300 Tdi Turbocharger replacement
 

Hi All

I am currently in Bamako, MALI - my Turbo of my Defender 300 Tdi 1996 is shot - and I am looking for a replacement.

Cannot find anything here, and best price excluding shipping for a new one from South Africa is over 1000 US dollars!

Any ideas for a cheap African fix to my problem?

For example: Bypassing the turbo and intercooler with a new hose directly from air intake manifold?

I am heading to Ghana from here...

From the depths of my rusty memory, so this will need corroborating, the boost pressure for controlling the the extra fuel when the turbo is spooled up, is a diaphragm on the injector pump.
So if there is no boost, it wont stick the extra fuel in. block the pipe off.
So, running with a filter direct into the air intake manifold, should work, albeit loosing 1/3rd of the performance.

Thanks, now to find/make a hose that will accomplish that...

How to effectively block off the oil hose which feeds/lubricates the turbo?

i don't know where the oil goes after the turbo, wether it feeds anything important. check this before blocking it.
best of luck, sorry i can't be more precise...

Can you not get a 2nd hand one shipped from the UK?

G

Sorry to hear about your turbo, I too have a 1996 300Tdi and I think the biggest problem would be with the exhaust. The intake could be bodged easily enough but if the turbo isn't turning properly then the exhaust will be restricted and as the turbo is integral to the exhaust header this is going to be the more difficult bodge. Best to get it replaced if means allow. $1000 sounds a lot but they are the best part of £500 in England, as suggested maybe a recon one could be sourced. Let us know how you get on, this is one of the scenarios I thought about on our RTW trip but 6 years later its still leaking a bit of oil into the intercooler and working fine.

Mal

I had another thought about this after the last post, if the turbo isn't turning, leave it in place and extend the wastegate actuation rod by as much as it will move (a bit of an extension may need to be made) and just connect the air intake from the intercooler dirrectly to the air hose from the filter. This should allow enough exhaust gas to pass to allow the Landy to run especially that you'll now be restricted to N/A (normally aspirated) status. this should be totaly reversable and easy to do your self. People do put 200Tdi's in series landys without turbo's and they seem to work well.

Mal

Thanks for your messages.

It turns out it wasn't the Turbo afterall = head gasket was blowing between 2 and 3.

Replaced the gasket = but unfortunately here in Bamako; MALI, they sell "photocopied" Elring gaskets made in Nigeria = so it only lasted 30km and I need a new (original) one - which only costs 15 bucks; but DHL want 150 euro to send it!!!

If the headgasket has blown just fitting another can be a waste of time /money as the head may well have warped , so you need to get head checked for flat , sorry to add to your woes ,