Land Rovers

Series I, Series II, Series III, Ninety & One Ten Defender, Lightweight, Land Rover Discovery, Freelander, Forward Control

 

Land Rover 300Tdi engine (Engine Codes 16L and 23L)


Although the Land Rover 200Tdi engine had been an undoubted technological and sales success, it had certain limitations and flaws that needed to be rectified. Despite the numerous differences, it was still in essence a direct-injection version of the older Diesel Turbo engine. It was also considered rather raucous and unrefined, especially for use in the Discovery and Range Rover models. A special version of the engine had to be produced to fit the Defender, and problems with premature bore wear in early models, and a weak head gasket had been identified. The British Army (and some other military buyers) had not opted for the 200Tdi because it could not be fitted with a 24-volt generator for powering radio equipment- instead the Army continued to buy vehicles with 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated diesels. Upcoming European diesel emissions regulations (Euro I) meant that Land Rover would be forced to radically alter the engine anyway. The resulting development project (coded Romulus) produced the 300Tdi engine. Although externally very similar to the Discovery/Range Rover version of its predecessor, 208 changes were made. These included modifications to the block, cylinder head, fuel injector system and ancillary systems. The crankshaft, pistons and connecting rods were significantly altered over the Land Rover 200Tdi. The most obvious external changes were the fitting of a rubber acoustic cover over the engine to reduce noise and the change to a single serpentine belt to drive the ancillaries instead of the multiple V-belts of the older engines. Emissions regulation included the fitting of an Exhaust Gas Recirculation system. Power and torque outputs remained the same, and the engine had been specifically designed to be compatible with all the models in the Land Rover range without any changes. This meant that the Defender engines were fitted in the same tune as the Discovery/Range Rover engines. The Land Rover 300Tdi was noticeably smoother and quieter than the 200Tdi, but was generally found to not be quite as economical in real-world use. It turned out that the Euro I emissions regulations were not as severe as Land Rover anticipated, and so the 300Tdi was able to remain in production until the introduction of the Euro III rules. When fitted to vehicles with an automatic transmission, power was increased to 122 horsepower to make up for the power losses in the transmission. These engines (designated 23L) had Bosch Electronic Diesel Control systems, where the mechanical injector system was controlled by a ‘fly-by-wire’ electronic throttle to reduce emissions. The 300Tdi was replaced in 1998 by the 5-cylinder Td5, bringing to an end the line of Land Rover 4-cylinder engines that can be traced back to 1957. The Td5 engine was loosely based on the Rover Group’s L-series diesel engine. The 300Tdi remained in production in Brazil, and was offered as an option on ‘Rest of World’ (non-UK/Europe) models. Following Ford’s acquisition of Land Rover in 2000, the engine was used in Brazilian-built Ford pick-up trucks as well. Increasing emissions laws worldwide and falling sales led to production of the 300Tdi ending in 2006. A much-modified 2.8-litre version is still built by International Engines in Brazil, and is available as an after-market fitment to Land Rovers through specialist converters.

Layout: 4-cylinder, in-line
Block/Head: Cast Iron/Aluminium Alloy
Valves: OHV, belt-driven camshaft, push-rod operated
Capacity: 2,495cc (152.2 cu.)
Bore x Stroke: 90.47 mm x 97 mm (3.56 inches x 3.81 inches)
Compression Ratio: 19:1
Fuel Injection: Bosch VE rotary pump + Bosch two-stage injectors (with Bosch EDC system on versions with automatic transmission)
Induction: Allied Signal T25 turbocharger
Power: 111 BHP (82.7 kW) @ 4,250 RPM (versions with manual transmission)
122 BHP (90.9 kW) @ 4,250 RPM (versions with automatic transmission)
Torque: 195 lb-ft (264.0 Nm)@ 1,800 RPM (versions with manual transmission)
210 lb-ft (284.4 Nm)@ 1,800 RPM (versions with automatic transmission)
Production: 1994-2006
Used In: Land Rover Defender, Discovery + Range Rover, also various Brazil-assembled Ford pickup trucks.
 

Land Rover TimeLine

* 1948: Land Rover is designed by the Wilks Brothers and is manufactured by the Rover Car Company
* 1958: Series II launched
* 1961: Series IIA began production
* 1967: Rover becomes part of Leyland Motors Ltd, later British Leyland (BL) as Rover Triumph.
* 1970: Introduction of the Range Rover
* 1971: Series III launched.
* 1975: BL collapses and is nationalised, publication of the Ryder Report recommends that Land Rover be split from Rover and be treated as a separate company within BL and becomes part of the new commercial vehicle division called the Land Rover Leyland Group
* 1976: One millionth Land Rover leaves the production line.
* 1978: Land Rover Limited formed as a separate subsidiary of British Leyland[14]
* 1980: Rover car production ends at Solihull with the transfer of SD1 production to Cowley, Oxford; Solihull is now exclusively for Land Rover manufacture. 5-door Range Rover introduced.
* 1983: Land Rover 90 (Ninety)/110 (One-Ten)/127 (renamed Defender in 1990) introduced.
* 1986: BL plc becomes Rover Group plc; Project Llama started.
* 1988: Rover Group is privatised and becomes part of British Aerospace, and is now known simply as Rover.
* 1987: Range Rover is introduced to the U.S market March 16.
* 1989: Introduction of the Discovery
* 1994: Rover Group is taken over by BMW. Introduction of second-generation Range Rover. (The original Range Rover was continued under the name 'Range Rover Classic' until 1995)
* 1997: Land Rover introduces the Special Edition Discovery XD with AA Yellow paint, subdued wheels, SD type roof racks, and a few other off-road upgrades directly from the factory. Produced only for the North American market, the Special Vehicles Division of Land Rover created only 250 of these bright yellow SUV's. Official formation of the Camel Trophy Owners Club by co-founders Neill Browne, Pantelis Giamarellos and Peter Sweetser.
* 1997: Introduction of the Freelander
* 1998: Introduction of the second generation of Discovery
* 2000: BMW breaks up the Rover Group and sells Land Rover to Ford for £1.8 billion
* 2002: Introduction of third-generation Range Rover
* 2005: Land Rover 'founder' Rover, collapses under the ownership of MG Rover Group.
* 2004: Introduction of the third-generation Discovery/LR3
* 2005: Introduction of Range Rover Sport
* 2005: Adoption of the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine to replace the BMW M62 V8 in the Range Rover
* 2006: Announcement of a new 2.4 litre diesel engine, 6-speed gearbox, dash and forward facing rear seats for Defender. Introduction of second generation of Freelander (Freelander 2). Ford acquires the Rover trademark from BMW, who previously licensed its use to MG Rover Group.
* 8 May 2007: 4,000,000th Land Rover rolls off the production line, a Discovery 3 (LR3), donated to The Born Free Foundation.
* 12 June 2007: Announcement from the Ford Motor Company that it plans to sell Land Rover and also Jaguar Cars.
* August 2007: India's Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra as well as financial sponsors Cerberus Capital Management, TPG Capital and Apollo Management expressed their interest in purchasing Jaguar Cars and Land Rover from the Ford Motor Company.
* 26 March 2008: Ford agreed to sell their Jaguar Land Rover operations to Tata Motors.
* 2 June 2008:Tata Motors finalised their purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.

Land Rover Clubs (UK)

Lea Valley Land Rover Owners Club
Chris Mace, 24 Arnold Villas, Tiptree, Colchester, Essex, CO5 0EB
Tel: 01621 817524
 www.lvlroc.8m.com