[JOHNIV]

Greetings all,

MY 1988rrc V8 engine has finally gone after 303,334 hard miles. I had already decided to put in a 300tdi/5sp trans..However, there is a 2.5tdi on Ebay from a guy in oregon that claims the engine to be an original range rover diesel from europe and also claims it would be a direct fit for the RRC V8. Anyone know if this is true, the price is right...... at least for me. Although many question why a diesel swap, its the one fuel I have unlimited cheap access to. Im more concerned with the power of this 2.5 vs 300tdi any one know the specs between the two? I look forward to your opinions and technical ideas!

Thanks

John IV

 

[cdb]

Does he mean a 200 TDI or the 2.5 turbo diesel or the non-turbo 2.5 diesel
Is his name Zak and does he live in Portland. If so, he has a couple of converted Range Rover Classics with either 200 TDIs or 300 TDIs installed.

 

[JOHNIV]

Greetings,

Dont know his name, but engine it is a VM 2.5td originally in a RRC from Europe, looked it up on google and seems that rover used this engine from 1986-1992 built by italians, cant find alot of info on engine, so dont know about parts availability. Any thoughts?

Thanks

john taff

 

[cdb]

pretty sure the seller is Zak Mosier - Zombie Motors.
If I remember right the VM diesel was disappointing to RR buyers although the specs look close to a 200/300 TDI and people who have installed the 300TDI in an automatic RR seem to really like it.
I'd ask Zak what he'd charge to install either the VM or the TDI in your RR. Cost may surprise you, but it will indicate the trouble involved.
Honestly, I'd swap in another V8 or buy a good RRC and sell yours.
I'll be selling my 1995 RRC shortly and it is in excellent condition with 113,000 miles.
Decided to keep our 2004 RR HSE after we bought a new SUV so something has to go.
It will not be cheap - $11,000 but it doesn't need anything either. Getting the cruise control fixed next week.

 

[ArmyRover]

The VM diesel isn't a bad motor, slightly more powerful than the early land rover diesels decent economy. It would probably be very pathetic in front of a automatic transmission though.

That said the parts are extremely difficult to get. There are probably only one or two people in the land rover parts business that are familiar with that motor and can get you what you need. The one I know is PT Schram his contact info is in my signature.

I would get a 200 or 300 tdi if I was going to use the auto behind it.

 

[JOHNIV]

Thanks for all advice I decided when I couldnt find any parts for it on the net it wasnt gonna work. It sure would have been nice in my situation though! Guess its back to a new 3.5 which has served me well for years

Thanks

johniv

 

[ArmyRover]

Or go with a 3.9 for a little more power and just as good reliability in the long run.

 

[cdb]

or a 4.2litre from a long wheelbase for more power

 

[roverandom]

The VM was crap. No intercooler IIRC. Anyway, I have driven a "nice" 5sp example and it was just a dog compared to the V8.....noisy too.

The 200tdi was better. Still nothing to write home about power wise and still noisy as hell but it did get decent economy for an ancient oil burner.

The 300TDI was better yet with respectable economy and a better power curve than the other two but still lacking power and still noisy.

Best LR diesels in my book were the TD5's. Smooth, powerful, decent power band and endlessly tune-able. Never offered in a Classic though obviously.

They all needed a manual transmission behind them to make the vehicles driveable and keep the engines in their notoriously narrow power bands.

Bottom line, the VM feels like a Knackered V8 with four dead cylinders until the turbo eventually decides to spool up and then, for the next 200 rpm, you have some nice power. Two seconds later however the engine runs out of breath, you need to change gear and your back to no power.

No way I would choose one over a V8.......especially the 4.2L, Fuel costs be damned.

My 2c.