how to tell which engine ?

Hi lads, im off to look at this defender after lunch

cheap enough at 1995 , only 16 miles so going for a look just to see how solid it is ,he said he thinks its a tdi engine but isnt sure and not a land rover man only took it in a px yesterday, so how will i know what engine it is exactly by looking ?

1987 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 7 SEATER TD MANUAL

I think a simple way is to see if the rocker cover has grooves running allong the top.. The td is all smooth and curved but the tdi is more sharp.

google image search for 200 tdi and 300 tdi and land rover Turbo Diesel as a suggestion? might be easier if you have an image to compare against when you have a look...

Just check the service history or V5 ?

Karlos28 said:

I think a simple way is to see if the rocker cover has grooves running allong the top.. The td is all smooth and curved but the tdi is more sharp.

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thanks mate, this sounds easiest, il also check the v5 etc but if its had a swap from td to tdi it might not be on the v5 ?

ive tried googling for images bvut it seems to just bring up pics of the defenders or engines out and cant really see, just wondered a simple way of telling, as if its a nice 200tdi engine and its solid enough it could be a bargain ? altho from pics the bulkhead corners paint looks a bit different and a repair maybe, but if its all done well and solid and inside

V5 must be updated to show current spec of car

My 109 was a 2.25 petrol and the V5 has had to be changed to show the 3.5L V8 thats in it now

Dr_evil said:

V5 must be updated to show current spec of car

My 109 was a 2.25 petrol and the V5 has had to be changed to show the 3.5L V8 thats in it now

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we know that, but there are still plenty of cars out there where people dont bother to do so after engine swaps...

The easiest way in that case then would be simply to do a visual engine check

The engine model should be stamped onto the plastic cover in any case

Here ya go-

2.5 turbodiesel





200tdi defender





200tdi discovery





300tdi defender/discovery

Dr_evil said:

The easiest way in that case then would be simply to do a visual engine check

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well this is what im asking..whats the easiest way to tell ?

and where on the cover would it be stamped please ?

Oh, and if it's like the first pic but without a turbo then it's a 2.5 N/A (normally aspirated)

dont be silly - that cant be a landy injun !



its not rusty or covered in oil

excellent thanks gratch, think ive got that , if he says ihe thinks its a tdi..im hoping its not the NA ,he cant be that bad , i think its probably going to be a td not a tdi so wel see , but going on the off chance it had a 200tdi and a solid chassis and bulkhead

think the mot is till november,, anything i can check regarding that and any comming mechanical/mot issues ?

The Mad Hat Man said:

dont be silly - that cant be a landy injun !



its not rusty or covered in oil

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Think it musta broke before it even got started up

Bring a small hammer to hit the chassis with, if he's got nothing to hide rot wise he won't mind you giving it a tap

Other things to check would be start up so just check the colour off the smoke

Make sure diff and low engage properly

Check there isn't too much play in steering

If he lets you take a test make sure you run it for long enough to check for over heating, brake pulling etc

Basically check anything and everything if you're intending to buy, the more minor problems non critical problems like overheating or blue smoke you can spot the cheaper you can haggle to

yes cool i know that sort of stuff anyway really, where shoudl the defender temp sit at ? as ive no clue about that, how quickly shouild it heat up and where should the needle stop and sit ? and how would you tell any over heating etc ?

he was honest and said i took it as a px yesterday ,think its a tdi engine ,the car looks quite rough as pics show but starts and stops and drive nice and thats all i know really im not a land rover man come and have a look

i didnt want to grill him too much about chassis etc incase its nice and has a tdi he may re think price and start looking on ebay etc , so im jjust going on the off chance its solid and nice in all the right places, beat him down a bit from 1995 as thats his dealer price so much be a bit of room for movement to see it gone quickly...so wel see

polsta said:

yes cool i know that sort of stuff anyway really, where shoudl the defender temp sit at ? as ive no clue about that, how quickly shouild it heat up and where should the needle stop and sit ? and how would you tell any over heating etc ?

he was honest and said i took it as a px yesterday ,think its a tdi engine ,the car looks quite rough as pics show but starts and stops and drive nice and thats all i know really im not a land rover man come and have a look

i didnt want to grill him too much about chassis etc incase its nice and has a tdi he may re think price and start looking on ebay etc , so im jjust going on the off chance its solid and nice in all the right places, beat him down a bit from 1995 as thats his dealer price so much be a bit of room for movement to see it gone quickly...so wel see

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I'd guess it should sit the same as the Disco, mines slightly under half but I've driven others with it slightly over. Basically as long as it's hovering close to middle it's safe

I have no idea as to the time scale but as long as it sits near middle while driving you're fine, if it's overheating you'll know about it when the temp gauge spikes and you hit the red zone

If you're interested in the engine, make sure it's what you want then have a quick tap at the chassis' critical points as you say

I'd say offer him £1450 (just over 25% off) then you can work your way up from there if he says no. It's how I haggle and usually works well as it's a fair enough ask on an old car, it's not as bad as walking into a garage to look at a £100,000 Aston then offering £75,000 when looking at second hand stuff

sound to me like he doesnt know much about land rovers.. so point every little detail out and say it needs work doing... so youl offer £1450..

the advert says its a td so would be expecting at least that.

tbh if it was a 200 then the trader would be asking more and i wouldnt worry about him increasing the price. traders will ask what they think its worth.

couple of checks.

rust - bulkhead, door bottoms, chassis, crossmember.
start up - smoke (colour & how much) a plume is ok but not consistent
engine running - smokey (what colour if any). does it smoke when revving? a little isnt too bad but be aware of lots.
temperature - steady and not rising/dropping all the time

like has already been said take a little hammer and dont be afraid to give the chassis a tap. If it sounds tinny the metal is getting thin.

with your budget that could be a good starting point for the vehicle you want

Good luck