Diesel 2.5td cyl head crack advice!? Defender 90!

Hello, recently became the owner of a 2.5td Defender 90. Knew i had to have it the first time i saw it, so made the purchase and ran with it. The "tank" as my buds and i called it proved to be extremely capable off-road with nothing but M/T tires on.

since pics is what everyone on here loves... here are some of the goods before the not so good..







Next to a WWII tank!

anyways.... the Landy was a beast til the rainy season came along and and got everything muddy, since i was slipping everywhere i was driving it much harder, revving it sometimes higher than normally. On the last trip i did out it started overheating towards the end, and pegged out the temp gauge on the way home. Checked the radiator reservoir and it was bone dry. From this point forth i drove it for another two weeks since it was my daily, and had to top off the coolant twice, also noticed a bigger and bigger white puff of smoke on startup until it eventually didn't start one morning. Checked the radiator and it had tons of pressure from the day prior. Released it and it started up again, but decided it was about time to take a peek at the head gasket since with all the obvious signs.

this is what i found..

Then after cleaning and closely inspecting the head ='( the dreaded cracks in the 19j started to show

visible crack between intake and exhaust valve^



Biggest crack of them all between intake valve and where the hotspot sits.




And yet another crack between valves, this one not as clean/clear but definitely still there.

Then there's these, only know the name because of searching around, not sure what they do other than direct the flow of the spray from the injector into the cylinder?? Either way they are also cracked -_- Can anyone explain how these work?

So the question i have for the LR gurus on here is, replace head and keep fighting the hills? How can i inspect the block other than the obvious check for cracks, pressure test it at a shop/resurface? Is it safe to say this head is well beyond repairable? Ive heard of resurfacing a head but i dont think that will repair a crack. Engine conversion completly or try to repair this one? All advice is welcomed and appreciated. First engine cylinder head ive ever pulled apart so learning/researching as i go along. Definitely enjoying the road to being back on the road, but need a little guidance in the right direction. Thanks in advance!

The swirl chambers, or hotspots, are essential for the engine to run properly.

The jet of fuel is sprayed into the chamber formed by the caps that have fallen out of the head, and recesses in the head itself.

The chamber is hot, and the fuel swirls round the chamber and between the little pins, resulting in much greater atomisation of the fuel than when it came out of the sprayer.

New head and hotspots at a minimum, or another engine.

Thanks, was expecting that to be the case. Just wanted someone else to take a peek at it and reassure me. Lets see what i can manage online, no parts anywhere where im currently living.

Excessive said:

Thanks, was expecting that to be the case. Just wanted someone else to take a peek at it and reassure me. Lets see what i can manage online, no parts anywhere where im currently living.

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Yes, looking at your location, I can imagine that might be an issue.

Almost everything for that is available new in the UK, and a good amount of second hand stuff.

Any contacts in the UK that could order stuff for you and freight it out?

Unfortunately not, i live back in the US, but currently out here in Guam for work for the next year to year and a half. I intend on an engine swap once i get back to the states were i will have access to plenty of parts as well as specialists. But for now i am leaning more towards repairing this little guy and hoping it lasts til i make it back stateside for a proper upgrade.

Excessive said:

Unfortunately not, i live back in the US, but currently out here in Guam for work for the next year to year and a half. I intend on an engine swap once i get back to the states were i will have access to plenty of parts as well as specialists. But for now i am leaning more towards repairing this little guy and hoping it lasts til i make it back stateside for a proper upgrade.

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It should be possible to get that going if you can get the parts.

Sound head, hotspots, and a quality gasket it might run for years, they are tough things, although prone to thermal stress issues.

The job is fairly simple, and well covered in various manuals etc. Do make sure you get the level of the hotspots in the head right. It will certainly blow another gasket if they are too high.