My TD5 'Fixer upper'

Picked up my cheap ‘troubled’ Disco TD5. Needs a GOOD clean in and out but I recon it’ll scrub up very nicely.

List of things: you got any ideas?

The dent in the rear under the lights on the drivers side is actually a dent with tears in it about 6” wide
Not too bothered about this, as can fill it and deal with it later

Only the driver’s door and the rear passenger side door unlock, the front passenger door will unlock if you hold the catch up and try the handle from the inside a couple of times, once opened you can open and close it easily until you next lock/unlock it.
This is not the ‘press the unlock twice on the fob’ issue. On the rear driver’s side door the tab that sticks out the door at the top does not stick out of the hole at all so possibly got pressed into the door card and now it can’t get back out. Are the locks on the TD5 like the 300tdi? Could it be just a spring or do you have to get the whole mechanism?

The front right indicator does not work so the right side indicators run twice as fast
It’s full of water, so will drill a little hole in to drain it, if it doesn’t work when it’s dried out then I’ll replace the unit

Does not start well, you try to start the vehicle and it’s weird, the sound you get is maybe like a starter motor turning over but louder and heavier?? And the revs meter goes up so possibly running but on one/two cylinders? But it does eventually start after 3 or four attempts.
I haven’t got a scooby

When driving (Safemode?) it FEELS like fuel starvation in the way that you have to keep plunging the accelerator to stop it stalling, not easy when maneuvering it to park it up


It overheated in a short space of time which may have been what put it into safe mode? (the missus was driving it not me so can’t really comment apart from that I drove it around the car park in a hotel we pulled up in.) Bonnet up and there was liquid on the right hand side (passenger side) of the engine. Not sure what liquid as too dark to tell I I think it was just behind the turbo
I haven’t got a scooby

There is a smell like burning plastic/rubber. Clutch?? Something leaking and getting burnt off on hot pipes?
I haven’t got a scooby

I like a challenge and got this for a song and won’t have to pay labour costs for any work done, cos I’ll be doing it.

It’s getting hooked up to a proper Land Rover testbook soon for a full diagnostic so we’ll see what comes of that. Aside from that I have made a list of some typical issues to check (the vehicle has been taken to the girlfriends brother in laws so will be going over there to fiddle with it)

· ECU for oil
· Fuel Pressure Regulator for leaks
· Oil pump bolt in the sump, will just do it for peace of mid
· Diesel in the oil
· Injector O rings

Cheers

sounds like possibly the headgasket has gone. Is there any oil in the water or water in the oil? Does the sound when ut turns over sound kinda high pitched and faster than normal?

ratty said:

sounds like possibly the headgasket has gone. Is there any oil in the water or water in the oil?

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Don't know yet, too dark to do all the checks when we picked it up, planning on having a good old monkey around it on Saturday with a notepad to write everything down

ratty said:

Does the sound when ut turns over sound kinda high pitched and faster than normal?

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Doesn't sound like I have heard on any other vehicle, never been in a TD5 before let alone owned one

stretchie_ said:

Doesn't sound like I have heard on any other vehicle, never been in a TD5 before let alone owned one

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ya could make a recording of the sound and stick it on youtube or botophucket with a link.

The cars over at the breadknifes sister and brother-in-law's. But it's been confirmed, it was running on a pot or two less than it should have been.

We found that there was only enough oil in it to stop the light coming on, as it came on putting it on the trailer. Put 5 litres in and fired up instantly on all cylinders. However, even after 5 litres it's not near the min level on the dipstick. That explains why it wouldn't run and why it'd go into safe mode and the knocking sound.

Tomorrow will be filling it up and running it for a while, if all seems well then will take it for a spin.

Is it manual or auto? Whatever you do don't leave it running and walk away. If the turbo seals have gone it could run off on it's own with plenty of oil in it. If It's auto, keep a big rag handy so you can jam it in the air intake if it does start to run on and then won't turn off.

Glad you told me that. And it's a manual 2000 V rev XS

stretchie_ said:

Glad you told me that. And it's a manual 2000 V rev XS

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Being a manual you should be able to stall it if it does run away. If you burn the clutch out before it stalls you can either jam a rag in the air intake or clamp one of the air pipes. Being that low on oil I would be looking for a fooked turbo, loose oil pump bolt, leaking oil filter or sump. From what you are describing with the dark substance near the turbo, coupled with the burning smell, turbo would be top of my list.

Cheers dude, will report back tomorrow

Topped up the coolant first only to hear pouring out elsewhere, near the turbo.

After a lot of topping up and watching we decided it was coming from the oil cooler attached to the side of the engine, infact we could see a ruddy great crack in it.. So off came the Heat shield and turbo (took ages with all the siezed bolts) and the various other bits and finally the oil cooler assembly. We found the crack followed the edge of the unit pretty much all the way around it.

So HOPEFULLY I just need to find a decent second hand one, attach it, fill the oil and coolant and run it to see if that was it.
If so, take it for a spin to see if it's burning oil and then make another assessment.