Thread: D3 advice needed

They suffer from timing chain and tensioner issues I have read.

Originally Posted by DeanoH

A question for the early V6 petrol engined D3 enthusiasts

Can what sounds like slightly noisy tappets at idle be a portent for disaster in this engine at around 220K Km ? I'm thinking of something like slipped liners due to overheating as in the old 4.6 V8, or is this likely to be something more conventional like oil type /lifters etc ?, does it have adjustable tappets ?

I assume these vehicles have the usual EAS frailties as other LR vehicles getting on in age and I am aware of the crazy results of faulty brake switch/light failure. Can the brake lights be replaced with LED's with a suitable parallel resistor to negate this issue ?

What is the 'go' with the auto gearbox. Is it the 'trust me sealed for life' thing but needs regular servicing to survive and does it use extremely rare 'hummingbird urine enhanced' type oil at vast expense ?

Electronic hand brake, trailing arms/bushes/ tie rod ends seem to be common maintenance issues at around this mileage, what else should a potential buyer be looking for in a D3 of this type/age/Km's.

Thanks

Deano

ps. sorry for the 1001 questions. The meaning of life I already know its 42 (I think)

If this is a vehicle you are thinking of purchasing, take it to a dealer or independent and get a pre-purchase inspection. Money well spent. If the seller won’t allow that walk away.

Originally Posted by DeanoH

A question for the early V6 petrol engined D3 enthusiasts

Can what sounds like slightly noisy tappets at idle be a portent for disaster in this engine at around 220K Km ? I'm thinking of something like slipped liners due to overheating as in the old 4.6 V8, or is this likely to be something more conventional like oil type /lifters etc ?, does it have adjustable tappets ?

I assume these vehicles have the usual EAS frailties as other LR vehicles getting on in age and I am aware of the crazy results of faulty brake switch/light failure. Can the brake lights be replaced with LED's with a suitable parallel resistor to negate this issue ?

What is the 'go' with the auto gearbox. Is it the 'trust me sealed for life' thing but needs regular servicing to survive and does it use extremely rare 'hummingbird urine enhanced' type oil at vast expense ?

Electronic hand brake, trailing arms/bushes/ tie rod ends seem to be common maintenance issues at around this mileage, what else should a potential buyer be looking for in a D3 of this type/age/Km's.

Thanks

Deano

ps. sorry for the 1001 questions. The meaning of life I already know its 42 (I think)

Brake switch and globes are known to shut the system down, spare switch is $25 from Ford and LED canbus globes could be a good upgrade.
Auto's need servicing and best done well before the specified time, LR ATF is like Unicorn wee and priced as such but there are alternatives that are 1/3 the cost.
Bushes are no different to any other vehicle except its common to replace the complete arms for some reason although bushes are available separately . EPB needs to be serviced or they can jam, there is an emergency release under the dash.

What year model is it? After mid 2007 the canbus was upgraded and so cascading faults from a busted brake light dont happen. Prior to that, just keeping a couple of spare $3 bulbs is cheap insurance.

At 220k if the transmission hasnt been serviced I'd be prepared for a transmission rebuild at some stage. Some people say changing the oil at that age can bring on death sooner, other say that an oil flush and a tube of Dr Tranny keep it all good.