Daisy is fixed! (Injector seals)

After months of Daisy (D2 TD5) throwing wobblies and randomly breaking down and being an absolute s0d to restart, I have finally fixed the problem. I took the very long way round the issue and learned a few lessons:

- It's probably not the fuel pump, it's the most expensive part and a job to change because you have to strip out a lot of trim from the boot to get at it.
- Sensors - all the sensors involved will revert to a default setting if they fail (which won't kill the engine), apart from the crankcase sensor and if that fails the engine will not start AT ALL. If the engine continues to cut out, it's probably not a sensor.
- The ECU plug and EGR valve may well be contaminated with oil but if you clean them and the fault comes back, it's not that.
- If the injector harness is oil contaminated you will lose a cylinder under load but a Ferranti reset (switch it off and back on again) will instantly get the engine running. If you have to churn the engine for ages, it is not that.
- If the turbo works at all you can rule that out. I wasted weeks spraying WD40 on the wastegate and convincing myself it made a difference.
- The turbo modulator gets a fair bit of attention (probably because it is easy to replace), once again, if the turbo works at all you can probably rule that out.
- There is a lot of discussion about rising oil levels on the dipstick and a smell of diesel proving that fuel is getting past the seals and into the sump. My oil level didn't move up until about a week before I got busy with the spanners and there was no diesel smell.
- That leaves the injector seals. The job is reasonably straightforward. I used Discovery2.co.uk my Haynes Manual and the factory manual. There are 2 special tools needed; one to lock the cam pulley which you can improvise from a drill bit and one to extract the injectors for which I would advise stump up the coins and get one. The only addition I can make is that the tappet lock nuts are 1/2"(!)

Finally...

About 2 years ago I had got it into my head that Daisy was getting a bit 'wheezy' and could no longer achieve her designed top speed. I put that down to her age and mileage and since it was well above the speed limit I didn't investigate further but that should have been a warning (this happened long before the engine began cutting out). With hindsight I would change the injector seals every 100,000 miles/160,000 km.

On the bright side...

All fixed. No damage done.

Good to hear all is well at last. On a note for the fuel pump, I had similar concerns when I needed to work on mine but I quickly realised that this was ridiculous as I have a 7 seater so there are cutouts in the carpet for the seat latching (plus other cutouts to get to bolts holding the boot floor down so why no cutout for the pump?). 5 minutes work with a Stanley knife cutting across between then slots at the very front and very rear and amazingly I had a removable panel right above the fuel pump

To refit I grabbed some carpet strips which I used to cover the cuts while the plastic inserts for the seat latches held the sides nicely in place.

What takes the best part of a couple of hours to strip out the carpet etc and then refit after working on the pump is now seconds....of course I don't save time overall as it takes me forever to re-fit the stupid pump as I have yet to work out the simple way to get the locking ring on at the first attempt

That same thought occurred to me at about the point I was grappling with the side trim. If I have to change the pump again I will be using a Stanley knife. There is a special tool to deal with the locking ring. The usual suppliers should have it, if not try dingocroft.

Oh, and if anyone reading this needs to get their injectors out and is within striking distance of Canberra, give me a shout and you can borrow my extractor.

Well done!
I dont know why the poor old fuel fuel pump is always the first thing to get blamed!
Injector seals are cheap as chips and a lot easier to change than the fuel pump.
Injector seals are a service item, probably best changed every 2-3 years.
The O rings seem to last ok but the copper washers leaking will give the starting/cutting out etc problems that you had.
Funny about the 1/2" nuts, I found some other imperial ones when I just did my front hubs!
Mark

Hi Mark - I really regret changing the fuel pump. The one I fitted is aftermarket and a lot noisier than the original. I will watch it very carefully just in case pumping all that bubbly diesel has caused cavitation damage and will use that as an excuse to revert to OEM if I can.

David

Hi David
If you do switch it back, check your fuel lines at the same time. Mine started leaking even when it was laid up for 5 months!
I do joke now that if the Disco hasn't actually broken down its because its about to break down!
But I mus'nt be too harsh on the old girl, did 1200 km in the last two days, ran very sweetly!
Mark

Hi Mark
I'm waiting for the next breakdown but I have a sneaking suspicion that Daisy will hold that back until just after I replace the suspension bushes (the next job on my list). Why is it that we treat our Land Rovers with such affection? Even when they throw the most annoying wobblies there is loads of support on the forums and they are generally fixable at home with a decent tool kit. I have to admit I had a grin a mile wide on the run to Sydney and back at the weekend know that Daisy was fixed and knowing exactly what had been done to achieve it.

Well Im still mystified as to how mine got her hooks into me!
Ive had 45+ cars over the years and very few have demanded, and got, so much attention!
I like the "logic" of this statement, which Ive heard/used a few times
"well yes they do break down a lot, but, there quite easy to fix yourself"!
Mark

The 2 cars I miss are my '73 MGBGT and my first Land Rover, an '83 Series III. Both were stacks of fun to drive in their different ways, both demanded lots of attention and both were relatively easy to maintain. If I won the lottery the cars I would buy would be the latest Disco and an MG LE50 (go look it up).

The cars that I had the most fun with, were an original Fiat 500, that was 1982, I think!
And more recently a 1973 MG Midget, sadly sold two years ago as I wasn't using it and had no where to store it.