Oil in injector wiring on TD5

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CommanderKeen

CommanderKeen

Member
Posts
30
Location
Pretoria, South Africa
Hi all!

We have a 2005 110 CSW TD5, which was assembled here in South Africa. On a recent trip it developed the following problem.

After traveling for around 6 hours (with a break about halfway), we stopped on a slight incline, with the engine idling. After a few minutes the engine suddenly sounded 'rough'. It sounded as though at least one cylinder was misfiring. After switching off, the engine started and sounded normal again. However, after running for about half an hour, the problem started again. After that the engine would only run for a minute before the problem would start again.

Once back in Pretoria, I asked a mechanic at our closest Land Rover branch about the problem. He listened and checked a few things, before saying that it was probably oil on the injector electrical connections and wiring harness. He suggested that the injector wiring harness needs replacing. As I was unhappy about previous work done by a Land Rover dealer, and having to wait almost 2 weeks for an appointment for them to work on it, I decided to have a look myself.

There was a little oil in each connector at the injector itself, with quite a bit in the rearmost injector (number 5?). The wiring harness obviously had oil all over, due to its position within the head! I cleaned everything out and it was back to normal. After a few days I checked again, and found oil was starting to collect again, especially in the rearmost plug again.

The questions I have are thus:

Will replacing the wiring harness help keep oil out of the connectors? Or will it just happen again, and need constant cleaning?

I heard of problems on early TD5s of oil on the wiring all the way to the control box under the driver's seat. I had heard that this problem was sorted out on later models. My problem, and the mechanic's comments, suggest that it still affects all TD5s.

The design of the wiring layout for the injectors, seems to me to be such that it will be impossible to keep oil out of the injector plugs, and I will always have a problem like this.

Anyone with similar experiences, ideas, comments, suggestions, etc. regarding this problem, please reply.

Regards
John
 
CommanderKeen said:
Hi all!

We have a 2005 110 CSW TD5, which was assembled here in South Africa. On a recent trip it developed the following problem.

After traveling for around 6 hours (with a break about halfway), we stopped on a slight incline, with the engine idling. After a few minutes the engine suddenly sounded 'rough'. It sounded as though at least one cylinder was misfiring. After switching off, the engine started and sounded normal again. However, after running for about half an hour, the problem started again. After that the engine would only run for a minute before the problem would start again.

Once back in Pretoria, I asked a mechanic at our closest Land Rover branch about the problem. He listened and checked a few things, before saying that it was probably oil on the injector electrical connections and wiring harness. He suggested that the injector wiring harness needs replacing. As I was unhappy about previous work done by a Land Rover dealer, and having to wait almost 2 weeks for an appointment for them to work on it, I decided to have a look myself.

There was a little oil in each connector at the injector itself, with quite a bit in the rearmost injector (number 5?). The wiring harness obviously had oil all over, due to its position within the head! I cleaned everything out and it was back to normal. After a few days I checked again, and found oil was starting to collect again, especially in the rearmost plug again.

The questions I have are thus:

Will replacing the wiring harness help keep oil out of the connectors? Or will it just happen again, and need constant cleaning?

I heard of problems on early TD5s of oil on the wiring all the way to the control box under the driver's seat. I had heard that this problem was sorted out on later models. My problem, and the mechanic's comments, suggest that it still affects all TD5s.

The design of the wiring layout for the injectors, seems to me to be such that it will be impossible to keep oil out of the injector plugs, and I will always have a problem like this.

Anyone with similar experiences, ideas, comments, suggestions, etc. regarding this problem, please reply.

Regards
John
Click to expand...

It seems to be a problem on a few vehicles these days, my merc did it aswel, it took the oil from engine timing sensor on the front of the timing cover, a simple change of connectors on it stopped it, it needs the insulation cut back so the oil drips down the engine rather than leak up the insulation due to capilliary action.

The oil in the wire aint a problem its when it gets to a plug it shorts the bastid out or leaks into the sensor and kills it

In my case it got to the o2 sensor before I found out and started to leak into the ecu, once the terminals were changed it stopped, I only cleaned them a few times to get rid of the surplus oil left in the wiring. The ecu opened up easy enough and it cleaned out with brake cleaner.

I guess if you can find where its getting its feed from do what I did and its sorted, my o2 probe was below the level of the remainer of the wiring so it took a bit longer to leak out the oil, however cleaning it on occasion was cheaper than a new loom
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
Wont work long term - it travels down the wire strands as well as down the insulation.
Click to expand...

The secret is to change the terminals, solder the fokers on and cut back the insulation, it just runs off because it cant go around the terminal to contact the wire again, I guess if it was a difficult bit then you could cut more insulation back slip a bit of heat shrink on it afterwards, the oil wont go past that, provided you run solder into the strands.

I think the capilliary action stops aswel if it cant source oil, however any oil in the loom will still run down hill on the engine into the plugs for a while, not much tho but you have to clean them for a while.

This has always happened in cars the problem now is that its getting into voltage sensative components and changing the values.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I am not sure if these solutions will help (unless I have misunderstood), as it appears to be oil in the connector on top of the injector that is the problem, not oil in the wiring. Even silicone on the connector seems like it will only help for a while before the oil finds its way in again somehow.

I have a new wiring harness I can put in. I was just wondering how long it would be before the oil gets past the new connectors and causes problems again. To my limited knowledge, it appears to be a bad design. I can't see how the connectors can effectively prevent oil seeping in when they sit in such an oil rich environment. Although it has worked well until now!
 
discomania said:
It IS a bad design - look about on google, someone made a TD5 inecector harness sealing guide.
Click to expand...

Had a look myself to see where its getting into the wiring and it seems to bypass the injector o rings, there is a modified loom. The one I looked at ****ed the oil into the ecu through the red plug, but you can open it up and clean it like I did with my merc if it aint too bad.
 
For the ECU problem i believe the cure is to clean the wires up, then pump a load of silicone down the outer cover to stop the oil getting past.

You can also get that rubber resin stuff, it comes like fibre glass resin, you mis it up in two parts and pour it into looms and electrical components and things but it sets like silicone. So you can pour it over stuff to seal it but it stays flexible.
 
Thank you all for your replies.

I will have a look, try to seal the wiring and connectors somehow when I put the new harness in.

It seems that a lot of people have a problem with oil reaching the ECU before it affects the running of the engine. My problem is different in that the oil is in the connector on the injector (apparently causing a short here, so the injector doesn't operate properly). The ECU and wiring outside the head is free of oil.

Hopefully some extra sealing around the injector connectors will help.
 
I have had a rebuild done after the TD5 started smoking white smoke and it had been using oil(500ml/800km) over the 2 years I have owned and driving it(66 000km).
Now there is black smoke at start-up and when accelerating and idles rough. Enough power and economical(10km/l). Starts first kick. Hawkeye readings on all 5 injectors were varying up to 7 before the rebuild, but now up to 21 when idling. They can not be all buggered all of a sudden. After reading here about oil in the connectors at the injectors, I am wondering if that could be my problem. The loom plugs are dry at the head plug and at the ECU.
 
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