EdF

I was contemplating buying a TD5 Disco automatic as my wife can't drive a manual due to left leg injuries. Over a few months we looked at three and all were very sluggish compared to a manual and not much fun to drive. I know the power can be upped with a chip or a re-map, but the auto box didn't seem very good, sort of 'all revs and no go'. We already have a Tiptronic VW Passat and there was simply no comparison to that, so we went off the idea and I went and bought yet another 90 instead.. However, it's not ideal for what we want and I'm going to have to reconsider a Disco. Is there any way to improve the auto gearbox?

I think you've simply found someone with a bad experience of TD5's.. I'm currently running my 6th TD5 powered vehicle and have never had any problems. Once looked at one which belonged to a friend as she had been told my her mechanic to 'get rid quick as the turbo was going' because there was a noise from the turbo area on accelerating. It simply had a nut missing from the far end of the exhaust manifold. I read somewhere that a 'fix' for the manifold if it's problematical is to remove it and grind out the webs between the 'tubes'. This allows it to flex more.. Some people are fixated on 200/300TDis, some on TD5's. Land Rover Owner magazine recently stated that the Defender TD5 was THE Landy to own. Good enough for me, I have one..

Thanks for all the info. I discovered that my 17 cu/ft/min compressor isn't man enough to cope with the spraygun and the mask. It was the biggest compressor I could find at the time which would work from a domestic supply (16 amp circuit, not from a 13amp plug) but until now I didn't need the air fed mask. That meant it was very difficult to maintain a good spray pattern as the pressure was waning away, but I got the lacquer on with no runs. I was doing 90 rear side panels as a previous owner had installed rear side windows and water had got behind the seal and the paint and 'white rust' was getting into the metal. Luckily there isn't much of a panel to paint. Unfortunately they aren't Landy pattern windows but the type with the rubber seal and the locking bead in the centre. I suppose I'm going to have to use silicone to seal them this time, which will be messy.

Just a little add-on.. The lacquer is Tetrosyl Clearcoat and after a little searching, found a link to the data sheets, in case anyone else is contemplating using this stuff. http://www.tetrosyl.com/index.cfm?page=74 Jonost, if I'm a rapper (whatever that is) what are you?

Thanks guys, it's a base and lacquer.. It has gone off to an acceptable (though not perfect) finish, which surprised me.. The supplier is a big local hardware/tool store and about the only place in my area which sells auto paint. Didn't get any info with the paint at all.. Knew about the lethal side effects, though, being an ex-safety officer. I was only told the mixing proportions for the paint thinner and the hardener for the lacquer.. It worries me that with their lax attitude someone would have a go using it with only a dust mask. Any thoughts about applying the lacquer? Just about to do it .. Another little query, the Warn winch has got a bit corroded and I'm about to take it off and spruce it up. Is there any bulletproof paint I can get for that and the fairlead? Obviously they are quite small items. I don't rate Hammerite!

Just started to spray two pack on two panels on my 90 - Blenheim Metallic. After long prep work, thinking at first I could do it with aerosols (which poured paint over my hands and were returned...) I decided to buy two pack. I've sprayed a Landy before with an 'ordinary' paint (Super Traffic) and did okay, but this is spattering slightly, even though I'm putting on the thinnest of coats and it's giving a poor finish. Anyone any ideas? And yes, I'm using an air-fed facemask and I have a 17 cu/ft/min compressor with a HVLP spraygun. Is metallic difficult to apply DIY?

Well, the above isn't the whole story. I've had about 6 or 7 TD5 engined Land Rovers, mostly 90's, and I do my own servicing generally. With the Disco TD5 I sold, as it was nearly new I felt compelled to keep the service history up to date. Having all the previous owners receipts for servicing, I was horrified at how much it was costing - £600 to £1,000 for routine servicing. It was under warranty so no expensive faults rectified into that, so I decided I wasn't going down THAT road, and sold it on before it needed another service. With a recent vehicle it seems one can lose a lot of money on resale, or not be able to sell it if it hasn't got a good service history. I feel it's a bit of a nonsense. The 90 I bought recently went in for a main dealer 'service' just before I bought it. They changed the engine oil and the centrifugal filter and topped up the washer bottle, nothing else.. Go figure. You or I would do a darned sight more than that, but someone interested in buying your motor wouldn't want to know (usually) without that stamp in the book.

Not sure how many new Disco owners look here, but... We are thinking of selling all three of our motors and buying a TDV6. I've had nearly new TD5 Disco's before and the main dealer routine servicing costs were ridiculous, leading me to sell one of them. Does anyone know if the new ones are the same? Being even more complex (I think), I suspect they are even worse!

Just bought a new CD changer for the 90's C42 radio/cassette. Anyone have a good place to hide it? Incidentally, it was £20 plus vat & carriage from Brookwells http://www.brookwell.co.uk/acatalog/philip...-head-unit.html Okay, it's listed as for a Freelander, but how much different can it be?

The only 'offroading' I know is the Corrieyairack Pass, but it's pretty boring, 15 miles of track and it's impassable due to rain wash-out. Best bet is to try and go to a trial, I suppose, Highland 4WD Club, Scottish Offroaders, Scottish LR Owners. I was really aiming my post at those up here already as there are virtually no 'social events'. They're a shy lot, though.. http://www.slroc.co.uk/ http://www.sorc.org.uk/ http://highland4x4.21.forumer.com/index.php

Being in the early stages of senility, I couldn't remember what Kevin at KAM said! It's one job I have never done so I'm not familiar with the in's and out's (or the shake it all about) but I knew someone on here would! Incidentally, I've had an email from Jon (Venture Overland) who says that a certain Land Rover specialist he spoke to debating the pro's and con's of the various gearing options had half of the overdrives he has sold returned faulty - due to the electronics mostly. We're going to wait to see what this new overdrive will be like. One of the best magazine cartoons I ever saw was about Jericho (the city). A bunch of guys pole up at what's left of the city wall and one at the front says, "we've had buglars."

Back one is no sweat, but the front is no doubt trickier, though the KAM man says there's a trick to it without disconnecting everything on the hubs.. No doubt someone on here knows it. An option of course is to send Rakeways the diffs by carrier, all depends on personal spannering ability. I have heard from Jon Kelly who runs Venture Overland and who owns my previous 90, that a new overdrive is soon to be introduced by'Overdrives'. Jon has a shiny 110 DC pick-up so the diffs are not an option.

Doh, okay how do you know??!! Anyway, I've had contact with KAM and they say several 300TDi owners have fitted their crownwheels and pinions successfully and reckon a TD5 should be okay too, although they don't know any TD5 owners who have fitted them. They do make a 25% difference, not 32% and it sounds about right to me. The downside is that KAM are out of stock and won't have any for about 6 months.. I'm on their waiting list.. At Rakeways, the diffs are £432 a pair, fitting the crownwheels and pinions is £90 for each diff and £360 for removing the difs from the vehicle and replacing them.. They will only fit 90's, not 110's..

I gather from your answer that the RR gears won't fit the 90/Disco transfer box, hence fitting the entire 'box.. I did ask Dave Ashcroft if there was another ratio option other than the Disco one and he didn't mention the 1:1003 which is listed on his site as an option, but maybe not for a 90. I'll ask him specifically about it. I would have thought that if a RR V8 can pull that ratio, then a 150bhp TD5 (with more torque) could as well.. I'd like to find out if the vehicle is driveable using the KAM crownwheel and pinion ratios.. I'm going to contact KAM to see if they can tell me of anyone who has had it done so I can speak to them. Rakeway, a company in Staffs, who also do this sort of work, have put many KAM diffs into Landys with big 6.5 litre GMC diesels but that's a bit different to a TD5! Price inc. everything is about £1000 plus vat.

I've bought yet another 90 TD5.. On my last two I got Ashcrofts to change the transfer box final drive ratios to the Discovery gearing, which made a good difference (15%) lessening the revs at speed. (Why DO LR over gear them?? Not everyone wants to pull a trailer load of sheep everywhere..). However, I felt with the last two motors that a greater difference would be more comfortable and less noisy as there was still a tendency to 'look for another gear' at speed. Both of them had performance chips, this one has had a remap. The only other gearing option, apart from an overdrive which I don't want, is to change the differential ratios. KAM make crownwheel and pinion sets of 2.83:1 (standard gearing is 3.54:1) and there seems to be a bit of conflict over what percentage difference this makes, Dave Ashcroft says 32% and thinks it's too much of a change, a company called Rakeway who use KAM products say 24%, KAM says 'up to 25%'. Anyway, I suppose the best opinion would be from someone that has done it already as guessing one way or the other is not like driving it... Any takers?? It's a bit expensive to get it done and find out it IS too much.. Thanks!

Are there any Highland Landy owners interested in a pub meet?

Thanks for that Stuart, but the LaSalle trim panels are blank to take any size of window. I have to take the windows out as the paint is bubbling around them with the dreaded tin worm (no sealant, I suspect), so it'd be a good time to put the trims in and cut them to the size of the 'ole. I don't know if the windows are genuine LR as I don't get the motor until midweek, but they look it at first glance, although they are tinted quite a dark grey and I don't reckon I've seen gen LR ones like that..

Many thanks, LaSalle it was, - £207.. yikes.. Also left enquiry for Equicar..

I'm about to buy a 90 hardtop with side windows put into it. Does anyone know the supplier of the trim panels which go around the windows in the back? I remember seeing an ad some time back, but can't find them now. Looked at Exmoor and the main advertisers in the mags. Thanks

I'm hoping to buy a nearly new TD5 90, but we had a 1999 TD5 Disco earlier in the year and a 2001 90 TD5 last year and she couldn't manage either.. Since posting here I found a post on another forum stating that JE Engineering will do this mod., though I dread to think what the price would be. My own preference, money no object, would be an auto box from Ashcrofts, as I hate the long travel, laborious shifting on a 90 and we have an automatic diesel car which is great. We would never go back to a manual box on our main transport and would only tolerate a manual 90 as there's no viable alternative. Where are these remote servo's from, LR90? Thanks to those who have replied so far..

Rather than go to the expense of having a 90 converted to automatic, I believe it's possible to fit a servo to the clutch as I've seen previous posts a while ago which I can't now find. My wife can't push down an ordinary clutch on a Landy due to two serious left leg injuries, though she can drive our Renault Master nagbox with no problem, which has an 'easy' pedal. Does anyone know how to go about this, please?

Talking today to a friend who's a Disco TD5 owner and telling him that I'm looking for another (an old TD5 auto under £8k if anyone has one for sale). He mentioned he knows a guy who has started a BioFuel production plant (from crops, not a chip shop). He said he was worried about the future of his motor as he understood from the BioFuel producer that BioFuel is going to be added to diesel in increasing quantities over the next five years to help alleviate our dependency on crude oil. He's worried as he believes TD5's won't run on Biofuel (or a mixture) at all due to the injector design. Can anyone throw any light on this?? Should we all revert to TDi's? A side topic is - why is the government paying farmers not to use land (set-aside) when it could be put to good use growing crops for making BioFuel? Or is it that no government dept. could organise it efficiently?

I fully restored a 1987 V8 90 over 2½ years. The easiest method I found, especially if you're planning to keep the motor a while, is to replace the doors. It's not as expensive as you may think. Mine were £135 from Paddocks. The sills are very cheap but I'm surprised they have 'gone' so soon. They are held on by 10mm bolts and come off quite easily (usually!) and they come off if you can reach the bolts with an angle grinder... Could always replace with rock sliders.. Swapping over all the fiddly bits from an old door to a new one is time consuming but not difficult. You'd probably be wise to replace the 'U' shaped 'runners' for the windows. Best to have the new door sprayed up first, put them both on a big table (not the kitchen one..) and move it all over. Spraying I found quite easy the first time, but it helps if you've got some good gear and a sensible paint.. I used something called 'Super Traffic' which is still available if you know where to look and I got a good match with the Landy blue/grey. It was easy to apply and your local automotive paint supplier should be able to advise.. The door frames (that is, the frame of the door, not the recess it closes into) usually rot as well, and if you have 'different metal corrosion' that is, where the steel frame has reacted with the alloy panels, you can't stop it.. It's not like rust, it's a chemical reaction rather than just oxidation. Bubbling paint caused by this was quite a common warranty claim, Land Rover never seem to have totally cured it, although them making the doors out of all steel will probably do it these days. I believe it's also possible to buy door skins, the alloy outer panels, which may be an easier job. The frames were shot on mine so that wasn't an option. I have a shortcut for replacing other panels, such as the seat box end panels. I removed the seat box, drilled through the spot welds using a drill the same size as 'Landy size' pop rivets, took the old panels to a sheet metal workshop (they did ventilation ducting) and got them to make new duplicates and refitted them using pop rivets. Sprayed up you wouldn't know they weren't originals. Cost a darned sight less than a new seat box..

I'd dearly like to drop an auto box into my TD5 90 (my wife has a a knackered left knee) but although I can get the Disco 2 auto box quite cheap, the electrics would baffle me and I'm not sure it's possible anyway. Do Ashcrofts really fit an earlier 'box? Ashcrofts quoted me £4500 recently which I can't justify as we have an auto Passat as a main car.. Any advice welcome.. I'm 'tooled up' for anything - except electrics! Maybe a written-off Disco 2 auto would be the easiest route?