I have a 2.5TD (19J) and because the LR is in Argentina where 200tdi do not exist and worn out 300tdi's cost US$8000, i decided to recondition the engine in Buenos Aires this past August-October; i drove out of the garage on November first. Pistons, rings, gaskets, and main bearings were all changed. I made it 600kms before my new head gasket was blown out and my coolant had all been pushed out the escape valve due to the extreme pressure. Unfortunately i was not driving (a now ex-friend was) and he did not see the temp gauge go to the max until i noticed it for him. A new head gasket was installed (though not the correct one as the correct one was not available, so instead a 300tdi gasket was installed). Unfortunately the mechanic did not install the gasket properly and when the coolant was added to the radiator, all of it went into the oil pan instead. The mechanic decided that it was safe to just take the drain plug out and let it flow until oil was coming out and then plug it back up - thinking that all the water was gone. With this wonderful set of circumstances behind me, i made it another 2000kms before my engine was undrivable and i needed a mechanic...Upon completely stripping the engine we discovered that everything was wore out, as if there was a problem with the lubrication system... what a mess....
Here is what we found
1) Turbo seals blown
2) Valve lifters completely worn out (the brass piece and the round disk)
3) camshaft worn out with uneven marks on it
4) main bearings worn
5) front and rear oil seals blown out and leaking
6) exhaust valve stems ruined
7)some evidence of pistons scrapping cylinder wall - not enough to replace them though.
8) oil pump gears worn down a millimeter or so

I would like some opinions regarding what you think caused these problems. Please, no "get a 200tdi" comments. I would also like to point out that the engine ran hotter and hotter as the problem grew. In fact it was the engine temperature that made me stop and look for a mechanic. The engine only overheated that one time when the head gasket blew.

The 19J TD engine was notorious for suffering from cracked blocks, which would lead to overheating and most of the problems you mentioned. Before spending any more money on rebuilding it, get the block thoroughly checked. If the block is cracked then I'm afraid the only realistic option is a new engine.

or get a locally sourced engine and convert to something else as 19j pile of ****e.

my 90 is getting lexus v8 power

my block is not cracked. it has been checked twice by two different machine shops.

As to the suggestion about sourcing a local engine...it costs US$8000 for a used worn-out 300tdi (maxion) engine...then there is the cost of getting that second engine overhauled and ready..

Ok, having eliminated the block, my next main suspect is that worn oil pump combined with water contaminated oil. The probable cause of the engine running so hot after the HG was changed is insufficient lubrication.

Thanks for the opinion about the oil pump/contaminated oil. That is my diagnosis as well. The oil was new 2000kms ago, but then it was subjected to the blown head gasket and one serious overheating. AND then the oil was contaminated with water... I agree that the oil was very lacking in lubrication properties and probably very thin which contributed to the leaking through the seals (especially when the oil was hot).

I would also like to point out something things about the head gasket. When the engine was overhauled 2000kms ago, the mechanic insisted on installing a custom fabricated head gasket of 2.2mm thick. The reason for this was that with the factory gasket of 1mm thick, there was a loud knocking sound (although the valves were not hitting the pistons) and the mechanic reasoned that there was too much compression and thus a thicker gasket would eliminate the problem. The 2.2mm copper gasket did eliminate the knocking, but it burned between cylinders' 3&4 within 300kms because it was not properly reinforced between those cylinders.

When the head gasket blew out, as a custom 2.2mm was not readily available again, the second mechanic installed a 300tdi gasket (actually a Maxion gasket) as it is 1.7mm thick. This gasket was almost a perfect fit except for two places which were then filled in with silicone gasket maker; not before trying it and filling the oil with coolant...

When the engine was disassembled and found to be worn out, we noticed burns on the 300tdi gasket - most likely from running very hot. But i also could help but think that there might be gases escaping into the coolant with this ill fitting gasket.

are you sure they were mechanics,and not the local plumber,never heard of silicone used on head gasket before

is the head cracked where the gasket blew?

The cylinder head is not cracked. The reason the head gasket blew because it is thick and not reinforced between the cylinders.

Landy89 said:

The cylinder head is not cracked. The reason the head gasket blew because it is thick and not reinforced between the cylinders.

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Why cant you get a proper head gasket? Its critical to these engines,as they are not intercooled intake compression heat has nowhere to go except into the oil and the block.Under heavy load conditions they can get hotter and hotter,boiling the oil and eventually cracking the block or a piston! I dont think it helps that the oil cooler is in the rad. I dont see how that does much when the water is boiling already.
To avoid these problems it really is important that your cooling and lube systems are 100% and a dodgy head gasket may not help either to work well.
Vital to use the right oil too. Ive never heard of using silicone for head gaskets either.

The head gasket issue is complicated. I have 4 factory OEM gaskets in my spare parts kit (all are Elring brand). They are all 1mm thick. The mechanic who did the overhaul in Argentina told me that with the OEM gasket i had too much compression so he got a custom gasket built for me. That custom gasket blew out in 500kms or so. It is pretty hard to find a place that fabricated gaskets in South America, and impossible when i am not in a big city like Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo. So generally i have to make do with what is avalible...that is why a 300tdi gasket was installed - there was no other option other than using the OEM gasket and having heaving knocking from the cylinder.....now i am starting to question if the source of the knocking was the compression or instead something wrong with the lifters/valves...i will try a OEM gasket once again now that i have new everything in the motor.

Landy89 said:

The head gasket issue is complicated. I have 4 factory OEM gaskets in my spare parts kit (all are Elring brand). They are all 1mm thick. The mechanic who did the overhaul in Argentina told me that with the OEM gasket i had too much compression so he got a custom gasket built for me. That custom gasket blew out in 500kms or so. It is pretty hard to find a place that fabricated gaskets in South America, and impossible when i am not in a big city like Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo. So generally i have to make do with what is avalible...that is why a 300tdi gasket was installed - there was no other option other than using the OEM gasket and having heaving knocking from the cylinder.....now i am starting to question if the source of the knocking was the compression or instead something wrong with the lifters/valves...i will try a OEM gasket once again now that i have new everything in the motor.

Click to expand...

Is there no Land Rover agent/dealer in Argentina? Where do the parts used to recon your engine come from and why cant you get a proper gasket?

There is a firm near here that will freight stuff anywhere in the world.Do you have a contact in UK who would sort it? Very much doubt whether you will get it reliable without the right parts.When you rebuild you could do it as 2.5 na they have a much better reputation for reliability!

I do have 4 OEM gaskets, all of which came from England. That is not the issue. As for the rest of the parts, almost all of them also came from England - but as luggage on the plane. To import parts here via courier or to buy parts here from a LR representative is insane as it costs about 5x what it costs in England do to import taxes.

Quite frankly a LR in south america is a rich man's toy. The cost of repair is 5x what it is in the UK. The cost of buying a LR here is about US$120,000 for a new Defender. In retrospect, i would never bring or buy a LR in south america ever again.

The solution to this is look for vehicles that are plentiful and put an engine conversion from them in.

Why didn't you have a copper gasket made up if you couldn't find a correct supplied one

Could be a good idea if you can source a good Jap/Ford why engine!

Early 2.5td engines had copper gaskets before the later type came in anyway!

Update:
Reinstalled the motor today in my Defender. Just to recap, it has new: camshaft, lifters, tappets, tappet guides, main bearings, oil pump gears, exhaust valves, gaskets, oil, turbo core. When we got to installing the cylinder head, i decided to do an experiment and try with an OEM gasket which is 1mm thick. I had a custom fabricated 2.2mm thick gasket handy incase the OEM didn't work out. The mechanics all thought i was crazy as two weeks ago we had installed an OEM gasket and the engine had a terrible knocking noise...Based on conversations i had with Richard Turner of Turner Engineering I thought that the prior knocking just might be valve related, so i tried the OEM for the second time today - and it worked just fine!!! Despite all the chatter from all the mechanics i have encountered in South America, I in fact did not need a custom 2.2mm gasket at all, the OEM 1mm gasket is just fine.

The Defender drove out of the repair shop today under its own power. Everything seems fine except for a few little odd and ends to clean up tomorrow.

The lesson i learned from all of this is to manage and supervise the repair of my LR myself and DO NOT under any circumstances entrust it blindly to any mechanics...I have found out that i am must more knowledgeable and resourceful than the mechanics.

Dont think you will go wrong if you listen to Mr Turner.My Turner engine is really good,Ive been told they are better than OEM as they match tolerances more carefully!
Be careful to maintain your td carefully they are not tolerant of poor oils,low coolant levels etc.As I said before theres always the option of removing the turbo and running as n/a if you run into more problems

one other landy used a silicone bead on a head gasket from the factory. I'll give you only 1 guess as to which one.

p.s. - a clue, they've got a bit of a reputation for head gasket issues, and the uprated replacement has NO silicone on it at all.

Well, i have another head gasket problem...i installed the 1mm elring head gasket yesterday, and today it blew out. The engine was running warm the whole time. I am very curious why the engine is running warm..it is climbing hills....we used a heat gun on it and the temps were all in the normal operating range..though the temp gauge on the panel was warmer than what i was used to. it was slightly in the black, while i am used to it being in the middle of hte gauge (the white)

Have you checked your injection timing? If it is too early, you can get something similar to pre ignition on a petrol engine, where the fuel ignites while the piston is still on the compression stroke. This can cause excess engine compression which can damage the gasket and cause overheating.