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67_6Cyl



Member Since: 10 Feb 2010
Location: France
Posts: 97

France 
Bringing a TD5 back to life
Hi all,

My parents in law have a TD5 that hasn't moved or been started in something like 5 years. It's my job to go and get it started and MOT'd.

The car is something like 7 hours drive from home, and they don't have a good local dealer or independent (ie less than about 50 miles).

I plan on taking tools etc with me, and getting a bunch of supplies from my local LR place before heading off to work on it.

What would you expect that I will need to do to get it going again?

- filters and oil change in the engine,
- clutch and brake bleed to chase old fluid through
- fuel filter (clean out tank and replace fuel?)
- generally check all levels, charge battery etc,
- go through the standard service list as well, geasing propshafts etc....

what else? Anything specific to the TD5 to look out for?

Thanks

Jon
Post #909931 29th Jun 2021 10:48am
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Hufflepuff



Member Since: 25 Oct 2014
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 727

England 2005 Defender 90 Td5 XS CSW Tonga Green
I'd be a bit nervous about the fuel pump after that period of time not running, but its not an easy job to change. You will possibly need a new battery too if its gone completely flat? 2005 Td5 90 XS
1989 V8 110 CSW
Post #909936 29th Jun 2021 11:03am
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67_6Cyl



Member Since: 10 Feb 2010
Location: France
Posts: 97

France 
is it a submerged pump at the bottom of the tank?
Post #909937 29th Jun 2021 11:06am
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blackwolf



Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17448

United Kingdom 2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey
Yes, it is, and particularly on a 90 not easy to access.

To be honest it wouldn't surprise me if after five years you fit a new battery the vehicle starts straight up.

I would (obviously) check fluid levels before attempting to start it, and one of my concerns would be what has happened to the fuel in the tank. Given that there will be moisture in the fuel is it possible that the tank will be full of the "diesel bug", which could be a problem. You might want to try siphoning some fuel out to see what it looks like (look for cloudiness and sludge), if it looks grotty you will have to drop the tank to clean it very thoroughly before refilling.

It's hard to give specific advice since there will be many decisions which have to be made according to what you find when you get started.
Post #909946 29th Jun 2021 12:11pm
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AJC



Member Since: 30 Nov 2015
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 1364

United Kingdom 
i personally would take a fresh battery and try start it. i wouldn't bother doing nay of them job until id started it and maybe done some road miles in it.

once its running i would then do jobs

if you mess with fuel tank and it then won't start you'll be questioning is it something you have done or was an issue prior to starting.
Post #909947 29th Jun 2021 12:11pm
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67_6Cyl



Member Since: 10 Feb 2010
Location: France
Posts: 97

France 
AJC wrote:
i personally would take a fresh battery and try start it. i wouldn't bother doing nay of them job until id started it and maybe done some road miles in it.

once its running i would then do jobs

if you mess with fuel tank and it then won't start you'll be questioning is it something you have done or was an issue prior to starting.


That is one way of looking at it, and there is a lot of truth to the idea that that I don't know if it was a pre-existing problem - normally there were no problems when it was parked up - it was just parked up because of the father-in-law's ill health erather than anything wrong with it.

I might try and siphon off a bit of diesel from the tank to see if it has diesel bug first though.
Post #909968 29th Jun 2021 1:15pm
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67_6Cyl



Member Since: 10 Feb 2010
Location: France
Posts: 97

France 
blackwolf wrote:
Yes, it is, and particularly on a 90 not easy to access.

~Snip~

It's hard to give specific advice since there will be many decisions which have to be made according to what you find when you get started.


It's a 130 - so hopefully easier to access.

I'm trying to optimise what I buy before and take with me. I can always order online, but that will then mean staying there longer just because of delays getting parts.
Post #909969 29th Jun 2021 1:19pm
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67_6Cyl



Member Since: 10 Feb 2010
Location: France
Posts: 97

France 
AJC wrote:
i personally would take a fresh battery and try start it.


what's the lowdown on the immobiliser/alarm if the battery is dead?

I guess that I can't just rip the dead battery out, put a new one in and expect everything to work. These things just don't work like that, do they.
Post #909971 29th Jun 2021 1:22pm
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Dinnu



Member Since: 24 Dec 2019
Location: Lija
Posts: 3424

Malta 2012 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 CSW Santorini Black
As Blackwolf mentioned I would check for the diesel bug. Less likely to occur if it was stored indoors with less temperature fluctuations. If the diesel is contaminated and you try to start up, it will be more work trying to clean everything out.
Check out boating forums for the diesel bug, and what it can do. 1988 90 Hard Top, 19J Diesel Turbo, Shire Blue - Restoration ongoing
2012 90 CSW, 2.2TDCI, Santorini Black
Post #909975 29th Jun 2021 1:37pm
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blackwolf



Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17448

United Kingdom 2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey
67_6Cyl wrote:
... I guess that I can't just rip the dead battery out, put a new one in and expect everything to work. These things just don't work like that, do they.


They do sometimes!

If it was me, I'd siphon out some fuel to check it looks vaguely fuel like, check that there is coolant and lubricant in the engine, fit a new battery, and try to start it. It'll either start or you'll find one or more of an almost limitless list of problems.

Theoretically you should have no trouble from the alarm/immobiliser. If it has a BBUS it will by now have gone flat (it should have gone off as the vehicle battery died and finally given up when its internal battery died). You may get the alarm sounding when you connect a battery, but if so try pressing the unlock button on a plip (assuming central locking) which should stop it (it's probably worth making sure that at least one plip has a new battery in it).

There are many things which could go wrong but may not. All you can do is try it and see what happens. Let us know, and if need be when you know what happens come back and ask.
Post #909976 29th Jun 2021 1:42pm
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cee-b



Member Since: 25 Jan 2018
Location: South West
Posts: 117

United Kingdom 
Rather than guesswork and risking pulling gunk through your fuel system, Marine 16 do a diesel bug test kit

https://www.marine16.co.uk/fuel-treatments/dbtk

If it is contaminated, they also have a treatment additive. It is best used for prevention, but will also go some way towards dealing with existing contamination.
Post #910061 29th Jun 2021 8:44pm
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blackwolf



Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17448

United Kingdom 2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey
Whilst treatment kits will kill the bug, they won't get rid of dead bugs. The only way to do this if you have a bad infestation is to get a "fuel polisher" in to filter the fuel on an industrial scale, which is what I ended up doing some years ago. It's not particularly expensive and it's staggering how much crud it gets out of your fuel.
Post #910064 29th Jun 2021 9:37pm
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