Disco 2 TD5 Rebuild? Advice Welcome

I’m driving a 99 TD5 Discovery 2 manual that just had two significant overheats, both times due to coolant hoses bursting, and it’s looking like piston rings are shot. Excessive oil coming out the breather hose, MAF fouled due to it, very weak at low range (fine on highway, though), even to the point of dying in first gear on the slightest slope unless I pulse the clutch (i.e. I’m killing the recently-replaced clutch to survive the slopes and traffic of Kampala), tons of smoke, and in short, despite this engine just having been rebuilt before I bought it, it seems that it’s in need of some serious repair after only six weeks of driving it.

I’m having all silicone hoses fit today, as an aside, to prevent future blow-outs.

I’m faced with two options I think, and would love some input:

Option A (per mechanic’s recommendations): Replace piston assemblies, insert liners, replace main bearings, conrod bearings, and all the parts that go along with that. For quality parts and then labor, including an engineering shop here, I’m probably looking at £1,200 or more.

Option B: Buy a Turner short engine for £3,000 including shipping, plus probably another £1,000 for labor (thank goodness labor here’s not terribly expensive) and the other parts that would go along with the engine swap.

What would you do?

Get a compression test done.

Get the head off and check the gasket.
+1 for a compression check as well which may show some connection will cooling ans/or oil ways.

Bantam1 said:

Get the head off and check the gasket.
+1 for a compression check as well which may show some connection will cooling ans/or oil ways.

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+1^^^
But excessive oil coming out of the breather hose does imply piston/cylinder damage.
Once you have got the head off you will be able to assess damage to cylinder walls, but you'll need the sump off to check for crank damage.
The gasket will need replacing and if there is enough meat on the head it will probably need skimming.
With a
TD5 especially, as with any other engine driving on with it once overheated is not a good thing.

Good tips all, very much appreciated.

No one here in Kampala has the kit to do the full 5 cylinder compression, I’ve asked around, so is it still worth it to do just the four cylinders?

The heads have been skimmed before, I wonder if they would even have enough for another skim? I like the idea of checking the crankcase through the sump, good idea.

The stickiness with the heads is that we don’t have spare head gaskets to refit if we DO take the heads off for inspection, and I’d be stuck without a vehicle for three weeks minimum while the gaskets come in. But if I wait three weeks first for gaskets, then inspect, then find out (what seems all but certain) we need pistons and rings and all that, then I’ll order those and have to wait at least another three weeks after that... and what would be the point of putting it back together for me to drive the soiled beast a few weeks as I awaited parts, only to take it apart again, so truly that would mean three weeks again without a vehicle, which I can’t pull off here.

Bit of a crunch, with time conspiring against me too as I’m supposed to be moving up country to the bush in three weeks, and have already postponed a month due to car issues. Sticky. Let me post back with updates when I have them.

Cylinder compression is done one cylinder at a time usually through the glow plug holes. Doesn't matter how many cylinders you have, I suspect your mechanic misunderstands or is useless.

The mechanic was saying that the fifth cylinder closest to the bulkhead is too tight for his kit fit.

Ahhh... Sorry I don't know td5.
There is probably an adaptor to get round that which he probably won't have. Won't do any harm to check the other 4 though. If compression is good on those then you may just have an issue with number 5.
If all 4 are poor then its head off time to investigate.

If the head has already been skimmed then i doubt there'd be enough meat on it for another.
Hate to say it but I think you may have to bite the bullet, if you like the car enough, to buy the crate engine you mentioned in your first or an early post, get it shipped out and spend the rest of the time going through the rest of the car fixing anything else that could go wrong especially cooling equipment and oil feed stuff, to make sure you do not fuck your new engine.
Or else you may just be sending good money after bad.
Best of luck mate.
EDIT
Oh ****, just reread your first post and noticed that price was for a "short" engine, so no head, yet your head has already been skimmed. so it really does depend on the head now.
You could be stuck with a good short engine and a head that is unfixable, well actually you could fix it but this is off the wall.
You'd have to skim it yet again, so possibly beyond the normal level, and some on here will say you shouldn't skim one at all, and then pocket the pistons on your new engine.
This can be done, there is a guy round the corner from me who does it and he races Landies. But he is a rare breed.
There will be lots on here providing the sharp intakes of breath.
I am wondering if any machine shop where you are would be able to do it.
Prolly safer to get a new head if the old one is beyond repair.

I clarified with the mechanic and he said the heads have never been skimmed, he only polished them during the rebuild. My mistake. They’ll look at them when we take it apart to see if anything needs done with the heads, but for now, due to age, abuse and the symptoms, I’m just going to go ahead and take the engine out, replace the piston assemblies (the pistons themselves are old) and install liners. Also replacing conrod and main bearings while we’re in there.

I’m suspicious that the two sudden coolant hose blow-outs, which caused the overheats that caused this whole mess, might have been due to a clogged radiator. It’s original, and has been abused with years of only running tap water, and there’s oil gunking up the system from previous overheats by original owner. Supposedly it’s been flushed but there’s evidence of oil still in the cooling system. I have the Allisport alloy radiator and upgraded fan to install during the engine work; new thermostat; new waterpump; and all silicone hoses by Allisport have also come in. Also coming in is the Allisport header tank with sight gauge and, most importantly, float level switch—if that coolant ever drops again, for any reason, I want to know before I toast the engine.

Here we go...

panmatai said:

I clarified with the mechanic and he said the heads have never been skimmed, he only polished them during the rebuild. My mistake. They’ll look at them when we take it apart to see if anything needs done with the heads, but for now, due to age, abuse and the symptoms, I’m just going to go ahead and take the engine out, replace the piston assemblies (the pistons themselves are old) and install liners. Also replacing conrod and main bearings while we’re in there.

I’m suspicious that the two sudden coolant hose blow-outs, which caused the overheats that caused this whole mess, might have been due to a clogged radiator. It’s original, and has been abused with years of only running tap water, and there’s oil gunking up the system from previous overheats by original owner. Supposedly it’s been flushed but there’s evidence of oil still in the cooling system. I have the Allisport alloy radiator and upgraded fan to install during the engine work; new thermostat; new waterpump; and all silicone hoses by Allisport have also been inAnd also coming in is the Allisport header tank with sight gauge and, most importantly, float level switch—if that coolant ever drops again, for any reason, I want to know before I toast the engine.

Here we go...

Click to expand...

Best of luck with it all

Anyone have a recommendation for live oil temp gauges for this TD5?

Stanleysteamer said:

Best of luck with it all

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Thanks Stanleysteamer, I will gladly accept pats on the back and good-lucks as I jump off the cliff of Land Rover insanity once more.