rb199 Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Right then, here is a one for you, I have just picked up a new caravan (1100kg) and towed it back up the A9 from Perth to Elgin. All was well untill I hit any hill, it would cruise at 60-65 mph on the flat with no problem but with a hill the revs drop off quite quickly, changing down to 4th only seems to help a little with me able to maintain 50 mph ish. The pump has had a mild tweek and it is serviced regularly. It seems to be fine untill 2800-3000 revs and thats when it runs out of steam I have had a look at the turbo pipes and they seem ok. Its does not use any oil and looses no coolant (head gasket ok?) The only thing I can see is some staining on the head. So what do we think all ideas welcome. Cheers Stu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Chances are it is the lift pump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 That was one thought, but would I not see a performance loss normally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 Oh should have said that it has no ERG valve and no CAT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cipx2 Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 What do you mean by "normally"? Can you reach at least 90 mph with it? If not, what's the max speed and what does it do at max speed (smoke, sounds etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 21, 2008 Author Share Posted September 21, 2008 Normally it is happy up to 85-90 and will pull up most hills at 70mph in 5th (not towing). Up until the weekend I had noticed no performance loss and whilst I am aware that towing a caravan will have implications on the performance, I do feel that it should still be good for 60mph in 4th or 5th depending on the hill. It has 120 000 on the clock, is serviced regularly and has had a very mild pump tweek along with de-egr/CAT. So any thoughts are welcome, at the moment I am considering: 1. Interccoler pipe problem 2. Lift pump failure 3. Sedimentor blocked Cheers Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolly Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Mine has never liked hills, thought it was just a Landrover thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 85-90? Up hills at 70? I don't think the poor old engine will last long at that rate. Must be all that sound proofing - we get more Discos with stuffed engines than Defenders as they are easier to drive quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 85-90? Up hills at 70? I don't think the poor old engine will last long at that rate. Must be all that sound proofing - we get more Discos with stuffed engines than Defenders as they are easier to drive quickly. 85-90mph was what it has done once or twice I normally stick to 60mph but it tends to do 60mph up hills too. Am I expecting to much from my Disco. My 300Tdi D90 seemed to pull much better when towing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cipx2 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 If your 300tdi reaches the top speed of 90-95 mph then the engine is delivering full power as supposed to. So no need to worry. Maybe your expectations were a bit too high for the given hill and tow load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Possibly, although I would have thought that a change down to 4th would allow 50mph to be maintained without to much effort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stageonesimmo Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 85-90mph was what it has done once or twice I normally stick to 60mph but it tends to do 60mph up hills too. Am I expecting to much from my Disco. My 300Tdi D90 seemed to pull much better when towing Same engine in a truck that weighs in prolly less than half of the Disco - so the power to wieght ratio will be a lot higher with the D90. It sounds to me as though you're expecting D90 like performance from a truck with the exact same BHP/Torque figures but nearly twice as heavy - no amount of fancy gearing in the TBox will make up for that and still make a useable truck. Your truck sounds fine to me, but I am a bit puzzled by the yellow staining on the block - wierd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb199 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Do'nt get me wrong I'm aware that it will not be the same as the D90 as it is heavier BUT it does not seem to pull well at all above 3000 rpm, so what could be the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stageonesimmo Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Could be a number of things - turbo not giving enough boost, blocked/clogged intercooler, inake hoses de-laminating/worn out, boost leak, fuel filter/sedimenter clogged/leaking air, lift-pump weak, FIP worn, rings/valves/seats worn, head gasket leaking and on and on and on............... Does it do anything like mis-fire or smoke or is it just running out of steam? Have you had the boost checked? Have you done a dip of the coolant to check for combustion products? Just for starters............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mills Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Hi There, I had the same problem on Saturday, towing the caravan to Norwich. I made it much worse by stopping for a break, and on resuming the trip, failed to press the "unlock" button. Fortunately when it died I was in sight of a lay-by and coasted in. The engine re started ok and ticked over ok, but when revved it just died. It turned out to be an air leak into fuel system from the sedimenter. A half of a turn on the drain tap fixed it and its original power was restored. Maybe this is why some people recommend changing the drain plug and washer every time. The rubber washer just lets go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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