new engine suggestions

[fatnold]

i have recently purchased a series 3 disco v8 and i hate it so much that i want to put a new engine in my series 1 just so i don't have to drive the series 3.

so i need a new engine or i need to have the existing rebuilt (as i am a seriously lazy person).

'95 disco, auto. Currently has 4.6 HSE engine. heads are soft, burns oil, blows smoke, has no power and makes death rattle noise. the engine was dropped in about 4 years ago and has about 80k on it.

what are the options for engines that fit in without too much hassle? and who can do decent job of it for me? (in sydney). i have used 2 well known landrover specialists in this town over the years and am pretty dissatisfied with the quality of work from both. so can someone recomend someone who knows what they are doing and do it consistently?

[discoute]

I am not a fan of the 4.6. But I do like the old 3.9. They run smooth and don't seem to have many bad points, Rover V8s run rich thru the full rev range so whatever rover engine you use help it to breath with good filters and keep the good spark to it. If you choose to use an engine like a ford or G.M be aware of cost and time to convert it. If horse power is what you seek I have a supercharged 3.5 available but will cost you in fuel. 26l per 100.

I am not in sydney so sorry can't help with a recomendation on workshops.

glen

[Frenchie]

Why do you hate the D3? :eek:

[PhilipA]

You sound like a man with money!!!!
Well then, a Gen111 is the way to go. Plenty of power. Same weight as 4.6. If that is still not enough stroke one to 419CID.

The adaptors are the same as a 350 chev, except there is an extra engine mount adaptor needed from Advance Adaptors, local agent Marks. There is plenty of knowledge around the place on adapting the GM ECU, and disabling body control functions. See Kalmaker site.

BUT while you can get engines under 5K now, you need to upgrade the ZF. Bruce Davis apparently knows someone in Melbourne who can do it for 8K. I have seen an adaptor recently for a TH700 to LT230 , but I do not know the packagng implicatiions
If you do the work yourself budget 15K, someone to do it 20K.
But you need never feel underpowered and dissatisfied again!!!
Regards Philip A

[Frenchie]

i want to put a new engine in my series 1

A GenIII in a Series I would be awesome. Is it an 80" or 86"? :D

[fatnold]

A GenIII in a Series I would be awesome. Is it an 80" or 86"? :D

sorry, when i say series 1, i mean series 1 disco. (not series as in 'series')

What do i hate about the series 3 disco.....almost everything except the tailgate and the overall look. I also like the length of the load space but the height is limited as compared to my series 1 and the series 2 I had. It sounds nice and has good accelaration.

very unpleasant to drive as far as throttle feel goes. impossible to drive smoothly. it does not feel the same each time you drive it. i end up screaming at the car.i was convinced that there was a problem but the landrover dealer has checked it a couple of times and said that's how it should be.

if you just throw it into a corner the air suspession takes time to catch up and when it does you are pointing the car in the wrong direction. so you need to drive through corners very smoothly otherwise you are continually correcting.

uncomfortable seats, power window controls that you have to reach for, traction control ( i hated that on my series 2 disco) and an extenssive list of others.

so why did i get it? i blew up my baby ('95 disco) and needed a reliable car at short notice that could fit 5 mountain bikes inside. there are not too many choices. plus i liked the look.

now i want to get back to the driving pleasure of my '95. (despite having to use 2 feet on the brakes to pull it up :( )

so new engine required and someone except a St Peters or Annangrove mechanic to look after it.

[51jay]

The 3.5 supercharged engine in Discoutes workshop ia actually a 3.9L with supercharger,and aftermarket chip. It is complete with computer and looms ready to bolt up to a ZF auto. It came from my 93 Vogue when I swapped to diesel. It is running a low 5psi boost and feels about the same as a good 4.6L. uses between 18 and 20+ l/100 depending on how heavy your foot is. a good tuner should see a light foot about same as a stock 3.9L. Boost can of course be increased with big increases in HP (and fuel usage)

[dobbo]

A new HEMI crate motor would be nice (if you could get it into the engine bay)

[p38arover]

i have recently purchased a series 3 disco v8 and i hate it so much that i want to put a new engine in my series 1 just so i don't have to drive the series 3.

so i need a new engine or i need to have the existing rebuilt (as i am a seriously lazy person).

'95 disco, auto. Currently has 4.6 HSE engine. heads are soft, burns oil, blows smoke, has no power and makes death rattle noise. the engine was dropped in about 4 years ago and has about 80k on it.

What do you mean by heads are soft?

Ditto the death rattle noise? I had a similar noise on my 4.6 which turned out to be a broken auto trans flex plate.


what are the options for engines that fit in without too much hassle? and who can do decent job of it for me? (in sydney). i have used 2 well known landrover specialists in this town over the years and am pretty dissatisfied with the quality of work from both. so can someone recomend someone who knows what they are doing and do it consistently?

Wouldn't the easiest be to fix the 4.6? I thought the two specialists you used were OK. Where do you live - east, west, north, south? It would help to point you to others. I use KLR Automotive at Penrith for work I can't do myself.

Ron

[ak]

Why do you hate the D3? :eek:

Are you talking about the 2005 Discovery 3? Whats wrong with it? As I will upgrade to a D3 one day would like to know what's wrong with it?

[51jay]

He states what he didn't like about the D3 further up the thread. It would prob be ok if you could afford to trade up to a new one when the warantee runs out...but who wants that much ongoing cash tied up in a daily user

[ak]

sorry, when i say series 1, i mean series 1 disco. (not series as in 'series')

What do i hate about the series 3 disco.....almost everything except the tailgate and the overall look. I also like the length of the load space but the height is limited as compared to my series 1 and the series 2 I had. It sounds nice and has good accelaration.

very unpleasant to drive as far as throttle feel goes. impossible to drive smoothly. it does not feel the same each time you drive it. i end up screaming at the car.i was convinced that there was a problem but the landrover dealer has checked it a couple of times and said that's how it should be.

if you just throw it into a corner the air suspession takes time to catch up and when it does you are pointing the car in the wrong direction. so you need to drive through corners very smoothly otherwise you are continually correcting.

uncomfortable seats, power window controls that you have to reach for, traction control ( i hated that on my series 2 disco) and an extenssive list of others.

so why did i get it? i blew up my baby ('95 disco) and needed a reliable car at short notice that could fit 5 mountain bikes inside. there are not too many choices. plus i liked the look.

now i want to get back to the driving pleasure of my '95. (despite having to use 2 feet on the brakes to pull it up :( )

so new engine required and someone except a St Peters or Annangrove mechanic to look after it.

OK sorry reread the thread and found what he hated about the D3.

So what about you other D3 owners do you hate it too? Is this car that won all those awards really that bad? Would like to know about other owners experiences. Sorry about hijacking the thread a little but sure others may be wondering the same.

[Tusker]

Are you sure its worth throwing big money at a 95 disco? What's it worth? Would it really be worthwhile?

Seems to me a rebuild on the existing 4.6 would be the most cost effective. Even a 4.6 swap would minimise the rego hassles - assuming you've got an eng cert for the current 4.6.

Regards
Max P