With the engine fitted, the next stage was to continue with all the under-bonnet ancillaries. The new radiator had been mounted in its frame with the intercooler, and the fan fixed to the rear. This assembly was lifted into position to check for clearance of all the pipe work, but an overlooked big problem immediately […]

Well, after fastening the bell housing and engine mounts, the engine fitting hit a few bumps in the road. The first problem was that the bottom end of the turbo’s exhaust elbow contacted the corner of the foot well. It wasn’t any more than a light point contact, but it had to be rectified none […]

I have spent the weekend preparing the 109 for the engine swap and finishing off the Tdi. I spent yesterday morning fitting the alternator in a way that brings the pulley in line, installing the manifolds and the turbo, and fitting the studs to the newly tapped holes in the flywheel housing. I then went […]

I found a piece missing – one of the head’s locating dowels was missing. It may have been removed when the block was re-bored, or it may have been lost previously when the head was replaced. Either way, the head was not going to be secure with only one of the two dowels fitted. I […]

I should be able to collect the new head gaskets tomorrow, which will allow proper fitting of the head. In the mean time, I have laid the old gasket and head in position so that I could check the fit of the manifolds and dipstick tube. As the old tube was routed around the Discovery […]