Sourcing a tdi?

[boz180]

I saw at founders day most people had converted NA trucks over to a tdi. Who in the lower mainland is bringing in reliable engines? What does a decent 300tdi/r380/1.4 lt230 go for?

[Bill E.]

Well you're going to fire up a big debate with that question :lol:
TDI/R380/LT230, assuming good used condition, you're looking at 6 to 8 grand for an engine, 1 to 4 grand for a transmission and 300 to 1500 for a T-case. You're luck may vary depending on where you source everything. Installation, shipping, extras and ancillaries will all add to the bill. There will be plenty of naysayers that will tell you otherwise but trust me I've been there a couple of times so don't say I didn't warn you.

[Rob]

Ditto to what Bill said, he knows of what he speaks and there's lots of chatter out there about engine conversions for rovers. The NA diesel is a reliable lump (lump being the operative word) and in the right circumstances it can be quite enjoyable to drive. I had a series 2 with a NA 2.25 diesel and it was a joy to drive around town, did well off road but was slow :shock: (45-50 MPH) and brain-rattling loud on the highway. I now have a 110 with a 2.8 International TDI, r380 LT230 combo and I think it is very nice. The combination is good off road, it has all kinds of power to cruise at highway speeds, its not too loud (with adequate body sound insulation). It was an expensive install (the kits were about $10,000 for the motor and adapters) and the fellow who did the work was a skilled guy who had done a couple of 300TDI installs previously (and learned the hard way that a used 300TDI sourced from a vendor might not be as good as they claim). For that money there are other alternatives, both diesel and gas. I personally think that a vortec 4.3 V6 is a nice alternative, parts are easy to get, the engines have a good reputation and you can probably get crate motors for the same price (or less) than a used TDI. Almost anything is possible for repowering a defender, the problem with the TDIs is local supply (limited) and demand (pretty high) can lead to higher prices and sometimes heartbreak with some less than scrupulous sellers. They are not all bad and a TDI breathes new life into what can be a sluggish lump of a truck with an NA motor... it all depends on what you want to do with it and how much time and money you are willing to invest. More TDI trucks are becoming available for sale locally from overseas so buying a running, driveable TDI powered rover can be a viable alternative to repowering your existing truck.

Regards, Rob

[punkinracer]

I think it was about $10k for all the bits to convert my truck, that was doing all the work myself as well. I went from a V8 to the TDI so the power decrease was huge, all in all I think it was worth the effort in my case.

Pat