Engine options

[RobW]

Thought I'd borrow this from the S2C before we hijack Wildwoodflower's Intro! Orignal author was Maltelec

2.25 Petrol/Diesel - I'm always up for originality, especially with a time-proven engine.

2.5 Petrol - a good engine, I have one myself. Slightly more power than the 2.25 but only marginal. Much the same economy. This engine is the easiest to swap. Most 2.25 5-bearing parts fit this engine.

2.5 Diesel - Still a good engine but not as common nowadays. Much the same as the 2.25 diesel. Also very easy to convert.

2.5 Turbo Diesel (J19 engine) - This engine suffered from being over-stressed. If you got a good one it was excellent. If you got a bad one it would be nothing but trouble. Reasonably easy to convert. Getting harder to find.

200Tdi - Is and always will be the best of both worlds. Power and ruggedness with ease of fitting and fixing. Difficult to go wrong, and reasonably easy to make them fit.

300Tdi - Much the same as the 200Tdi, some people say they are better, some say they are worse, others say they are the same.

Perkins - There are a range of Perkins diesel engine which will fit with an adaptor plate. Compared to a 300Tdi they tend to be a bit slow and sluggish and a bit harder fit under the bonnet. However a good Perkins set up is considered to be a winner.

Rover V8 - The original 3.5 V8 certainly gives a grin factor, and driven softly will give you reasonable economy for its size. The engine is also quite light weight for its power. Parts are not too bad to find.

LDV Engine - Have been popular in their time, not sure on the details.

2.6 6-Pot Rover engine - Getting harder to find parts (or engines). They tended to have a reputation for throwin rods due to their ability to rev right up. Not a bad engine in their day, but that day was a long time ago now.

3-litre 6-pot engine - Nice if you can find one. Similar to a V8 in performance.

Ford V6 Engines - The 2.5, 2.8 and 3-Litre versions have all been used. They were once a popular engine to go for, but parts are now becoming hard to find.

Perkins Prima - A more modern Perkins diesel engine. A popular engine before the 200 and 300Tdi's became more affordable. Can eat gearboxes.

200/300Di - Basically a 200/300Tdi with the Turbo removed. This can help to reduce insurance costs and also means you can fit any 200/300 without the problem of the Turbo hitting the chassis.

V8 EFI - the more modern, more powerful and larger Rover V8 engines. Personally I think you would have to be a complete nutter to want to fit one of these to a standard series land rover.

Cummins B - The trusty Cummins B-Series engine. Available in 3.9 Litre straight-4 and 5.9 Litre Straight-6. Comes with or without a Turbo. Very sturdy engine, designed for 10-tonne trucks. Few people have used these but spares are plentiful. You really have to be nuts to fit one of these engines. Serious modifying need to be done to make one of these fit.

Other random engines - Some people have fitted 2.8 Mazda engines, and Toy Motor engines, most have been a great success, but they are not a straight forward conversion, and you may have to use a lot of custom made parts.

[RMS]

Just another one to throw in; VW/Volvo 6 pot Diesel, 2.4l normally aspirated.
Needs a plate (not sure where from).
A nice sounding engine with loads of torque.

I had a LWB with this fitted - Neil (muckitup) has it now - converting into a camper

[Rangie]

Nissan LD28 6-pot - Great engine with proven reliability, 95bhp, real slogger without the harshness of a turbo (A-La RD28), good economy, Philips Engineering did the conversion originally, hard to find some parts in this country, common in USA, SA and NZ. Excellent retro-fit for a 109 6-cyl. 30+ mpg. Getting long in the tooth now...

Mazda-Perkins 4.182 - the 3.0L in turbo and non-turbo form. Very reliable, good parts availability, conversions from Motor and Diesel, Philips and Milner originally. Heavy brutes, common before 200/300TDIs became easily available, economy 24-30mpg.

Mazda SL35 - the 3.5L in turbo, turbo-intercooled and non-turbo form. Unburstable but imported! Not available in this country, vast majority were imported by Motor and Diesel for Rover V8 re-powers. Common in Japan as a light truck engine in their 3500 series lories. Turbo-Intercooled at 135hp, 260lbft, 25-35mpg. 32mpg in my much tweaked gear-train manual RRC, 26mpg in a 4-speed auto I had, 31mpg in a 110CSW. Basic engine spares very expensive but rarely required. Preferrs 10W30-grade oil, especially in winter.....

Isuzu 4JB1T - 2.8L in turbo and turbo-intercooled form, was a common upgrade for 2.5 Rover and VM Diesels in the day. Milner, Steve Parker, Motor and Diesel all made comprehensive fitting kits. Cheap for parts, still common, exhaust routes can be a headache, fitment for most models. 30+mpg

Perkins 4203, 3.3L non-turbo. Common as anything, cheap to repair, 65hp, "classic" solution to worn out 2.25D Rattly, unmistakeable engine note, good starter, conversions from Milner, Phillips and your local blacksmith... Economy 24-28mpg. Available in van, industrial and agricultural specs with different pumps/govenors and injectors which does make a huge difference to driveability! 2800rpm max, 55mph flat out in O/D top with 4.7 diffs, even uphill I have a soft spot for these engines, used a few of them and still have a couple on the shelf......

My tuppenceworth.....

Alec.

[jonjeans]

Interesting posts thank you.

My 2.6l 6 pot engine was horrid. Very smoky and thirsty: less than 14 m.p.g.

However, absolutely transformed after a professional head re-build (valve guides, valves and seals), new big end shells, bore light hone and rings.

No oil top up between changes, and no leaks. Oil used is Castrol "straight" GP 50 Classic. I find that works well in winter and Summer. When towing a second Dormobile for 80 miles, the oil did get too hot, power down and began to smoke a little, but normal service resumed after I allowed a 15 min cool off.

And even better, latest trip out was 17.3 mpg.

And now I would like to try a 3 litre 6 pot - anyone have a spare one?

[Muckitup]

Just another one to throw in; VW/Volvo 6 pot Diesel, 2.4l normally aspirated.
Needs a plate (not sure where from).
A nice sounding engine with loads of torque.

I had a LWB with this fitted - Neil (muckitup) has it now - converting into a camper

The plate was made been told "its a work of art" "he must have been an engineer who ever made that" not a scrapman.