Another new LD28 user

[Major Eyeswater]

Hi all,
Found this forum last night, and suddenly I know massive amounts more about my engine, Based in the UK it isn't an engine i've come across before but fits lovely in my Land Rover 90.
I know I am gonna have questions and i think i've found the place, I inherited the lump already badly installed so just amidst a full strip and refit over the next few weeks.
any way here's a little LD porn.
Rob
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[opie]

Sweet. I'd like to find a nice offroad-able rig like that for one. My first is destined to power my 260Z.

[windsock]

Hey Rob,

welcome to the LD place. Made my eyes blink for sure but not quite watered. Very nice truck. LD28s into land rovers (series mostly but a few coilers) was a common swap here in NZ pre 200-300TDi days.

What exactly is not right about the initial install? One thing i have found wrong when I did my install was to under-engineer the engine mount beneath he injector pump. Being the long one it takes a hammering off road. I rebuilt one out of 75mm x 6mm flat mild steel so i hope I have it built better now. Also, check the engine mount bolts into the block fo cracks. These are only mild steel apparently as my bolt shop said they doubted very much whether there was any tensile strength in them. Given the treatment these bolts get off road I had to replace mine with high tensile cap-screws after a bolt broke off in the block leaving only 1mm of bolt protruding from the block to weld a nut to. Got it out but was a worrying time.

Are you running an LT77 gearbox or an R380 on that one. What are the ratios of the diffs/wheel size etc.

Looking forward to hearing more of your land rover. LD28 in a 90 should rocket along nicely.

Cheers,

Phil

[minimog]

Hi Rob, nice to see another U.K. LD28 user on here, and not a million miles from me!
Are you going to fully strip the engine? If so I look forward to a detailed thread on it. Unfortunately LD28 spares are few and far between in the UK so let us know if you find any good sources.
Here is a thread to some spares that can be obtained-
http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org/viewtopic.php?t=2332

Cheers, Dave.

[Major Eyeswater]

Well, a little huffing an puffing last night and the engine is out.
Spot on windsock, whoever fitted it decided to heavily under engineer the very engine mount you suggested, basically the engine mount was just half in there with all the original mounts used no attempt to make move etc. Fortunately Father in law is a fabricating welder and knocking up a over plate I can bolt into place should be 4mm with folded edge to increase strength. see below for my intermediate 2X4 solution whilst getting ready for removal.
I'll also be checking those block mounting plates before refit.
I have a LT77 gearbox and currently running 265/70r15 at the moment, diffs are standard as is Tbox at the moment but initially looking to slip in a Disco one with a 1.222 ratio, just a bit more comfortable on the runs and when I do off road I've always got low range to use.
It does go along nicely and hopefully will be better after a damn good going over, injector service etc.

thanks for the thread link Dave, and might I say how jealous I am of your unimog that looks the dogs danglies.

As for the strip, sadly not going to be that full on, it is my daily ride and borrowing the wife's car isn't going to last for ever plus the using my brother in laws workshop so getting back on the road is a priority.

That said I'll try and keep a record if what I do get up to and post as I go.

First 2 questions for the collective though, I'm going to be removing the fan as fitting electric fans only had a quick glance so far but fan removal, any clues is it removing the bolts from behind or am I missing a trick??
Plus recommendations for oil filter UK supply, Mahle fitted at the moment OC33, source the same or not?

Rob

[windsock]

Spot on windsock, whoever fitted it decided to heavily under engineer the very engine mount you suggested, basically the engine mount was just half in there with all the original mounts used no attempt to make move etc. Fortunately Father in law is a fabricating welder and knocking up a over plate I can bolt into place should be 4mm with folded edge to increase strength. see below for my intermediate 2X4 solution whilst getting ready for removal.
I'll also be checking those block mounting plates before refit.

Here are some before and after pics of mine...

When I originally inserted this motor into the land rover I only had some 50mm x 5mm flat steel and it was christams holidays and so no hope of getting anything else so I went with what I thought was an ok design with what I had... Turns out that once the bottom mount bolt snapped in the block, my design menat that all the weight was swinging on an unsupported flat piece of steel which then broake after a while. I had to weld a nut to the broken bolt to extract it out. So glad it broke leaving a turn of thread outside the block





The new mount is made in a similar design but includes a cut out for getting to the bolts with sockets and fingers and a cut-out to go around the fuel lines leaving the Injector Pump. The flat steel on the block is supported all the way up and there is no chance of a repeat process that caused the first to fail. It remains to be seen whether the 75mm x 6mm flat steel and high tensile cap-screws have solved the problem. This problem I think is only an issue in the rough treatment we give our 4bys off road. Not an issue in the car. Replace the block bolts with somethin higher tensile than the factoy bolts.



Love the wooden engine mount. Just bolt that through and run it like that... Speaking of mounts and rubber etc, I also have another regret when I did my engine install. Discoverys have captive engine mounts and these are better at vibration dampening and also in the event of a roll-over, the engine mounts stay intact and will not tear off. If i could have afforded it at the time I would have used two of these in my mount design.

I have a LT77 gearbox and currently running 265/70r15 at the moment, diffs are standard as is Tbox at the moment but initially looking to slip in a Disco one with a 1.222 ratio, just a bit more comfortable on the runs and when I do off road I've always got low range to use.

I too run a LT77 gearbox. 3.54:1 diffs but I went from an early LT230 1.66:1 ratio t/box to one running the 1.41:1 ratio. Now I am running 235/85/16's instead of the 7.50/16 skinnies I feel the ratio difference keenly. I run out of puff on the hills. A turbo would gain back some puff I think... Mine is a 110 with a bit of body armour and a heavy deck on it so yours would be lighter but still, watch out you don't try to get too tall for this motor as power and fuel consumption suffer. Yes, thank goodness for low ratio boxes off road.

Dave, [snip] your unimog that looks the dogs danglies.

Yes, it looks like a cool old truck that he has for sure. Looking forward to seeing it up on video later on

First 2 questions for the collective though, I'm going to be removing the fan as fitting electric fans only had a quick glance so far but fan removal, any clues is it removing the bolts from behind or am I missing a trick??
Plus recommendations for oil filter UK supply, Mahle fitted at the moment OC33, source the same or not?

I can only really suggest leaving the fan in if you can. It is quite effective at cooling these engines in the running around I do and I have really not had any problems with them. Simplicity itself really as there are no electrical circuits governing engine cooling. I have seen people go for electical fans and I have seen more than enough problems caused to make me reconsider the move myself unless I had very good reasons to do so. Some reasons that may drive me this way are river crossings and slow climbs.

I do a fair bit of wading across rivers and occassionally I worry about the fan disintegrating in the water but it has yet to be an issue. Second thing, I have a large enough gap between the fan and the radiator that I am considering moving the radiator back towards the engine a bit. I find even with shrouding around the fan on slow 2nd gear climbs I can go from 65-70 deg C (normal) to about 85-90 deg C quite quickly. Never gone beyond that so it has been ok so far. I run VDO gauges so am confident I know what the engine temps and pressures are doing.

If you are set on electric, go for thermo switches inline in the plumbing with a big light set up in cab for the master switch if going this way.

Can't assist on parts where you are. Plenty of bits here in NZ so i have never really had an issue getting what I need. Hope you get a supply chain sorted. Sounds like Dave has done a bit of homework in that regard.

All the best and looking forward to seeing further pics if possible.
Cheers,

Phil

[windsock]

Another point while I remember. I meant to ask in the last post. What size and shape of sump are you using? I had the front winged sump. On normal one wheel articulation (this wheel then that wheel etc) it cleared the diff but I found if both wheels were pushed up into the arches at the same time (i.e. jumping off banks and hitting banks at speed) the diff hit the sump wing. I simply rebuilt that part of the sump to be shorter. I intend to go for a rear sump eventually when i can either find a factory rear bowl or when i can be bothered fabricating something up.

Cheers,

Phil

[Major Eyeswater]

cracking info Phil,

cooling hasn't been too much of an issue so far, iv'e been running it with heavily leaking rad for about 3 months on the pretext if i didn't like it or it wasn't hardy enough engine it would have failed prior to me spending money to over haul it. I have a 300tdi Rad and intercooler on its way to complement the turbo already fitted, so with a nice shiny new rad and cooling system sealed and sorted it shouldn't be a worry for me, plus the elec fans with master shut off etc is much more appealing both for wading and for the space allowed for me to re rig the air intake etc.

Oh and sump, no idea aside to say it looks T shaped, quite flat lower and more defined to the read and so far as i could see no where the Diff at any point, i'll try and get a pic.

[windsock]

I have a 300tdi Rad and intercooler on its way to complement the turbo already fitted,

well, you played that one close to your chest, well done.

On second look at your photos I do now see the large pipes exiting the left of your block, didn't add 1 + 1 on that one...

Certainly more info required on this point.

I have a few ideas on how to insert a bit of puff onto my one so I'd certainly be keen to see your set up. Manifold, turbo type and down-pipe configuration pics please?

I am particularly interested in how the exhaust goes past the clutch slave cylinder without getting it too hot. I have my eye on a couple of online auctions here, one with just a 280z manifold, and the other complete with old turbo from manifold to down-pipe. I figure with the latter I'd have to rebuild a downpipe into a back to front "S" pattern to get enough room to bypass the clutch configuration. If I get just a turbo I'd custom buld a manifold out of steam pipe and use the factory downpipe.

Your truck would certainly get along nicely with the added psi Rob, nice one.

Cheers,

Phil

[JasperG]

very cool 90 you have there. Phil has been a major help to me in getting my LD28 buttoned up to a Discovery frame with a series body (the old hybrid coiler you know). BTW Phil the series 9.5 inch clutch was the ticket. I was very lucky that the prior owner bought an adapter kit for the rover trans along with motor mount kit. I did end up moving the engine back to fit the series breakfast so I reused the old mounts and welded them onto some 1/4 steel. Keep us posted. I will try and post some photos of mine soon as well. Cheers Gordo

[Major Eyeswater]

Cheers,
well this weekend is actions stations, got monday and tuesday off to recover but engine went back in the other day and its final fit for new rad plumbing etc etc and she should be back on the road by next week.