 fitted with 7.50 tyres and an overdrive. It is slow compared to modern traffic but it is usable. It has similar acceleration and performance to the lorries on the motorway so you spend a lot of time tucked in behind them, but will overtake if needed.


What size tires fitted ? Oversize from standard kills performance.

This makes a huge difference, I had 205's fitted to mine before the 7.50's and acceleration was noticeably quicker but top speed was the same.

I think my driving style has changed as well, I anticipate hills and get momentum up. It will climb moderate hills in overdrive, it will definitely accelerate on the level in overdrive 4th gear, I tend to stick it in overdrive at anything above 30mph on the level

There is definitely a skill to driving and anticipating in a diesel series both in terms of getting up the hills, but also the breaking etc. Similar to the above I can accelerate with the OD engaged although it is slow and does need to be on the flat really unless already up to speed. I tend to engage overdrive when I get to 45-50mph, and then drop out of it when I get below 40mph.
 

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