Preferred td5 models

[mittadisco]

Which models and combinations of manual/auto do you experts in the field recommend? For - against, problems to watch? Are certain years notorious or preferred? How about a V8 as alternative? Is the td5 that much better than a 300tdi that it demands nearly twice the entry price?

[Blknight.aus]

thats a can of worms question so heres my opinion

Yes the td5 is that much better than a tdi, untill something goes wrong. then Id much rather have the tdi.

Ok not quite true ID rather have the Isuzu 3.9 4BDI-T and heres a kicker it looks like it will bolt straight onto the R380 in a td5 vehicle and require only new engine mounts fabricating to hold it in place (not counting the stuff you need to make it run at this point I havent gotten that far into the research)

The later model you can get the better off your going to be with a td5 just dont skimp on servicing and inspection on it, Its the first rover engine that im aware of that has the ability for relatively minor problems to become show stoppers. Avoid the auto if you get chance and thats for 2 reasons 1. I dont like autos and 2 its impossable to clutch stall an auto if you do happen to have a runaway.


hope thats helpful to ya

[Defender=1st]

Get a Manual. no reason i just dont like autos

[Graeme]

Get one that's has the oil pump bolt properly loctited. But since you can't tell, whatever you get, have the oil pump bolt replaced very quickly so it can't cost you an engine. Cheap insurance!

[Taz]

Tdi has no electrikary. This generally extends to the vehicle as well, ie there are a lot of Tdi models with out traction control, abs, SLS, ACE, etc, etc. A Td5 model without all this electrikary is hard to find.

[Blknight.aus]

Lies and fallacy :o the TDi does so have eletricrkery requiremtents... Take the lead of the electic fuel solenoid on the fuel pump and see if you can get it to start...:cool:

hes right tho the TDi's are primarily mechanical beasts that apart from that one little bit dont need electrics to work which also extends to the stuff in the bodywork which makes em cheap and easy to fix.

[dobbo]

A Td5 model without all this electrikary is hard to find.


what about the Defender? A lot less electronic components than a TD5 disco with auto

I like my auto's offroad but as Blknight has said you cannot fix them by yourself even with a FRED. A TD5 auto disco does have very nice low gearing offroad though even without all the Hill decent control.

[loanrangie]

what about the Defender? A lot less electronic components than a TD5 disco with auto

I like my auto's offroad but as Blknight has said you cannot fix them by yourself even with a FRED. A TD5 auto disco does have very nice low gearing offroad though even without all the Hill decent control.

The 99 defender with TD5 before they came as the Extreme would be my pic, no tc/ abs etc.

[mittadisco]

Ok - so td5 have more things to go wrong. How about the V8 - does it suffer many problems? (apart from obvious making one poorer at the bowser..)

[Blknight.aus]

the v8 suffers from the same problems as the TD5 but they are a lot cheaper to repair and parts are a lot cheaper to obtain....

in australia the TD5 in terms of some of the technology it employs is very "cutting edge" or was when it was introduced couple that fact with the fact that its in a landrover and it gets a bad rep if it so much as develops a leak in the rocker gasket....

Mines 100K km old and doing great, Ive had a V8 not make that distance.

As the tech in a V8 hasnt really changed all that much in say 10 years its just been refined you only have to get the mechanics to get past the green oval to get one fixed.

Dont be scared off of the Td5 because its an electronic diesel. Im not sure If i mentioned it before but a TDi 300 can be tweaked out to about the same power output as a stock td5 without too much risk if you treat it nice.

[Graeme]

<snip>
Dont be scared off of the Td5 because its an electronic diesel. Im not sure If i mentioned it before but a TDi 300 can be tweaked out to about the same power output as a stock td5 without too much risk if you treat it nice.
And a "chipped" TD5 will fly!

[mittadisco]

My late 98 Disco 300tdi motor needs a rebuild. (Long story - don't ask). If I did do it would nearly bring he 'value' of the car up to what I would pay for a reasonable used td5. All the bad stories about td5 electronic gizzmos scare me off somewhat. But then again the poor fuel consumption of the V8s also is a downer. Does the ride, cornering, steering etc of D2 warrant a serious look at them? Are thee any who can tell good stories with a D2 who have moved from a D1?
(Why do so many mechanics dislike LR?)

[tempestv8]

If I were to buy a TD5, it would HAVE to be an automatic - the turbo lag on the TD5 is bad in a manual if you are driving up a steep hill or in deep soft sand or snow and happen to be in the wrong gear..... ;)

The auto masks the turbo lag very nicely, but it does increase the level of NVH overall, but if you are in low range, you can use the Manual mode of the auto transmission to your advantage. :cool:

So since the TD5 in the Defender is manual only, it'll have to be a Discovery II - and it's not a bad vehicle. Yes, the radiator fan is rather close to the radiator, yes, there's the oil in the ECU wiring loom issue and yes, the oil pump bolt needs to be loctited on, but apart from these issues, the overall TD5 with auto combination is hard to beat.

[ak]

My late 98 Disco 300tdi motor needs a rebuild. (Long story - don't ask). If I did do it would nearly bring he 'value' of the car up to what I would pay for a reasonable used td5. All the bad stories about td5 electronic gizzmos scare me off somewhat. But then again the poor fuel consumption of the V8s also is a downer. Does the ride, cornering, steering etc of D2 warrant a serious look at them? Are thee any who can tell good stories with a D2 who have moved from a D1?
(Why do so many mechanics dislike LR?)

Well I have had my TD5 from new. Now six years old and 145K. Have had oil in the harness, replaced fuel regulator and had the three amigos on the dash a couple of times. Done Fraser and a small off road trip most years. It's a daily drive and I love it. It's going strong, touch wood and I am hopping to get another 150K out of it before any major issues, touch wood again. However it gets treated pretty well always serviced on time by a Landie mechanic and I don't skimp on servicing and it really has never towed anything too heavy.

So I surpose you could say I am a happy Auto TD5 owner.:) Touch wood again.:D

Worried I have put the mockers on myself now.:eek:

[ak]

Also forgot, had to replace the fuel pump this year.

[robert42]

Hi well we have both a 300tdi auto and a td5 man.both diesels..and both discos..The wifes auto is good on fuel . just didnt pull the 20' van as well..and you have to drive it like you hate it... The td5 well it goes like there is no tomorrow.. towin the van is the same as driving empty..all most..100ks +..thats with the boat on top as well.. Done the few little things that needed it fuel presure thingo.. injt.loom..its got 140k now and not one oil leak..has all the extras ..abs. anti sway.trac control..air bags..and air bags selfleavling great with the van..and its a jem to drive...yes I do look after it .and am very watchful..a stich in time thingo..The other 4+4s just carnt get near the fuel econ.. have lost the water twice.. a blown hose just under the terbo,a small heater hose..and the other rubbed a hole from the power stering pipe.. the comp.shut it down the first time .. the steam coming from under neath told me some thing was wrong the second time ..sharp as a tack i am ..no damage eather time..so the elect. are a big help ..dont be put of by them..Its good ,where eles can you get a 70k 4+4 for the mid. 20ks. and have that smooth ride of a car..Go for it..Td5 manual for me...

[Slunnie]

My late 98 Disco 300tdi motor needs a rebuild. (Long story - don't ask). If I did do it would nearly bring he 'value' of the car up to what I would pay for a reasonable used td5. All the bad stories about td5 electronic gizzmos scare me off somewhat. But then again the poor fuel consumption of the V8s also is a downer. Does the ride, cornering, steering etc of D2 warrant a serious look at them? Are thee any who can tell good stories with a D2 who have moved from a D1?
(Why do so many mechanics dislike LR?)
You never hear the good storys do you, because then there is nothing to talk about.

If you keep your TD5 serviced properly it'll be reliable and wont break down. Yep, it has electro gizmos all through it and if you service it properly they wont give grief. I would say that my Disco2 TD5 auto would be in the top 1% of those that are used and abused the most and I think that considering this you would be surprised at how reliable it is. Oil in the loom, well now you know to look out for it. 3 amigos, just make sure you use brake pads that don't squeel. Oil pump bolt, have it loctited and forget about it. Once you've done this you'll have driving pleasure well beyond that of any Tdi LandRover, and driving pleasure is what we all love about these vehicles. If you buy a vehicle on the premise that this one is more reliable or easier to fix then I'm not convinced that LR is the right marque although they can be very good. Hell, even the Tdi has it's problems that you won't fix in the field as a mate found out when he destroyed the valves from a failed timing belt.

Oh, and just to stir the pot... don't believe that a manual is more capable in the bush than an auto - its not even remotely the case. :twisted:

[HAK]

I was told the same jargon that a manual is better off road then an a auto when I bought my last 4by, its a load of crap auto are pleasant more controlling and the stigma of manuals being for the pro's is a load of crap. Out of all the work 4x4 that I had driven I had never driven an Auto till the disco and boy how much better is it

I've only recently bought my disco and drove a td5 auto, manual and a V8 auto, manual and settled on the V8 auto

I found that the TD5 auto was to slow for me and diesel in general being to noisy and sluggish, however if I had done a bit of research I would have found you can chip them but again TD5 was a little out of my budget also

don't skimp on the hill descent or ACE as they are great to have IMO

I settled for the V8 well because its a V8 less noisy cheaper and not that bad at a douser if you have owned a petrol Patrol in the past

there my 2 cent worth

[ATH]

"If you keep your TD5 serviced properly it'll be reliable and wont break down".
Have you tried getting a Throttle Potentiometer fixed anywhere outside of a metro area?
Have you tried to drive with a faulty one?
No I thought not.
They are one of those thing that will stuff up and will stop you and they ain't serviceable either.
I really liked my Td5 Defender but when that happened and spoiled a holiday and it was 3 weeks before it got back to Perth to be fixed (thanks to the tossers at Autotrans), I went right off it and flogged it.
Now we run a 300Tdi and have spent money on it including the timing belt and it's running well.
With a bit of luck if it does falter a little bit, a mechanic will be able to fix it without a computer to tell him what to do.
And without that computer being hundreds of kays away 'cos LRA have killed off the country dealers!
Happy LRing.
Alan H.

[mittadisco]

"If you keep your TD5 serviced properly it'll be reliable and wont break down".
Have you tried getting a Throttle Potentiometer fixed anywhere outside of a metro area?
Have you tried to drive with a faulty one?
No I thought not.
They are one of those thing that will stuff up and will stop you and they ain't serviceable either.
I really liked my Td5 Defender but when that happened and spoiled a holiday and it was 3 weeks before it got back to Perth to be fixed (thanks to the tossers at Autotrans), I went right off it and flogged it.
Now we run a 300Tdi and have spent money on it including the timing belt and it's running well.
With a bit of luck if it does falter a little bit, a mechanic will be able to fix it without a computer to tell him what to do.
And without that computer being hundreds of kays away 'cos LRA have killed off the country dealers!
Happy LRing.
Alan H.


mmm.... I've heard more bad stories about these modern engines than good...... your example just confirms another. I have a friend who drives a td5 defender for an outdoor adventure company and it's always breaking down...

[Slunnie]

"If you keep your TD5 serviced properly it'll be reliable and wont break down".
Have you tried getting a Throttle Potentiometer fixed anywhere outside of a metro area?
Have you tried to drive with a faulty one?
No I thought not.
They are one of those thing that will stuff up and will stop you and they ain't serviceable either.
Actually no, I haven't. And thats because they so rarely break down. Anything and everything can break, and that is a so very rare problem on the Discovery.

Have you tried getting a broken Tdi head fixed anywhere outside of the metropolitan area? Have you tried to drive with a faulty one? No. I thought not. ;)

[Graeme]

Actually no, I haven't. And thats because they so rarely break down. Anything and everything can break, and that is a so very rare problem on the Discovery.

Have you tried getting a broken Tdi head fixed anywhere outside of the metropolitan area? Have you tried to drive with a faulty one? No. I thought not. ;)
I recently did a test to see if I could drive my TD5 Disco without touching the throttle, simulating a dud potentiometer. I drove it on idle up to 5th gear but had to wait for a bit of a down-hill slope to get it up to the magical 40kph so that cruise control could take over. Probably of no use on sand-hills though...

[Jerry 68]

My two bobs worth.

I have a 99 TD5 Auto and my father has the same.
Mine now has 170k and my fathers 185k.
Both have been reliable and have impressed the Toyota Men on our respective trips.
Both have to tow 5mt and 6 mt boats and do this more economically than my previous diesel patrol or my dads tojo.
The last trip up the Gibb River I went from Derby to Kununurra and only required a 20 lt top up to do this. That was towing a heavily laden trailer and stop starting as my vehicle was support for a charity ride I was involved in.
I regularly have to drive a 130 Tdi for the Fire Brigade and I find the motor to be prone to bad turbo lag when changing gears and you really have to rev it to overcome it. The Tdi leaves alot to be desired offroad as it lacks any low down torque and you really have to ride the clutch to get it moving on fire breaks from start off.

My Uncle has a 96 Disco Tdi Auto this has been very reliable however it is not as spacious and drives harsher than mine. If you intend touring try putting a 40lt Engel in the back of a pre TD5 Disco!!

As for the oil pump bolt I have raised my concerns with Southern Landrover in Bunbury and my neighbour who used to be the mechanic at Barbagello Landrover. Both have only seen 3 between them in 8 years. The biggest problems seem to be people allowing their services to be done using the wrong oils and coolants. As most mechanics treat the TD5 as if it is a Tojo or Nissan oil burner.