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 […]

I put the block’s bottom ladder frame, the oil pump and sump on today, followed by the timing belt, front cover, water pump, viscous fan and crank shaft pulley. The timing belt was very tight, but this is apparently normal for 200s. The fuel timing is only approximate; I won’t be able to set it […]

I thought some of you may be interested to see the inside of the 19J (2.5TD) engine I bought a few years ago to be rebuilt as an upgrade to the 12J currently powering the vehicle. I removed the head to check it for damage as a fellow member on the LRUK forum has damaged […]

The fuel injection system was delivered today. The pump and injectors have been fully reconditioned with heavy duty parts and calibrated to run happily on vegoil. The total cos, including VAT, was about £460. Obviously, they’ll stay wrapped and boxed until fitting.