Help with Land Rover Discovery

[Shanoss]

I'm thinking of buying my first Land Rover. The car in question is a 1995 3.9l V8 with an auto trans. 186 k's. Now, the car is out bush and unregistered. The motor sounds good and the car is very tidy, but the tranny has a bit of a problem in that it is not changing gears automatically. It seems to be fine doing it all manually, but obviously there is a problem. I can get the car for very little $$ and was wondering if anyone would have any idea what sort of $$ a new or reco tranny would be worth (ballpark) for one of these.
I appreciate any help in advance...

Cheers

Shane

[Shanoss]

Should probably mention that the car is a Discovery

Cheers

[blaze]

first up Shane I have no idea but
if it changes manually ok and is not slipping then I would think the problem is going to be in the "brains", what ever that may entail, electric switches etc, frankly I have no idea but I would think that what ever is wrong is not going to require a new/overhauled transmission
Does any of that make sense
cheers
blaze

[2rods]

Work mate had one that played up on her and it cost sh*tloads to fix.....
I don't want to rain on your parrade but disco's are well known for exspensive faults, poor reliability and very poor resale.

Unless it was nearly given too you I would pass on it and look around for a better more reliable vehicle.

[Dan5]

My old boss had one about a 94 model i think it was the v8 auto and he had nothing but trouble with it for the 4 years he had it but then he was stupid enough to get a range rover 2000 model i think which had even more problems the engine management shut the cooling down and cooked the motor near Mt Isa on a 35deg day.He ended up selling a $100,000 dollar car for $35,000 2 years later.Dan........

[Shanoss]

Thanks fellas. I'm starting to see a bit of a recurring theme with the land rovers. It would seem that the occasional good one comes along, but most have got some serious reliability issues. Thats the only box it doesnt tick.

Cheers

Shane

[akman1]

HI,Your title says it all and you dont even own 1.Imagine how many times you will ask that question if you do buy one!!
I'm with Blaze on the electronics or possibly a vacuum problem.Cheers.

[landyman]

as a Land Rover fan, and having owned a few (but not presently) I think I am in a position to comment..

The ZF 4 speed auto in the Discovery is a very strong German built unit.. but need rebuilding roughly at around 200K.. at a cost of around $2K.. they are the same autos used in many luxury Jags, BMW's etc.. so parts are $$

IF you can work on cars yourself Land Rovers can be very reliable.. but will be expenisve if you need to pay to get it done..

The engines are of Buick origin and are strong but thirsty.. the electrics are good by the late 90's being Bosch..

They have some common problems which again if needing to be paid for to be fixed (labour) can get $$

Feel free to PM me if you want any further info

[propdinger]

i have a 1997 disoc v8 with over 220k on the clock and the only problem i have had was a crack in the water bottle . yes the v8 is thirsty but it tows a boat loaded at 3tonne easy. i have put new shocks and springs i nmy for MY own reasons of feeling safer the standard are too soft for me and felt like riding on air but lent in the corners. i have had to only do the standard oil changes and plugs leads and just a week ago put a new door seal on the drivers side. the disco v8 is a great engine and easy to fix and if you know where to get parts its not dear at all. a list of stuff i got was door seal $60 wheel centres $30each :o (but it makes it look pretty seeing someone stole the others and i know why now lol ) new rotor button $17 and a rotor cap $38 as you can see not that much more than a normal 4wd and the items i have bought all last for years .


in short i have a great car that cost me around $10k 2 years ago and has never had 1 hint of trouble so for me yes im happy as a pig in s**t . i had to buy a car to tow the boat and it was the only car that can tow at 3.5tonne at the price with wood grain lol



jeff

[big moose]

shanoss,
give MR Automotive at redcliffe a call they are specialists and good blokes they should be able to fix you up with the info you require.
regds gary

[Sandman]

I have a 94 TDi , do regular oil changes and changed the seals am now needing to change the timing chain as well the belt tensioner sure some parts are $$ however if you dont know that before you buy one dont buy it, I would prefer the defender over the discovery and i would touch the V8 and if i did it wouldnt be an Auto. I love the Landrover , my family have had Landies all their lifes we had one in PNG it out run any 4x4 over there plus it never rusted which most cars do over there.

[ozscott]

I have a 95 V8 Auto and a 2002 V8 Manual - ie D1 and a D2.

My brother has a 94 D1 Man V8 and a County with a 327 CI Chev (but thats a different story). My brother helps work up a very tasty GU Patrol that has appeared in Australian 4WD Monthly and last year competed in the Outback Challenge. He has owned several Land Cruisers and is very very experienced in both driving and modifying them (having had his own well known business doing so for 10 years and driving and servicing them for 15 years before that) and he loves his 2 rovers now. Dont be fooled into thinking thta because its from Japan it is better than the British stuff - each have their strenghts and weaknesses but interestingly its usually the guys who had never had a Disco or Defender/County that bag them (somtimes they have had a mate of a mate who said somthing bad!). In the end all manufactureres spit out lemons - My D2 hasnt missed a beat at 115,000k - its a bloody ripper. I have 3 other mates with the same model and know of a number of others through mates. All have been excellent vehicles, but half of them - same year of manufacture - had ABS modulator faults - but were all fixed with no probs under warranty. You will not find a manufacturer that has not had a problem in a line or year of vehicles. Unlike the ABS problem (intermittent shuttle valve fault) some are very serious.

My 95 has a distributor. Its very easy to work on. It has 240,000ks and no faults. Its all original, pulls by 21 foot seafarer, and goes very nicely off road. Just because I had too much time on my hands and was curious I did a compression test a month or so ago and they were within 2-3% of factory spec and nice and even. I would be surprised with its chrome molly bore and rings, if it does not last at least as long as the modern diesels (3.0 td nissan for example) and does not cost $1,500 per injector if injector's fail!!).

Seriously though they are a great and simple bit of kit. The engine design must be one of the oldest surviving and very well sorted. They run well on LPG - both mine are on LPG. The little V8 has more off idle torque than you can poke a stick at the gearing is second to none for low range work (the defender is slightly lower actually from memory).

Despite what some people (usually those who havnt owned or looked after them - alloy engines need the correct coolant as per LR requirments for example - the are not problematic trucks. Im glad that there are people who run them down because it makes buying second hand much much better than a toyo of the same year for example.

In standard trim, you will be amazed at where a 95 will go even without locking diffs.

They are usually very good on not rusting. As with all early LRs they have some niggles that in the end dont count for much (but lead to negative comments from some) - like the dash peeling back at the edges and the hood lining (the thin material not the actual liner) falling down in some areas - all very cheap to fix.

Cheers mate and good luck.

[Shanoss]

Thanks for all the replys. Sorry it took so long to respond, but working away is like that. I ended up buying a 97 V8 discovery at auction. 140 k's, very very tidy, and i could not be happier! Have just spent the morning polishing it and have to admit that i cant stop looking at it. I'll be towing about 2400kg with it and the tow bar reckons it is good for 4000kg so i should be well within its capacity. I was reading in the manual that to keep the tranny cool when towing that i should be starting in low range and then upping it to high over 32kmh. But when reading throuhg the instructions on changing from low to high, it says i should be doing less than 8kmh. Any ideas?
Also reckon the dual controls for the aircon is a great idea, my wife is always complaining that i have the AC too high. Now we can have each side of the car set up for our own comfort. I like this car even more than i thought i would.

[landyman]

Thanks for all the replys. Sorry it took so long to respond, but working away is like that. I ended up buying a 97 V8 discovery at auction. 140 k's, very very tidy, and i could not be happier! Have just spent the morning polishing it and have to admit that i cant stop looking at it. I'll be towing about 2400kg with it and the tow bar reckons it is good for 4000kg so i should be well within its capacity. I was reading in the manual that to keep the tranny cool when towing that i should be starting in low range and then upping it to high over 32kmh. But when reading throuhg the instructions on changing from low to high, it says i should be doing less than 8kmh. Any ideas?
Also reckon the dual controls for the aircon is a great idea, my wife is always complaining that i have the AC too high. Now we can have each side of the car set up for our own comfort. I like this car even more than i thought i would.

Nice one.. now go put it on LPG - unless your last name is BPmcShell - they are thirsty suckers but nice smooth power..

I wouldnt worry to much about taking off in low range.. should be fine.. you can however shift from low to high at any speed.. just make sure the gearbox is in auto..

good luck and enjoy... OH - and make with the pics ;D

[bustastu]

Good choice on the 97 model. I used to be a mechanic for a ford / landrover dealership and there always seemed to be problems with the tranny and engine seals in the early 90's models of the disco's and repairs weren't cheap. These continual problems however were ironed out in the later versions so hopefully you'll have years of low maintainence driving ahead ahead of ya.

[ozscott]

well done matey. Just double check the tow weight. Yours will have ABS and im pretty sure that by 96 when ABS was introduced they dropped the tow weight from 4000kg to 3500kgs (it will be in the handbook). Having said that your tow weights is well under the lower rating. I havnt shifted my auto into high from low, only my manual. From memory the auto will only shift to high at low speed, wheras the manual can be wrapped out, if the mood takes you, to high revs in overdrive, and then shuffle up to high range. Yours will be the GEMS coil pack ignition, whereas my 95 is single coil and distributor.

Can I suggest that you get onto the Discoweb.org site based out of the US (where they are pretty DISCO mad) and read the posts for some useful info.

You will be hooked on this truck. They are unique.

Cheers mate

[Shanoss]

I'm well and truly hooked already! I'll have a look at the site as well. thanks. I'm loving that rumbling V8 tone so much that i have not even turned on the stereo.

[landyman]

here is another good local site/forum http://www.aulro.com/afvb/

get yourself a nice exhaust and you'll be totally addicted to that V8 mate 8-)

[Shanoss]

Some pics........

[landyman]

nice one mate... and the Silver will hide dirt and scratches well

[t4topcat]

G'day people,
I'm very interested in any info on the Discos at the moment as I am considering purchasing one in the near future............ dependant on financial position that. Anyway I'm keen to know about the pros and cons of petrol v8 vs the Tdi5 given the high cost of diesel currently and what the cost of LPG conversion costs. I am looking at a later model (around the 98-2001 range) and am currently doing my research before taking the leap of faith. Are there any glaring problems that I need to be aware of?

Thanking everyone in advance

Cheers

Chris

[landyman]

get the Td5 if you can afford it.. and make it an auto as well..

things to watch for...
oil on ecu loom - common problem
if privately bought - check oil pump bolt mod been done
get it checked by Land Rover expert prior to purchase..

the Td5 is a fantastic engine.. heaps of go and very reliable..
the latest model you can afford the better as little issues were sorted out by then..

if you can afford one with ACE - GET IT.. simply awsome..

the V8's can be very thirsty but are also very reliable.. but the Td5 is the pick.. around 8-10L/100km

[t4topcat]

Thanks Landyman, my next question would be what size is the tank in the Tdi5 and with the cost of diesel is a petrol with LPG conversion still not a good option given that maintaining and repairing should be cheaper on the petrol model. Am I right in assuming this? Sorry mate I'm a complete newbie at the Landrover game but have always had a soft spot for the Discos and standard landies.

Cheers

Chris

[landyman]

if I remember correctly they are around 70 lt

yes the LPG option is a good one as the V8 power is nice.. BUT you will run out of room in the back if you go with a standard lpg tank install.. if you want to keep packing space you'd need to go with a under vehicle tank and small 40l petrol tank..

this is a viable option but costs a little more than the usual $2500 for the install..

the V8's seem to run very well on gas.. a few mates have theirs on gas.. BUT you will no get the range you would get with a diesel..

So I suppose it boils down to what oyu will be using it for.. If you are going to be going 4wding in somewhat remote areas - go the diesel..
If not and its only going to be a town car/casual 4wd day trip/ towing kind of car.. then go the LPG..

Oh and they can tow 3t so make a great tow car for a boat/caravan..

If I were buying now.. I'd get the td5 regardless.. put a chip in it.. bigger intercooler and watch the V8's cry as you power past them.. ;D

[t4topcat]

Cool mate, I will be towing a boat (only a 4m Stessl HD Edgetracker on a HD off road style trailer) and would like to take the whole rig up North eventually and would like to drive the Cape and visit the Territory again. So the Tdi5 may be the way to go. I'm just worried about the inherent repair costs associated with diesels having owned a BJ42 Short wheel based cruiser with the 3.4L 4 Cylinder diesel motor and I still remember the cost of a rebuild on that 11 years ago! But I have to admit I do love the performance of diesels in the economy stakes, so I suppose it's a trade off.

Cheers

Chris

[landyman]

hop onto some of the LR based forums.. aulro.com.au is a good place to start..

there are many guys with well over 300K kms on their td5's and still going strong..

some guys in the UK claim that the td5 was designed as a 400K mile engine to satisfy UK Military requirements.. that is all hearsay and I havent seen anything to prove it.. but someone apparently read it on the internet - so it must be true;) ;D

find a local LR specialist mechanic and have a chat with them about the two

[t4topcat]

Thanks mate, I might get in contact with you at a later date, thanks heaps for all the info as it is very informative. By the way are you a mechanic or just a keen LR owner as you seem to possess a wealth of knowledge?

Cheers

Chris

[landyman]

just a LR nut...

my dad owned Series Landies when I was a kid, then the first Range Rovers, then Discoveries etc etc..

Been around them basically my whole life...

The last 12 months I have however been LR free for the first time in 12 years :o