[Whistling engine]

Thanks for that.

I'll go and check the pipes for splits, in my ignorance I'd thought it might be the waste gate stuck open.

Cheers,

Dave.

[Whistling engine]

This is 300Tdi 1996/7 fly by wire AUTO.

Ok, the wife mentioned yeaterday that her car sounded like my Reo truck, I didn't get this till I took it to the shops last night.

It has developed a loud 'whistle' that is absent at tick over or low revs but as soon as you throttle on it starts to howl!

Now I think this may be the turbo waste gate by-passing to atmosphere the pressurised gasses.

It certainly does seem down on power during acceleration.

I've looked at it it and I can't see any moving parts but I see a bellows type accutator on top of the turbo with a vacuum? or pressure? tube leading back so some kind of air solinoid behind the drivers side headlight.

To try and get a clue as to what might be at fault I disconnected the tube from the solinoid to the acctuator on the top of the turbo and it made no differeance, it continued to howl like a banshee.

Any suggestions please on where I should start with the diagnostics?

many thanks,

Dave.

[auto tranny problem]

Too many 'Dave's' here. Gets confusing.

One of the things that threw me (I restore old trucks and jeeps but never touch the disco) was that when it had been in the L/R garage while they tried to sort out the ABS; was that they refered to it as a 'Fly by wire' which made me think for ages that it would be an electronic link between the peddel and the pump. Also the Haines manual refers to the wires and cables that attach and need disconecting when removing the ZF box.

One this model it's my understanding that no matter how far you put your foot down on the peddle it can't inject any more fuel than it can actually burn.

Hence I assumed the whole thing was far more complex than it was.

In fact this is just old 50s engineering and no different to American stuff.

I really should look under that bonnet more and take an interest!

Dave.

[auto tranny problem]

I'll try Fred, not sure about uploading pictures but I'll try.

It's the fine detail you don't notice, I didn't see the coarse adustment on the trottle cable till afterwards, it's well disguised!

These things are so common you'd be better off finding one and flipping the bonnet to have a look.

All the best,

Dave

[auto tranny problem]

Thanks, I did wonder about the 'new' change style and the clutch bands, still it's never driven hard and the land bruiser does all my towing.

I did try and readjust the kickdown last night but couldn't get a balance. I did notice (I'd never seen this before) a coarse adjustment on the trotle control cable on the other side of the see-saw lever that actuates the kick down cable. I'm wondering if movement there might have been the cause as the car had just come back from the garage having it's poor starting in the cold checked out.

This weekend I'll re-connect the cable and try and balance it so kick down is near the bottom of the peddle position.

many thanks again,

Dave.

[auto tranny problem]

Excellent news, your welcome. I have found on mine it's possible to adjust the cable with enough slack so that I can still get kick down on the accelerator pedal (just about), but still maintain a nice lazy up shift characteristic.

It could well be the kick down cable is frayed inside or sticking or not attached correctly at the box end. I think on the EDC autos the cable terminates externally on the box.

I'm thinking of making a solenoid control on the crank arm so I can have a 'sport / winter' setting switch on the dash to select either mode, but that's a job for another day...

Anyway enjoy your 'new Disco'

Cheers - Martin

There is one caveate I would add and that is possible negative consequence on the clutch bands

[auto tranny problem]

Disco TD4.

WOW that's amazing.

I disconected the the kick down as you suggested. What a difference. I doubt I'll ever re-connect it.

Wonderful lazy changes up and down. What an amazing improvement.

If I want kick down I'll slip it manually into 3rd and give it some throttle.

After giving her a test drive with the kick down disconected I tried to reconnect the cable and get it balanced but I just couldn't get it right; so disconnected it remains.

I'll write more later but now have to go and teach the wife to drive her 'new' gearbox.

Many many thanks,

Dave.

[auto tranny problem]

I'll try that with the kickdown cable, sounds like a good diagnostic. As an aside; I had thought it 'kicked down' too easily so you might have something there.

Thinking about that, if it had been kicking down too easily would that be a sign that the cable was too tight or too slack?, too tight I suspect. It's hard for me to figure out how it could be getting tighter as it wears? but a brilliant idea to start with.

I've never looked at the workings of this box it sounds very similar (identical) to my old THM350 and 400s and 700R4 with a spinning governer in the side and either a vacuum modulator to the manifold (petrol) or a throttle position sensor on the pump (diesel)

Thanks,

Dave.

[auto tranny problem]

I checked out the Ashcroft site but didn't find anything similar (I may have missed it). I'll check again. Comushift? don't know what that is.

[auto tranny problem]

Hi thanks,

The fluid appears clean and fresh, it has done about 30,000 miles on this fluid. The level checked on the dip stick is where it should be. And warm or cold makes no difference.

Does that help?

Thanks,

dave

[auto tranny problem]

Dave,

In cold Auto can do weird if not enough oil (or bad quality).

Is it only when gearbox is cold? Gets warm after 1 hour of driving, is it then back to normal?

On a cold engine (and gearbox) try to check level of gearbox while engine is iddling.

First change to all gears (1,2,3,D,N,R,P) then shift back to neutral and check level.

If thas is alright,...change filter and oil?.....

(Please let me now the results)

Fred

[auto tranny problem]

Dave,

In cold Auto can do weird if not enough oil (or bad quality).

Is it only when gearbox is cold? Gets warm after 1 hour of driving, is it then back to normal?

On a cold engine (and gearbox) try to check level of gearbox while engine is iddling.

First change to all gears (1,2,3,D,N,R,P) then shift back to neutral and check level.

If thas is alright,...change filter and oil?.....

(Please let me now the results)

Fred

[auto tranny problem]

Hi all,

Ok I have a 1996 300tdi with auto box. 100,000 miles on the clock and until 70,000 fully L/R serviced, gearbox was last serviced at 75,000

The problem is the box won't change up normally it just revs and revs stuck in gear.

In order to get the box to change up I have to take my foot off the throttle, the engine revs drop, and the box happily changes up. I then power on through the next gear until I get to a point just beyond where it normally change up on its own, then back off the throttle and the next up change occurs.

Down changes are no problem.

There is no slippage.

Any ideas grwatfully recieved.

Thanks,

Dave.