Compared to a 2.25 diesel it might not be such a step. But from the petrol I'd say it is. I would say a 19J Turbo Diesel is more refined than a Tdi. Tdi's are good engines, I have a 200 in my 88 coiler. But that is also massively unrefined compared to a 90.
Not much room under a series bonnet, loads under a defender bonnet.
I must admit I was leaning towards the idea of a 19J, at least it would look like it had always been there, but most seem to be knackered now and need expensive rebuilds which sort of put me off a bit along with future parts availability potentially being poor due to their bad reputation. There will always be loads of TDis about in Defenders so spares availability should be good.
I cannot agree more with this and have just done exactly that for the additional things in my 110. it makes it easy to diagnose and fault find in the future, and if you use colour coded wiring and make your own circuit diagrams (i did) it is even more straight forward. You also get the option to just disconnect or remove without causing issue to the main vehicle wiring.
I would be thinking about doing a major service if not a full rebuild on any Tdi as well. It's not 2006 anymore, and the days of being able to buy a rotten Discovery, driving it home and swapping out the engine (which could be fairly guaranteed to be in reasonable condition) are more or less over. Chances are you would be buying an unknown engine on a pallet, which in any case will be at least 25 years old.
That is almost word for word what I said on a similar thread recently (might have even been this one I cant remember) and I could not agree more! Any engine swap these days is going to need at least a light rebuild so you might as well rebuild what is currently in it and keep it original.
Why would it be hairy? I frequently drive on 60mph roads and dual carriageways with my S3 with no problems at all. If yours is hairy to drive at 60 then it is likely that the brakes or steering have something wrong with them. Low range in traffic? I find the standard ratios more than low enough for town work. The only time I have to use 1st gear to pull away is when the engine is cold and I am using the choke or when pulling away uphill. I do agree about the overdrive though, I would love one. Mine will cruise happily at 60 without one but above 60 the noise becomes uncomfortable and the fuel consumption is distressing.
It'll do 60 all day for sure, but I'll have my lovely noise-cancelling headphones on.
I have not had any problems with the 2.25 petrol on mine at all. All I had to do when I got it was to adjust the timing slightly as it was igniting at TDC and is now set to 3 degrees BTDC and to adjust the fuelling with a Gunson Colortune. The Zenith carb on mine seems very reliable and has not needed any adjustment other than mentioned above. I check and top up the oil every couple of weeks with 20/50 oil. I would imagine the diesel is much the same, unless there is something wrong with the injector pump they should not need frequent adjustment nor should the injectors. The 2.25 engine, both petrol and diesel is a generally reliable engine. Use the correct grade of oil and drive it properly, no full throttle until at operating temperature and it should be fine.
To be honest there is not a lot that can be done to improve the performance of a 2.25 diesel. A good healthy one will make around 60 bhp at the most and there is not much you can do to improve that. I doubt an electric fan will make any noticeable difference, maybe freeing up 1 horsepower at the most. fitting an overdrive will make it more pleasant to drive and may raise the cruising speed slightly, but there just isn't enough torque from the diesel at the right engine speed to take much advantage of the higher gearing.
Do you know the part number and location for the screw gear as I'm not sure where its is. Thank you in advance.
Which one is it 3,4 or 18. Or should I replace all the gears? Sorry if I sound a bit stupid.
