Thread: New Disco TD5 - should I be worried?

Hi Owland
3 checks.
When the engine is hot after a freeway speed drive,pull over and feel the top radiator hose,if its is under extreme pressure,ie swelling up,its exhaust gas in the coolant.
Next check,start the vehicle,turn the climate control OFF.Go to the front of the vehicle,is the aircon booster fan running? If the booster is running all the time it indicates an overheat has occured,the computer needs to be reset via testbook/rovacom after the defect is fixed.
OIL IN THE HARNESS
Not the headgasket but can do strange things including making the computer belive the motor is overheating!!!!!!.
Remove the ECU(next to the battery) carefully unplug the red connector,if there is engine oil there it shouldnt be!!!! If you have this common issue we can advise further,check and let us know.I dont disconnect the battery to do this,just make sure the key is off!!!!
Andrew

Originally Posted by owoodland

So I picked up a 99 TD5 D2 auto last night. Paid $15k for it, 195,000 on the clock. Very nice condition and has the full dealer stamps. Doesn't mean of course that it can't have mechanical problems.....

Running home down the freeway last night I had the cruise on (what luxury) and was belting along at 100. Turned the cruise off to get off the freeway, but when I put my foot down nothing happened i.e. car just kept coasting along losing speed steadily. A couple of hundred metres later I turned off the off ramp and put my foot down again and the power was back!

I noticed at this stage that the temp gauge was at the higher end of the white range, which may explain loss of power (i.e. computer cuts the fuel if it detects overheating)? I wouldn't have thought it was to do with the cruising.

Checked the coolant level this morning and it seemed down (although I have just bought it so I have no idea if it has been going down steadily or what). Pulled the air release plug out of the top radiator hose and gave it a squeeze - hose was mostly empty.

So it may have got warm because the coolant was down (fine), I am just wondering how much of this is starting to sound like the 'early stage head gasket failure' in the 99 Disco. If so, can any experienced TD5ers tell me

1. If they have had similar issues
2. How much has to be done on replacement of the gasket (i.e. do you actually need to mill the head)
3. How much it's going to cost me!

I may be hitting the panic button too soon, it could be a good old-fashioned coolant leak from a hose or a sticky thermostat or just about anything it's just that I have come to expect the worst from my Landrovers (so why did I buy another, you ask, well I have no idea. Probably some masochistic streak that owners of reliable cars don't share).

Anyways, hopefully I can get these teething problems ironed out at not too extravagant a cost. Car drives well apart from all that but I get the willies every time I think about just how much in the way of electronics the car has.

OK, So I still haven’t driven the car anywhere. I spoke to Kevin from Rover-tech this morning, had a very nice chat and was told in no uncertain terms NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANYWHERE! Apparently my descriptions are symptomatic of a failing oil cooler and a failing head gasket. Sounds as though it’s early stages and he should be able to get it without too much trouble, although the head will have to come off and a new oil cooler on the way.
I will have more info when he strips it down later this week. He mentioned that they are wanting to engineer up a new fitting to do away with the oil cooler altogether. Apparently (and I am taking his word for it here) they are more of an oil heater for cold climates than anything and not needed in Australia. That sounds a little weird to me but these guys are supposed to know TD5s back to front. I’ll talk it over with him later this week.

this is why it is a good idea to get them checked out before handing over the cash,it would be interesting on the oil cooler bypass but would be wanting to do a temp comparasion on the temp of the oil before/after as the oil is used to cool the pistons and would pick up alot of heat from this,
hopefully it is only the oil cooler as the head gasket is labour intensive as well costly in parts

Originally Posted by owoodland

OK, So I still haven’t driven the car anywhere. I spoke to Kevin from Rover-tech this morning, had a very nice chat and was told in no uncertain terms NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANYWHERE! Apparently my descriptions are symptomatic of a failing oil cooler and a failing head gasket. Sounds as though it’s early stages and he should be able to get it without too much trouble, although the head will have to come off and a new oil cooler on the way.
I will have more info when he strips it down later this week. He mentioned that they are wanting to engineer up a new fitting to do away with the oil cooler altogether. Apparently (and I am taking his word for it here) they are more of an oil heater for cold climates than anything and not needed in Australia. That sounds a little weird to me but these guys are supposed to know TD5s back to front. I’ll talk it over with him later this week.

Yes I was told the same thing by the bloke who built my replacement. If was able to leave the vehicle off the road we were going to build an external cooler. The only issue is the space available after you reverse the Banjo fittings. If you get a chance have a look at it once it's out and you will see that the bolts can be reversed giving the thread on the outside ready to accept the mew connections. Our plan was to have a water cooled and air cooled fittings. It would increase the oil volume and add more pipes to the engine bay but I was also thinking it might increase the cooling ability of the entire system for travel to the hotter parts of the country.

Originally Posted by stevo

this is why it is a good idea to get them checked out before handing over the cash,it would be interesting on the oil cooler bypass but would be wanting to do a temp comparasion on the temp of the oil before/after as the oil is used to cool the pistons and would pick up alot of heat from this,
hopefully it is only the oil cooler as the head gasket is labour intensive as well costly in parts

Preliminary diagnosis: head gasket and oil cooler together. Just in the first stages of dying, "luckily" enough. Does not look as though I am going to get any change out of $5,000.

With regards to getting it checked out, yes in theory however I was soured after I had my D1 "checked out" and the guy missed a number of major items including the fact that the turbocharger wasn't working at all (busted wastegate actuator and a blown hose).

I figure that I would have bought one with similar Ks in any case, so would have ended up with this problem relatively quickly whatever one I bought. So much the better if the previous owner kicks in some dough.

Anyway, full quote to follow later this week.

with the head off it will make it easier to get the oil cooler off the oil cooler is around $900 I did mine last year the plastic dowels had failed make sure they replace with the steel dowels all up it was around $1000 in parts and the whole weekend to do the job,are you going to get the oil pump bolt done aswell??

now I'm getting worried
the wifes Td5 started using coolant last year just doing checks one day and the bottle was half down it had never moved before so
I went searching anound for a leak and found oil cooler leaking (coolant)
it's only a very small weep, so I just top up every cople of weeks (in that time she would do 1500kms and it doesn't even get low enough to bring on the low coolant light)
now I'm worried the cooler will fail
do they ever just let go???
I was going to wait for it to get worse (at the same time I'm thinking about selling it and getting her a newer car)
jase

anyone want to buy a Td5 D2 7 seat with leather, ACE ect ect

THey do just let go. Mine went very suddenly but the damage was there from the previous problems. Litraly just went and pumped oil into the cooling system. Had to get towed home. Took ages to get the gunk out.