Fix slow land Rover 200TDi / 300TDi
Not my rant but summed up very well by Mr Lovejoy over on LR4x4.com:
My Engine is 30 years old, as is the vehicle. It's 2.3tonnes at the roadside, including all the kit you have hung on and in yours, apart from the bash plate. Added to which I carry extra recovery stuff.
My engine isn't tuned, bar a tweak on the pin and 300/200 hybrid injectors. I run 235/85×16 tyres. The engine has about 150k on it - although it was sent off to the factory in it's life to be rebuilt, as it's a Gold Seal lump, with Unipart Stamp
It's not rocket, but it eats hills for breakfast and I could pull a sixth gear on the motorway. Putting a 1.44:1 box in it would reduce the cruising speed and drivability of the vehicle
I would suggest a damn good service. Check the injectors, check the fuel pump fuel pin chamber isn't full of oil (yes this happens). The injectors are an 80K mile service item.
Are you running synthetic oil? If you are change it and run mineral oil - but good stuff
Have you adjusted the turbo? It comes on song at 1800rpm with peak torque at 2,200 rpm if standard. Below 1800 rpm you are just a Direct Injection Diesel, no T.
Or to put it another way - before you rush out and wind up the fuel, wind up the boost, fit a bigger intercooler, uprated boost pin, etc. etc. maybe give the damn thing an actual service for the first time in 30 years. Yes it's not glamorous to spend a chunk of time & money sorting out tappet adjustment, injectors, and getting the injector pump actually serviced / refurbed… but it might just restore all the power that it has lost since it left the factory some time in the 90's.
I think the bit about running mineral oil is superstition but otherwise he's damn right.
