@@defendermodsandtravels No doubt. Thats the problem with having so many interests in an interesting world. I'm keen to see that truck progress though. Such a cool old machine.
This channel as a proof that you can, in fact, reach a ripe mature age with this amount of hurdle jumping gives me hope for me and my small fleet of shitboxes.
Ahh thought you gone walkabout since your last trip, good to see you back in my recommendations list, please update when possible do enjoy your video's.
Bring the updates and info, the more the better from your real life experiences. Had my 300tdi Defender for nearly 11 years and doing as much diy improvements & repairs as I can.
The X brake has suffered horribly from driving through the Makgadigadi salt pan and is now just a ball of rust. It will be a mini restoration project in its own right.
Glad to have you back on screen. Definitely keen to see the repairs and progress on the mighty expedition defender, keep up the great clips and content.
Yes the bloody "to do" list is daunting. I am looking to see if I can prune anything out but most of the items are essential if I want a trouble-free trip next time. On a more positive note, it's an absolute joy to be able to work on the engine and the engine compartment now that the engine is out. I can make a proper job of the various tasks which is impossible when access is restricted.
Awesome Bill, we could all learn a lot from how you feel you can better your mods for overlanding. As I'm still in the middle of mine, these tips would certainly benefit me 🙏🏻
Strange, thought about you yesterday, and wondered when you ,ight post a post-mortem on the 90, after the trip:. I would love to see videos of all the tribulations, I like you direct, analytical methods. Thanks for posting
I really like that these repairs are because you have worn it out on adventures. Exactly what a defender is for. Engine replacement options are such a hassle to consider, way too many variables and options. I've been comparing available options for a couple.of years and still struggling. I had finally decided to use a Volvo b230 petrol, at least 100 hours on research, rebuild details, upgrades etc. Crazy solid and reliable engine and easy fit in a series engine bay, but sadly I'm 20 years late and they are now hard to find here in Australia. Bugger. Happy adventuring and I'll be tuned in to any and all your mods, repairs and pondering.
I smile to myself when people scoff at Defenders and their '"poor reliability". There's a crowd in SA who own spanking new Land Cruisers which are used for gentle weekend trips and I don't take their opinions too seriously. You need to take a vehicle on an extended trip with no support and see if it gets you home, then judge it. BTW I would advise against putting a foreign engine in any vehicle, It takes years to get it right. I am so far down the line that I can't turn back now.
@@defendermodsandtravels I absolutely despise the constant brand-based shit slinging. If Cruisers and Patrols are so awesome then why does every owner modify the hell out of them? I thought they were perfect already. :) Though the series versions were well underpowered by the 1970s compared to the Japanese options, though they would still get the job done, eventually. :) I have a few series land rovers in various stages of disrepair and not a single LR engine in any of them. I think I'm already well down the can't turn back-now-stage as well.
@@NathanNostaw I am actually brand neutral. I don't criticise others' choice of vehicle and I don't expect them to criticise mine. What matters is how well prepared and maintained the vehicle is and how it is driven.
Hey, regarding 12 Volt in a Defender, I am using an idiot proof 2 Batterie System with just 2 NATO switches to manually connct, disconnct or splt the two Batteries. No Sterling or what so ever. Happy with it since more than 20 years, never let me down.... car is a series chassis with 300 tdi engine. All the best and happy building. Niko
This is a subject of great interest to me. There is no doubt that a smart split charge system is the best way to ensure that each battery is charged correctly - neither over nor under charged (I did a video on this a while back). However this requires electronics and can fail as my Sterling unit did in South Africa. The contingency plan is to use a jumper cable or manual switch to join the batteries. On balance I think I'll install a new Sterling unit since the wiring is there already and I have so many other tasks to do, but this is last chance saloon. I already ditched the low voltage cut out which failed twice (and the inverter and fridge have their own cut outs).
Been following your updates for a while now. Good and useful content, please keep it coming! PS. I am a Belgian living in S-America (Suriname). Always welcome here for beer on your next journey!
Dear Sir, Bill I understand, let me tell you that I - about your age *49 and also a learned but never really practiced engineer - admire your videos and your way of looking at things already for quite some time. Please do keep sharing your endeavors! I would like to communicate with you on a more personal level and hope your time allowes for that, thank you from Amman, Jordan
Certainly would like updates. I purchased the split change system you recommended, but now said needs to be replaced. I have not installed it yet, so would be very interested in the failure mode. Keep going. Landys always need love.
I hope I didn"t give you a bum steer. My split charge system worked very well until it suddenly stopped working. I need to look into it to see what happened. I am generally biased against all electronics which are often unreliable and can't be repaired. In this case it wasn't critical because I could control the charging of the 2nd battery using a jumper cable. Would a B2B charging system be more reliable? I really don't know.
Please keep up the videos .l have been holding my breath you would come back and have been looking out for you on ic27 algarve this winter gone .santa martha
yes yes updates please. I think you should look at the renogy product line. They are good quality and simple to install. In particular theyre DC to DC chargers, they take energy from the alt or solar panels, and send it to the house battery. They are big in the van life world, and trouble free. Always good to see new vids.
Hi Bill, I’m definitely interested in seeing more of your approach to your tasks. I agree with your choice of engine and as a TRUE longtime LR tragic it’s not hard for me to see the shortcomings in the 300Tdi regarding reliability in harsher conditions.
Great to see you broadcasting again and an impressive range of motorised gardening equipment to boot!. Doubtless the portal frame has been well analysed. Sorry to hear your post expedition repair list is long, but I look forward to all related future videos. I also bought some Alphatronics items, some of which I've so far fitted, so I will be interested to see what failed. Meanwhile the sawn off Mog chassis rear spare wheel holder is going well, even if it does perhaps have a 24x FOS.
@@defendermodsandtravels Last time I extracted a Land Rover engine I seem to recall it was a mixture of scaffold trestles and a railway sleeper. The impercunity of youth also meant one of those dreadful wire cable ratchet pulley contraptions as Machine Mart hadn't been invented for a chain block. Presently on a Malaysia project and eyeing up secondhand LandCruisers.....
@@deriusnorris4463 Yes the new trip starts when you arrive back from the last one. What never ceases to amaze me is that you start with a well prepared vehicle and arrive back with a long list of necessary improvements.
@@defendermodsandtravels yup it is so... we just got back from the kgalagadi oil from somewhere in the steering rack (old issue which has got bad) and rear diff housing has a small crack in the top don't know how that happened... (been keeping an eye on it check levels managing the issue) and time to fit a stainless steel exhaust system. Getting ready for the next adventure... At least I don't have an engine to do. Good luck hope the swap goes smoothly (though I don't want to jinx it 😂)
@@deriusnorris4463 I have an SS exhaust fitted more than a decade ago. It has been trouble free. Here we have wonderful specialist workshops. Steering boxes, diffs, starter motors, turbos, whatever. I just take the item out and send it to the right workshop, job done. Very efficient and not expensive either. My big problem this time is the heavy corrosion caused by driving in the salt pan in Botswana. The Def has been rust free until now.
I wouldn't rule out the 300 TDI, it was the best thing for my 1987 LR90 when the old 19J engine let go. 300tdi has now been in my 90 for many years still coupled to the vehicles original LT77 gearbox. It think the 300TDI was Land Rovers last engine they designed that you could rely on. Most owners have problems because they insist on messing with Turbo Boost, fueling and injection timing, but stock out of the box, they are a little bit of Land Rover magic.
Look I love the 300 Tdi in my Disco but I know it's a bit less robust than the Daihatsu 2.8 Tdi which has legendary reliability. I had an overheating incident in a very isolated part of Botswana which would have damaged a 300 Tdi. That alone makes it worthwhile sticking with the Daihatsu.
One upgrade I made was to fit a R380 box. It's a stronger box than the LT77 and you can fit an oil cooler. This is practically impossible with a LT77. It's a worthwhile mod for hot climates.
@@defendermodsandtravels my son has done the R380 conversion on his 1988 LR90 and fitted the 300tdi (his 19J self destructed as did mine) the only thing with the R380 conversion is it pushed the engine much further forward over/ahead of the front axle and the floors needed modification . My LT77 TDi combo keeps the engine well back. I also don't run a viscous fan so loads of space,all the belts including cam belt and the water pump and power steering can be changed without removal of the front panel or radiator. Done 55'000 trouble free miles since, no issues but then I am not in the African dessert. Hope you get yours sorted soon, back in the day we used to fit Perkins diesel engines because the original LR diesel engines were soo weak. Amazing reliability but very heavy and being non turbo very sluggish(albeit a reliable slug)
I know the history of this unit. It was developed by a guy, whose name I forget, who marketed it through his company which was later sold to Merlin. He published several useful articles on the internet. There's a big switching relay isn't there? I f so the charging cycle for the 2nd battery will be a bit primitive however if it works reliably that's a big advantage.
@@defendermodsandtravels There is a relay. The charging of the second battery has been fine for my limited needs. I only run a fridge constantly, a few 12V sockets and compressor occasionally. The 100 W solar panel provides the charge and then tops up the starter battery. It's been in there for years and is a huge improvement over the previous Genysis system which was rubbish. The bigger problem is squeezing two batteries into the space under the seat, as you know. I have two Odyssey batteries which are tight and they are only 68 AH. My friend uses a Merlin on his boat and he hasn't had a problem.
Good luck with your mods. I'm interested to see the likes of how you mod the clutch for bleeding ect, and I bet that steel adapter ring weighs rather a lot!
I really suffered with trying to bleed the clutch in Namibia - the bleed nipple was damaged and it had an Imperial hex head which needed a stubby ring spanner which I didn't have. This time I am going to install a single person bleed nipple with a spring loaded non-return valve. Oh yes, it will have a metric hex head too (I carry a reasonable selection of metric spanners but very few Imperial spanners).
I guess you work with what you have. Spares for Diahatsu engine would be a concern, however I’m sure you have the basics & essentials covered already. Might be worth trying checking big ends & mains with plastigauge before condemning it?
Good job young fella,if you were my friend 60 years ago l could have told you put a 3.9 turbo diesel in her but your starting to get to old to teach, please look after my land Rovers 😅😅
Good to see you, I was wondering where you had gone. You'll be in trouble if you don't post updates 😁 What sort of Daihatsu engine are you running? I must have missed that at some point.
To be more precise, this was covered by the LR Workshop and Expedition channel. The water pump in a 300 Tdi is mounted high and if the water level drops a bit the engine will overheat. The cylinder head is made of Al and it will warp. There's a history of these engines blowing head gaskets. I have overheated the Daihatsu engine in the Defender a couple of times, most recently in Botswana when the relay for the cooling fan failed. This was in a very remote place and was scary. The engine survived and got me home.
@@defendermodsandtravels Ah! I have to admit I raised an eyebrow in surprise when you dismissed the the venerable 300tdi and wondered why. Now I know. Is the 200tdi any better? Yes, the the 200tdi parts are getting rarer and it does sound like a bag of hammers but they do have zillions of expedition miles behind them. I personally have no problem with engine conversions and run a BMW lump in my Defender that has been utterly reliable in the Sahara. Good luck on the rebuild and do keep us updated!
It got me home but a bit battered. I am doing some repairs, some preventive maintenance and some upgrades to make it into a better overland vehicle. Some bits are plain worn out.
@@stephenasbridge878 There's nothing like enough complexity in proper Land Rovers for constant breakdown enthusiasts. They perfected things however with later Discovery 3 and 4 models, including a fracturing crankshaft mileage lottery feature and requiring the body to be routinely removed for engine work.
Keep the updates coming - love the style of your videos. Since you mentioned it: Could you maybe talk a bit more detailed about the 300tdi and why it's less robust on expeditions that other engines (like your Daihatsu)?
The water pump is too high so if there's even a small loss of coolant it will overheat. The cylinder head is made from Al so if the engine overheats it will warp the cylinder head and blow the head gasket. The Daihatsu engine is an old thumper and has a legendary reputation for keeping going. The whole engine is made from cast iron. I have had several incidents of overheating (my fault) and the engine didn't get damaged.
You are a breath of old-school fresh air. Updates? Yes please.
Yes please to the updates, always very interesting to see how a proper engineer tackles working on an old Land Rover!
@@maximusironthumper Yes a professionally qualified engineer but an amateur mechanic! I'll do my best.
Maybe team up and steal that 6BT from the truck for an over-the-top engineering challenge on your now finished and functioning land rover? :)
@@NathanNostaw I don't need any extra work. My plate is already full.
@@defendermodsandtravels No doubt. Thats the problem with having so many interests in an interesting world. I'm keen to see that truck progress though. Such a cool old machine.
@@NathanNostaw We are making solid progress but oh so much work ☹️
It would be interesting to see updates young man!
This channel as a proof that you can, in fact, reach a ripe mature age with this amount of hurdle jumping gives me hope for me and my small fleet of shitboxes.
@@gigiopincio5006 I am not quite sure whether that's a compliment or not 😏
Ahh thought you gone walkabout since your last trip, good to see you back in my recommendations list, please update when possible do enjoy your video's.
will be watching, the more detailed the better
[assuming you have the time & inclination] please keep the updates coming !
Def post updates and thoughts, duscussion. It makes for excellent content
Please post updates. I really enjoy watching the process of repairs and upgrades rather than just the finished article. Best of luck sir. 👍🏻
Bring the updates and info, the more the better from your real life experiences.
Had my 300tdi Defender for nearly 11 years and doing as much diy improvements & repairs as I can.
Definitely interested, particularly in lessons learned in this latest round of electrical issues
I look forward to your updates, enjoy your very down to earth approach.
Another vote for updates , I came back to review the X brake video you made earlier and was delighted to see a new video 🇬🇧
The X brake has suffered horribly from driving through the Makgadigadi salt pan and is now just a ball of rust. It will be a mini restoration project in its own right.
Yes please. Would love to see more updates.
Glad to have you back on screen. Definitely keen to see the repairs and progress on the mighty expedition defender, keep up the great clips and content.
Good to see you back. Wow what a to do list! It would be great to see your repairs being carried out. Really enjoy your content 👌
Yes the bloody "to do" list is daunting. I am looking to see if I can prune anything out but most of the items are essential if I want a trouble-free trip next time.
On a more positive note, it's an absolute joy to be able to work on the engine and the engine compartment now that the engine is out. I can make a proper job of the various tasks which is impossible when access is restricted.
Hi Bill, please keep the updates coming. It is amazing how much damage the corrugations can do. They are really bad up North in Oz. Cheers
Very keen to see updates!
very interested in updates. love this channel when you post.
thank u mazee, welcome to Juba!
Very interested👍
Yes, please update! Looking forward to it.
Updates would be welcome. Thank you.
Yes please Bill!
Looking forward to seeing your progress.
@@Jottingsfrom It's too slow and I"m pushed to make time for a new video but I will try 👍
Awesome Bill, we could all learn a lot from how you feel you can better your mods for overlanding. As I'm still in the middle of mine, these tips would certainly benefit me 🙏🏻
yes please, the more updates the better
Definitely more updates please. I love hearing your explanations and thoughts
Please do update us on the repairs! That is what i find the most interesting by far😊
Strange, thought about you yesterday, and wondered when you ,ight post a post-mortem on the 90, after the trip:. I would love to see videos of all the tribulations, I like you direct, analytical methods. Thanks for posting
Yes!! Updates would be great please, it all sounds very interesting.
She'll have to be ready for your big trip. Get to it ! 🙂
Would be great so see upgrades and how you go about them.
I really like that these repairs are because you have worn it out on adventures. Exactly what a defender is for.
Engine replacement options are such a hassle to consider, way too many variables and options. I've been comparing available options for a couple.of years and still struggling. I had finally decided to use a Volvo b230 petrol, at least 100 hours on research, rebuild details, upgrades etc. Crazy solid and reliable engine and easy fit in a series engine bay, but sadly I'm 20 years late and they are now hard to find here in Australia. Bugger.
Happy adventuring and I'll be tuned in to any and all your mods, repairs and pondering.
I smile to myself when people scoff at Defenders and their '"poor reliability". There's a crowd in SA who own spanking new Land Cruisers which are used for gentle weekend trips and I don't take their opinions too seriously. You need to take a vehicle on an extended trip with no support and see if it gets you home, then judge it.
BTW I would advise against putting a foreign engine in any vehicle, It takes years to get it right. I am so far down the line that I can't turn back now.
@@defendermodsandtravels I absolutely despise the constant brand-based shit slinging. If Cruisers and Patrols are so awesome then why does every owner modify the hell out of them? I thought they were perfect already. :)
Though the series versions were well underpowered by the 1970s compared to the Japanese options, though they would still get the job done, eventually. :)
I have a few series land rovers in various stages of disrepair and not a single LR engine in any of them. I think I'm already well down the can't turn back-now-stage as well.
@@NathanNostaw I am actually brand neutral. I don't criticise others' choice of vehicle and I don't expect them to criticise mine. What matters is how well prepared and maintained the vehicle is and how it is driven.
Hey, regarding 12 Volt in a Defender, I am using an idiot proof 2 Batterie System with just 2 NATO switches to manually connct, disconnct or splt the two Batteries. No Sterling or what so ever.
Happy with it since more than 20 years, never let me down.... car is a series chassis with 300 tdi engine.
All the best and happy building.
Niko
This is a subject of great interest to me. There is no doubt that a smart split charge system is the best way to ensure that each battery is charged correctly - neither over nor under charged (I did a video on this a while back). However this requires electronics and can fail as my Sterling unit did in South Africa. The contingency plan is to use a jumper cable or manual switch to join the batteries.
On balance I think I'll install a new Sterling unit since the wiring is there already and I have so many other tasks to do, but this is last chance saloon. I already ditched the low voltage cut out which failed twice (and the inverter and fridge have their own cut outs).
Please keep us updated, fellow Suffolk Land Rover owner.
Prease, update!! Very interesting project!!
Yes, would be good to have updates, thanks!
I was hoping that you would post again soon. I would love to see the progress on the work that you are planning to do.
Been following your updates for a while now. Good and useful content, please keep it coming! PS. I am a Belgian living in S-America (Suriname). Always welcome here for beer on your next journey!
Dear Sir, Bill I understand, let me tell you that I - about your age *49 and also a learned but never really practiced engineer - admire your videos and your way of looking at things already for quite some time.
Please do keep sharing your endeavors!
I would like to communicate with you on a more personal level and hope your time allowes for that, thank you from Amman, Jordan
Post comments any time and if you wish we can email too.
Would love to see progress. 👍
Certainly would like updates. I purchased the split change system you recommended, but now said needs to be replaced. I have not installed it yet, so would be very interested in the failure mode. Keep going. Landys always need love.
I hope I didn"t give you a bum steer.
My split charge system worked very well until it suddenly stopped working. I need to look into it to see what happened. I am generally biased against all electronics which are often unreliable and can't be repaired. In this case it wasn't critical because I could control the charging of the 2nd battery using a jumper cable.
Would a B2B charging system be more reliable? I really don't know.
Please keep up the videos .l have been holding my breath you would come back and have been looking out for you on ic27 algarve this winter gone .santa martha
@@eamoncarroll6051 Nope was down in Africa this last winter.
yes yes updates please.
I think you should look at the renogy product line. They are good quality and simple to install. In particular theyre DC to DC chargers, they take energy from the alt or solar panels, and send it to the house battery.
They are big in the van life world, and trouble free. Always good to see new vids.
I have a 3kW Renogy solar controller at my property in Portugal and bought their folding solar panels for the Defender (see episode 2).
It would be good to see updates please.
Hi Bill, I’m definitely interested in seeing more of your approach to your tasks. I agree with your choice of engine and as a TRUE longtime LR tragic it’s not hard for me to see the shortcomings in the 300Tdi regarding reliability in harsher conditions.
The 300 Tdi is a great engine but you need to take care of it. I have fitted a low coolant alarm in my road going Disco 1.
Great to see you broadcasting again and an impressive range of motorised gardening equipment to boot!. Doubtless the portal frame has been well analysed. Sorry to hear your post expedition repair list is long, but I look forward to all related future videos. I also bought some Alphatronics items, some of which I've so far fitted, so I will be interested to see what failed. Meanwhile the sawn off Mog chassis rear spare wheel holder is going well, even if it does perhaps have a 24x FOS.
The portal frame would take a few tons of load so I didn't bother to analyse it for the engine lift.
@@defendermodsandtravels Last time I extracted a Land Rover engine I seem to recall it was a mixture of scaffold trestles and a railway sleeper. The impercunity of youth also meant one of those dreadful wire cable ratchet pulley contraptions as Machine Mart hadn't been invented for a chain block. Presently on a Malaysia project and eyeing up secondhand LandCruisers.....
Yes please! Love these videos
The new trip always starts with preparations not the highlights always posted.
Interested. Thx.
@@deriusnorris4463 Yes the new trip starts when you arrive back from the last one.
What never ceases to amaze me is that you start with a well prepared vehicle and arrive back with a long list of necessary improvements.
@@defendermodsandtravels yup it is so... we just got back from the kgalagadi oil from somewhere in the steering rack (old issue which has got bad) and rear diff housing has a small crack in the top don't know how that happened... (been keeping an eye on it check levels managing the issue) and time to fit a stainless steel exhaust system. Getting ready for the next adventure... At least I don't have an engine to do. Good luck hope the swap goes smoothly (though I don't want to jinx it 😂)
@@deriusnorris4463 I have an SS exhaust fitted more than a decade ago. It has been trouble free.
Here we have wonderful specialist workshops. Steering boxes, diffs, starter motors, turbos, whatever. I just take the item out and send it to the right workshop, job done. Very efficient and not expensive either.
My big problem this time is the heavy corrosion caused by driving in the salt pan in Botswana. The Def has been rust free until now.
I wouldn't rule out the 300 TDI, it was the best thing for my 1987 LR90 when the old 19J engine let go. 300tdi has now been in my 90 for many years still coupled to the vehicles original LT77 gearbox. It think the 300TDI was Land Rovers last engine they designed that you could rely on. Most owners have problems because they insist on messing with Turbo Boost, fueling and injection timing, but stock out of the box, they are a little bit of Land Rover magic.
Look I love the 300 Tdi in my Disco but I know it's a bit less robust than the Daihatsu 2.8 Tdi which has legendary reliability. I had an overheating incident in a very isolated part of Botswana which would have damaged a 300 Tdi. That alone makes it worthwhile sticking with the Daihatsu.
@@defendermodsandtravels I totally get that, stick with what you know and trust
One upgrade I made was to fit a R380 box. It's a stronger box than the LT77 and you can fit an oil cooler. This is practically impossible with a LT77. It's a worthwhile mod for hot climates.
@@defendermodsandtravels my son has done the R380 conversion on his 1988 LR90 and fitted the 300tdi (his 19J self destructed as did mine) the only thing with the R380 conversion is it pushed the engine much further forward over/ahead of the front axle and the floors needed modification . My LT77 TDi combo keeps the engine well back. I also don't run a viscous fan so loads of space,all the belts including cam belt and the water pump and power steering can be changed without removal of the front panel or radiator. Done 55'000 trouble free miles since, no issues but then I am not in the African dessert. Hope you get yours sorted soon, back in the day we used to fit Perkins diesel engines because the original LR diesel engines were soo weak. Amazing reliability but very heavy and being non turbo very sluggish(albeit a reliable slug)
@@gavinralph2910 I installed an Ashcroft stubby R 380 and bellhousing so everything else stayed in the same place.
Definitely post updates, please
The Merlin Smartbank split charge works well. Expensive these days but decent. Cactus navigation UK has them. £249😮
I know the history of this unit. It was developed by a guy, whose name I forget, who marketed it through his company which was later sold to Merlin. He published several useful articles on the internet.
There's a big switching relay isn't there? I f so the charging cycle for the 2nd battery will be a bit primitive however if it works reliably that's a big advantage.
@@defendermodsandtravels There is a relay. The charging of the second battery has been fine for my limited needs. I only run a fridge constantly, a few 12V sockets and compressor occasionally. The 100 W solar panel provides the charge and then tops up the starter battery. It's been in there for years and is a huge improvement over the previous Genysis system which was rubbish.
The bigger problem is squeezing two batteries into the space under the seat, as you know. I have two Odyssey batteries which are tight and they are only 68 AH. My friend uses a Merlin on his boat and he hasn't had a problem.
Good luck with your mods. I'm interested to see the likes of how you mod the clutch for bleeding ect, and I bet that steel adapter ring weighs rather a lot!
I really suffered with trying to bleed the clutch in Namibia - the bleed nipple was damaged and it had an Imperial hex head which needed a stubby ring spanner which I didn't have. This time I am going to install a single person bleed nipple with a spring loaded non-return valve. Oh yes, it will have a metric hex head too (I carry a reasonable selection of metric spanners but very few Imperial spanners).
I guess you work with what you have. Spares for Diahatsu engine would be a concern, however I’m sure you have the basics & essentials covered already. Might be worth trying checking big ends & mains with plastigauge before condemning it?
Look I have another engine which is ready to go so why not just use it?
Good job young fella,if you were my friend 60 years ago l could have told you put a 3.9 turbo diesel in her but your starting to get to old to teach, please look after my land Rovers 😅😅
Good to see you, I was wondering where you had gone. You'll be in trouble if you don't post updates 😁 What sort of Daihatsu engine are you running? I must have missed that at some point.
It's there in the early videos about the vehicle. A 2.8 Td (type DL 52) from a Fourtrak.
Updates please.
How about an 300 TDI?
I addressed that option in the video. Go to the back of the class!
To be more precise, this was covered by the LR Workshop and Expedition channel.
The water pump in a 300 Tdi is mounted high and if the water level drops a bit the engine will overheat. The cylinder head is made of Al and it will warp. There's a history of these engines blowing head gaskets.
I have overheated the Daihatsu engine in the Defender a couple of times, most recently in Botswana when the relay for the cooling fan failed. This was in a very remote place and was scary. The engine survived and got me home.
@@defendermodsandtravels Ah! I have to admit I raised an eyebrow in surprise when you dismissed the the venerable 300tdi and wondered why. Now I know. Is the 200tdi any better? Yes, the the 200tdi parts are getting rarer and it does sound like a bag of hammers but they do have zillions of expedition miles behind them. I personally have no problem with engine conversions and run a BMW lump in my Defender that has been utterly reliable in the Sahara. Good luck on the rebuild and do keep us updated!
@@ailo4x4 I have a 300 Tdi in my Disco 1 and think it's great but probably wouldn't take it on an expedition.
If this chap’s Land Rover didn’t keep breaking down he’d be gutted. What would he do with himself?
It got me home but a bit battered. I am doing some repairs, some preventive maintenance and some upgrades to make it into a better overland vehicle. Some bits are plain worn out.
@@stephenasbridge878 There's nothing like enough complexity in proper Land Rovers for constant breakdown enthusiasts. They perfected things however with later Discovery 3 and 4 models, including a fracturing crankshaft mileage lottery feature and requiring the body to be routinely removed for engine work.
Keep the updates coming - love the style of your videos.
Since you mentioned it: Could you maybe talk a bit more detailed about the 300tdi and why it's less robust on expeditions that other engines (like your Daihatsu)?
The water pump is too high so if there's even a small loss of coolant it will overheat. The cylinder head is made from Al so if the engine overheats it will warp the cylinder head and blow the head gasket.
The Daihatsu engine is an old thumper and has a legendary reputation for keeping going. The whole engine is made from cast iron. I have had several incidents of overheating (my fault) and the engine didn't get damaged.