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Thread: Disco 4 Turbo Diesel V8

  1. #1
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    Disco 4 Turbo Diesel V8

    Hi All



    You probably already seen the missus post our project up on FB or Insta already, but I thought I would make a thread on here for a more targeted discussion.
    Below is all the info you need to know on the project to get caught up;

    Discovery 4 Turbo Diesel V8 Conversion

    Conversion Included

    • 3.6L Turbo Diesel V8 (Ford Lion, designed for a Range Rover Sport L320)
    • 6 Speed Gearbox for above engine
    • Active Roll Control Swaybars
    • Full set of Range Rover Sport ECUs (shows a RRS on startup)


    Outstanding Work (any help welcomed)
    • Bootlid open fault - RRS bootlid sensors installed and vehicle computer confirms bootlid closed... but still tells me its open when closed!
    • Rear Aircon Not Configured - This one is pretty obvious, L320 doesnt have a rear AC, so no option on configuration editing tools to even include or add it.


    Accessories Currently Fitted
    • 110L Brown & Davis Extended Tank
    • Full length stainless steel 'straight-pipe' exhaust (surprisingly quiet for no resonators or mufflers, but a great note!)
    • Front and Rear electric diff locks
    • EGR Deletes
    • TuffAnt 18" alloy rims, with 265/65 Nitto Ridge Grapplers
    • Clearview Mirrors (Yes I know you all hate them, but we need them to tow our house!)
    • Raised Towhitch (First mod I did was **** off the plow!)
    • Custom Badges
    • Bumper sticker that only LR nuts will get


    Accessories either in progress or in postage
    • Custom engine & gearbox tune (targeting 250Kw with 760Nm)
    • Terrafirma discrete winch mount with Sherpa 16,000Lb Steed winch
    • Full set of underbody protection
    • Custom paint job from door handles down in black Raptor protective coating
    • Rijidij Rear spare mount
    • Full length ARB roof rack with 4x spotlights
    • ARB Air compressor mounted under chassis
    • Watermist injection system, and intercooler spray system


    Works Completed By
    • Mechanical installations - Silver Lining Automotive and Myself
    • Electrical Installations - Silver Lining Automotive
    • Custom Exhaust - Tonys Mufflers (Sydney)
    • Configuration & Coding - Silver Lining Automotive & Old Jaguar (Sydney)


    Total Outlay So Far
    ~$50,000 (Not including hidden costs)

    Why Did We Do It?

    Why not? Haha!
    Real story though, it seemed like the most practical option on paper to begin with, but ended up being more costly (both time and money) than anything else we considered. Long story short, unless you have a spare $100k to burn, and another daily driver to keep you going for a year, don't even think about it!

    We came from Land Cruiser territory, so once we got a taste of a family 4x4 that wasn't a glorified farm tractor, we were hooked on a disco 4. I sold my weekender E39 M5 (also my dream car) to get one. We bought it 2 years ago with 80,000km on the clock for $32k, and for our big adventurous family, it was perfect. We absolutely loved our disco, so when it snapped a crank in Feb 2021, it was absolutely devastating!

    With no second car, we were forced to borrow the mother-in-laws hatchback to get around. But with 4 kids... we wouldn't be able to travel as a family until we get another family car. We were in for a lockdown longer than the government were willing to impose on us, and it would drive us almost to insanity.

    I had to start talking options with my mechanic.

    Option 1 - V6 replacement... Our engine was welded solid, so there was almost nothing salvageable. Cost would be upward of $30k, and the result would be a 2nd hand V6 that may or may not snap another crank...

    Option 2 - Buy another disco 4... This option SHOULD have been the most viable. Considering we got a D4 for $32k with 80,000km 2 years ago, another D4 with 120,000km (the mileage we had when we snapped crank) should be well under $30,000 by now when accounting for depreciation... We buy a replacement D4 for ~$28k, then part off our bricked one for ~$10k... Leaving us only about $18k out of pocket and back on the road in a few weeks... But this was post covid times... there was not a D4 on the market close to replacing our one for any less than $55k... At this point, I was contemplating taking one off Land Rover at gunpoint... we all know they deserve it for this KNOWN design fault.

    Option 3 - Convert it to another engine. We considered the petrol V8, but why not do a diesel V8 if we are converting the engine anyway? On paper it looked to be no more expensive than a V6 replacement. This is because the 3.6L TDV8's don't seem to blow up like the TDV6's do. So wreckers find the V8s harder to sell, and henceforth they are cheaper. It was estimated to only take about a month or so for the project to be done, only because there was a lot of unknowns about the conversion that was expected to take a few weeks longer than a standard engine replacement.

    So that was our rationalization for our decision. It definitely didn't go as expected, even when factoring in unknown issues. But I will post about that later when I have time.

    Stay tuned for part 2!!
    Last edited by LRD414; 23rd December 2021 at 03:45 PM. Reason: Fixed photo link

  2. #2
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    Sounds like a great job, the only thing similar I've seen, is one that featured in one of the Land Rover monthly magazines, either LROwners or LRMonthly I forget which.
    2005 D3 TDV6 Present
    1999 D2 TD5 Gone

  3. #3
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    Wow, I have often wondered about that conversion because the engine is just awesome, but the rrs body is not one I like. Almost makes me wanna toast the 3.0l on purpose to justify the conversion. Watching with very keen interest.

  4. #4
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    Followed the FB posts with interest... Nice work!

  5. #5
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    Brad

    Great write up.

    Could you elaborate a bit more about electric diff locks.
    Cheers

    Chuck

    MY 23.5 P300 110 Defender with Ediff & ATPC
    MY 21 76 Series Landcruiser
    Ex D1, D2, D2a, D3, D4, Prado, D4, D5,
    73 series 3 109 Truck Cab Tray Body, 79 Series,

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by chuck View Post
    Brad

    Great write up.

    Could you elaborate a bit more about electric diff locks.
    Sure!

    In its past life, my Disco only had the front locker installed, which I think is standard. The rear locker was an optional extra on the D4, and its quite rare to find one with it.

    While we had the body off doing the conversion, I had a genuine rear locker installed. And while we were uploading the new config for the V8, I had it programmed in too.

    Now when I go into 4x4 mode, the beast will turn both front and rear lockers on and off as it needs. Where before it would only use the front locker to pull the car out of a bog, it now uses both lockers to crawl through it like its not even there. 😁

    You wont be able to tell if your disco has a rear locker by looking at the info screen, because even if it doesnt have one, it still shows a rear locker icon unlocked. You can look under at the diff to see if it has a black motor hanging out the side, but the easiest way is to turn the ignition on without cranking the engine, and you will hear a buzz and a click under the car. Thats the locks doing a duty cycle. If you hear the same noise under the front, and another down back, you got the optional rear locker!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by BernHard View Post
    Sure!

    In its past life, my Disco only had the front locker installed, which I think is standard. The rear locker was an optional extra on the D4, and its quite rare to find one with it.

    While we had the body off doing the conversion, I had a genuine rear locker installed. And while we were uploading the new config for the V8, I had it programmed in too.

    Now when I go into 4x4 mode, the beast will turn both front and rear lockers on and off as it needs. Where before it would only use the front locker to pull the car out of a bog, it now uses both lockers to crawl through it like its not even there. 😁

    You wont be able to tell if your disco has a rear locker by looking at the info screen, because even if it doesnt have one, it still shows a rear locker icon unlocked. You can look under at the diff to see if it has a black motor hanging out the side, but the easiest way is to turn the ignition on without cranking the engine, and you will hear a buzz and a click under the car. Thats the locks doing a duty cycle. If you hear the same noise under the front, and another down back, you got the optional rear locker!

    No disco or RRS came with or had a front locker as an option so you might want to check that, infact i dont think any Landrover ever built had a front locker as an option or factory fitted.
    MY08 TDV6 SE D3- permagrin ooh yeah
    2004 Jayco Freedom tin tent
    1998 Triumph Daytona T595
    1974 VW Kombi bus
    1958 Holden FC special sedan

  8. #8
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    So been through all the issues of installing a TDV8 but does not know about no OEM diff lock being fitted to the D4 - if that research is lacking what else is lacking. Just put ARB airlockers in front and rear, though need to change the rear D4 diff to a D3 diff to do it.

    Followed Disco Mickey's TDV8 installation on the RRS UK forum - now that was a nice piece of work,
    REMLR 243

    2007 Range Rover Sport TDV6
    1977 FC 101
    1976 Jaguar XJ12C
    1973 Haflinger AP700
    1971 Jaguar V12 E-Type Series 3 Roadster
    1957 Series 1 88"
    1957 Series 1 88" Station Wagon

  9. #9
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    Bernard

    Thanks for the response - thought you may have come across a locker that can be retrofitted to a D5.

    Hopefully Rhino will do a winch bumper next year and that will be my locker!!

    Cheers
    Cheers

    Chuck

    MY 23.5 P300 110 Defender with Ediff & ATPC
    MY 21 76 Series Landcruiser
    Ex D1, D2, D2a, D3, D4, Prado, D4, D5,
    73 series 3 109 Truck Cab Tray Body, 79 Series,

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by chuck View Post
    Bernard

    Thanks for the response - thought you may have come across a locker that can be retrofitted to a D5.

    Hopefully Rhino will do a winch bumper next year and that will be my locker!!

    Cheers
    Haha, yes a winch is certainly a good substitute for a locker, but if you are ever trying to steal dino dna from Jurassic park and crash in a bog, use the locker instead. 😂

    And when I say "lockers" i meant the stock E-diffs. Sorry for the confusion. The reason why is because the "common" definition of a lock is to achieve torque equilibrium through a sliding collet with teeth. But an engineers definition of a lock is to achieve torque equilibrium... whether through sliding collets, or clutch plates, the method doesn't matter. If torque equilibrium is achieved, the diff is locked. And it is therefore, a diff... locking... device... built for the purpose of locking a diff... and therefore is, by definition of its very name, a diff locker.

    The reason why there is a community divided between people who say e-diffs lock and people who dont is because e-diffs were originally designed to be used in sports cars and road based awd's. So for the greater part of the e-diffs life, they were designed to increase torque within the diff, but were never designed to achieve torque equilibrium (or a lock). So 4x4 nuts hated it when engineers started using sports car tech for an offroad purpose. Especially after they just paid an arm and a leg to get comparable farm machinery installed. 😅

    But... if you beef up the clutch plates, and increase the mechanical load on the motor, you can achieve torque equilibrium just like the clutch in a manual does. This is what all land rover e-diffs do when in offroad mode. When the equilibrium is achieve, the diff is locked, and the symbol on the screen showing a lock is lit up.

    So yea, it achieves lock, by using clutch plates instead of a sliding collet. And the best thing about using clutch plates over a "typical" aftermarket locker is that you don't break stuff! The clutch in the e-diff will slip before you snap a CV, and it means absolutely nothing to the mechanics of the thing because they are designed to slip when on road. Just pick a better line and try again. But a collet locker won't slip if you approach the rated sheer torque of your cv shafts. It will just snap them clean and ruin your day.

    So if you are thinking about replacing your e-diffs with an aftermarket sliding collet locker that was originally designed for farm tractors, DON'T! Your car already mechanically achieves the same thing, and is far more capable and reliable with the e-diff (haha! That statement will ruffle some feathers! 🤣&#129315 But if you don't have one in the back, its a relatively easy install because they come as an option, and your computer is already programmed to use it.

    Anyway, im sure ill cop **** for this reply. Not even 24 hours on this forum and some other bloke is already flinging **** at me for not knowing as much as he does about my profession. Just reminds me why Im an intorvert and never did forums. 😅

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