Series 3 changing back from diesel to petrol

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peter8315

peter8315

Active Member
Posts
724
Location
Ilkeston, derbyshire
I fitted a 200tdi engine to my 76 series 3 last year, i was a bit apprehensive at the time with the down turn in diesels, but fitted it anyway with 200tdi rad oil cooler and turbo intercooler, since then i have never been happy, its very noisy and rattley, and so i am going to take it out and fit a standard petrol engine, it breaks my heart to have to rip it all out again, but i like the petrol engines better, and as petrol is cheaper than diesel now and i dont do many miles, so i am going to start it tomorrow, am i mad or what? keep an eye out for a 200 tdi and ancillaries on the for sale forum.
 
You do what you like. I must say I enjoyed my old 2a petrol for the 25 years I had it going, whisper quiet at tick over with enough go for most jobs and easy to maintain. On a low miles truck costs will differ little over a year.:)
 
peter8315 said:
I fitted a 200tdi engine to my 76 series 3 last year, i was a bit apprehensive at the time with the down turn in diesels, but fitted it anyway with 200tdi rad oil cooler and turbo intercooler, since then i have never been happy, its very noisy and rattley, and so i am going to take it out and fit a standard petrol engine, it breaks my heart to have to rip it all out again, but i like the petrol engines better, and as petrol is cheaper than diesel now and i dont do many miles, so i am going to start it tomorrow, am i mad or what? keep an eye out for a 200 tdi and ancillaries on the for sale forum.
Click to expand...
Your mad if you don't, if you still have original engine, you'll probably add value to it too (or I selling the idea to myself).
 
I think many will follow you, not yet but in a while. The tide is turning against diesel and if your vehicle was orginally a petrol then you can "bank" the increase in value that comes with originality. The trend that's coming is to go electric, but its so expensive to do. Some classic restorers are buying up crashed Teslas and swapping the whole power set up.
 
If your plodding a lot then how about Steam power. There a chap in Oldham a few years back in Landy Mag converted his series 2, seems to tootle quite well. Even made the dizzy height of appearing on Granada News.
 
I wish I had bought a petrol one in the first place, so I'd do it if I were you, and if time and money were not an issue. In mine, the diesel noise I can just about put up with, but the fumes are quite offensive - I notice people really hold back when travelling behind to avoid being gassed. On the upside, it uses very little fuel (well, of the fuel that make it as far as the engine) and can drive over anything at tickover (Perkins).
 
I like my old diesel and I bought it because of it, but I'm now looking out for a petrol engine just in case. We regularly visit Bristol and now it looks set to be the first UK city to ban all private diesels which would scupper us.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-50218377
The vote is today (Nov 5) and while it may not get approved today there's every chance it will keep getting brought back until it is.
As camper we want to be able to go places and park up near city centre galleries and museums. Public transport is fine in London but a few months ago we tried to park outside the centre of Gosport and get a bus. One every 2 hours and last bus 3pm! We are stuffed if more of these bans come in.
The other problem with the proposed Bristol ban on diesels is that it requires an act of parliament giving the power to ban diesels to cities. As it could pass to show how environmentaly friendly the govt is it will open the door to lots more bans.
There could be a run on petrol engines, I don't like this at all.
 
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This is very interesting,I am just getting the bits together to take out a petrol from my 109 ex ffr and replace with a 300 tdi. I have run diesels for the last 40 years and am more comfortable working on them. What realistic mpg can you get with a petrol 2. 1/4? I was intending to strip down and replace any defective parts on the 300,if I were to do the same with the petrol how reliable are they, would fitting electronic ignition overcome any problem with points?.
 
I've been forecasting the demonisation of diesel but I thought it was still some way off. I don't like the speed things are moving and it looks like it could become a bandwagon. My diesel does 30 mpg and is good for global warming compared to the 18-22 mpg of a petrol, but now its all about particulates and the CO2 can go hang. My other car is 5L Merc (petrol) and until recently it was a dinosuar, now suddenly its OK. The other option is to go to LPG but the filling stations are very spread out once you get out the cities.
 
peter8315 said:
I fitted a 200tdi engine to my 76 series 3 last year, i was a bit apprehensive at the time with the down turn in diesels, but fitted it anyway with 200tdi rad oil cooler and turbo intercooler, since then i have never been happy, its very noisy and rattley, and so i am going to take it out and fit a standard petrol engine, it breaks my heart to have to rip it all out again, but i like the petrol engines better, and as petrol is cheaper than diesel now and i dont do many miles, so i am going to start it tomorrow, am i mad or what? keep an eye out for a 200 tdi and ancillaries on the for sale forum.
Click to expand...
Have you considered a V8 swap? Easy and well established. 3.5's can still be had pretty easily too, or hold out for a 3.9/4.0
 
Re car makers, yes, this whole diesel thing is a North European / city thing, Can you see French farmers giving up diesel tractors? Or anyone suffering poor air quality in the Highlands where its never blowing less than a gale and there's 2 cars an hour? Trouble is these will not be sensible policies, they will be money raisers.
I rather like the V8, I think a V8 on LPG could be a good option but we manage fine on 63 hp so the 70+ of a 2 1/4 petrol would be a step up for us.
 
Well, thanks for the overwelming agreement of going for petrol,i really didn,t expect it from the lads on this forum, Landrover130, i have been just the same over the past 35 years , would put a diesel engine in anything, i once fitted a merc 300d into a swb landy, but you have made up my mind, and will start next week.
 
Have to say the Merc 300d is one of my favourite engines, absolutely bomb proof. I must have driven over 100,000 miles behind one of those. What was it like to drive in a series?
 
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