Some of you may of read my previous topic, about me considering buying the 1985 110 with an Isuzu 2.8td engine fitted,Unfortunately I cant get an insurance company to touch it with the engine swap so Ive discarded that idea.The same company has a Y reg 110 double cab TD5 with 68k on the clock for sale.Im just wondering what your thoughts are on this engine and is there any main things to look out for when purchasing a td5?Ive currently got a 1987 90 with the 19j fitted so I suppose just about anything can be an improvement on that

Your comments much appreciated.

i dont like the TD5 simply because it needs electronic tools, if it goes wrong it wont be a socket set that you'll reach for first it'll be a laptop - so unless your wanting to help send yer local garage owner orf on lots of expensive holidays i'd say get a late 300 engined version

but then again you might be one of those odd peeps who has got a landy but doesnt own any tools

Ive read this somewhere before and this is my main worry,,not been able to fix it myself unlike the old 19j? any other things to look out for? Would also be interested to hear how many miles you defender td5 owners have clocked up with this engine without problems?

thanks for your response

there's plenty of depender buying advise on here, i'd rather not have to type it all out - search is a good idea

my local landy garage wont touch tds simpley because of the computor diagnostic equipment you will need,im sure if you look on here everyone will give you there own opinions but reliability seems to be the biggest problem,but its like all things people with a td5 will tell you they are brilliant
and people with a tdi will tell you they are brilliant
do some research on here and make your own mind up
me personally i prefer the tdis or the tds as they are simple mechanics and easily worked on

Anything is fixable, but Sean is right, without the diagnostic software it'd be a slow and very expensive process. Have a look on Paddocks website for a comparison of costs involved with fixing a broken TD5 compared with a Tdi. Scarey stuff I reckon

Example... exhausts for a 90.

200 Tdi
front pipe: £17.30
middle pipe: £38.69
back box: £32.00

300 Tdi Non CAT
front pipe: £21.25
middle pipe: £32.00
back box: £40.00

300 Tdi CAT
front pipe: £224.50
middle pipe: £32.00
back box: £40.00

TD5 (Early)
front pipe: £125
middle pipe: £105
back box: £75

TD5 (Late)
front pipe: £125
middle pipe: £95
back box: £75

If you're going to go for a Tdi, the difference between a 200 and a 300 is largely negligible (as long as you ditch the cat, if it has one, and block up the EGR on the 300), buy a sound chassis and bulkhead combination first and choose the engine last

Cheers,

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Adz
1993 200 Tdi Defender 90 CSW - wiv' a snorkel!

Heh - better example:

200 Tdi Cylinder Head: £500
300 Tdi Cylinder Head: £245
TD5 Cylinder Head: £1,150

Err... wouldn't want to replace a head on a TD5

__________________
Adz
1993 200 Tdi Defender 90 CSW - wiv' a snorkel!

My TD5 has done 125,000 miles and is still going strong.

__________________
The early bird gets nicked by the VAT man.
Never appear at your place of work before noon.
Inland Revenue inspectors like to keep their afternoons free for paperwork.
Lastly, never forget that silence is golden. It also gets you out of trouble as well. Especially with 'er indoors.

My 200 Tdi has done 136k miles and all I've had to replace is a water pump...

200Tdi water pump £30.50
300Tdi water pump £14.95
TD5 water pump £38.95

I'm not saying they're not reliable... but they are expensive for parts compared with a Tdi and as they're more complicated they're also harder to work on.

__________________
Adz
1993 200 Tdi Defender 90 CSW - wiv' a snorkel!

Thanks for the advice guys,,To be honest Im unsure what to do,,My current 19j has been 100% reliable considering what ive read on this engine,but to be honest a little slow for the driving I do,,My only fear is I get rid of this and buy the td5 and have nothing but problems and thats especially worrying seen as the td5 double cabs asking price is £10k.