90 Defender 300Tdi engine swap - update & question

Bit late but Happy New Year!

2024 is the year of a Land Rover returning to the road.

I posted Nov 30th - replacement 300 tdi engine was back in 96 Defender swb van that needs TLC.

Engine mount studs back in having used 1.5t excavator to give it a hole alignment ‘nudge’.

Rocker cover and head cleaned of clear silicone, degreased, and new gasket fitted and pinched up lightly with new bolt washer/seals.

Front ancillary belt wheels had gone rusty since the rebuilt engine had been sitting around a while. Removed belt cleaned it all up jenolite rust kill.

About to fit new ancillary belt but noticed water pump very stiff to turn. It’s sat around after a rebuild (by another) in garage for say 2-years. The rocker shaft, push rods etc all had rebuild grease on them (dissolves) in hot oil. So I’m pretty sure pump was replaced or overhauled.

I was hoping to be moving on with new filters, oil, new rad, fluids, reconnect and fire up to see if I did buy a good one (fingers crossed), but can’t leave that pump stiff.

So whilst I will pull it off, my two questions at this stage are:

1. Dry water pump that’s been sitting - rusty bearing due to cold metal sweating. What else could make it feel very stiff, and
2. When I have it all reconnected including a new diesel filter I assume I will need to bleed and prime the fuel side. Is that best simply loosen all injector bolts one at a time, big rag and crank it? Any particular order or tips or will it self prime.

I have seen loads on here about timing, injection pump tweaks so that will be fun later

New back door to be ordered this weekend. Did buy repair sections and was going to fix frame then remove and salvage the door skin but thinking lot of work and perhaps shortcut and then have more time to drive/use it.

Dry water pump, more likely seal gone stiff dry, get it wet and try again
Do not do what you suggest injector pump will be dry and not like it.
Open connection on top of fuel filter and work the lever on lift pump until just fuel comes out. [ if no fuel come out turn engine a bit by hand ]
Open connection at injection pump and work lift pump until fuel comes.
Should now go as injection pump self bleeds so no need to mess with injectors.

Thanks for the fuel bleeding advice, and saving me damage - I have an old MF135 with lift pump lever, so get the process and will follow the right way. I'll try as suggested and wet the water pump seal, but I checked again how 'stiff', and I'm talking need to use a tyre lever in the securing bolts to get it moving. That seems very strange, and probably worth pulling it off as will be a pain in the butt once the rad and radiator cowell etc all back in. My cowell is in good general condition but split right through on the narrow part - I just tried solvent weld for waste pipes etc., and no good, next step Gorilla PU glue seems worthwhile - anyone had adhesive success to fix a cowell?

Water pump that tight then replace. Likely bearing seized.
Land Rover Tdi engines run pretty cool any way and many of us run without cowl and some don't even bother with the fan. [recommend having an after market temp gauge that reads in numbers degrees] Without cowl makes checking the belt and front of engine easy.

Project update - new water pump fitted the one I removed had been swapped completely clean but bearing seized following rebuild having sat around. Replaced oil filter, fuel filter, drained tank of old diesel. Filled tank with new. Lift pump manual pumping didn’t feel right. Cranked engine and bled system at top of filter then pump then injectors. Refitted rad and inter cooler with new rad core. New water and inter cooler hoses. EGR blanked off. Vacuum hose for EGR from servo blanked. No TPS on my injection pump for EGR (as there was on the engine removed) but had read it’s such a simple mechanical system it’ll run. Filled turbo feed with oil . Then tried to start a few times. No attempt to fire. So re-bled fuel finding good pressure at filter and reasonable at injectors. No firing. So checked pump timing. I have a TDC flywheel pin but had to make do with best fit drill bit at the pump. Found TDC on No1 pin in flywheel adjusted pump timing as best can and this time fired and runs on 3 maybe 4 cylinders but won’t rev and then dies. Seems to be fuel starvation. I have ordered a new lift pump, timing pin to replace the pump and recheck timing but suspect as I had decent filter pressure may be injection pump related. If it was rebuilt then say for a couple of years dry stored is there a rubber membrane fuel valve on the inlet or similar that I need to open up and check?