Thread: Thinking about a Diesel Landrover Disco

Hi Andrea;

If you're swapping from a V8 to a Diesel model , The Tdi Disco's are a great pick and I would go for a 97 Disco Tdi with low k's , the 300tdi is a great engine economical and reliable , and the fuel injection pumps can be further optomised to get a bit more power.

If you want performance and more power you can pick up a nice Disco 2 with low k's for around 15k the engine ECU can be chipped for more power for post 2001 i think with flashable ECU prior to that Landrover came out with Non-Flashable ECU.

300 Tdi Disco, 97/98 model is the better of them, 98 are hard to find minus airbags.

Im not a huge fan of the D2 as they have way too much electronics that do stuff up but if your into all that stuff apparently it's not bad to get your head around as well as you want to know someone with a Nanocom to clear codes etc.

300Tdi is good for 300,000+ kms, mines on 311,000kms now and still never been apart but they do require some basic regular maintenance as does any engine.

Timing belt every 60 to 80,000kms depending on what sort of driving you do.
Oil change with good quality oil every 5>10 even to 20,000 (with oil analysis) again depending on driving style.

Some silly faults are coming up on some early Discos these days, Ive had both power steering lines wear through from the mounting brackets wearing through and breaking and wearing through the pipe.

You need to keep an eye on the engine oil cooler lines and put a spanner on them at service.

Earlier models had a habit of popping head gaskets due to the later ones getting a steel gasket rather than the normal head gasket material which you can fit the steel gasket to the earlier models.

You can tweak the injector pump on the 300Tdi to get a bit more go out of it but it is recomended that you fit a Pyro meter to the exaust pre turbo if you do this to keep an eye on internal engine temps so you dont cook the pistons.

The earlier pre update Disco diesels were a 200Tdi which is a bit noisier and runs normal v section belts but not too much different other than that but are getting a little harder to get bits for.

Good luck with it, 300Tdi is my choice and we love it, easilly get 13ltr/100kms city driving in traffic, 14 to 15 towing or pushing into a head wind or running at around 110.

But mines lifted and running 32's, in standard form they easilly get sub 10's on road tyres and I have got into the low 9's pre fitting all the goodies and there are people on here that have got into the 7's.

Agree with all Mcrover says.
llandro

Not sure I would. If your v8 had lpg, has been reliable and has not to many kms I'd be more tempted to keep it OR put lpg on it. I can't be absolutely certain but I think it is quite a bit cheaper to run lpg vs diesel on the D1's and the extra power is great. There are other factors though and it is said diesels are more reliable etc... but..... I guess in a way it is 6 of one half a dozen......

Xav

Originally Posted by Xavie

Not sure I would. If your v8 had lpg, has been reliable and has not to many kms I'd be more tempted to keep it OR put lpg on it. I can't be absolutely certain but I think it is quite a bit cheaper to run lpg vs diesel on the D1's and the extra power is great. There are other factors though and it is said diesels are more reliable etc... but..... I guess in a way it is 6 of one half a dozen......

Xav

Agreed Xav , but with LPG you get dismal range

Originally Posted by Xavie

Not sure I would. If your v8 had lpg, has been reliable and has not to many kms I'd be more tempted to keep it OR put lpg on it. I can't be absolutely certain but I think it is quite a bit cheaper to run lpg vs diesel on the D1's and the extra power is great. There are other factors though and it is said diesels are more reliable etc... but..... I guess in a way it is 6 of one half a dozen......

Xav

V8 Drivel....dont listen to him

When the V8 brigade are sitting at every servo on your way too and from a trip and you do the entire trip and the next fortnights running around on the same tank of fuel as well as never fouling a spark plug again or having to worry about going through a puddle of water or hoping the next town has LPG, you will be pleased you bought the Diesel.

Oh and the power thing is rubbish, a standard V8 3.9I disco against a 300Tdi Disco, both auto both 97 models and both in good nick are very much on par power wise just the V8 sounds better and sounds like your going faster than you really are.

Rover V8's are not the big power engines that you guys make out they are.

Originally Posted by mcrover

Rover V8's are not the big power engines that you guys make out they are.

The power of the V8

Originally Posted by mcrover

V8 Drivel....dont listen to him

When the V8 brigade are sitting at every servo on your way too and from a trip and you do the entire trip and the next fortnights running around on the same tank of fuel as well as never fouling a spark plug again or having to worry about going through a puddle of water or hoping the next town has LPG, you will be pleased you bought the Diesel.

Oh and the power thing is rubbish, a standard V8 3.9I disco against a 300Tdi Disco, both auto both 97 models and both in good nick are very much on par power wise just the V8 sounds better and sounds like your going faster than you really are.

Rover V8's are not the big power engines that you guys make out they are.

hahah , my V8 definitely drives much nicer than my tweeked 300tdi. and it's not a figment of my imagination