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- Thread starter theMYTE
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Welcome to the crew of 73s.
Curious to see some more pics and get some details.
Cheers Ralf
Curious to see some more pics and get some details.
Cheers Ralf
- Thread starter
- #5
It's got the VM 2.5 TD. From what I've read it's a marmite engine.. For now I'm happy with it, about the right power. I'm looking at a small turbo upgrade but nothing detrimental to its reliability.
Welcome.
What mileage on it? How did you get it?
The VM diesel have a bad reputation.
In my opinion this is only partially legitimate.
I think, the VM is not optimal for the Landcruiser application and, as far as the engine itself is concerned, it is not up to Toyota standards, i.p. not compared to the other engines used in BJ7x applications of the period; leaving alone the desired engines people dream of..
But: Those standards are high.
That doesn't make the VM a generally bad engine. Point to me is: As it is not that high standard, more maintenance, compared to a Toyota engine, is required, and one must still not expect this engine to deliver same high milages like a Toyota engine would give.
If you keep the engine well maintained (and that includes dealing with the separate heads & gaskets), it can still work good enough. But, this requires investments most POs did not spent, imho that's why most VMs appear to be tired.
On the bottom line: if you want to keep the engine, rather invest in maintenance than a turbo. Putting a (stronger) turbo on an old engine, w/o respective healthcare applied, is imho never a good idea.
My 5 ct.
Cheers Ralf
FJBen
SILVER Star
I will echo @Felde and maybe go a little less cheery. Those engines are pretty bad. I wouldn’t spend any money on it other than maintenance to keep it going.
They have a bad habit of blowing head gaskets (individual heads) and just have a terrible reputation of being really unreliable.
I would definitely put any money towards an engine swap and limp this one along.
They have a bad habit of blowing head gaskets (individual heads) and just have a terrible reputation of being really unreliable.
I would definitely put any money towards an engine swap and limp this one along.
Should have put the IF in capital letters. Any investment anyways depends on the condition of the engine. And usually, the VMs of today are tired, so yes, probably rather limping along.
Good Luck Ralf
- Thread starter
- #12
It was sold as being rebuilt 2 years ago, it's an established firm that rebuilt it and from the pictures I've seen and the condition of the engine I would believe it to be true. Ironically, as you mention, the person I bought it off I don't believe looked after it - I'm working my way through the bodge fixes and general maintenance of the vehicle now. My biggest unknown now is when to torque the head.
Note from the Range Rover VM manual: "Tighten, in the sequence shown below, the centre six cylinder head bolts a further 10° at the first 40.000Km (24,000 miles) only and similarly at the first 40.000Km (24.000 miles) after the cylinder heads have been removed and refitted."
I will just have to take a best guess and do it in maybe 20-25k km..
Thanks for the forum link, I have built up a decent resource of manuals and websites now. I'll post them all up when I get round to starting a build thread.
Couple of points about the VM and my plans. I do like the fact theres lots of vehicles in Europe with the 2.5 VM engine, so parts are easy to come by and doing an engine swap in Portugal isn't as easy as other countries. They're strict when it come to vehicle mods - you even have to get the bigger tyres registered! It'll be more a case of upgrading when replacing broken parts or I find a good deal.. there's some bits in need of work currently.
Ah, you are in Portugal still; didn't even recognize that.
Well, we share the issue of EU regulations when it comes to engine swaps.
What you can do is swap in another engine that was available from factory in that model & yearly (3B, 13BT, 2L-T ..) At least here in Germany that's possibly. Certainly not a Cummins, unfortunately.
But in Portugal you should be able to find a shop that knows those VM engines.
I guess, as long as you are not setting off for a desert trip or world tour: Just use it, monitor it and give it some TLC as needed.
(and probably check the coverage of your automobile club or insurance for getting home if it lets you down).
Good Luck Ralf
Well, we share the issue of EU regulations when it comes to engine swaps.
What you can do is swap in another engine that was available from factory in that model & yearly (3B, 13BT, 2L-T ..) At least here in Germany that's possibly. Certainly not a Cummins, unfortunately.
But in Portugal you should be able to find a shop that knows those VM engines.
I guess, as long as you are not setting off for a desert trip or world tour: Just use it, monitor it and give it some TLC as needed.
(and probably check the coverage of your automobile club or insurance for getting home if it lets you down).
Good Luck Ralf
Hello,
Engine swaps can be complicated, to say the least, in many countries. It is not only a matter of obtaining an engineering certification but also a legal permit that may require a formal notification to the local DMV regarding the new engine.
If there is a reliable source of parts for the engine, it is wise to keep it running as long as possible.
Last but not least, it is a good idea to tighten the head bolts in 20k km.
Juan
