My Disco is Dead - Please Help!

[Blu]

It is with great sadness that my 300 series Tdi is no longer, it appears that my No1. Piston has melted and scored the bores, this is after a treacherous two years that have seen the Head gasket, camshaft, Radiator gasket & Alternator all replaced at a great expense. (£1000+)

I need advice on what to do now, it is a 1995 N plate that has M.O.T & Tax on   until November, She had done a genuine 89K miles and was relatively clean with some minor panel damage where an unsupervised idiot with a shopping trolley was let loose in the car park at my local Sainsbury's damaged the nearside front wing, also the rear door spring needed replacing and a leaky sunroof issue , other than that all original fixtures and fittings were perfectly functioning and usable.

1). Do I look for a second hand engine, in the hope it is okay?

2). Do I look for a re-conditioned engine that comes with a mileage/years warranty?

3). Do I scrap it out as spares or repair?

If option 1, what should I expect to find?

If option 2, What should I expect to pay for both the engine & the labour cost of Removal & Refit?

If option 3, what value is it worth as a going concern, I have no facility's to break it down and store parts.

I actually favour Option 2, we have a long association which has seen some good times and bad times, She IS a member of my family and I am endeared to her deeply.

Have you Guy's/Gals got any prices of an off the shelf Lump, that comes with a fitting service from a reputable Landy based garage?
Are there any real saints that could undertake this work for me?

I am Birmingham based.

I would appreciate any advice and help that you can offer me, I am really peed of and depressed that the magic has been taken away and do not relish the thought of commuting on a skateboard from now on.

[blueboar]

If you are going to go for an engine give Foleys a call Tel: (+44) 01279 793500 , they somtimes have them,they are in essex

http://www.foleyspecialistvehicles.co.uk/index2.htm

click on Parts Department and the on Engines, Gearboxes & Axles

He has one with a gearbox and only 88,000 miles, give him a call and have a chat.

[Skibum346]

Option 2 is a good one and there are plenty of engine suppliers who advertise in the back of the Landy mags. The ones that spring to mind are:

Midland Transmission Services
Aztech Engineering
Turner Engineering
Macdonald Land Rover
Ascroft Transmissions
[/list]
There are bound to be lots more.

Skibum

[cardiff_gareth]

I'd agree with everyone else and go for option 2.

Option 1 also sounds good but you run the risk and paying out and then having further probs down the line. The only good thing is if you can find someone breaking a disco with bags of S/H and you know someone with the experiance and room for a engine transplant.

My mate in Cardiff breaks them and you would'nt want to know what he pays for them so forget option 3.

[redhand]

If it's only the block and pistons get a reconned short engine or even Block and pistons.

[muddyjames]

Option 1 (second hand engine) could be a go-er. disco_al in the for sale area (breaking 300tdi is obviously breaking his 300tdi. He is selling his engine for £850 and it has only done 4500-5000miles. I am very tempted to buy it my self and sell my engine but am trying to justify the cost!!

Could be an option for you.  Dependant on where you live and my Disco doesnt die on me (see my other post named serious help needed) I could be tempted to bring it to you as disco_al doesnt live far from me.

[Jas278]

THE BEST OPTION BY FAR ....................stick a 200 in it , buy a rotten donor vehicle............and Bobs ur uncle..........

[extreme90]

wel, if was me id be be ripping the engine apart by now ready for +20 pistons and a rebore  :roll:
but thats me,i fix things not replace  :lol:
dan

[gb0wers]

wel, if was me id be be ripping the engine apart by now ready for +20 pistons and a rebore  :roll:
but thats me,i fix things not replace  :lol:
dan

Fair comment but any idea what may have caused the problem in the first place as that would need to be taken in to account in the repair plan?
Graham

[Wolfie]

There is always option 4 as well.

That being a brand new engine, there are some about, eg http://www.douglassmotors.co.uk/offers.asp?offset=10

I'm sure they would also quote for fitting.

There again a good s/h engine is probably the most realistic option, and you could well get a few of the West Midlands crew over to help you fit it.

Regards

Wolfie

[Bobtail]

On eblag as well



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RECONDITIONED-ENGINE-LAND-ROVER-DISCOVERY-RANGE-ROVER_W0QQitemZ260116871891QQihZ016QQcategoryZ31348QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[J.D.]

I may have a Daihatsu 2.8 TD unit for sale in the near future from a FourTrak if you are interested.

[extreme90]

wel, if was me id be be ripping the engine apart by now ready for +20 pistons and a rebore  :roll:
but thats me,i fix things not replace  :lol:
dan

Fair comment but any idea what may have caused the problem in the first place as that would need to be taken in to account in the repair plan?
Graham

overheat or running way too rich, but if running rich, id expect a valve to go not the piston
so id say overheat, but, normaly no 4 piston goes on overheat  :?

have you actualy taken the head off ? to see if the piston is melted, or has it inhaled something it shouldnt have, and taken a chunk out of the side of the crown and skirt

dan

[TDi90]

i aggree with dan (he has some good ideas)
i would strip it and replace broken parts... i.e FIX IT!

[extreme90]

i aggree with dan (he has some good ideas)
i would strip it and replace broken parts... i.e FIX IT!

some...lmao  :lol:

if your not sure, id do it for you and garuntee my workk aswel, never had out go wrong and ive rebuilt a few 200s  :roll:
wel..my 200s  :lol:
dan

[shaun and co]

had exactly the same problem myself a few weeks ago and went for the fully reconned engine. So glad i did as it is probably the closest i'll get to having a brand new car and she runs like a dream!!!
Went down the second hand engine once before and would never do it again as i just swapped one load of problems for another.
Re-conning is definately the way to go and you get a warranty!

[Blu]

Thanks for all the replies & advice, Sorry about the delay in responding but I have been in mourning over the untimely death of my toy, I have had help with the mechanical aspect of taking the head off, and to my horror, the expose was ugly, the damage is unrepairable, but under scrutiny & comparison, the head gasket that was replaced approx 18-24 months ago was a cheap imitation of the genuine product, a lesson to share amongst some of you (sadly, i cannot get any recompense from the garage that fitted the cheap parts that may have been instrumental in this death).

One more chunk of advice is sought from you guy's, Option 3 is now the economical choice for me, I wonder what a 'Non Running Rolling stock' could be worth, It has a long M.O.T. that expires in November, I do not have the tools, nor the facility's nor the space to dismantle it piece by piece, So i'm hopefully expecting someone would buy it 'as is'.

(1995 N 300 series Tdi, GS specs)!

[muddyjames]

If its any help one guy on here had a rebuilt engine that had done 4500-5k done on it and flogging it for £850. Maybe worth looking into and getting the disco back to life?

[Blu]

Thanks James, but I've gone all out and purchased a 52 plate, so I now have 2 Disco's, but only one running, I do not have the space or the tools or the time or the knowledge to repair myself, so I would find myself at the mercy of other people, whilst 'X' is the unknown denomination, The engine + labour is the 'X Factor', A Reconned engine could see anything Northwards of £1300 and labor £500 - 700, so that's a possible £2k + that I'd spend on getting it to run again, If I needed a clutch, an exhaust and a couple of tyres, then thats all the value I would have left.
Nope, I will sell it on to someone that is gifted in the art of mechanical pursuits and hope that whoever gets as much pleasure out of her as I did.

I just need to know what price to ask for it, it is a 7 seat, (broken)GS 2.5Tdi, 5 door, with an m.o.t. until November 2007, twin sunroofs, roof rails, air con, abs & twin electrics tow pack.Freestyle 5 spoke alloys with Michelin 275's all round (Spare unused).