2002 110 Defender 2.5TD5 - cracked cylinder head?

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V8Eddie

V8Eddie

Member
Posts
84
Location
Brittany, France
Hi, advice needed on how you can tell when your cylinder head is cracked? Just changed garage as ripped off by Landrover dealer in France but not totally sure of new garage.
I am not mechanically minded but would value some good advice on what to look for?
Fuel pump has been changed recently. Temperature normal but when garage dropped the fuel tank they stated that oil was getting into the diesel and that the cylinder head needed replacing. It seems to be driving OK but on start up not firing first time. Once warm, no problem. Only thing I have noticed, once, was that coming to a halt it juddered but did not cut out. Hasn't happened recently in the last week.
Would appreciate nice comments please from a lady in France:D
20180102_103803_LI (2).jpg
 
V8Eddie said:
Hi Neilly,
That certainly sounds like it should be checked first. I wish I was a mechanic but am not! Have smelt an oily smell beginning of December. Thanks for the advice.:)
Click to expand...

Make sure if you are going to change them to use genuine seals and washers , cost about £40 last time I looked, cheap ones about £10 are known to fail quickly.

I would be surprised if the LR garage had not already changed them , best to double check.

The job is not difficult , just need to be done methodically, I took 3 hours with a few cups of tea and double checking everything as I went through, I would expect a mechaninc to do it within an hour and a half with ease at the max 2 hours.

Cheers
 
What colour is the smoke from your exhaust?
Do you have any yellow gunge inside the oil filler cap or on the dipstick?
Is she losing water from the cooling system?
Is there any oil around the air filter and/or turbo?
You will either have to get your hands dirty, or find someone that you can trust.
 
neilly said:
Make sure if you are going to change them to use genuine seals and washers , cost about £40 last time I looked, cheap ones about £10 are known to fail quickly.

I would be surprised if the LR garage had not already changed them , best to double check.

The job is not difficult , just need to be done methodically, I took 3 hours with a few cups of tea and double checking everything as I went through, I would expect a mechaninc to do it within an hour and a half with ease at the max 2 hours.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Thanks Neilly. Will get this checked out. Will check again what the LR garage did but unfortunately for me it is all in French - I have passable French but when it comes to mechanical parts - well cylinder head is La Culasse! :D
 
Oldseadog said:
What colour is the smoke from your exhaust?
Do you have any yellow gunge inside the oil filler cap or on the dipstick?
Is she losing water from the cooling system?
Is there any oil around the air filter and/or turbo?
You will either have to get your hands dirty, or find someone that you can trust.
Click to expand...
Hi Oldseadog!
Sounds very practical - will check these out but will have to ask a friend to help me check these. I don't mind getting my hands dirty - I am farming stock but even though I am practical, I am not mechanically minded. Wish I had gone to Tech College all those years ago when I could have enrolled in a Mechanics course!:D Love my cars though!
 
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Please let us know your findings, then we may be able to either talk you through, or talk your 'friend with spanners' through the procedures.
There is nothing complicated about a Land Rover, as they are all just big boys Meccano sets!
 
Oldseadog said:
Please let us know your findings, then we may be able to either talk you through, or talk your 'friend with spanners' through the procedures.
There is nothing complicated about a Land Rover, as they are all just big boys Meccano sets!
Click to expand...
Hi Oldseadog, will do. I have got an appointment on Friday morning for a proper mechanic to give a 2nd opinion. So will comeback and let you know. So thank you and Neilly for all the sound advice, will keep you updated. :)
 
Oldseadog said:
If you can, come back to us as soon as possible on Friday, and if necessary we could sort it out on Skype.
Click to expand...

Hi Oldseadog and Neilly,

Well visited the mechanic and he thought there was nothing wrong with the cylinder head. He could not understand how oil could get into the fuel(diesel) but he recommended that I ask the previous garage mechanic to explain how he came to the decision that I needed a new cylinder head in detail as the signs don't add up!
.
Checked coolant, oil and oil cap and dipstick (no yellow gunge), no sign of black, blue or white smoke, no oil on air filter and no juddering since Christmas day. It still is not as easy to first start, turns over at least twice with foot to floor. Drives without any problems (touching wood here!!!).

Noted that when I had a full service and fuel pump changed, the garage did not change the air filter but it was not too dirty but should have been changed whatever. He also did not reconnect the petrol gauge - which peed me off as I thought it was empty and went straight to station to fill up, only to discover it was not empty!

One thing I am still concerned about is that you can hear the fuel pump in the cab when you turn on the ignition. I did mention this but mechanic that fitted it, stated this was normal - is it?

If you have any further comments, would appreciate them but my feelings are that I shall not be replacing the cylinder head and will be taking my vehicle to another garage. It is like gold dust trying to find a good mechanic!:rolleyes:
 
neilly said:
Hi There,

Sorry do you mean it this way, or did you mean diesel into the engine oil??

Cheers
Click to expand...

Hi Neilly,

Well literally translating his message - he states that when taking the fuel tank down he found engine oil in it. He then states that you have to change the gasket and cylinder head at a cost of 2800 euros.

Does this make sense?
 
Yes, you're very unlikely to get oil in the fuel. However, fuel getting in the oil is a symptom of injector seal failure, or possibly cylinder head problems. Yes, you can usually hear a TD5 fuel pump. It's how I know mine is working. If it is running OK but difficult to start, it may be because the valving in the fuel system that's supposed to stop it all draining away while the engine is off is having a problem.
 
First of all, do not put your foot on the gogo pedal (accelerator) until the engine has fired up!
This is a common mistake perpetuated by the old petrol engine people, when instead of using the choke, it was common to pump the pedal a few times to put extra fduel into the cylinders, thuis helping it to fire up.
With the diesel pump, a little extra fuel is pumped in by the high pressure pump to assist starting ... so keep your foot off it!!
If you have a chassis mounted fuel electrical pump, it is quite common that you would be able to hear it priming the system, so don't worry about it.
 
TD5s do suffer from head gasket failure and sometimes cracks or porosity in the cylinder head, but this is very unlikely to lead to oil getting in the fuel tank. Has anyone looked for signs of combustion gas in the coolant? Garages can do it, or you can get a kit off Ebay. That's a much more likely sign of head or head gasket failure.
 
V8Eddie said:
reconnect the petrol gauge
Click to expand...

Assume you meant diesel there...LOL

V8Eddie said:
Hi Neilly,

Well literally translating his message - he states that when taking the fuel tank down he found engine oil in it. He then states that you have to change the gasket and cylinder head at a cost of 2800 euros.

Does this make sense?
Click to expand...

TBH I have never heard of engine oil getting into the fuel tank....

Fuel pump running noise is quite common , on the td5 it should be in the tank. Cheaper pumps seem to make more noise that the LR ones. Some can be quite noisy.

Cheers
 
I suppose conceivably a pressurised oil gallery could break through into fuel gallery, but that would be a complete one off. Much more likely is fuel getting into the oil. In the cylinder head the fuel is at 60 psi or so, so unless there was a passage between this and a pressurised oilway I can't see the oil getting in the fuel. More likely is dirt or sediment in the tank or a previous driver has attempted to run it on used oil (which is possible).
 
Brown said:
Yes, you're very unlikely to get oil in the fuel. However, fuel getting in the oil is a symptom of injector seal failure, or possibly cylinder head problems. Yes, you can usually hear a TD5 fuel pump. It's how I know mine is working. If it is running OK but difficult to start, it may be because the valving in the fuel system that's supposed to stop it all draining away while the engine is off is having a problem.
Click to expand...

Hi Brown, Thanks for your comments. Will note the it could be valving in the fuel system - so if he changed the fuel pump this could have led to these symptoms?
 
Oldseadog said:
First of all, do not put your foot on the gogo pedal (accelerator) until the engine has fired up!
This is a common mistake perpetuated by the old petrol engine people, when instead of using the choke, it was common to pump the pedal a few times to put extra fduel into the cylinders, thuis helping it to fire up.
With the diesel pump, a little extra fuel is pumped in by the high pressure pump to assist starting ... so keep your foot off it!!
If you have a chassis mounted fuel electrical pump, it is quite common that you would be able to hear it priming the system, so don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Ha Ha Oldseadog - liked your use of 'gogo' pedal. I have to admit I do - will stop doing from now on:D Glad to hear that the fuel pump is noisy - he probably fitted a cheapo one too and overcharged me - feel a bit of a mug!
 
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