Replacing glow plugs
December 27, 2024 Reading time: ~1 minute

I wanted to compression test the engine to make sure that the valve seals, head and injectors were seated correctly. The BMW service manual states to do this by removing the glow plugs - which seemed like a much better idea than having to remove the injectors. I soaked the glow plugs in PlusGas for a day or so and then removed the glow plugs. One snapped and had to be drilled and pulled out, but this was eventually completed successfully.

Cleaning and more cleaning
December 27, 2024 Reading time: ~1 minute

At the same time as proving the ECU was responsive, I started stripping and cleaning the block:

I had hoped not to have to remove the timing chain cover, but the coolant pump gasket needed changing and removing this cover would make replacing the front end crank seal much easier, so I purchased a cam locking tool and set about removing the case.

Checking the ECU and removing the immobiliser
December 27, 2024 Reading time: ~1 minute

Now that the block is in the workshop, I was able to remove the engine loom, build a small ODBII harness and check that a laptop could read the ECU. After that, I purchased a DDE5 software package from BimmerTuningTools and was able to temporarily remove the ECU immobiliser.

Moving stripping and cleaning
December 27, 2024 Reading time: ~1 minute

The next task was to build a small trolley, strip off as many of the heavy ancillaries as possible and move the lump to the workshop ready for cleaning.

Ebay
December 9, 2024 Reading time: 2 minutes

So, having decided that the M57 is the way ahead, I started to look for engines or vehicles. Ideally, I wanted a complete manual engine as I think that would be the easiest path for the conversion. Most M57's on eBay are either sold as bare, or are automatic, or both. However, after a few weeks of looking, what seemed to be the perfect manual was available for sale and I took the plunge.

The engine was an M57TU (iron block) from a 2004 X5 (E53) with circa 100,000 miles and was sold complete with everything including wiring harness and ECU. Within a few days, it had arrived:

I started stripping all the ancillaries, mainly to reduce the weight such that it was more managable, and started to determine what I could clean and reuse and what would need to be replaced.

My first objective was to get to a point whereby I could get the compression tester on the engine to prove that the rings, valves and head gasket were all good. Ideally, I didn't want to split the block, nor replace the timing chains - I was prepared to do either or both if needed, but at this stage had no desire to make the project harder than it needed to be.

I also wanted to take some time to understand the wiring loom and ECU and work out how to integrate that into the Defender.

Choice of engine
September 20, 2024 Reading time: 7 minutes

Why the BMW M57

First question, why the BMW M57?

Throughout my research, it appeared that whilst almost any engine suited to rear wheel drive vehicles could be made to work, there were two options which were well understood with very well documented conversion processes:

  • LS3 V8 crate engine.
  • BMW M57.

And one more which seems to be viable, but less well documented.

  • Ford EcoBoost 3.2.

In addition, the option exists to rebuild and remap the existing Ford Puma 2.4 engine.

Objectives

It is also worth clearly stating my objectives as this greatly aids engine selection:

  1. More refinement. The Puma engine is noisy and whilst it maybe well suited to a Transit, the Defender deserves better.
  2. Improved performance. To be able to cruise comfortably on the motorway at 70MPH.
  3. Improved reliability. The current Puma needs overhauling to maintain reliability.
  4. Reasonable fuel efficiency. I am not sure what is achievable at the moment, but I am looking for the best fuel efficiency for long journeys on fast roads.
  5. Engine to chassis integration using off the shelf parts (if possible).
  6. Reasonable cost of conversion.
  7. Subtle conversion, maintaining as many original LandRover features as possible.
  8. Availability of parts.

Engine Choices

Rating these requirements against each engine - based purely on my opinion and research completed thus far gives:

  • 10 - Excellent
  • 8 - Very Good
  • 6 - Reasonable
  • 4 - OK
  • 2 -Poor
M57 LS3 EcoBoost Puma 2.4
Refinement Excellent Very Good Reasonable

Poor
Performance Excellent Excellent Reasonable

Poor
Reliability Excellent Excellent Excellent

Reasonable
Fuel Efficiency Very Good Poor Reasonable

Reasonable
Integration Very Good Reasonable OK

N/A
Conversion cost Reasonable OK OK

N/A
Subtlety Excellent OK Excellent

N/A
Parts availability Excellent Very Good Very Good

Excellent
72/80 50/80 54/80 24/80

      So, the M57 wins.

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