should i shouldnt i ?

hi all
my 300tdi 110 is on 156 000 miles now .
its my first car and its a good hard worker.
so should i have the engine recondiitoned ?
will have to work for ages for the money but i dont mind that if its worth it .

Don't pay someone between £1550 and £2500 for a job that you can do your self for less than £300 and probably even do a better job of. It's a really simple task. I refurbished (not totally re manufactured) my 1986 2.5 N/A not long ago, including cylinders deglazed, 4 new pistons and new bearings all around and there's a noticeable improvement, so technically my engine is back in "like new condition".

What you will need is a good weekend (ie. Friday evening, Sat, Sun and a bank holiday Mon if you can) as well as another car so that you can go and get all the bits that you need (which you wont know about until you take the engine apart).

It's actually a really simple process:
1) Unbolt exhaust / turbo and air intake manifold from cylinder head
2) Unbolt rocker cover
3) Unbolt rocker shaft (all as one)
4) Pull push rods out (simple slide them out of their holes)
5) Unbolt the head and lift it off
6) unbolt the sump
7) unbolt the piston big end caps and then knock the piston up and out!

All of which can be done in situation without having to remove the engine. The 200 tdi is only slightly different to the 2.5 N/A so the 300 shouldn't be all too different either, perhaps a few extra wires. I don't think that there is too much difference in terms of general structure. Generally speaking the only parts that you will need are 4 piston ring sets (or 4 new piston heads with rings already in place if your current pistons are damaged), 4 new bearing sets and the tools which are a cylinder deglazing tool (which attaches to your drill) and piston ring compressor, all of which should cost you no less that £200 at the absolute maximum.

You'd save your self a hell of a lot of money (ie. between £1000 and £2000) and you might find it really good fun. There's nothing like starting the engine for the time knowing that you've done it yourself.

Would you like to know more?
-Pos

But at 150K the 300 is just running in (if it's been treated OK!) - the 12 or 19 will be half way through it's second recon by then.

What's it like? Save yer money till you're sure it needs it i reckon and the interest will pay for the job when it needs doing!

If it aint broke. don't fix it.

ratty said:

If it aint broke. don't fix it.

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i second that 156000 s feck all
jist service it every now n again n occasionally threaten it wi a grinder

defenderdavie said:

i second that 156000 s feck all
jist service it every now n again n occasionally threaten it wi a grinder

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Oy Davie, you're thirdin' it not secondin' it!!!

ffs ya want me to type drink eat crisps and count ahm o limited ability due to alchhol after 9

odenne said:

But at 150K the 300 is just running in (if it's been treated OK!) - the 12 or 19 will be half way through it's second recon by then.

What's it like? Save yer money till you're sure it needs it i reckon and the interest will pay for the job when it needs doing!

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That's not very re-assuring for us old skool N/A'ers I Mine was running absolutely spot on before I rebuilt it, all apart from loosing a bit of oil out of the breather. That's fixed it, and I'm fairly certain that it's never been touched inside before.

Yeah, i know, the 12's are pretty bombproof, just trying to make mesself feel better about being the proud owner of a 19 which are notorious! Luckily mine was virtually the last one of the production line so it has all the reinforcements they brought out, but it's still billed as a notoriously dubious engine! (not that it's caused me any trouble whatsoever TOUCH WOOD - but i do drive about everywhere at about 20mph!) - unfortunatley i live right at the bottom of a lot of very big hills which bodes badly for a weak engine as the first thing it has to do when it wakes up is a mass of work!

but it's still billed as a notoriously dubious engine!

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Don't listen to em they're talkin bollox.

whats a 12 n a 19

I eckon he's on about the different injuns the 12 wotever an the 19J.

12J is the name given to the old 2.5 litre non turbo (naturally aspirated) diesel engine. 19J is the name given to the old 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine. There is also a 2.25 litre naturally aspirated diesel engine which is very rare to get hold of, not that you'd want one! You're talking old style simple engines here, which then led on to the 200 and 300 tdi, then the TD5 etc.

im looking at a series this week with a 2.25 n/a deisel are they not up to much

defenderdavie said:

im looking at a series this week with a 2.25 n/a deisel are they not up to much

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slow and smokey, but go on for ever

pos said:

12J is the name given to the old 2.5 litre non turbo (naturally aspirated) diesel engine. 19J is the name given to the old 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine. There is also a 2.25 litre naturally aspirated diesel engine which is very rare to get hold of, not that you'd want one! You're talking old style simple engines here, which then led on to the 200 and 300 tdi, then the TD5 etc.

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I think the engine block for all the engines from the 2.25 (petrol and diesel) right up to the 300 was the same (obviously it was changed for the td5!) pretty much from when they first came out in the 70's?

to get back on sbuject my last two 90s a 300 tdi and a td5 both did in excess of 260000 whilst in my tender care with mo very serious problems and very few engine problems serviced 12000 or 12 weeks though

I spoke to a landy mechanic the other day who said he has often seen 200's with excess of half a million on em and no major overhauls! That's pretty impressive - and the 300 should be the same (as it's virtuall identical just a bit cleverer!)

gramor said:

slow and smokey, but go on for ever

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dont sound to bad i dont like going over 50 if i can avoid it

defenderdavie said:

dont sound to bad i dont like going over 50 if i can avoid it

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50 in 2.25 diesel.............your havin a laff ain't ya.............unless it's downhill