Sabre

We replaced the steering box on my son's 300TDi Discovery. We bled the system until the fluid coming out of the bleed nipple was free of any air. But the power steering performs on-and-off. For periods it will be active, and steer like normal, just to loose assistance, and the steering action becomes very heavy. We bled the system again, but the fluid remained bubble free We followed the bleeding process as described in the Haynes manual; Fill the reservoir, turn the wheels in the straight ahead position, start the engine, do not rev above idling, open the bleed screw and allow the oil to flow until no more air bubbled We had to wait a very long time before before the first oil flowed from the bleed screw, something like 20 minutes Did we do it wrong ? Is there another method ?

Thanks Hercu, looks brilliant ! Looks like you moved the washer, jack and wheel chock. I will try this mod

I agree. My father had a Peugeot 404 pick-up that had an oil bath air cleaner. That vehicle traveled dirt roads daily, and the engine lasted a very long time A Donaldson type filter cleans very effectively, but there is no space for one in the engine compartment. And no, I do not want to fit one outside the engine bay, on the fender, as some big trucks have them

Thanks BM, yes the Disco sucks in the air inside the wing. Fortunately I have never had an issue with a wet filter. (But I have seen one on a Jeep Wrangler) I have traveled quite a few km's in Botswana and Namibia, virtually all of them dirt (unsurfaced) roads. Maybe I'll go the snorkel route.

Both my son and I have 300 Tdi Discoveries. When the rocker shaft on his engine broke, we had the engine overhauled. At 310 000 km the cylinders still had honing marks in. The cylinders were given a light hone each, and standard pistons fitted My Disco has done 392 000 km. As mentioned in another thread the cylinders do not bore clean on 20 oversize. My vehicle has traveled way more dust dust roads than my son's. I would put the high wear rates in my cylinders down to the possibility of dust ingress Any suggestions on how I can improve air filtration ? There is no space for a Donaldson, and I am not sure about the effectiveness of a snorkel either. Ideas/suggestions appreciated

So, the wear in the cylinders are rather bad, not boring clean at 20 thou. I do not want to go to 40 thou, so I am opting for a re-sleeve, and going back to standard size pistons The new sleeves I got are Britpart. My parts supplier assures me that Britpart and Bearmach sleeves are the same. Can anyone confirm ? Should I trust Britpart sleeves ?

Shortly after I bought my Disco 300 TDi, I had a discussion with a LR mechanic about maintenance issues. He then mentioned that I should only use MTF, as it is better than ATF, which was the previous oil spec for the R380. He proceeded to take out two plastic bags from a drawer and unpacked the contents. Both lots were R380 gearbox bits, both did about the same mileage. The ones from the ATF box had, visibly, more wear on them than the ones from the MTF box. I have been using MTF ever since I bought my Disco with 120 000km on the speedo, and now, at 392 000km, it shifts as smoothly as ever The problem that I have is that MTF is not that easy to obtain in South Africa as it is in Europe.

So far the crank looks surprisingly good. I have not measured any journals, but a quick look showed no visible damage, in fact they look pretty new But the micrometer will do the talking this coming week-end

I did not have a spare hammer handle, but found a suitable piece of Meranti wood. A fine specimen indeed, but 'twas all I could find. The dimensions of the wood was such that it managed to fit between the con-rod and the piston skirt, and right up against the gudgeon pin . As Charles Bronson exclaimed in "Villa Rides" after he shot 7 convicts with one bullet : "It works !"

Nope, I tried before I posted the question. The castings where the main bearings are situated are too wide to allow the pistons to pass through

Thanks B69. I take it that I need to hit against gudgeon pin then ?

Next question : The cylinders show their age, and have distinct ridges. How do I now remove the pistons, the top compression ring seems to get stuck at the ridge ?

Thanks Red, good info ! By how much can one drop the engine with the aircon and diesel pipes still connected ?

If I ever meet the designer of the 300 TDi, I would like to ask him how on earth do you remove the top bellhousing bolt in a Discovery 1? Seeing that I will probably never get the opportunity, are there any special tools/tips from the informed on this format ? I got it out, but will suffer for days to come from back ache; what a schlep !

Those items were probably designed by a committee.......

The little round disc is probably a valve cap Picture taken from Les Henson's thread on the removal of a 200TDi cylinder head

I think you knew the answer when you posted the question Simple really, you draw the line where your bank manager draws it

Thanks Soren, I agree with your explanation (My mother tongue is also not English, and I understand you perfectly )

The cover plate that encloses the oil pump sits pretty close to the stator & rotor, so close that there are rubbing marks on it. So I agree that there is no other device that stops lateral movement than the plate. But that movement is minimal

I unpacked the new oil pump and it is now clear to me how the pump is driven. The 2 elevated slots in the rotor slide over the edges machined on the crankshaft, and is therefore driven by the crankshaft. The crank pulley bolt plays no part in this Looking at my picture of the rotor, it is clear that the elevated slots and the crank edges, wore each other down. That is why the inside of the old rotor appears relatively "smooth" (No elevated slots) Question now is WHY ?

So, I started stripping the engine, and I am now sure that the oil pump failed. Looking at the pump's location on the crankshaft, I have to ask what drives the oil pump ? No key/location slot in that area. If it is the pressure from the tightening of the crank bolt, the bolt was definitely not loose, took the usual amount of levers to loosen What would cause the damage to the crank and the pump ? Is the crank salvageable ? New oil pump bought already I found small pieces of rubber in the sump, difficult to identify, but it might be be small pieces of an oil seal. I have not had a close look at the seals yet

Thanks chaps, will do so

How do I get a good supply of oil to all the moving parts before I start the engine after the overhaul. No distributor shaft to turn with an electric drill, ala V8

Thanks western, appreciated

I have bought the parts to overhaul my Disco's 300TDi. Looking at the shining new surface on the head, I was wondering if I should give it a light rub/lap to give the head a better grip on the head gasket ? Also, should I lap in the new valves in the new head ?