Buying advice for Discovery 4

[CALSTED]

Hi,

I'm a first time user of the forum and was wondering if anyone could give me some buying advice?
I am looking at a July 2014 Discovery HSE, the trim and paintwork is in good condition and it has near new Pirelli ATR tyres. My concern is that it has done 223,000Km
It has a pretty good service history (see attached photo) from what I can see a pretty good LR mechanic (Superior Automotive Group Brisbane). Serviced every year. It has belts done, Transmission oils Done and Transfer case and diff oils done.
It runs great, but with 223,000KM, how much life is left in that engine provided I keep up the service?
Am I better off looking at a lower spec car with lower KMs?

Cheers,

Christian

[V8Ian]

What motor?

[CALSTED]

SDV6

[discomatt69]

Unless there is record of additional service I would not touch it, the 3 l v6 should be serviced every 10-12,000km, some of the service intervals might be 12 months but the km are way to long between oil changes
Also keep in mind you will be playing crank lotto with the 3l

[PerthDisco]

It’s interesting as I’ve looked at few D 4s going cheap and you can visit the service record online and see some dealer serviced but with 25 k km and more intervals. Shocking.

There are super bargains in the D 3 world with cars hitting multi glitch mode in the 200 kms zone and buyers abandoning. The first limp mode of a failing fuel pump and a 5 to 10k estimate for repairs is too much. If you’re not into DIY there’s a lot of issues that will break your heart.

[DieselLSE]

Look, I don't like the 32,000km gap between one of the oil changes, but there could have been an undocumented change in between. The very first thing you MUST do is arrange for an engine oil pressure test. Dead easy to do and the procedure and expected results are in the workshop manual (albeit not very clearly explained). This will tell you whether the engine has some life left in it or not.

[CALSTED]

Thanks for all the advice. It’s hard to know what you are going to end up with. I might try to look for a lower km car with more service history. Just out of curiosity how many KMs can these SDV6 engines go if maintenance is done correctly?

[V8Ian]

It really is a lottery, some have crank failure at low kilometres, some are still going well, in excess of 300k.
An excellent service history does not guarantee not breaking a crank at low kilometres.
Some fellows are replacing failed motors with Territory units.

[CALSTED]

I looked at another car that had a 185,000 km SDV6. I had an engine rebuild July 2024 with new crank, pistons, injectors, machined cylinder at a mechanic that looks to get very good reviews. Would that be a better option to for something like that?

[scarry]

It really is a lottery, some have crank failure at low kilometres, some are still going well, in excess of 300k.
An excellent service history does not guarantee not breaking a crank at low kilometres.
Some fellows are replacing failed motors with Territory units.

Territory motors are the 2.7L.

For the OP,if you can't do repairs yourself,and want to risk possibly an engine failure,then it is all a very expensive lottery as Ian has said.

The D4 can end up costing more than the vehicle is worth in repairs,over a short period of time.

We had one for almost ten years,so i know how they roll.

Good luck with your decision.

[V8Ian]

Territory motors are the 2.7L.

For the OP,if you can't do repairs yourself,and want to risk possibly an engine failure,then it is all a very expensive lottery as Ian has said.

The D4 can end up costing more than the vehicle is worth in repairs,over a short period of time.

We had one for almost ten years,so i know how they roll.

Good luck with your decision.
Don't fit in the same hole as a 3.0? Gearbox compatibility issues?

[DiscoJeffster]

Don't fit in the same hole as a 3.0? Gearbox compatibility issues?

Yes you can swap a 2.7L long with a failed 3L and its accessories and it works fine. It has been done a few times. You end up with a 2.7 TT engine so a little less grunt but they say not too notice generally speaking.

[BradC]

I've thought about it a lot. I love my D3, but the D4 has all sorts of extra nice stuff. The problem is getting a D4 with 3 pedals. They don't exist except as a base model industrial in the UK.

[discomatt69]

A few things to consider
D4 is arguably the best 4 wd available
the rear axle load limit is a issue if towing
the engine can die any time , fingers gets crossed for mine
they are much cheaper then any other option so that difference can pay for considerable repairs and maintenance
all older 4wds cost a lot to maintain, check out the cost of a set of injectors for a 200…

[loanrangie]

I would only buy a D4 if i had a 2.7 long block on a stand ready to go and would fit it myself.

[PerthDisco]

I've thought about it a lot. I love my D3, but the D4 has all sorts of extra nice stuff. The problem is getting a D4 with 3 pedals. They don't exist except as a base model industrial in the UK.

When they dropped the headrest hand grips Discos were never the same again.

[DiscoDB]

The issues with the 3.0 has put me off progressing to the D4. The crank failures are just too random for my liking.

I would go with either the 2.7, the 5.0, or only go with a 3.0 if it was a recently installed new replacement engine sourced from JLR. I would be very wary of a rebuilt engine.

[scarry]

check out the cost of a set of injectors for a 200…

Pretty rare to need a full set,unless it has done350 to 400,000Km,and been serviced properly.

The neighbours had one that did 360,000Km,6 yrs old,a heap of dirt road Ks,not one repair.Traded on a new one,12 months ago.
Most of the services done by themselves,the rest done at the dealer at St George.
Stock with just a bar and side rails.

Their LC300 has already had the 7th injector,which is for for the DPF, needing an extra clean or something along those lines.
It brought up a fault code.

[sharmy]

Has anyone yet to try the cheap replacement engines from Ali Express or know anything about them.

[CALSTED]

Look, I don't like the 32,000km gap between one of the oil changes, but there could have been an undocumented change in between. The very first thing you MUST do is arrange for an engine oil pressure test. Dead easy to do and the procedure and expected results are in the workshop manual (albeit not very clearly explained). This will tell you whether the engine has some life left in it or not.

So i found out from the internet that the oil pressure is supposed to be:
0.5-1 bar at idle
1.9 bar at 2500 RPM
3.4 bar at 3500RPM

Is this correct? Just so I know what to check for. And assuming the oil pressure hit these numbers, the engine should be in fairly good condition?

Cheers,
Christian

[V8Ian]

I may be way off here but, haven't crank failures been attributed to big end and/or main bearings prematurely wearing, causing said bearings to spin?
This being the case, wouldn't a presumptive replacement of the bearings, with a superior composition, future proof the engine?
Can the sump be removed with the engine in situ, allowing new bearings to be rolled in?

[BradC]

Nobody has a definitive answer on the bearing issue. I've read everything from soft cranks through to the block shifting as it ages. A preemptive bearing roll sounds like a good idea, and I've done a lot of reading on it but still not managed to find out if it's actually possible.

I've read somewhere there is a youtube video of some bloke in Eastern Europe doing it, but I've been comprehensively unsuccessful in finding it.

[RANDLOVER]

Yes, but the diff has to come out to get the sump pan out the way, actually I think there's two pans. My mechanic doesn't like doing it for inspection as the bearing caps may not go back exactly unless they are cold break conrods, not sure how all this applies to fitting new shells in situ.

[DiscoJeffster]

Mine got new bearings at 225,000km. It’s now 385,000km. The engine was removed as part of a body off but it wasn’t a complete strip down, and was done from the bottom, leaving the heads in place.

[Graeme]

Yes, but the diff has to come out to get the sump pan out the way, actually I think there's two pans.The 2.7 has 2 pans, the 3.0 only 1.

[BradC]

Mine got new bearings at 225,000km. It’s now 385,000km. The engine was removed as part of a body off but it wasn’t a complete strip down, and was done from the bottom, leaving the heads in place.

I can see that on an engine stand. You just flip it over, and pull the crank out. Easy if it's out of the car. What I'm wondering is if it can be done with the crank mostly in place? I've done it once on a much simpler and smaller motor. I made up a pin that went into the oil hole in the crank, and as I rotated the crank by hand it slipped the bearing shell out. I could then push the new one in the same way (no tabs or pins on these).

Looking at what I've been able to find on the net, I can see that working for the middle bearings, but I don't know how they're managed at the nose and thrust ends.

I suppose if you drop the oil pump and gearbox you could drop the crank out entirely, but by the time that's done it might be quicker to pop the body and pull the block out.

[Graeme]

All main bearing slippers in the 120K kms engine that went into my D4 were rotated out/in with the crankshaft in-situ, with the engine upside down and all main caps loosened, then re-torqued once all mains had been replaced. The front seal had already been replaced when the new camshaft sprockets and belt were replaced, so was flexible. The rear seal had previously been leaking so the seal and timing plate were replaced after the bearings had been replaced. The timing plate was aligned using a tool for the 2.7 Territory.

Edit: The hard surface on the original bearings had not been breached. The bearing surface by design is not a wearing surface and if breached then the bearing has failed.