Gone and bought a 19J!

I have been watching the meteoric rise in LR prices in awe. Rather than wait for the prices to stabilise I thought I'd better jump in with both feet.
My MOD 90 is finished all bar the shouting and there are a lot of bits extra from new replacement etc. Having a small amount of extra coin (cashed a pension, well you can't take it with you!) I took the plunge. After studying the stuff on the net for sale I came to some conclusions, 1. I don't want any conversion (and there are some poor ones), 2. No lifts and no checkerbloodyplate, 3. No bodged up wiring with the dreaded scotchlocks. Well that really narrowed it down, I was just too late on two farm fresh sheds then came up lucky with this...1989 TD 90, 177k miles but an honest if slightly worn Hardtop with no mods and even some history. Only time will tell. Photos to follow. I have already ordered a catch-can, now there's confidence. Any 19J owners feel free with advice.

Despite the reputation, 19Js aren't necessarily a bad engine. At this point in its life, if it's still running with no obvious signs of trouble it's probably in good shape. If it's in good condition, it shouldn't need a catch can. 19Js can be heavy breathers, but they don't do so because they're meant to, but because they're broken, and moving the breather into a bottle or down the chassis rail just hides the problem. Just keep on top of the servicing and it should be fine. I'd give it a fairly major service soon including the timing belt and all the fluids for peace of mind.

I think nowadays, it's worth keeping a pre-Defender 90 or 110 close to standard. They're past the point now of just being cheap old Landys and it's better to start with something standard rather than one that's been hacked about by former owners of unknown competence. Enjoy your TD! (and don't forget the pictures)

elan23 said:

I have been watching the meteoric rise in LR prices in awe. Rather than wait for the prices to stabilise I thought I'd better jump in with both feet.
My MOD 90 is finished all bar the shouting and there are a lot of bits extra from new replacement etc. Having a small amount of extra coin (cashed a pension, well you can't take it with you!) I took the plunge. After studying the stuff on the net for sale I came to some conclusions, 1. I don't want any conversion (and there are some poor ones), 2. No lifts and no checkerbloodyplate, 3. No bodged up wiring with the dreaded scotchlocks. Well that really narrowed it down, I was just too late on two farm fresh sheds then came up lucky with this...1989 TD 90, 177k miles but an honest if slightly worn Hardtop with no mods and even some history. Only time will tell. Photos to follow. I have already ordered a catch-can, now there's confidence. Any 19J owners feel free with advice.

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Good result! Love my 89 hardtop!
Had it since 2008, lot of use out of it, engine has been good, mine is very low mileage on the engine. They arent a powerful engine, but fine for local landrover type usage, not ideal for long distance high speed road work.

Early 19j had a lot of issues, and these were compounded by wear, abuse, and poor maintenance on many. If you look after it, and dont thrash the nuts off it, it should chug on for a fair while. That is a good mileage for a 19j, but one of the beauties of old indirect injection engines is that parts and reconditioning always cost much less than later models.
You are absolutely right to fit a catch can, the idea of feeding the crankcase fumes into the air filter was one of the achilles heels of 19j. Some would go even further, and discreetly route the breather tube to atmosphere.
I wouldnt fit a TDi either, I like originality, good Tdi are hard to find now, and the 2.5td is adequate to my work needs, mostly off road and very slow.

Pics would be welcome, specially of the underbonnet area!

Couple more thoughts, slipped my mind earlier. Although adequate, 19j isnt the best of engines.
But this is compensated for by the fact that the rest of the vehicle is, to my mind, probably the best off roader as standard that landrover ever made.
Some of the ruggedness and simplicity of a series with all the improvements of a defender, except the engine.

If I did ever want to re-engine, I would probably go for a 2.5 petrol, I have concerns about legislation about old diesel vehicles down the line! 2.5 petrol is quite good, and was fitted as standard in Nineties!

Turboman said:

Although adequate, 19j isnt the best of engines.

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Agreed. But then, being newer, you'd expect the 200 or 300tdi to be better engines overall. Certainly there's no compelling reason to swap out a well-maintained 19J for a tdi of unknown condition (all you'll realistically get nowadays).

Turboman said:

If I did ever want to re-engine, I would probably go for a 2.5 petrol, I have concerns about legislation about old diesel vehicles down the line! 2.5 petrol is quite good, and was fitted as standard in Nineties!

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I'd be tempted by this conversion too. The 2.25 had a reputation for lasting forever, and the 2.5 petrol should be the same but with a bit more power. I do wonder if you could make a 19J turbo and manifolds work with the petrol unit- a draw-through carb would be the simplest option. The 2.0 MPi fitted to the Disco would be great in a 90 too as it's just that bit lighter.

But then I do like my diesels. One contender for an engine swap that comes to mind is the 2.8 Nissan engine fitted to the FX4 taxi for a while. The same car had the 2.25 Land Rover diesel briefly (which was found to be unsuitable) so you might be able to come up with a bolt-together solution for getting the Nissan engine into a Landy.

FlyingPete said:

Agreed. But then, being newer, you'd expect the 200 or 300tdi to be better engines overall. Certainly there's no compelling reason to swap out a well-maintained 19J for a tdi of unknown condition (all you'll realistically get nowadays).



I'd be tempted by this conversion too. The 2.25 had a reputation for lasting forever, and the 2.5 petrol should be the same but with a bit more power. I do wonder if you could make a 19J turbo and manifolds work with the petrol unit- a draw-through carb would be the simplest option. The 2.0 MPi fitted to the Disco would be great in a 90 too as it's just that bit lighter.

But then I do like my diesels. One contender for an engine swap that comes to mind is the 2.8 Nissan engine fitted to the FX4 taxi for a while. The same car had the 2.25 Land Rover diesel briefly (which was found to be unsuitable) so you might be able to come up with a bolt-together solution for getting the Nissan engine into a Landy.

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2.5 petrol are a good engine, quite low stressed, And good low down torque for petrol.

I havent looked into it, my 2.5td has only done 30k from new. But I would just use the carb and manifolds off the petrol engine, exhaust will be available as it was a standard engine. Same rad anorl. All you would really need is a switched live for the sparks, away you go!

No thanks on the Nissan, I would sell it, or scrapyard!

My TD has done over 200,000 miles, it runs lovely all things considered.

Swap out the oil cooler stat, I very much doubt its ever been done on most engines.

nobber said:

Swap out the oil cooler stat, I very much doubt its ever been done on most engines.

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Good advice.
I have changed mine, but few ever do so.
Quite helpful if the oil cooler works on an engine that is well known for problems to do with overheating.

I am a fan of the 2.7 Nissan engine, a very lazy engine but 300k is only its half life and 550-600k miles is quite usual for these lumps.

elan23 said:

I am a fan of the 2.7 Nissan engine, a very lazy engine but 300k is only its half life and 550-600k miles is quite usual for these lumps.

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Still Jap!