SparkyMark

THanks for that advice piper109 - may well give that a try, though I would imagine the original holes have now got somewhat bigger through rust...

That's dedication for you - changing the body several times! Funnily enough I've wondered about TD5 body on classic/300 chassis - know the rear overhang is longer so I guess you'd need to extend chassis... Or shorten rear of TD5 body? From what I've gathered, TD5 bodies are very good rot wise but the chassis can rust - opposite of 300 TDI Or transplant 300 TDI engine/box into dead TD5 and rip out a lot of excess wiring!

Thanks Dave, Funnily enough it's a 2002 TD5 that I'm half thinking of looking at. Will go and look and see as it's very local to me. My dad had a 1999 TD5 Disco and it was a continual list of bits that needed changing, and a mechanic I know suggested I keep the 300, in his words 'unless I want to spend a lot of money repairing it' I actually bought a similar aged 300 Tdi for spares, so have most bits that need changing - but it's time and faffing about. Will probably end up keeping mine as in 11 years the only time mine let me down was when the clutch arm went. Thanks for the advice. Mark

Had a brief look through to see if there are any other topics on this, but couldn't see any... I'm after views and opions on changing from a reliable 300 Tdi to a TD5 Discovery I've had my 300 TDi Discovery for 11 years now, and vowed I would never get rid of it as there's no ECU etc to go wrong. The only thing it does have that could fail is ABS, but so far it's been simple things that have failed on that. Anyway, mine has suddenly got loads on niggly little faults, such as doors not opening properly, central locking playing up, absolutely pouring in water from under dash and rear alpine window when it rains, driver's seat failing, steering box on it's way out etc. Now I know a lot of these faults are Discovery ones, and that it is now 18 years old with 174000 on it, but I'm thinking I'm about to spend loads of time fiddling about with catches and the like again (my driver's door card has been on and off so many times most of the clips have failed!) Over the last 2-3 years I've had the rear floor and inner wings welded, sills patched, so corrosion wise it's not too bad, and front and rear disks & callipers, along with a new clutch arm and clutch 10000 miles ago. I put an Alisport large intercooler on it 7 years ago and with slight tweaking and a non-cat down pipe and blanked egr, it flies. But, I'm just getting fed up with the continual damp inside, and wondering whether doors will open or not. I know TD5 Disco's have their issues, but just wondering whether people's views are don't do it, or go for it! Thanks

Thanks eddyoz - Think the vacuum pump is ok - seems dry round it, but looking at the T seals, they'd be worth a look at. Whereabouts do they actually go - I can guess somewhere near the rear of the sump?

Hi all, I have what would appear an occasional oil leak from my Discovery, that looks like it could be the rear crank, but that was changed when the clutch was changed last May. Some days it will drop a massive drip, which can be several cenitmetres across. Gaskets/seals that have been changed are: rocker cover gasket, both breather hoses, sump gasket and as mentioned rear crank oil seal. The head and block seem quite oil free now, but looking underneath, the oil seems to drip down from the strengthening web on the off side, towards the back of the sump, but the bottom of the bell housing can also look wet. I don't think it is leaking from the rear crank anymore, the thread on the wading plug doesn't seem to get really wet. We did wonder whether the head gasket was starting to go, and pressuring the crank up, but it's been in the same state for a good thousand miles or so, (and has, thinking about it always leaked something, but seems to be worse that it used to be. The engine has just turned 170000 miles, and has been regularly maintained, and is free from any rattles and clanks - starts instantly and pulls well. I've owned it for 10 years and done about 60000 in it. I know they do leak oil, but my driveway is starting to look an oil tanker has run aground on it! Does anybody have any ideas on where oil can travel from, if the side of the block seems quite dry? Thanks - Mark

Oh I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

A 1996 Discovery is still farly 'plugging into a computer' free - as mentioned above, the ABS can be reset quite easily, and will flash a fauly code in process of resetting. Once the ABS ECU has detected a fault, it will keep the ABS light lit until reset, even if you have fixed the fault. I've had mine go with a faulty brake light switch, and a sensor out of alignment, and the best one was when one of the relays had come off its holder, and was upside down, filled up with water (from the normal windscreen leak) and actually caused a continuous drain on the battery. After several flat batteries tried to decipher code, and got a none existant one tthat pointed towards the voltage. In a process of elimination found the circuit with the drain was the ABS so thought I would remove the relay, to discover a rusty water filled current draw! Changed relay and was back in business. Re the back windows, they are entirely ECU free, apart from using the timed output from the front window ECU so you can operate them for a short time after turning the ignition off, before you open a door.

Is it an early 1995 Discovery? If so should have a single button remote fob which as peterdon says you can recode yourself - seem to recall it involves lots of ignition on/off, locking/unlocking with button, and lifting of bonnet... You might find however the alarm unit has given up the ghost, which is why there is no keyfob. If you lock with the key, it should arm the alarm but not the internal sensors I seem to recall, and a red LED should flash either under radio (single button remote) or in centre of dash binnacle (2 button remote) I know on mine (single button) when I used to use the factory alarm, if you locked with key, it would arm and you could unlock with key & unarm. If you locked with keyfob, you would trigger the alarm unlocking with the key - you had to use the keyfob to disarm. I modified mine to use a different alarm years ago - just uses the central locking part of the alarm for C/L.

We had one (until it had an unhappy meeting with an armco barrier) that had air suspension and ACE, and was 7 seat. I can confirm it worked very well, and did stop it rocking on the suspension immediately prior to the incident - which I think would have possibly rolled without. I think ACE was only an option on air suspension models and only the 5 seaters could have coil springs (as air would self level with extra weight) Air suspension (SLS) and ACE are good, when they are working...

I think as has been said, that vintage RRC probably didn't come with an alarm - just central locking, and if it locked from passenger door too, then that's a bonus as I remember my H reg Disco only locked and unlocked from the driver's door, which meant when I had a Clifford alarm added, they had to add a lock actuator to ensure the driver door locked/unlocked too. The soft dash generation of Disco (and presume RRC too?) alarm unit also controls the central locking and uses a single wire lock/unlock signal - from memory it was something like earth the wire and it locks - break the earth to it and it unlocks. This is built into the driver's door lock actuator which is why it has 5 wires to it and not just 2 - the 3 extra are the common, lock, unlock I added a Toad alarm to control the original alarm on my 95 Disco about 10 years ago, (2 alarms!) but disabled the original alarm a few years back as it started to get confused. Speaking to an alarm installer, the original alarm units don't last forever so probably best to add a decent make alarm.