[disco earth cables]

Hi Swanny,

There is one directly from the battery on to the engine bay/chassis, then there is one on one of the the starter bolts to the chassis. These are the bigger bore cables.

What you also have is, on most, if not all the individual wiring harness's a earth wire comes out, and is bolted to the body, usually a M10 lug, there are some in the engine bay, and some behind the dash, and at the rear of the Disco.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Hi Thys, I am in South Africa And my forum name is Sabre, not Steve Groetnis

Sabre, my apologies the fingers and the head was not in sinc.....of in onse mooi Moedertaal, die grysfaktor begin soms deurbreek......

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

I dont think you will need to buy anything. Just drill out the pop rivets and re rivet the sealing strips into the other set of holes, about 15 mm further in, both sides.

Who is your favourite used spares LR supplier might I ask ?

Thanks, Steve

I prefer using Rob Leimer's Leimers Land Rover, he now has a new shop in Kya Sands, British 4x4 is also a good supplier and then Independant 4x4. I have not tried any of the other LR used spares suppliers yet.

There were definately side strips on my Disco 300 Tdi's radiator frame prior to the accident, so I will sourse them. I also had reports from mother 300 Tdi owners who experienced temperature problems with replacement cheap viscous fan hubs. They work OK up to cruising speeds of 100 - 110 km/h, but go above that speed, and the temperature climbs.

As my Disco is not an early morning traffic commuter any more (I got myself a little Chev Avio 1.6 Auto), I locked the viscous hub, and will do some tests.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Thys,

Does the new radiator core have the bypass hole in it as per the original Disco radiator ? I had similiar symptoms with my Disco when going through thick sand, and towing my off-road trailer. Closed the bypass, and problem solved

But it now runs too cold in winter; I will partially block the radiator airflow next winter

Hi Steve, when I had the radiator core replaced with a copper core the by-pass hole was not in the copper core. In South Africa, with our higher ambient temperatures, even in winter it is a common mod on the standard aluminum cores to block the by-pass hole.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Where abouts is the secondary temp sender fitted?

A.f.a.i.k they are all at the thermostat housing, not sure which one does what.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Thanks for the data sheets Fozsug, yes the bottom panel, no 11 is there, and that was one of the initial problems, there was a gap of about 2" between the front of the panel and the back of the custum bull bar. The closing of the gap dropped the normal running temperatures, but not the extreme driving temperatures.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

my Range Rover was V8, and I changed to TDi, the TDi rad fitted neatly in the slot left by the V8 rad. I do have a bit of a gap round the edge, could probably get a finger round it, but I've never had any cooling probs, even through several deserts. I wonder if you bull bar is creating some kind of vacuum or vortex behind which is stopping flow through the rad or intercooler? Is the normal land rover temp guage reading hot as well?

The LR gauge did move up from the normal position, but not past the 3/4 position.

I am beginning to think the bull bar and sposts and winch controller box may all be part of the problem, interfering with the air flow patterns.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Thanks for that info Piper109, now I know what to start looking for at my favourite used spares LR supplier.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

Thanks Bowie 69, I will do the coolant/exhausat gas check.

[Gap between sides of rad and cond Disco 1 300 Tdi]

When My Disco 1 300 Tdi T-boned a new Fortuner, last year in August 2010, the repairs was done by cutting out the entire engine bay body work, and replacing with another bay from a donor Disco. This included the full front section.

I opted to fit a mammoth bull bar, as the replacement aerodynamic Disco front bumper was just not affordable, and secondhand units not available.

When collecting the Disco, she ran 15 ºC hotter than usual, I have a temperature gauge measuring the actual head temperature, over and above the LR temperature gauge.

Having a good look underneath the front, I noted a big gap between the back of the new bull bar and the radiator front. I closed the gap, and the temperature returned to normal, between 90 and 100 ºC on the gauge, but.........travelling over 110 km/h, or doing a trail, the head temperature goes up to 110 - 118 ºC. If I decrease speed, the temp drops to the normal range.

So what did I do up to now:

1. Radiator re-built and re-cored with a copper core.

2. New viscous hub.

3. New Q&H water pump, old one dropped a bearing.

4. New OE thermostat.

5. New OE expansion tank cap.

6. No loss of water.

7. Had the air con unit's refrigerant charge checked, it was over filled, and we set the charge back to normal, this did give a small improvement in running temperature.

This afternoon I started to browse in the engine bay again, and then noted the two large gaps between the two vertical sides of the radiator and condenser. See attached picture.

This puzzles me, as I am sure the original Tdi engine bay did not have those big gaps.

Now for the catch. The engine bay panels, sides and front came from a Disco 1 V8. Is there a difference in the front section and radiator frames between the Tdi and V8?

The body work was repaired without re-painting, we simply bolted on the V8's bonnet and left front fender. The V8's bonnet had a insulating cover on the inside, which we left. Can this be the result of excessive heat build up, as without the blanket, heat can de dissipated freely?

Ok, this is a mouth full, but I love my 300 Tdi, and she drives like a dream, just did 2600 km to and through Baviaanskloof, hassle free, except the occasional high running temperatures.

I would like to get you opinions on this new years quiz.

Many thanks and happy LR km's for 2012.

[Fuel gauge on 95 disco tdi...]

Well, on the same topic, my Disco 300 Tdi '96, the gauge works, and seems to "remember" the poisition of the needle, as it stay put in the position when i switch off.

I never knew there was a low diesel warning light, as i fill up when between 1/4 and empty, untill I actuall went on driving till the gauge showed empty, and then a warning light came on. I was surprized and glad, now I know it works.

[Head Gskt gone on my Discovery in switzerland]

This pouring of 100% concentrate has never made me easy, I premix to the 50% concentrate, and carry a 5 litre can of the pre-mix with the Disco, and 5 litres of engine oil, 500ml of diff/TC oil, 500 ml of ATF and 500 ml brake fluid, it helps if you are in the bush, away from service stations.

[Will the parts of A breaking V8 fit my 300tdi?]

What I do know is that after I T-boned a Toyota Fortuner (close to a Toyota Surf in other hemispheres) with my Discovery I 300 Tdi auto, we stripped a 1996 Disco V8 auto and the following parts fitted and worked: auto box cooler, brake booster, the inside engine bay fitted, but some mounting holes were not in the same position.

[How often should I change my 300Tdi oil now?]

Jim,

I note I used some weird name brands for the oil I use. Here are the correct descriptions:

Engine: Shell Rimula R4

Diffs & TC: Caltex Thurban GL5 ED

Auto box: Caltex Texamatic 1322S Dextron III

I was told not to use full synthetic oil, so I keep with the normal stuff.

Thanks for the oil filter tip, I will do the filter at the 10 000 km oil services.

Enjoy the weekend.

[How often should I change my 300Tdi oil now?]

Hi Jim, I travel to work and back in the Pretoria/Johannesburg peak traffice every day, and do longer trips during the day. My own rule is simple: every 5000 km or 3 months if the 5000 km does not roll up within 3 months. i also change the oil filter every time, and use 50 ppm. when the tank is empty I add 200ml Sasol 2 stroke oil on 89 liters of Sasol, Shell or Engen 50 ppm.

Previous owner cooked the engine, I replaced the head, but later lost the turbo and had excessive blowby, so opted for a new turbo and full engine re-built. The re-built has now done 22 000 km and loosening up quite nice, oil consumption negligable, power good, diesel consumption improvin. I use Shell Rotonda 4X.

[Vacuum Pump Oil Leak]

Well done RaDi90Hybrid,

I had a cheap vacuum pump fitted, and after only 7 months the one welch plug popped, fortunately just as I was pulling into a filling station. I managed to modify with a tube and pipe clamp, and limped back to the nearest town, booked into a guest house and had a Wabco couriered to me.

On removal I was shocked to see that normal aluminum pop rivits were used to hold down the head. The Wabco had propper tube rivits that are compressed on both sides.

Many owners replace even the Wabco's rivits with propper bolts and nuts. If I was doing 110/120 km/h on the high way and the welch plug popped, the engine damage would have been servere.

[Disco 300 Tdi auto transmissiom breathers]

I have been trying to find out if the two gear boxes are fitted with breather pipes/breathers or not. All I can find on my 1996 300 Tdi auto are the two breather pipes fitted to the front and rear differentials.

The dipstick of the auto box keeps on moving slightly upwards. I then pushed the dipstick home and clamped the two retaining clips. The dipstick then stayed in position, but after a trip the ATF leaks at the one couplings to the auto box cooler. This tells me there is a pressure built up inside the box, which is normal as the ATF heats up, but the fact that the dip stick gets pushed up/out means there must shurely be some breather system on the auto box that is blocked. I tried but cannot see anything, and the auto box manual I have does not show any detail.

My TC is performing perfect and no leaks, but shurely that should also have a breather?

I would like to hear from other Disco 1 300 Tdi/V8 auto owners on this one.

Regards

[Disco 1 300 Tdi Alarm/immobilizer/FOB: My frustration and jubilation]

Well the jubilation was short lived, the whole system started playing up again. I then found out that the RSA Land Rovers uses the 433 MHz system, mine has the 315 MHz system. The last straw was last week Thursday evening, having parked near over head power lines, no response, and it rained; I had to hot wire in the rain, got home 4 hours later than planned and............

Made some phone calls, the 433 MHz FOB's are available directly from Land Rover South Africa, or via the non LR Specialists via Land Rover SA at =/- RR850 each, and a new ECU operating on 433 MHz at R 3000 from LRSA, or a unit stripped from a Disco 1 at R 1250.00.

I opted for the used ECU and new FOB's. The spider was faulty, and I had the Land Rover bridge piece installed, and at last.....I can now park any place, near cell phone masts, power lines, satelite yards......the doors opens and closes with the press of the FOB one meter away from the Disco. I still have the full alarm system, but not the imobilizer, which in my opinion was not worth much seeing that it could be hot wired.

[Disco 1 300 Tdi Alarm/immobilizer/FOB: My frustration and jubilation]

For months on end I have been battling with the alarm/immobilizer/twin button remote controller (FOB). The system was totally irratic, sometimes working perfectly, other times forcing me to "hot wire" the Tdi to get going, but never a problem on the run, only when locking or unlocking with the FOB.

I changed batteries, re-soldered both FOB's circuit boards. Due to time constraints I never got around to taking out the spider to check the circuit board for dry joints.

The problem got so bad that the actual Claxon (sounder) burned out from repetitive operation. So, today I decided, enough is enough. I printed the Rave sections on the alarm/immodilzer and started to prepare myself for the job.

I read that if the drivers door switch, or the bonnet switchc is activated the system will not arm properly........

So just as a last resort I opened the bonnet and while holding the bonnet switch in, pressed the lock button on the FOB.....and it worked, from a distance........I let go and the alarm was activated, I could de-activate the alarm from the same distance, up to now I had to press the FOB against the antenna to get a response. Closer inspection showed that the actual plate on which the bonnet switch was mounted, was bent down slightly. I rectified that, and installed an electronic warbler in place of the alarm hooter.

Stood back one and a half meter from the Disco, pressed the FOB, and it worked, pressed to open/disarm, and it worked. Not quite trusting this, I did it a couple of times, and it is still working!

I allready had the Disco booked in to replace the FOB (new FOB +/- R900.00), and re-syncrinize the FOB with the system (another couple of hundred)..........

So I closed the garage, poured myself a stiff shot of my Johnnie Walker Brack Label 12 Year Old........and relaxed.

[Head Gasket or am i missing something?]

Good evening Fozug,

Here are more things to check in your Disco:

1. Does the water level stay constant, or for that matter, is there loss of coolant?

2. With all the work on the radiator and the inter cooler; is the fan shroud re-fitted correctly and docked properly?

3. Were all the rubbers on the sides and front of the radiator frame put back, and if, with the replacement units installed, are they sealing properly to prevent hot air being sucked back to the front of the radiator?

4. Is the bottom front of the radiator frame against the back of the front bumper assembly? A gap will cause air to by-pass the radiator (this was my Disco's root cause for the hight running temperature).

5. Last one: Check the rotational direction of the electric fans in front of the radiator. A change in the wiring polarity can cause them to turn in the wrong direction, thus pulling hot air back, or stalling the air flow in ideal conditions. All radiator/condensor cooling fans must suck air from the front and blow it over the radiator/condensor towards the engine.

I hope one of these will help you.

[Floor pan water leak Disco 1]

For a couple of months my Disco had a "hidden" water leak on the front floor pan, both driver and passanger side. Lifted the carpets and thick padding, found no visible leak, underbody inspection showed nothing.

Then I struck gold. I replaced the two front mud flaps with a new set I bought from Rob Leimer's Land Rovers, Brit Part nogal, but as good as the original at a 10th of the OM part price.

As I removed the brackets below the floor pan, and the steel plate with the studs from inside, I found an additional 8 mm hole on each side, with the left-overs of a plastic grommit on the passanger side, and nothing in the drivers side, the drivers side clearly showing the water ingress path. I sealed both the openings, and sealed around the studs with a silicone/form-a-gasker compound.

[Disco 1 300 Tdi after market bumper]

After my Disco 1 300 Tdi's accident I opted for an after market bumper/bull bar as opposed to replacing the Land Rover bumper assembly. The end result was good. I opted for a no-name brand as it was more afordable than the market types. Two interesting comments:

1. I had a Warn winch fitted at Safari Centre Centurion; they battled as the holes in the bumper assembly did not line up with a Warn winch. They did manage to fit the winch after serious modifications.

2. When I collected my repaired Disco I noted higher engine temperatures, remember I measure the head's temperature directly. The cooling system, fans, viscous coupling checked out fine. I then got in under the nose to check out the winch installation and dicovered a gap between the bottom end front of the radiator, and the grille/bumper. I closed the gap with masonite, and the result was remarkable, the engine now runs 13 deg. C cooler. It ran on 110 to 113 deg. C before the modification.

Moral of the story, check out the mods when fitting an after market bumper.

[Got my Disco back ....................................]

Thanks to Brian Cotton and his team at Landy-on-Line.

I collected my repaired Disco on Thursday afternoon. The nose came off a stripped V8, and the bonus was the mat inside the bonnet, and combined with the Safari snorkel the cab is now extremely quiet inside.

I really missed my Disco, having driven Korean rentals for a month, and now I know why these Land Rovers grow on you.

[300Tdi Overheated - but what is this sensor]

Hi Peter, sorry to hear about your misfortune. There is a saying doing the rounds that Land Rover temperature gauges tend to lie............It is common practive to replace the temerature gauge and sending unit on the Defenders with a VDO gauge, it fits in the same opening the standard gauge fits.

The Tdi's with factory fitted aircons has three sending units around the thermostat housing: One for the temperature gauge, one will bring in the electric condenser fans, irrespective if the aircon is on or not, and the third one I am not shure about.

Here in South Africa we fit one of two aftermarket engine monitoring systems, the Little Black Box or the Madman Engine Monitering System. They work much bettewr than the std LR temperature gauge, and includes a coolant level monitoring/warning system

[One Discovery one Toyata one traffic intersection]

This what a Discovery and Toyota look like when the driver of the Toyota makes a right turn into oncomming traffic. Disco had right of way. Toyota written off due to extent of chassis and body damadge. Land Rover only had body damage, no chassis damage, but due to book value my insurer said they will pay out max write off value and I can keep the Disco. Landy-on-Line is busy with the repairs, at a fraction of the cost a laney panel beater quoted.