Did I completely waste my time rebuilding this 30 year old engine?

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]So, welcome back to another video, guys.

[00:00:02]Today, we're determined to get this 200 TDI started cuz in the last video, we had an absolute nightmare. And I know many of you are dying to see this puppy fire up. So, despite our best efforts, we could not get this thing running, and we tried absolutely everything. We narrowed it down, we checked compression, and we had really good compression on all four cylinders, around about 420 to 430 PSI, which is roughly about 30 bar. So, compression was good. We primed the lift the pump as much as we could and cracked the injectors, and we seemed to be getting fuel out of each of the injectors, but it still would not fire up. We came around this side and we checked the glow plug. So, there was an issue with the glow plug relay. So, we have bought a new one, but this engine did used to fire up without glow plugs because the glow plug wire was not connected originally, and it still ran [music] flawlessly. So, I don't think it's a glow plug, but we will put a new one in to test it. I did have a bit of an issue with the fuel filter. Later on, I realized that this little screw here, which is the bleed screw for the fuel filter, wouldn't nip down really tight.

[00:01:02]So, if I just turn it here, you can see it just keeps turning. It doesn't nip down tight. So, potentially, there is an issue with this and it's pulling in air, which is why we're not getting the right pressure for the system, possibly. So, we have got a new fuel filter that we're going to fit today. The lift the pump as well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. That was a brand new one, but for 20 quid, we've got a new one, so we're going to chuck that on as well and pretty much narrow down all the possibilities. So, a new fuel filter, a new lift the pump, and a new coil.

[00:01:29]Sorry, relay for the glow plugs. And if that doesn't work, I'm not really sure what the hell is going on. We might have to send our fuel pump away to get refurbished properly because when I changed that little O-ring before, maybe I've screwed something up inside. Maybe I'm just not getting the timing right.

[00:01:46]It's all a possibility. We probably do want to get these injectors tested as well while we're on. So, as a last resort, if we can't get it running today, we might have to bite the bullet and spend a few hundred pound and get that fuel pump refurbished, which is not the end of the world. It's a bit of a blow to the bank account It's a bit of a blow to the bank account. It means we might have to wait or be delayed on buying some more shiny parts to fit on this, those aesthetic parts. But, it is one more thing that will future-proof that engine and make it just that little bit nicer. So, I've got over here on the bench the parts that we're going to fit. So, down here, we have a new fuel filter housing. I know I said fuel filter before, but I meant fuel filter housing. So, that has a new bleed screw there with a washer on. So, hopefully, that'll nip down tight and stop any potential air leaks through there. In here, we've got a new fuel lifter pump. So, this was only 20 quid, so I thought it was worth trying for 20 quid. So, we'll chuck that on and hopefully, that will solve any issues that we potentially might have. And then down here, we've got a new glow plug relay, which was 50 quid. 50 quid for this. But, the other one was burnt, it was knackered. That one is down here. It was brand new as well, but for whatever reason, that's not working, and it does smell a little bit burnt inside. So, we'll put that new relay on as well, and hopefully, all three of those things will solve the issue. So, let's get straight into it and get this fuel filter off, disconnect the lines, the banjos, and the various different things, and then see if we can fit the new one. And I'm really looking forward to getting covered in diesel as well cuz I've been stinking of diesel for pretty much the last week. I could not get it out of my hands. It was in my watch strap, everywhere. Every 2 seconds I looked and smelled was diesel. So, let's see if we can stop that happening this time, get the circuit Sorry, get this system all airtight and pressurized and not have diesel leaking out in different places and stink it up me and my garage cuz it's ruining my love life.

[00:03:36]Yeah, buddy.

[00:03:37]So, interestingly, this fuel filter is only half full, and it was supposedly primed before. So, whether that is normal when you turn the engine off or whether the fuel is leaking back and it's not fully primed, which could be the reason. But, there we go anyway, guys. You can see the fuel filter half filled. So, let me know if that should be full and pressurized all the time even with the engine off or if you would expect a bit of fuel to be leaking out and dropping back. So, anyway, let's get the new one on. So, next up, I'm just going to disconnect the fuel feed line to the injector pump from the filter housing.

[00:04:11]Just loosen that banjo bolt.

[00:04:14]And we're going to get fuel all over here, probably. Here we go.

[00:04:18]I'll just pop that on there for now, and then we'll take off the lift pump feed line.

[00:04:32]Now, I did check and double-check that I hadn't been a complete idiot and had these lines on the wrong way around, but no, I am correct. They are right.

[00:04:39]So, that isn't the issue. Put you there.

[00:04:42]And now, we just have these two bolts here that we riveted to the bulkhead to fix the fuel filter. So, sorry, the fuel filter housing. So, we'll pop them off and then we'll swap that over.

[00:05:03]Ah, fuel.

[00:05:05]So, out with the old and in with the new.

[00:05:09]And this was only about 23 quid or something like that. So, not too bad, really.

[00:05:16]Definitely worth changing.

[00:05:24]So, now we just need to refit these two fuel lines with the 17 mil banjo bolts. These are new crush washers. I put them on when I fitted this, so they should still be okay.

[00:05:36]So, we'll just reconnect these.

[00:05:41]Although, I have lost one off this one, so we'll have to get another one anyway.

[00:05:45]Jesus Christ.

[00:05:48]So, this is the fuel feed line to the injector pump.

[00:05:57]Nip that on.

[00:05:59]I might even connect them like that just to tidy it up a little bit because even if it doesn't start, we can still have a tidy engine bay and it'll look nice.

[00:06:09]Okay, so there's just a couple of little blanks here that we need to nip down.

[00:06:13]So, that's got like an Allen head. So, we'll nip them down and then we'll pop that fuel filter back on.

[00:06:26]So, that's a new fuel filter housing on and all connected up with the fuel filter. That looks pretty nice in that new silver. The next job I'm going to do is change this lift the pump. So, I just need to crack these two lines here that go to That's the fuel in up to the lift the pump and up the filter, and then that is the fuel return. Sorry, that's the fuel feed to the lifter pump, and then that is up to the lifter. So, we'll crack those two connectors off. And there's two Allen head bolts either side that just need to come loose, and I will take that off and we'll put the new one on.

[00:07:03]Ah.

[00:07:07]Diesel. Always diesel.

[00:07:10]All right. So, this is the new one, and it comes with a couple of new gaskets there. So, we'll put this on with a new gasket, and then we'll connect it all back up with the two lines, main line, fuel line in, and fuel line out or the other way around. I don't know.

[00:07:29]Okay, and now we just need to connect them two lines back up, and that should be a working lift the pump and a working fuel filter housing, I hope.

[00:07:43]All right, guys. That is the new fuel lift the pump installed and the lines connected. But, I have just noticed something when I was nipping down this um return line up from the lift the pump to the fuel filter housing. So, this line here, I put a new one on. This one came in the kit, and I've nipped that down, but this still spins fairly freely. It is a bit snug, but it spins freely, and I went back and I looked at the original kit I bought, and it does have a one of these as well, which is a slightly different connection, and it's got a slightly different like shaped push thing there that nips down, which is the same as that one. And if we come over here and have a look at the one I took off originally, this is the same fitting here, but the one I put on is slightly different. Now, I put the other one on because it just seemed to mate up nice to the new fuel line, but I do wonder whether that fitting on the other one is ever so slightly different and it's not seating properly, and again, potentially letting air in. So, what I think I might do, just to rule out all of the possibilities, is take this one off here, and we'll have a quick look at the fitting, and then I might see if I can connect this one and run that line to here because I do not want >> [music] >> anything left to chance. So, let's take this off, have a quick look, and then we'll see if we can reconnect the other one. Okay, so I've just taken that fitting back off, and as you can see, this one is quite flat in its profile, whereas the other one is got more of a dome shape to the head there. So, I don't know if that camera focuses. You can see there is a slight difference. Now, that one is the same as the one I've just put on. This one was a new fitting. The kit The original kit I bought with that original lift the pump had two different fittings. So, I put this one on cuz it looked nicer, but this one maybe is the more appropriate one for this pump. So, I'm going to swap this over. I'm going to cut this line, and I'm going to feed it into there and clamp it down, and we'll swap that round, and we'll see if that nips down snugly. And if it does, that again could have been a potential issue. I can't see that letting air out particularly cuz there's no fuel coming out of there, but it could be just enough to cause an issue. So, let's swap them over now.

[00:09:52]Right. So, that is the new fitting on, and that has nipped down a a better, and I've just connected it to that new fuel line and clamped in place and then just tied it up there with some tie wraps.

[00:10:01]So, that all looks really good now. I'm pleased we saw that. It might not have made any difference, but it's good just to check, double-check, and just rule out all of the possibilities. So, that is now the fuel filter housing and the new lift pump all plumbed in, connected up. So, we will try priming that shortly, but the next thing I want to do is just come over and have a quick look at this glow plug relay. So, this is the original one I bought, and if we come around here and turn the key, when we turn the ignition on, it should be sending 12 V to the glow plugs. But, when we come down here and just connect our multimeter to the glow plug wire there, you can see we've got nothing, absolutely nothing there. So, that relay isn't sending 12 V along that wire around and connecting it to the glow plug. So, we ain't got no glow plugs. Well, it shouldn't be an issue, but they do help the engine start. So, what we're going to do next is just get our new relay out of this box here and take it round and connect it up there really quickly, like this. And now, if we come back around and turn the ignition on, you can see we've got 12 V at the coil or just under. And then, we should hear a little click in a second.

[00:11:09]And that is the relay cutting out, so the glow plugs are now primed, they're kind of hot and they're ready for the engine to start. So, the good news is we've got 12 V now at the glow plug, so that's another thing ticked off the list and ruled out. Right, so with all that replaced and everything connected up, all we need to do now is loosen this bleed screw on the fuel filter housing and then prime this pump or this filter, get fuel up squirting out of here, and then hopefully, fingers crossed, this old girl fires up.

[00:11:37]So, let's prime this filter.

[00:11:41]You've got to keep pushing up and down until it goes hard, apparently.

[00:11:46]That's what someone told me.

[00:11:48]You can see the air coming out.

[00:11:50]Keep pumping away.

[00:11:52]There is fuel coming out now, I think.

[00:11:55]It's not a bit more.

[00:11:58]Oh.

[00:11:59]We've got a squirter.

[00:12:01]There we go. That might be primed. Let's nip that down.

[00:12:08]>> [snorts] >> I can hear air coming from somewhere here.

[00:12:36]Where's that coming from?

[00:12:41]I can hear I can hear I can hear air coming from somewhere around near the fuel pump. That could be the issue.

[00:13:03]I can't hear anything now.

[00:13:04]For God's sake.

[00:13:06]What was leaking there, possibly?

[00:13:11]Let me try and nip that banjo down again.

[00:13:14]Is it this fuel line?

[00:13:19]That's pretty tight.

[00:13:23]Try again.

[00:13:46]Let's try priming that pump.

[00:13:50]Woah.

[00:13:56]It's got to be primed that now.

[00:14:01]Come on.

[00:14:27]What could it be?

[00:14:38]>> [snorts] >> Right, guys, I do not know what is going on here. I've done pretty much everything I can think of now to try and get this fired up. I've even taken off the boost ring that I put on in a few videos back, cuz that's the only thing I've added differently to the engine, that boost ring, so maybe that was kind of putting the timing out. So, I've [snorts] taken that off with all the fiddly screws, I've put it back on, and it still won't run. So, I think the only thing I can do now is take that fuel pump off again, double-triple-check the timing once more, and then probably send it away to get refurbished and get the injectors tested whilst we're on. So, I'll crack on with that now, and I'll check back in a bit.

[00:15:15]Right, guys, I've had that fuel pump off one more time again, so that's the fourth time I've had that fuel pump off, and I've just completely stripped everything off it and re-timed it all again, as per spec, even though I've already done it like three times, just to see if that's going to make a difference. I think I'm probably going to get it refurbished, but let's just see if this fires up now. I'm just connecting the accelerator cable. This is literally the last resort. I've got no more options now. I cannot think what else could be wrong other than there's something wrong with that fuel pump. So, let's give this a go, and then if not, we'll come back with got a re-fueled re-fueled refurbished fuel pump, fit it all back on with a fresh injectors or, you know, checked injectors, and then we'll see what happens. So, one final time.

[00:16:13]COME ON! [screaming] YEAH!

[00:16:21]I'VE DONE A THING!

[00:16:24]GET IN!

[00:16:27]OH, YES!

[00:16:30]Maybe I just up the timing.

[00:16:33]Quite possibly.

[00:16:36]Oh.

[00:16:42]Yeah!

[00:16:44]And there's hardly any smoke as well.

[00:16:51]Man.

[00:16:57]Oh, the 200 TDI is purring once again.

[00:17:02]Get in, guys. Oh my god, that was hard work. I cannot believe the amount of time I've spent fondling and tickling different parts of this to try and get it going. But, she is absolutely purring for a 200 TDI.

[00:17:19]AND THERE'S NO SMOKE.

[00:17:22]GET IN!

[00:17:27]OH, all that work.

[00:17:30]All that work, and we finally got there.

[00:17:32]The engine's in, and it's running, and it's running nice.

[00:17:38]Come on!

[00:17:47]Oh, yes!

[00:17:49]Right.

[00:17:51]I'm going to let that tick over for a little while now and just see if we've got any leaks anywhere. Let's try and warm up the temperature, and then I'll check back shortly, and we'll see if there's any issues, and if not, we'll move on to the next job.

[00:18:19]Oh, yes, guys. Right, she has been running, or should I say purring, like a kitten for the last half an hour. She's not quite up to temperature yet, but that is pretty standard for a 200 TDI, being notoriously cool engines. But, I've gone round, there's absolutely no leaks anywhere. The exhaust that we did a few videos back is seamless, there's no leaks anywhere throughout that entire exhaust system, so I'm really pleased with that. If we come down and we look under the engine, you can see we have a clean floor, apart from all of the diesel spillages that I mopped up.

[00:18:56]There's no drips, there's no oil, there's no coolant. We are completely dry. So, I am absolutely over the moon.

[00:19:04]We do have a little bit of a diesel leak here, so from that spring there on the throttle body, it is leaking diesel.

[00:19:11]It's dribbling down, it's kind of ruined our paint job there. So, I think I will anyway, even though she's running, take this off once it's all cool and get that refurbished by Diesel Bob, because I want this engine to be bulletproof. I want a really, really, really reliable vehicle, and that at the moment is not optimal for what we're trying to achieve here. Even though that is an old engine, I do understand, I just feel it's the right thing to do for this build, just make sure it's absolutely 100% perfect.

[00:19:41]But, all in all, I am over the moon.

[00:19:43]It's taken some time to get there, but the engine is running sweet. And if we just turn the key once more, on the button, you better believe it.

[00:19:56]So, that is the milestone we were all waiting for. Yes. Right. Now that's done, we can strip off that pump and injectors and other bits and bobs, and we'll send that away to get refurbished by Diesel Bob. But in the meantime, let's move on now officially to the next job.

[00:20:24]So, while the engine is ticking over nicely in the garage warming up, I want to bring my attentions now, seeing as it's a lovely sunny spring day for a change, I want to turn my attentions over to the rear tub. So, this is the 90 cab, and as you can see, the roof is on backwards, but we did that just basically to help stop the rain coming in because this has been sat here pretty much all over winter. But before winter, we did restore and renovate the inside, so we've got new new flooring down, new checker plate flooring. We've Raptor coated all inside of the bed. We put these new panels here, which meet up nicely and meet up nicely to the 90 cab sides. So, this obviously is a 90 cab conversion on a 110, and it will all make sense, guys, when the build is complete. But for now, you'll just have to trust me. But the inside is completely done, as is the underside.

[00:21:10]So, we completely refurbished the underside as well with Raptor, and we put new panels and parts in where needed. So, the underside and the inside is absolutely beautiful, but the outside needs a little bit of work. So, this is the original panel that came on it. So, it is a little bit bent and bashed and not the nicest here. But my plan is to basically refurbish the whole side panel, fill in all of these holes that we don't need with some metal steel putty stuff and grind it back and fill it, so that'll be all nice. But most of this here, this slightly dented bit, is going to be covered with a checker plate side, which I'll show you in a second. But other than that, the rest of this side panel is pretty straight to be honest. It just needs sanding back to bare metal. So, we've got a really nice surface to paint on. But if we come around to the other side, this, excuse the shoddy dirty old wings that we will be replacing, this was a brand new side. So, when we first got it, it had a huge dent in the rear there. Someone had smashed the back end in really hard with a hammer or a bar or a pillar or a post or something. So, we ended up just basically buying a new side, and we got this whole side for about 120 quid, which was brilliant. So, we did spend quite a bit of time ripping off this old panel, putting this new one in. We countersunk rivets there and kind of sanded them back. So, again, this panel is really nice. It just needs a good sand, probably back to bare metal again, and then we can get some nice epoxy primer all over these, and then some high build primer, and then we can start and sand it back and make sure it's absolutely spot-on and nice ready for that Nardo gray paint. But I think the first thing we need to do is get this roof off, so I'll get my wife to give me a hand, take those sides off, and then we're going to transfer this tub over to here on this pair of pallets on wheels, and then we can move this bad boy in and out the garage and in and out the proper spray booth, which I will be showing you in a video soon. So, let's get that on there really quickly like that.

[00:23:06]And there we go. The tub is on the pallet looking nice. As I said, the inside has been completely done, so we don't need to worry about any of that.

[00:23:14]Obviously, all of this will be soundproofed and covered in carpet anyway, but for now, it looks really nice, especially with a few leaves of greenery, or should I say, leaves of brown.

[00:23:25]So, our next job is to get the DA orbital sander out and basically just sand the death out of both of these sides. We're also going to come up to this capping here. We're going to sand this back as well. Not fully back, but there are a couple of little parts like here where a little bit rust is starting to poke through, so we need to grind that back to bare metal, and the same on there. It's probably just surface rust, but we'll grind it back, we'll treat it, so we'll make sure all of them are A-okay. And then if we come around this side again, there's just a few little corner bits there where there's tiny little bits of surface rust coming through under that primer. So, we'll sand all of that back to make sure we have a good future-proof finish, and we ain't going to be worrying about any rust coming through in the future like that. So, without further ado, let's cut [snorts] to a little montage.

[00:24:54]Right, guys. So, I've just spent about an hour sanding this bad boy back. I've gone back as much as [music] bare metal where basically all of the oxidization was around this panel. It was quite crusty, especially down here, but I've taken it right back to metal, and I've sanded it all back with 60 grit, and then I've gone over with 120 again. It is going to need probably quite a bit more sanding, but I just want to see how it was going to come out, and so far, I'm fairly pleased. It is going to take probably quite a bit of work this panel to get it straight once the high build's on. We've got to put filler and stuff, but it will come out nice in the end, I can guarantee it. Down here isn't the best, as I said, it's quite bent and battered in here. It's split there. It kind of goes in there. But I do have, as I mentioned earlier, some of these nice checker plate end cap corner pieces.

[00:25:39]So, by the time we get one of these on there like that and kind of mounted in, it's going to cover the majority of that anyway, and when that's riveted, it'll pull the panel straight.

[00:25:50]So, as long as we can get this bit here nice and smooth and flush with the rest of that, this will hide a lot, which I'm quite okay with to be honest because that isn't really, you know, it's going to be a nightmare trying to fix that, especially me not being a body shop person. It's going to need probably welding and all sorts, but that panel's going to cover all of that. So, we'll get the rest of this as nice as we can, and we'll make sure it's properly smooth. We'll block sand it all and get it, you know, spot-on. But so far, I'm fairly pleased. The capping Sorry, the capping at the top, I have had a look at it and I've started to sand it. There have been a few points here where I've had to get the wire wheel on and just really grind back any any rust, [music] any imperfections in the metal here and like round here. So, I'm probably going to take both cappings back more or less to bare metal and just make sure there's no rust, no pitting under any of this epoxy primer, so it's absolutely spot-on cuz what I don't want to do is paint it all, and then in 6-12 months' time, we start getting bubbles of rust coming through because that will just be a nightmare. So, there's a lot of work still to do on this. I've not touched the other side yet. So, the other side shouldn't need as much work cuz this is a brand new panel. It's just going to need sanding a little bit, and then that'll be ready for prime and stuff like that. So, that one won't be too bad, but it is going to take a lot of work this tub and a lot of sanding. So, we will keep chipping away over the coming weeks and the coming videos and get that ready for paint. So, we have hit another milestone with the engine. The engine's in, it's running, and now we have started on the main bodywork, that rear tub. That's the one that's going to take the most bodywork cuz after that tub's finished, pretty much everything else is going to be a brand new panel. We're going to get a brand new bonnet, probably a Puma style.

[00:27:24]We're going to get new wings, and I've decided to bite the bullet and get new doors as well, but I will tell you more about that and the reason behind that in a future video. But this build is coming along now. There's a couple of more jobs I want to do, just fine-tuning tweaks around the engine, but again, we'll chip away at that in the coming videos. So, if you have enjoyed this video and you're not yet subscribed, hit that subscribe button cuz we've got a lot more fun stuff to do on this build, and it won't be long now before this bad boy is on the road. Thanks so much for watching, guys. I'll see you in the next one.