300tdi running advice

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19_Hue_95

Active Member
Posts
96
Location
Midlands
Hi All,

I have had my 300tdi Defender for coming up three years, I have gone from no mechanical knowledge to what I think is a reasonable understanding. I am reasonably happy with how the engine is running, but looking at others I feel it could be better. What do you guys think?

Tuning wise, I have added some of the Fourby tuning products - a boost pin and ring. Not bothered with the boost control as after installing a boost gauge it was going up to 1.5bar+ without me touching it. About a year ago I replaced the cylinder head and fitted rebuilt injectors. It has a terafirma 'performance' air filter.

Motorway cruising, on the flat, at 60-65mph the boost gauge will read about 0.5bar and the EGT's are around 550 to 600 (that seems high to me?). Not that I want to, but it hardly seems to go about 72, the EGTs seem to go up faster than the speed will!

Country driving around somewhere like Mid Wales at about 40-50mph EGT's are around 450. If you push it hard up a hill you can easily get it to boost up to 1.5bar (I'm sure I have seen it higher too) and EGT's will climb and climb, beyond about half throttle it will start to smoke like train too unless you change down a gear.

Idling (hot) the engine EGT's will sit around 220.

So my questions are:
1) Are those EGT's acceptable? I feel like they should be lower, I assume to get them lower we are looking at bigger intercoolers etc.
2) Anything more than half throttle it smokes hard (black), when I changed the air filter from standard to performance the smoke reduced due to more air, but it seems to be smoking more and more lately. I know the black smoke is associated with unburn fuel, but is there anything I should be worried about?
3) Its boosting at 1.5bar+, its the standard turbo and as far as I am aware nobody has played with it. Is there a reason it boost so high, and is there a long term issue with that amount of boost - cylinder head etc. (I try to keep it around 1.0bar)
 
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