200TDI Engine Rebuild

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
Since I have to tear into my 200TDI for a few reasons, mainly a crankshaft damper/woodruff key change along with rear and front main seals, but don't like a lot of down time AND one of the local mechanics not far from me was selling his project 200TDI since he has too many projects going, I decided to just take his pile of parts and build it up.

The engine seems nice--it is in pieces and I will go through everything, but it is a 12L (Disco) and has the 12L front cover (which I will sell) and he has the lower mounted 300TDI manifold and turbo (which I will also be selling) that you see in these pictures. He has a lot of black oxcide grade 8 bolts accumulated that he was going to use to make it look nice so I will go through all that too. Best of all he has a good 200TDI head along with it. The pistons all look great, the pushrods are straight, the glow plugs are already out (it had only 1 injector, but I'll sort all that stuff out anyways). No broken bolts, deck looks flat and cylinders look nice. Overall, thinks seem solid but I'll be mic'in everything and doing the to do list as you would on any engine rebuild. Really, I just love becoming intimate with all the mechanicals of my trucks and have rebuilt most engines for my rovers except a 200TDI (or any diesel) so this will be fun for me. The parts below are just loosely bolted on from when I bought it--tear down begins tonight :). For $700 for everything, well, I just couldn't resist. I'll be rebuilding my 11L original motor after this and keeping it around to drop back in as I really like having the "numbers match" of a defender and the 11L in lieu of the 12L, but I am not worried about when I do that. That will be "someday". I frankly like the 200TDI engines.
200tdi1.jpeg
200tdi.jpeg


But I can use a little helpful advice! Particularly on any advice steps that will save me grief--and any seals that I know may be better than another!

I know to use the Dowty Rear Main Seal. Check. Will do.
How about T-Seals? Any particular one better than another? Head gasket brand? (measuring the piston crown, it looks like it will probably be a 3-hole gasket)

I have shied away from britpart. Most my experience with aftermarket has me leaning toward Bearmach when possible but again, 100% open to suggestions. Most my rebuild experience has been related to 3.9/4.0/4.2/4.6 and LS styles...

Planning to get a lot of my stuff from Turner as, frankly, I trust them and their experience with 200TDI's, but again, up to suggestions/vendors!

I'll post full notes and progress as I start moving and ordering things!
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
If you want gold and silver block paint are are near me I will have a TON left over
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Buy corteco/genuine seals only. Cheap paper gaskets are fine. Genuine rubber t seals. Split presized cam bearings from turner. Corteco genuine Teflon rear main from turner. Late mls head gasket. New head bolts. Replace the skew gear bearing. Bolt on bits makes a oil pan and ladder frame gasket now (factory is sealant). Mains and big ends from turner (king brand)
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
There's like an absolute laundry list of stuff to do.

Some other notes:

If you're taking the time to rebuild the whole engine make sure that you carefully inspect the bore and if there's any ridges or if it's out of round whatsoever you should go oversize. When you buy new pistons only by kolbenschmit sp? As they are the OEM manufacturer.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
Cheap paper gaskets are fine.

I’m not sure what Land Rover is sending out these days for Tdi paper gaskets, but I really don’t like the cheap ones that you get for V8s. They are really brittle and a lot thicker than the factory gaskets. The factory ones are super pliable where the aftermarket ones come broken in the package half the time.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Well I do agree with you that the cheap paper gaskets are cheap and shitty. There really is only one paper gasket on a TDI that matters and that's the clutch housing to block gasket. everything else is easily accessible from the outside and there's really only three or four of them that actually seal any oil. but getting the good one certainly won't hurt
 

Tomaco1

Well-known member
I have the t-seal tool if you need to borrow it. I had to order it from the UK when I did mine, actually had it done.
 

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
I have the t-seal tool if you need to borrow it. I had to order it from the UK when I did mine, actually had it done.
That’d be awesome. Let me check With my local buddies and if they don’t then definitely! Super cool.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
I can't believe I almost forgot because I was going to make a separate post for this.

I had this torque plate manufactured for TDI engines. It fits 200/300/2.8 blocks

If you're planning to bore and hone the cylinders this is the ultimate way to get them perfectly round.

I'm setting up a rental service for it if you're interested... It wasn't cheap to get made so I have to recoup some costs.
 

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MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
Thanks Mike! Gives us an excuse for a bourbon or beer:). And thanks again for the offer Tomaco! I’ll let you know Napalm after I take my bore measurements!!
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
Fwiw,I actually prefer the 300 tdi manifolds,easier/ better to drill and tap the egr plate for thermocouple. Manifold flows better and turbo makes a tad more boost than the 200. Down pipe position makes it possible to replace starter without removing downpipe. The list goes on.
 
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