Insight on the 2.5 NA diesel in a 110

[TCapelle]

Hello- I am a series 109 guy but have my eye on a defender 110.

It has the 2.5 na diesel low mileage. I read alot that the TDI is the only way to go but I want to try and run veg oil in the 2.5 n/a

I know the 2.5 na is slow/ a dog...
How bad/doggy are they - Any from experience?

can you do 60-70 mph on the road? and when you hit a hill it slows to 55 mph....or 45mph??? type of thing....

Any other words of wisdom on the 2.5 na knowing I want to experiement with the veg oil aspects....?

[RoverDover]

I have a 2.5NA in my 90 with a 1.4 gearbox. It is frequently heavily laden and used offroad. It tows wonderfully and never seems to lack torque to get going off the line. It gets 20-25mpg and rolls 55 without a problem...Until the road turns uphill. I often have 2 18 foot kayaks on the roof rack and 800 pounds of gear and people on board. I have run 265-75-r16s on stock 3.55 gears and it ran beautifully. Then 9.00r16s on 4.7 gears, it had gobs of torque but was way under geared, the engine was screaming at 40. I now run 235-85-r16s on 3.55 gears with a rear salisbury and I like this setup a lot. I removed my power steering conversion and it seem to have more power since. The big thing to remember is that a 110 will have a 1.6 ratio gear box so it will probably be slower than what I have described. June through August I pour Veg Oil straight in the tank with no conversion kit of any kind. Just a bit of diesel and conditioner in the mix. Just make sure you get all the Veg out of the system by September and there is no lard in the oil you plan to use. It jams everything terribly.

[GeoffWillis]

I also have a 2.5 n/a diesel and for a while contempleated a 200 TDI swap. Forgetting the cost (About $5000), I just like the simplicity of the n/a diesel. Yes it's slow, but with a RoverDrive unit I can cruise at 60-65 mph downhill or on flat ground with no head wind. But it's just so darn simple that I can't imagine doing the swap. Everybody raves about the power after doing the 200/300 swap, but mine is for off roading and that little lump just pulls and pulls. My mileage is about 18-20 mpg, but I've just rebuilt the injection pump and injectors so that may go up in the future. If interested in the swap, check out:
http://www.landroverimport.com/products.html
RoverDover, you mention that you just pulled off the power steering pump off, any interest in selling the parts? I have real trouble now driving my Rover as I've had multiple rotator cuff surgeries (Too much white water kayaking) and have been contemplating putting power steering on mine. If interested, I'll post some pic's of my Cedar strip Guilmont kayak, a work of art my father built. No more white water in my future, but this thing is awesome on lakes, and calm water.
Geoff

[TCapelle]

I also have a 2.5 n/a diesel and for a while contempleated a 200 TDI swap. Forgetting the cost (About $5000), I just like the simplicity of the n/a diesel. Yes it's slow, but with a RoverDrive unit I can cruise at 60-65 mph downhill or on flat ground with no head wind. But it's just so darn simple that I can't imagine doing the swap. Everybody raves about the power after doing the 200/300 swap, but mine is for off roading and that little lump just pulls and pulls. My mileage is about 18-20 mpg, but I've just rebuilt the injection pump and injectors so that may go up in the future. If interested in the swap, check out:
http://www.landroverimport.com/products.html
RoverDover, you mention that you just pulled off the power steering pump off, any interest in selling the parts? I have real trouble now driving my Rover as I've had multiple rotator cuff surgeries (Too much white water kayaking) and have been contemplating putting power steering on mine. If interested, I'll post some pic's of my Cedar strip Guilmont kayak, a work of art my father built. No more white water in my future, but this thing is awesome on lakes, and calm water.
Geoff

Thanks guys for the input. I am hoping to use the 109 as my daily driver to and fro from work about 30 miles a day. I am torn- I to love the sense that it is simple and basic and the veg oil although I am sure is a pain in the ass is a way to beat the gas prices...I am one of those dudes that likes to get off the grid ad this may be one way to do that....still thinking about it....Thx!

[RoverDover]

get yourself a maple syrup centrefuge to run your oil through. it separates the water in minutes instead of weeks.