Thread: Any Advice for a New Disco II Owner Working on His Car

My advice is to know all that you can about them.

Here is my service interval log for non-regular servicing - all OE or OEM parts:

Part (my expected part life) my most recent replacement.

Disco2 parts maintenance

Engine:

Water pump (300,000km) 294,000km

Thermostat (300,000km) 294,000km
Power Steering pump (300,000km) 294,000km
A/C pump (250,000km) - TBC
Belt tensioner (200,000km) - TBC
ACE pump (300,000km) 0km
Fuel pump (120,000km) 305000km
Starter motor (100,000km) TBC
Alternator (100,000km) TBC
Turbo exit hose (250,000km) - TBC
Turbo (400,000km) 0km
Engine Mounts (250,000km) - TBC
Engine fan viscous hub (300,000km) - 285,000km

Body:

Rotors (2 pad sets) - Dba slot rotors on 2nd pad set
Pads (as worn) - EBC Yellow 310,000km
Rotoflex (200,000km normal conditions)- TBC
Front propshaft (TW 1310 - 200,000km or 1 year hard use) - TBC
Rear propshaft (300,000km) 0km
Wheel bearings (300,000km) 295,000km
Ignition barrel (280,000km) 280,000km
Kingpin ball joints (300,000km) 295,000km

my non help advice (and i used to own an ls1 disco 2)

There's also the transfer case and centre diff., not sure if they use the same oil.

I'd also look at the exhaust manifold, de-web and check/replace studs. Also check the core plug hiding on the head on the exhaust side, another known leaky spot
Replace the silly little rubber hose hiding under the turbo, easy while everything is off.
Check the fan bearing for play, replace with a quality one (SKF etc) if needed (mine was ok, but was moving in the housing slightly, bit of loctite held it in place)

While the sump is off, check the oil pump bolt is loctited in place along with the pressure relief valve screw, bad things happen if either one comes loose...

Depending how well the previous owner looked after it, check the coolant is the correct type and is ok. bleed the brakes, moisture can build up, also check the calliper's move freely.

Then you've got things like engine mounts, gearbox & transfer mounts, all of these should be checked.

When you do the fuel filter, I would remove and clean the air bleed and check the nonreturn valve on top of the filter housing, I was recently caught out with the air bleed, took me a couple of hours to figure out what the problem was....
If you take a bit of time and just work through the basics you should have a not only a solid vehicle but also a sound understanding of how to fix something if it goes wrong (usually it's something simple, but if don't know it's going to cost time and $$)

cheers

Redd

Originally Posted by Reddirt204

While the sump is off, check the oil pump bolt is loctited in place along with the pressure relief valve screw, bad things happen if either one comes loose...

Indeed. Showstopper. Probably been done but hey...

Injector harness should become a routine service item, unless you get one of the upgraded ones that I can't find the link top but Slunnie might remember.

At the right price, nothing wrong with buying a vehicle that needs some work and knowing that it s been done ... as opposed to buying a apparently going vehicle that lets you down, like a blown head gasket!! ... at the most inappropriate time/location.

You said you bought the car already anyhow, so don't look back.

Before you do the job(s) delve deeply into searching about many and varied information on how to best do a specific job. Lots of high quality info here about how to go about doing head gasket, etc.

My quick tips(note that my nephew recently did his, and made a few small mistakes)

1/. when you pull head off, make sure you DO NOT allow chain and sprockets to fall down into the front cover! tie wrap the chain to the top sprocket and keep tension on the chain so that it doesn't dislodge from the bottom sprocket too.
Do you have the timing kit? simple thing, so make sure you have it.

2/. with head off, do the fuel pressure regulator. No need to get the full kit, just get the regulator can, gasket and o-rings and seal for the temp sensor. The regulator can can be bought aftermarket, there is a popular Bosch reg that Ford used in the barra engine that works well for many folks. Any seals and o-rings should be genuine.

3/. head can't be skimmed, so check it, or get it checked for flatness. If you need a new head due to warping or cracking, AMC heads are the most reputable... just crazy expensive.

4/. if your head is OK and just need a gasket, make sure the injector seats are cleaned properly before you fit new injector seals. And only get high quality(usually genuine) injector seals kit. some kits, like a certain Brittania centric brand name are not!

5/. if you want to ever do tailshaft work, get the nut removal tool. Hard to find a 9/16 socket that fits well enough. 9/16 ring spanner can work ok, just more annoying. Do not use a metric tool on those nuts. Front prop cardan joint is a pain to renew, doable but requires some patience. a failed cardan joint can be extremely costly. do some reading up on that topic.

6/. find a reputable parts supplier and get to know them well!

7/. plan on getting a nanocom. May cost you hundreds to start with, but will more likely save you thousands in the long term. It's pretty much a certainty that you WILL have a problem of some kind, and if you post a question, more than likely someone will ask if you have access to a nanocom. nanocom owners are great friends to know when you own a TD5.

Thanks for all the tips, I just about have everything I need right now just waiting on the gasket kit to arrive hopefully this week or early next week.

I’ve got all the fluids ready to go and am planning to strip and clean the interior once everything mechanical is sound. I’ve found a few mates and colleagues who have offered to lend a hand if I need it.

The only other thing I need to replace or fix (if anyone knows how) is the windscreen cowl or centre air intake manifold. It’s not cracked but it is warped, new OEM ones seem to cost a fortune for a piece of plastic (like half what I paid for the car) I was wondering if anyone can recommend a wreckers or somewhere in Sydney I could go hunting for a second hand one?

Originally Posted by Overconfident Kid

....

The only other thing I need to replace or fix (if anyone knows how) is the windscreen cowl or centre air intake manifold. It’s not cracked but it is warped, new OEM ones seem to cost a fortune for a piece of plastic (like half what I paid for the car) I was wondering if anyone can recommend a wreckers or somewhere in Sydney I could go hunting for a second hand one?

Don't bother trying to find a 'good second hand one' ... for all intents and purposes this idea doesn't exist. Original item is classic idiot BMW plastic tech .. ie it'll break if you say the word plenum cowl within earshot of the D2. Useless material design.

My first attempt at fixing one if had a clean break right down the middle, so carefully prised it off and snapped in a few places. The general consensus is that UV makes it brittle. so if you try to get it off it will almost certainly shatter at some point.
I got my peices and added two metal flats on the rear side and poured epoxy of them to get the two halves to stay together. 80% successful, but at least in one piece. Then once dry, I then added fibreglass matting as well to keep the pieces together too.
The fibreglass/epoxy at least gives it some strenght when trying to handle the piece. Without it, just too flimsy.

Check out the plenum thread ... HERE ... where it took a while but finally we got the Chinese suppliers to deliver to Aus.

bottom line in that thread is that the products are very good. I got two, both got here in one piece. Price was 'reasonable'. Having now handled three original 20+ year old items, that have all broken upon handling, the Chinese one is orders of magnitude better.
Only thing they don't come with are the plastic rivets to hold it down. Fit is 99% accurate, and for less than $300 the best option if you want the best look.

On my D2, I had about 60% of the old one left, and water would always get down into the plenum area, so I was a bit rushed to fit it. ie. I didn't waste any time trying to give it another coat of paint to help protect against UV for the long term.

As the rubber strip, top side for the windscreen seal is bonded, it would really need removal or careful taping up to keep spray paint off it, so would need some prep and time to do properly.

On the D2a I may do that .. one day. For the D2, with the wetter season coming up, I just wanted to remove all the duct tape and get a good seal in that areas ASAP.

Note that with this item, it is hooked up under the bottom edge of the screen, and could be a bit 'stuck' being so brittle, when you go to handle it(eg. remove it) there is a 99% chance that it will crack. So if you do want to save $300ish, and do yours just keep in mind this possibility. I'd say get a fibreglass kit and prepare to reinforce the underside, if you do remove it. Doesn't have to be showroom finish, mine were rough as guts .. cant' see any of it once fitted.