Thread: Preferred td5 models

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?)

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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?)

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.

Worried I have put the mockers on myself now.

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

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...

Originally Posted by 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?)

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.

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

"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.