Tomas4x4

Hello all, Ive been experiencing poor starting for a while now and I suspect air in the fuel. When trying to find the source of this I found there was a wet patch in the mud surrounding the fuel sedimenter on the rear of the chassis. Its not a massive leak,not enough to leave any visible drops on the floor but im pretty sure its leaking a small amount. It seems to be coming from the pipes that run along the top of the chassis rails and my problem is how do I get access to them? Has anyone else experienced a leak here? and would you agree it could be the source of air in the fuel? Any suggestions on how to tackle this problem would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Tom.

Thanks for all your comments guys, sorry its taken me so long to get back. I finally managed to find some time to sort the truck out properly, I started by pulling the manifolds off and changed the gasket which was shot, I then flushed out the intercooler and the inlet manifold (a dirty, dirty job). Whilst the turbo was off I gave it a good check over, the boost pressure guage read just under 1 bar when running which seemed ok to me, the lever on the actuator was a little sticky but some wd-40 sorted that out! I also replaced the turbo hoses for new ones and completely removed the egr. I was experiencing poor staring after I took the fuel sedimenter apart so assumed air in the fuel, sorted that out, and after all that what a difference! its like a new truck now, plenty of power and almost a pleasure to drive, wish id done it sooner. Now to sort out the never ending list of things to do to the truck... Many thanks for your help and advice! Tom.

I tried to move the waste gate actuator by attaching a pair of mole grips to the end and pushing/pulling as hard as I could and it did not move so im guessing thats seized? I also removed the inlet pipe from the turbo and felt for play in the fins and theres about 2mm of play there, is that too much? I started the engine and could hear the fins spinning and could hear them spinning faster when I increased the revs, but they were a bit noisy, is that normal? And finally I spotted an oil leak from below the manifolds and on top the engine next to the inlet manifold, the rocker cover gasket had been replaced recently, could this be related? Sorry for all the questions, any help is greatly appreciated! Cheers. Tom.

Fitting a boost guage sounds like a sensible idea, I believe I can get access to one of those so I can do that asap. How do I locate the waste gate actuator? If it is siezed, is it easy to free it? I shall give the turbo a good check over for play. Any tips on how's best to clean out the intercooler? Thought it might be worth doing that. Many thanks. Tom.

Hello all, I have a 1996 300tdi disco, 130k and it is seriously underpowered, I thought it has been lacking for a while now but last week it became considerably worse, it struggles up hills, and living in North Wales, its an issue, also it uses an uncomfortable amount of diesel. It doesn't smoke or use oil and I have changed the lift pump, the EGR has been blanked off and I have recentely cleaned out the sediment filter, neither is it using water so I dont suspect the head gasket. What I did notice was oil seeping out of the turbo hose connections between the turbo and intercooler and the inlet manifold. I removed all the pipework and the intercooler and there is no cracks or splits but there is a coating of oil in the pipes, the intercooler is a little grubby but ive seen worse so im suspicious of the turbo now. What im asking is if anyone has had similar trouble and would you agree that it is the turbo that is faulty? Are there seals inside that can be replaced or is it a case of a new unit? As ever all tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated! Cheers. Tom.

Thanks for that guys, I will try it. Coolant can be seen to be leaking out of the three hoses attached to the thermostat housing and the top radiator hose as well as from the header tank cap, a bit worrying... Anyway I shall give it a blast, and for the price of a new header tak cap I may replace it. Cheers! Tom.

Howdy all, My 96 300tdi disco every now and then chucks out coolant from where the hoses meet the thermostat housing, but there all very tight.Ive recently changed the p gasket, replaced the thermostat and changed the coolant, all has been well until it started doing this for no apparant reason, when the engine is off and still warm, a hissing sound is coming from the coolant reservoir and does this for some time, I was wondering if perhaps the pressure cap is faulty and causing the water to overheat?? The engine temperature guage tells me its not overheating so im baffled.. Has anyone else experienced this or know a solution? As ever all suggestions will be much appreciated. Cheers. Tom.

Sorry should have said its a recon box. Steering had play in it before, but nowhere near what its like now, I tightened up the box to take away the play but it kept coming back and it was making a nasty noise. I fitted it myself, just seems odd its so much worse now. I'll go over it again and make sure everything is tight, the ball joint on the drag link looks knackered so I shall try that and check the tracking. Thanks for the advise guys, its much appreciated! Tom.

Hello all, Ive just replaced the steering box on my '96 300tdi and the steering is very sloppy and the vehicle is wander and snaking on the road, not a nice experience... So does anyone know why? do I need to adjust the steering box or look elsewhere? any comments would be greatly appreciated as its not really driveable as it is. Many thanks! Tom.

I have a tailgate dog guard for a disco 1 sat in my garage at home, pm if your interested. Tom.

I didnt try sticking it in difflock, but I managed to get it off by jamming a spanner inbetween the prop bolts, it wrecked the threads but was going to change the bolts anyway. Plan to put it back together in the morning and when I come to tighten the 30mm nut will puting it in difflock lock the transfer box so I can tighten it adequately? I heard there was a very expensive tool specifically for this job and dont fancy buying one of those... Thanks for your help! Tom.

What about if I haven't got access to an impact/air gun? Tom.

Howdy all! Im in the process of changing the front output shaft on my transfer box (300tdi) but cant get the 30mm nylock nut off. I have it in gear with the handbrake on hard, it shows some resistance but then it just turns over. Ive done this a few times to see if its just taking up slack in the box but still no joy! Any suggestions? All ideas will be greatly appreciated. Tom.

Howdy all! Ive had a leaky transfer box on my 300tdi for some time now and have just been topping it up regularly but decided its time to sort it out as i'll be changing the uj this weekend, so whilst im down there... Somebody changed the seal for me once before and showed me the drive flange, and it was worn around the shaft where the seals goes and so therefore it wasnt long before it leaked again. What I want to know is, is it as simple as replacing the drive flange for a new one and popping in a new seal? I was previously put off because someone said it was a major job to sort out, but I cant see why. Any advise on the matter will as usual be greatly appreciated. Cheers. Tom.

Howdy guys, We've got a 1990 ex-army 3.5 v8 130 tipper with an aluminium back on it used for tree surgery and im trying to get an idea of how much its worth if we were to sell it. Its done about 120,000 kilometers, its not in bad nick, usual knocks. So if anyone has any ideas how much these sort of things fetch and info would be much appreciated! Cheers. Tom.