If I was buying an only vehicle now then I'd probably opt for a TD5, although my 90 300tdi CSW would probably be fine if it had a disco transfer box, but I own a car for any long/motorway journeys. The one time I used my 300 to drive 150 miles, then 150 back, to Silverstone full of camping equipment and a passenger and on the journey there kept to about 55/60mph, then on the return was in a bit of a hurry so kept to 65mph and averaged just below 31mpg for the journey which I was pretty pleased with. Admittedly it wasn't exactly relaxing but it really wasn't too bad.
As others have pointed out, the older, noisier, slower engine should be cheaper to fix but more of a chore to drive, and you'd probably have to work a little harder. The newer, quieter, quicker engine is more expensive to fix, but would be a much easier thing to drive on a daily basis.
Won't lie, I jumped into buying a Defender a few years ago and had only ever been in the TD5 pickup at work which never went over 25mph. I was very shocked driving my 300 home, but have got used to it and am a generally happier person when in my Defender when compared to driving my car. Most of my journeys are on A/B roads though and not on any excessively busy or fast roads. Bought it for it's simplicity, rarely regret it, probably wouldn't regret owning a TD5 as there's a mechanic in the family who could sort me out.
As others have pointed out, the older, noisier, slower engine should be cheaper to fix but more of a chore to drive, and you'd probably have to work a little harder. The newer, quieter, quicker engine is more expensive to fix, but would be a much easier thing to drive on a daily basis.
Won't lie, I jumped into buying a Defender a few years ago and had only ever been in the TD5 pickup at work which never went over 25mph. I was very shocked driving my 300 home, but have got used to it and am a generally happier person when in my Defender when compared to driving my car. Most of my journeys are on A/B roads though and not on any excessively busy or fast roads. Bought it for it's simplicity, rarely regret it, probably wouldn't regret owning a TD5 as there's a mechanic in the family who could sort me out.
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After 17 years of Range Rover ownership, our present situation dictated a simpler and more easy stress free life....so I sold the L322 and got myself a 300Tdi to sit alongside the girlfriends 300Tdi......
Much happier and not beholden to a computer any longer...bliss.
Much happier and not beholden to a computer any longer...bliss.
So, with a diagnostic tool for a td5, are they maintainable by the average home mechanic? Would I be able to service and repair it myself?
Speed isn't an issue. I'm used to my disco 300 tdi being slow and I have a 120 mile round trip to and from work. I rarely, if ever, go above 60 mph and I don't go above 2000 rpm when changing up through the gears.
Ive never worried about the revs on a diesel, drive it and dont look at the rev counter, all diesels like a good workout.
What's a rev counter??
I got a speedo that the needle bounces about on and you have to kind of judge where the middle of the bounce is and that is roughly what speed you are doing!
I got a Fuel gauge that changes depending on which direction corner you're taking!
I got a Temp gauge that is as reliable as a the British weather!
I got a Battery gauge that goes up when the lights are off and goes down when the lights are on, and even further down when the heater motor is on!
I got a Clock in the centre cig lighter panel that has an exceptionally loud tick which is odd!
My rev counter is my hands on the wheel and my bum on the seat....when the vibrations in your bum get as bad as the vibrations in your hand it is probably about time to change gear.....
Only my opinion, but tuned 300's are our choice due their simplicity, and lack of electronic "stuff".
A full width intercooler, and a tuned pump will give you 145 HP reliably, provided you fit an EGT, and take some notice of it (!!). 145HP in a fender is quite quick, IME - and you could always go VNT, which gets things moving along rather sharpish.
As mentioned above, if you go TD5, then IMHO, budget for your own diag kit as part of the price.
A full width intercooler, and a tuned pump will give you 145 HP reliably, provided you fit an EGT, and take some notice of it (!!). 145HP in a fender is quite quick, IME - and you could always go VNT, which gets things moving along rather sharpish.
As mentioned above, if you go TD5, then IMHO, budget for your own diag kit as part of the price.
I'm not going to go off roading, except driving stuff up the field to the horses, and I'm not going to want to race anyone, lol.
I just want a reliable, (as they can be, lol), Land Rover to get me from A to B. I want to be able to service and fix it myself. If I can do that with a td5 and a diagnostic tool, fine.
What's the deal with oil getting into the injection loom plug that I keep reading about?
I just want a reliable, (as they can be, lol), Land Rover to get me from A to B. I want to be able to service and fix it myself. If I can do that with a td5 and a diagnostic tool, fine.
What's the deal with oil getting into the injection loom plug that I keep reading about?
lightning
Well-Known Member
Nothing to worry about.
Oil gets into the wiring harness due to the connectors for the injectors being inside the engine.
lt can cause running issues (although it didn't affect my 110 it caused poor running on my 90)
lt's a half hour job to fit a new harness, which costs around £30 and cures the fault.
Oil gets into the wiring harness due to the connectors for the injectors being inside the engine.
lt can cause running issues (although it didn't affect my 110 it caused poor running on my 90)
lt's a half hour job to fit a new harness, which costs around £30 and cures the fault.
Originally land rover recommended new engine loom and engine ecu, but as the fault became more common they knocked it down to the new modded injector loom which is inside the rocker cover, then once a week remove the red ecu plug and flush out any residual engine oil with brake cleaner until it stays clean and thats it, loom is circa 30 quid Iirc.
All the td5 faults are well known same as the tdis really after all its a land rover.
Well worth doing some research into how easy it is for a scrote to nick the td5 model and how they get around the alarm system.
Ok, thanks. How do the tdi and td5 compare when it comes to fuel consumption?
bankz5152
Well-Known Member
My old 90 averaged 25 - 28mpg (depending on how much you booted it) around town and 30mpg+ on the motorway (35mpg was the best I managed) but had a lot of mods to get there*. Can't comment on my 110 as I simply havnt driven it enough! Though rough estimates look to be around 25mpg.
*Things that would affect MPG
EGR Blank
Decat
Straight Thru
18psi Boost
Full size intercooler
Silicone hoses
Dynachip Remap
De-restricted airbox + standard filter
Ashcroft higher ratio 5th gear
265/75/16 Cooper Discoverer STTs
Wasnt exactly light either with a half roll cage, HD rock sliders, HD winch bumper, HD steering guard and HD track rods.
I think had it been standard with road tyres and driven sensibly I could have achieved 30mpg around town and high 30s on the motorway.
*Things that would affect MPG
EGR Blank
Decat
Straight Thru
18psi Boost
Full size intercooler
Silicone hoses
Dynachip Remap
De-restricted airbox + standard filter
Ashcroft higher ratio 5th gear
265/75/16 Cooper Discoverer STTs
Wasnt exactly light either with a half roll cage, HD rock sliders, HD winch bumper, HD steering guard and HD track rods.
I think had it been standard with road tyres and driven sensibly I could have achieved 30mpg around town and high 30s on the motorway.
Over the years I have found the following
200 disco would just scrape 30 and on a run low 30s, easily the most economical disco engine ever, have heard of people getting 40mpg!
300 disco mid to high 20s and 30 on a run
TD5 disco mid 20s and 30 on a run
All the above three models were the exact same route to work over approx 15 years
TDV6 disco short commute (5 miles) 20 mpg, 25 as a general rule and 30 on a run of any distance
I did work out my defender 200 when i first got it and from memory it was 31mpg, but since then its been tweaked/different size tyres etc so never tried anymore.
200 disco would just scrape 30 and on a run low 30s, easily the most economical disco engine ever, have heard of people getting 40mpg!
300 disco mid to high 20s and 30 on a run
TD5 disco mid 20s and 30 on a run
All the above three models were the exact same route to work over approx 15 years
TDV6 disco short commute (5 miles) 20 mpg, 25 as a general rule and 30 on a run of any distance
I did work out my defender 200 when i first got it and from memory it was 31mpg, but since then its been tweaked/different size tyres etc so never tried anymore.
