First Land Rover Defender 90 TD5 Purchase

Hey,

I've been looking into getting a Land Rover Defender 90 for around 6 - 7 months now and found a few though could do with a little help.

To start with I wanted to do a petrol V8 conversion though cash flow has dropped since that time so I’m after a TD5.

I read in an issue of Land Rover Monthly/Land Rover Owners that post 2006 Defenders have dodgy gearboxes could anyone confirm/deny this?

If it makes any odds I eventually want to use the Defender to do a trip from Perth, Australia to Brisbane, Aus through the outback.

Out of interest as well are there any particular models/years I should be weary of?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Josh.

There's nothing wrong with the gearboxes. But TD5s do come with dual mass flywheels as standard, which can be costly to replace when they go wrong, so check for vibration at idle and any thudding noises from the bell housing when taking up drive.

Other common TD5 faults are missfiring due to a number of possible reasons by the ECU. Generally either oil in the injector loom harness getting back to the ECU (Pull the ECU plug with the ignition off to check for oil) MAF sensor faulty (Engine will generally also feel flat) and Turbo wastegate seized up meaning the engine overboosts, and the ECU cuts the fuelling (Check that the wastegate is free)

Other than that, standard other things you would look for in a Defender, so bulkheard, rear x-member, outriggers, doors, whether its identity is correct etc, etc.

Cheers for the infor will be sure to check those parts.

To help with more general Defender checks

Defender Buyers Guide