Sluggish defender - tried most things

tom1979 · Sep 4, 2013

2000 Defender TD5 with 10P engine running on 33x12.50 Adventuro MT

Trying to make my defender slightly less sluggish and have done the following but no noticeable difference:

new MAF sensor
new air filter
replaced AAP sensor (had to relocate as my air box had a 3 pin socket but the loom has four pin so replaced with 4 pin - see pic)
cleaned MAP sensor (was filthy)

Can anyone suggest anything else that will give me better acceleration in top gears? Top speed is currently about 65mph and generally just seems sluggish. With oversized wheels I would have expected slower acceleration but better top speed?

Many thanks

Dr_evil · Sep 4, 2013

egr, turbo actuator, decat…….search ffs

timtheenchanteruk · Sep 4, 2013

have you had it plugged in yet??

Id see if someone could have a look at the codes, 65mph is woeful, it should do better than that.

is that a speedo 65, or from a gps/phone?? if making sure all the sensors are there/working hasnt helped, there must be another fault somwhere, codes might just help thee.

tom1979 · Sep 4, 2013

Dr_evil said:
egr, turbo actuator, decat.search ffs

I have managed to loosen turbo actuator rod it moves about an inch with some difficulty and engine off. It has been decat'd and the egr is blanked off

Jonnyb1990 · Sep 4, 2013

Bigger wheels do mean a higher top speed,

But by increasing the size of the wheels you are effectively increasing the load on the engine, if standard sized wheels where used that might solve your problems,

Otherwise try tuning your TD5

tom1979 · Sep 4, 2013

timtheenchanteruk said:
have you had it plugged in yet??

Id see if someone could have a look at the codes, 65mph is woeful, it should do better than that.

is that a speedo 65, or from a gps/phone?? if making sure all the sensors are there/working hasnt helped, there must be another fault somwhere, codes might just help thee.

The attached codes were still present (could not be cleared) before I put the AAP sensor in. The 65 is GPS speed - speedo says about 60.

M1CK · Sep 4, 2013

Have you checked all brakes for binding ? a lot of folk trying to get more power overlook the simple things first. Me included.

Whip the rear prop off then check to see how free the handbrake drum spins (they are prone to getting full of sludge especially if you go through any deep stuff). Also seem to wear uneven kinda egg shaped making them tight then slack. Just a matter of backing the adjuster off slightly if this is the case.

tom1979 · Sep 4, 2013

M1CK said:
Have you checked all brakes for binding ? a lot of folk trying to get more power overlook the simple things first. Me included.

Whip the rear prop off then check to see how free the handbrake drum spins (they are prone to getting full of sludge especially if you go through any deep stuff). Also seem to wear uneven kinda egg shaped making them tight then slack. Just a matter of backing the adjuster off slightly if this is the case.

Thanks I hadn't thought of that I am taking the props off at the weekend anyway in search of somewhere to put grease nipples!!

The strange thing is that I would expect to feel the turbo kick in it is like driving an early 2.5TD.

Brown · Sep 4, 2013

Well the tachometer faults are there because yours doesn't have a tachometer, so that's OK. The others, whilst I'm, no expert, look like they might be sensor faults. What happens if you unplug the wires from the air flow meter completely and take it for a drive? It looks to me like it thinks there's more air getting through than there actually is. Unplugging the sensor will allow the ECU to revert to a default value and, if it's malfunctioning things will get a bit better. Ditto the sensor on the air box itself. Yes I know they're new, but sometimes you're unlucky, even with new kit.

Don't forget the fuel system. Mine gets very sluggish just before it's about to run out of fuel, so check things like whether there's much diesel in the tank, that the pump runs and isn't restricted in any way, that you've got a fairly fresh fuel filter on, whose rubber seals are sitting flat in their grooves, and so on.

Brown · Sep 4, 2013

Oh I see we've had pretty much the same conversation as this on another thread. I thought it was an odd coincidence that the same issues were coming up!

tom1979 · Sep 5, 2013

Took it down the bypass today and with enough road got it up to 74mph (GPS). Maybe that is the maximum with those wheels on it there is just no acceleration in 5th gear though most of the work has to be done in 4th

Jonnyb1990 · Sep 5, 2013

Apart from breaking the speed limit which we'll keep hush hush,

What sized tyres are you running ?

mostin58 · Sep 5, 2013

I'm guessing its tyre size, a mate lost 15?20 mph off top speed when he fitted 33's to his ****eara.

tom1979 · Sep 5, 2013

Yes I think that must be what it is. If I can find a set of standard wheels cheap enough I'll change them over!

Dr_evil · Sep 5, 2013

what transfer box are you running

tom1979 · Sep 5, 2013

Dr_evil said:
what transfer box are you running

who knows!! are you thinking change it to disco transfer box? I don't know what ratio diffs are either...

Dr_evil · Sep 5, 2013

no I'm thinking you have a disco box and therefore its totally over geared now with the tyres

tom1979 · Sep 5, 2013

if it was over-geared would it not have a very good top speed but take forever to get there? How would be the way to check - is there a serial number somewhere that can be looked up?

Dr_evil · Sep 5, 2013

in theory yes it should have a better top but take ages, check the bottom and there might be a sticker 1.4 is defender 1.2 is disco

Sluggish defender - tried most things

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