Thread: Calling D3 TDV6 owner with more than 200k on the clock

Hi Jim,
What you say is correct, you are committed once you have the old filter and pan off, the integral filter has a feed pipe that goes up into the gearbox, a couple of sharp movements from front to back snaps the pipe off fairly easily. The bolts at the back and front of the transmission pan both the new steel one and the old plastic one are a bit awkward, if you buy an allen key shape torx tool this helps the job along a lot. Torquing the bolts up is something you have to do by guestimate.....

You can remove the old pan and filter without damaging it but you have to undo the transmission and an engine mount to do it. It is easier and quicker to just rip off the filter when changing.
Steel pan is the Falcon one from ZF.

I am still keen to hear from anyone who has personally got over 200,000k on their D3. This from someone with original drive train on a 95 D1 V8 auto at 290,000 and 165,000 all original drive train D2 V8 Manual and a lot of towing and off road with both.

I will have a decision in maybe 5 years time about whether to go the 4.6-5 litre V8 in my D2 or go a D3, but only a D3 if they are regularly giving well over 200k with no need for a gearbox overhaul/new box and engine still going strong, diffs going strong etc...no reason why I doubt they would not, but will be good to hear feedback.

Cheers

There was one on the UK site www.dico3.co.uk that had over 250,000 MILES on it. No major issues.

Thanks Caver - good to know. Keen to hear from others. They are a few years old now from the first off the line, so there must be quite a few in Australia that are at or over 200,000k - I am thinking grey nomads here mostly. I am keen to know of quite a few and get a cross section of owner experiences at this level. For those who lease or otherwise roll theirs over every 3-4 years, this probably doesnt worry them, but I hold my vehicles from new or near new for quite a while...so if the D3's are pretty much trouble free in major components to (considerably would be nice) over 200,000k I would have a better idea of going to a bread van or not.

Cheers

Major failures I know about have been diffs, gearbox, and a couple of engine failures. (poss crankshaft failure on early models)
Premature wear of some steering bushes, ball joints and control arm bushes. Usually replaced under warranty, later models had upgraded components.