Disco 1 auto info

Bill uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Look for a Disco ES the V8 one I had Circa 1997 had cruise control.

Then again if you want mpg forget that... anyone care to comment on the TDI??

Lee D

It was on mine (1997).

Yes, but not much below that.

Older ones don't. The EGR valve on the exhaust is pretty obvious.

Very slow and sluggish - the Tdi was not the most powerful of engines, and the autobox saps a lot of power. Towing a caravan round France was pretty tiresome, even with a JJF intercooler and chip. It will do it, but don't expect it to do it in a hurry. They tend to hold onto the lower gears a lot, so it will be a revtastic experience.

There are no stupid questions. Well, there are a few, but none of them are to do with Land Rovers.

One little hint - if you're looking at one and the cruise doesn't work, it's

99% certain that the cause is a small air leak in one of the rubber pipes. A very easy and cheap fix, but could get you megabucks off the price if you make an offer based on the non-functioning CC.

Check the colour of the fluid on the dipstick. Translucent red is good, anything else or a burnt smell is very bad, indicating worn/burnt clutches and an imminent rebuild. Standard transmission oil cooler is up to most tasks asked of a standard vehicle, but if towing at speeds over 55mph be wary of the torque convertor clutch as it locks up in 4th gear at roughly that speed, landrover originally said to tow in "3" not "D" due to resonance problems within the transmission when locked in 4th. Badger.

Snip

Would it be much more slow and sluggish than the 200TDi Defender? I'm getting approx 33mpg from the Defender on the drive across Wales on the A55 rarely exceeding a cowardly 60, then a bit of pootling about, then returning. Does the auto box in the 300TDi Disco go into (not sure what you call it) lock-through much-less-loss mode at over about 50 like the Omega?

Ah, just seen Badger's comment. I remember earlier automatics I had did lock up at higher speeds (I seem to remember at about 60 in an earlier Carlton), so it looks as though the Disco might be the same. I only ever tow in low ratio at a crawl, using the vehicle as a tractor. Only for short periods, but we did have a wheel collapse on a fishing boat trailer and 'ploughed' a nice furrow across the rough grass without noticing. Presumably in an auto with low ratio and putting it into first gear, the clutches are in a fixed state so shouldn't wear too much?

22mpg would really be worrying. Does the auto box really make that much difference?

The other thing I think I'd have to do is fit a spacer to the towbar to get a height adjustable mechanism on there (I've got a spare from the Defender). Hopefully this wouldn't bend the back of the chassis? I looked under a '94 Disco today (wife is sure I'll be arrested one day) and the chassis looked as if it had been undersealed from new, unlike the 110 which looks as if it had rusted from new. Is the Disco better protected? I know about things like the boot floor.

On or around Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:20:18 +0000, Bill enlightened us thusly:

late 300 TDi autos have Bosch EDC (Electronic diesel control). I think they all have EDC, in this country.

Not with an auto, surely. I've heard of people getting 30+ mpg from Discos/Defenders (Tdi manual), but my best was 22 solo and about 20 towing. At those figures, you'd be better off with a V8 - around 15-17 mpg, but decent towing performance.

It goes into 4th lock-up at about 50-55 mph. When towing, it would rarely lock up, as it was usually in 3rd, unless the terrain was very flat.

Yes - see above. I averaged 22, with a best of about 23 and towing around

20, or a bit less if I was in a hurry. I'd have a Tdi manual tomorrow, as they are excellent engines, but never again with an auto.

Disco chassis seem to be pretty good AFAICS. You should get a Dixon-Bate adjustable towbar on no problems, unless the towbar arrangement is significantly non-standard. If you live in a farming area, most Discos you see will have one on.

Certainly not all. Mine was an early one (manufactured 1994) and did not.

I should have read more closely - mine was a RRC not a Disco 1, but were they that different? I doubt it.

In a dim and distant universe , Bill enlightened us thusly: [Snippety snip]

I'd have said possibly less than that. I used to have a 1996 V8i manual petrol model and if I drove carefully could get about 22mpg out of it, but I thought auto's were worse at mpg.

In message , Badger writes

Don't have any problems with my Defender auto (1998 50th Ann V8)Synchronises at about 55 but in previous threads on this subject people have suggested that it can be adjusted on some boxes.

Off roading in autos is no problem, in some cases better. Downhill is what most people have trouble with as the engine breaking isn't as strong. However if you use the right techniques you can still control the vehicle just as well.

Mine's an early 97 and there's no EDC fitted.

Hi Bill,

I've had several Discovery 1's (200/300Tdi/V8/manual/auto) so have a fair amount of experience (as do others on this ng).

My current steed is a 1997 300Tdi ES with automatic gearbox, which I bought back in July. It has cruise control fitted and, having replaced the rubber hoses, it now works well down to just below 30mph. From memory it's designed to cut out at 28mph. Obviously at lower speeds the accuracy of the control is a bit hit and miss and that is not helped by the characteristics of the auto box. At main road/motorway cruising speeds it's very good but does contribute to the poor fuel consumption recorded by others (and myself). Personally, I get about 22/23mpg overall which is lower than I had expected/hoped for.

Only the very late 300Tdi's have any electronics - a Bosch EDC system. My early 97 motor doesn't have it fitted.

The autobox locks up at around 50-55mph in Drive. If you're towing at around that speed then it's better to put the gear selector into "3" which gives a smoother drive with added engine braking. It behaves very much like the Omega (which I've also owned).

On the whole, I prefer the automatic although it doesn't have the same performance as the manual (or V8). If you're prepared to adapt your driving style to suit the gearbox then it is a very nice drive.

Good luck with your search :-)

In message , Nige writes

The whole family is housebound. The women don't drive, so I do the taxi to the shops, the pub, everything. So I have an Omega that's on full choke much of the day now that I'm retiring from the business it was bought for. The 110 only has 2 seats. We can't afford to insure and tax the Fiesta, so it's useless in the path until the daughter plucks up the courage and cash to insure it. What a shambles.

OK I have the message about an automatic affordable decent Disco. There isn't one unless I get a V8. Trouble is, I don't really have any other ideas. I'd hoped a Disco might fill the tractor role like the Defender has, but with an auto box and some seats. I really want to convert totally to diesel, so I'll have to think about it all some more.

Son at the other end of the country has given up his 4-litre Jeep and moved to an automatic diesel 2.5 Mercedes, which he's delighted with for economy and performance, but he no longer has a tractor requirement. I had hopes that a Disco might come somewhere near that.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

You talking bo**ocks again Nige ?????

The Disco & RRC was available with a 200 Tdi Auto. Not a bad motor at all once you got used to the box.

Not much good for heavy towing but OK with a caravan.

The later 300Tdi Autos have EDC (Electronic Diesel Control) which is more responsive than the old system and had claimed better performance than the manual. Generally EDC is pretty trouble free but a lot harder to bleed when changing the filter (just make sure you fill the filter with fuel and it will be fine).

Lee_D wrote: > Look for a Disco ES the V8 one I had Circa 1997 had cruise control.

My '98 TD300 ES Auto has (read "had") cruise control. Great while it lasted, but haven't bothered to get it fixed for the last

3 years.

Works down to about 35 ish from what I remember, but if you are going that slow you really really shouldn't be using CC on the roads.

When it was working I had a couple of occasions on long steady motorway hills when it would slow down in top gear to the point I presume there wasn't sufficient vacuum to keep the CC active and it would just drop out. The auto gearbox wouldn't kick-down to 3rd to maintain speed with CC on. (at motorway speeds)

Re: Mileage... 400 miles on a tank (80 litres) down to 350 when towing and as much as 420 when bumbling along sub 70 mph on a long steady run.

99% of the time I can guarantee I can squeeze another 80 Litres in when it gets to 400 mile though.

HTH Pete

Bill uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Diesel ? - will veg oil mix work ok in the 300 tdi?

That may lighten the hit and for the first 2500 miles you don't need to pay any extra tax on the veg oil. Aound 50 pence per litre or so.

That should be long enough for the nipper to learn that passing their test is a practical alternative to walking ;-)

Given your only launching boats and not towing the QEII the auto Disco may suffice for you. While it will never be the same as an auto V8 in my opinion having had the V8 Auto with LPG kit on the actual LPG kit unless you literally pass a LPG station every couple of days is self defeating. Having run straight V8's without LPG then the MPG is enough to make the difference between going on day trips and not going on day trips for us.

You will also I imagine get a Auto Diesel Disco relatively cheaply as fewer people tend to desire them which again may help. Get one - if it doesn't work out flog it asap, that way it will cost you very little in the exercise.

The good news is once your budget reaches the likes of our current '03 Rangie Diesel Auto it's better performing in every respect than the V8 '97 Disco I just replaced it with so few more years and you can really lord it up :-)

Lee D

In message , Pet -

writes

Thanks for the replies and the others who have now made me think maybe, just maybe an auto 300TDi might be worth looking at.

The sort of place I've been using 30mph cruise control is the Mersey Tunnel, where an experience (on behalf of someone else) that got me involved with the so-called 'administration' made me so determined never to give them any cause to encounter them again. So I use CC as a sort of speed limiter and annoy everyone. As an aside, what made them think that removing the light-reflecting walls, painting the tunnel roof black and then, later the master stroke, removing half the tubes from the lighting was progress? I've measured the light with a meter and it is below any sensible level, but there seem to be no regulations regarding lighting levels in road tunnels that I can find anywhere. Driving in from sunlight is ridiculous.

Same sort of thing with the CC but at higher speed on the north Wales coast road with its 50 stretches.

Works above 25mph AFAIK, although mine hasn't worked for eons ;-)

I sit corrected & bow to your superior knowledge. I'm sure they didn't do one, oh well, i'll get me coat.....