Defender td5 random tap noise

Hi guys,

Been a fair while since I've been on here

Recently got a 2005 ex Royal Air Force defender td5 110 and I love it... Looked at a few before this one and was by far the most solid

Everything is lovely apart from I'm not sure how to explain it... My friends think I'm being fussy which I am anyway but it appears that when I'm coming to a stop or pulling up to a junction etc when I let off the throttle the engine taps abit then goes to a lovely quiet idle... My other td5 doesn't do this but the sound is familiar kinda thing... I'll post a video tomorrow... It's almost like as it idles down taps slightly then goes lovely again... It sound like injector noise... Hmmm not the end of the world but i checked ecu and no oil there.. And none in the head... Anyone seen or heard of this?

It may be an injector rocker is slightly out of adjustment.

Thanks for your reply shifty is there any important tools I would need to do it myself? I have a torque wrench now if that would help the situation?

If you can listen to the engine with a stethoscope or a long screwdriver you may be able to hear where the ticking is coming from. It could also be a sticking hydraulic valve lifter but these are a bugger to change and not for the faint hearted.

No special tools needed to adjust the injector rockers though. Take the top cover off and make sure the engine is cold. The injector clamps should be checked (carefully and slowly torque to 24 lb/ft be careful as easy to overdo) Do not loosen before checking torque as you do not want oil in the thread holes. Just check they are all at least 24 lb/ft and then leave well alone. If any are really loose then you need to remove the bolt, clean all oil from the bolt holes and dry as best you can, then slowly re-torque. Hopefully this is not necessary. If there is oil in the holes when you torque the bolts you risk hydraulic pressure cracking the head around the bolt hole.

Now you need to check and adjust the rockers. The only way to get them all correct is to loosen the lock nut and carefully screw down the adjusting bolt with a suitable screwdriver until you feel it bottom out then back it off exactly one full turn before locking it off with the lock nut. (Some people allow a turn and a quarter but it is not necessary if adjusted correctly). You can not use feelers on these adjusters.

You need to do each injector rocker with the cam lobe in the full lift position (max rocker depression on the injector) for the injector you are adjusting. DO NOT GET THIS WRONG or you WILL bend or break something when the engine turns over (usually the head pocket for the injector which gets expensive as you will need a new head).

You have to turn the engine over until the lobes are in the right place for each injector. Its hard but use a breaker bar and socket on the crankshaft pulley rather than the starter. That way if you have got something wrong you will feel it and be unable to turn the engine over. I have also done it by putting the motor in gear and rocking the car back and forwards to turn the engine over.

Once you have adjusted all the rockers turn the engine over BY HAND for at least two full revolutions to check nothing is binding or bottoming out. If you have got the injector gaps wrong it is now that you need to find out as you will not break anything by hand.

If happy double check the lock nuts are tight (recommended 12 ft/lb but not easy to do) then refit the top cover (do not over tighten the cover bolts 7 ft/lb) before starting the engine. Do not start the engine with the cover off or you will have oil everywhere but in the engine. Dont ask how I know that.

Before you do any of the above make sure you understand the procedure and also the consequences of getting it wrong. Get your self a workshop manual and read through before getting the spanners out. Hope that helps.

Thanks buddy...

Shall have a good look at the weekend.. May fit a harness as well just to be sure...

Got a Haynes manual on order too

Just hope it's nothing to serious but it's only when backing off it happens so guessing it'll be a bugger to diagnose