300Tdi Auto - what to look for

Just the usual FSH from LR and nice pink oil in the auto, along with all the other usual things, check it doesn't hang in first when its cold.

Peter.

300TDi ES Auto Disco

is it easy to check the oil on the auto box ?

On or around Wed, 24 Nov 2004 23:22:18 -0000, "StaffBull" enlightened us thusly:

pull the dipstick out, with the box cold, examine end. There should be oil on it, pink or red and clear. if the oil looks browny-red or cloudy, walk away. Smell it as well, if it smells "burnt" then that's a bad sign too.

Thanks for the replies - my local Landy specialist has 2 gas converted ES spec, auto V8's in - but I'm getting conflicting stories about the equivalent MPG, some say 40MPG equivalent some say 22-25MPG anyone on here actually got a V8 gas conversion? Also someone has told me that the reliability of the V8 is not as good as the 300Tdi and that the catalysts need replacing at aroung 50 - 70 K at the cost of £700 each!. I like the idea of the V8 power but I also like the fact that my 300Tdi has not missed a beat in the 14 Months I've had it. I just want t o upgrade it to ES spec and five doors. The main use it will have is short trips 80% of the time, I've also been told this is even more detremental to a V8 than a Tdi

Feedback on the V8 Gas stuff would be especially welcomed - I need to make the correct choice on this one as I intend to keep it for a long time and put some "additions" on it ( lift kit uprated shocks etc)

On or around Fri, 26 Nov 2004 22:39:45 -0000, "StaffBull" enlightened us thusly:

Mine, 3.5i manual running open loop gas conversion, gets about 13 mpg in conditions where on petrol it'd return about 16-17. A Tdi, properly set up, on the same use cycle would probably get about 28-30. with gas at a little under half the price of diesel, it still just about breaks even on cost.

The 3.9 however is reckoned to get a few mpg better than the 3.5, and if the gas conversion is closed loop (which it should be on a cat-fitted vehicle) then you ought to get 16-18 on gas. That would be more like 30-35 mpg equivalent, and you'd struggle to get that from a TDi auto.

part of the thing about cats is whether or not someone's killed 'em. Wrong LPG system or wrong fuel setup can do that quite quickly. A cat-fitted vehicle should normally have a closed loop system, i.e. with lambda controllers and the equivalent of EFi. These are things you need to know. If it has a recent MOT then the cats are apt to be OK, since especially on petrol it won't pass without 'em. A really good engine with a really carefully tuned LPG system can, if you're lucky, pass the cat test without cats...

as to reliability - the V8 has its problems, but if you get a good one with good history and look after it, they're no more prone to fail than other engines. sometimes head gaskets go, but they're easy to change - easier, I'd say, than the 300 TDi. The 300 TDi is not completely without problems, either - there's the famous cambelt issue and they can also overheat.

running on LPG makes for a cleaner-running engine, so it's probably marginally better on the stop-start stuff. Main thing would be to change the oil and filters at least every 6000 and to use good quality oil.

see above. Try and find out what systems are fitted, what type and what maker, as that has a bearing on parts in addition to the stuff mentioned above.

Thanks very much Austin, I'll take a look at them this weekend and see what the deal is with part ex on mine.

Steve.

On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:15:28 -0000, "StaffBull" enlightened us thusly:

If you want any more words to baffle salespeople with about gas conversions, let me know :-)

I'd second every word of that. My (ex) V8 3.9 manual with LPG gave about 14-15 mpg, so just over 30 mpg moneywise. Better than an auto diesel I would imagine.

Engines are tough if looked after. At 130K mine had a new camshaft, followers etc etc. Just under £300 fitted. It was OK before, much better afterwards. A decent mechanic will be able to give you a good idea of the state of it. Mine had oil changes usually at about 4000 miles, never more than 6000.

Ignition system was a bit of a pain, even more so after the LPG conversion. If I had my time again I'd save time (and money) and swap the whole damn lot for new at the first sign of trouble. And I'd use genuine ignition amps - the unbranded ones were 20% of the price, but I used three before I got one that would stay working. The whole lot would come in less than £200 though - leads, cap, rotor arm, coil, ignition amp, plugs.

Went to see them today but he was closed :( got to have a look at the outside of them though one R reg one M I'm going to plump for the R if the figures work out right. looked good from the outside dark grey metallic no bomps or scrapes,grey leather/wood. mmmm!!!

going back Monday afternoon - If I drive it I think I might get smitten!!! I love the sound of a V8 even if it does dent the wallet.

Steve

Have you read the FAQ on buying Discos?

Big up to Phil for hosting it. Big down to Martyn for taking it out of his signature so I had to scroll miles back to find it an old post. :-)

Thanks Tim,

Most helpful,

Steve.

94 Disco 300Tdi --- soon to be replaced with a V8 ES LPG :-)

Two considerations with lpg-converted V8s: tank location. You might lose luggage space, or flexibility of loading, or underslung tanks may have such a small capacity that the second consideration: filling up nuisance - kicks in. My Rangey had 72 litres nominal capacity, 58 litres actual, and it was a wretched nuisance filling up four or five times in a day, particularly when every filling station needed advance planning, praying it wouldn't have run out, and queuing for the only lpg pump behind someone doing their week's shopping in the kiosk.

And a third: you can still buy quite a lot of diesel for the cost of all the ignition bits you'll need to keep all 8 cylinders firing - wait till someone tells you Magnecor leads are "essential" at a cost equivalent to

100 litres of diesel.

And a fourth: insurance. Yes, of course you'll eventually find someone who'll insure you without much teeth-sucking and muttering about installation certificates and "modified vehicles", but you won't be able to just fill in the online quote forms and pick your favourite.

I'm completely converted to my 200tdi Auto, though I have to admit it's a bit slow getting away from a stand, especially with a couple of tons of trailer behind it.

I've heard a lot about ignition woes, I have never suffered anything like that on the 300Tdi and would not like to either - it will be used as her indoors main transport in the week so it pops and farts a couple of times I will get it in the neck for swapping "Bertha" as she affectionately calls the Disco for what would be something unreliable in comparison. If there is much trouble with I might be better off keeping what I have and using the extra cash for some modifications.

I'm not sure if I'm trying to persuade myself "better the devil you know" on this.

Someone has replied that they have gone away from the V8 LPG to Tdi and that should be reason enough. What sort of power should be possible from the 300Tdi - I've already had the cat cut off which made a hell of a difference

Steve - Dazed and confused!!!

It will probably have either a rather crudely-mounted auxiliary gauge, or a line of leds. My gauge stayed on "full" for 90 miles then plummeted.

Remember that quoted tank capacities are usually "water content" (i.e. actual volume), but that the tank valve only allows them to fill to about 80%, to allow for liquid expansion. So 2 x 35 litres nominal equates to 56 litres of lpg. I used to get between 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 miles per litre, either towing or around town. In practice, therefore, the maximum range I could expect from the same size tanks as these was

140 miles - and I certainly wouldn't have relied on it unless I'd had a reserve petrol tank. If I was passing an lpg filling station after I'd done 70-80 miles, I'd fill up unless I knew there were at least two more due before the 140 miles would be reached. This also meant that I could rarely shop around for a good price - you're grateful to find it anywhere, at any price, often. Apart from odd places like some Morrisons, much of the cheap lpg is in back-street places inaccessible if you've got a big trailer on, only open in "working hours", and which don't take cards. With diesel, I can fill up at Asda and not worry for at least 450 miles. YMMV.

Well, you wouldn't have any ignition issues with the 300Tdi, because it doesn't have an ignition system... You emphatically do not need Magnecor leads for LPG to work, but you do need a generally good ignition system. I think the better approach would be to put a variable ignition amp or modified distributor to optimise the ignition timing for both fuels

How about a 300TDi with a bit of Jeremy Fearn tinkering? About the same power as the V8.

How much more do the Series 2 V8's fetch? They are generally 'nicer' (in girlie terms) than the 300 Series, so might help your case. When I looked a couple of years back they were dropping value like holiday homes in Baghdad.

Almost always true. I'd still always pick a good V8 with LPG over a good 300Tdi. But I'm not your wife...

I think 300Tdi can persuaded to about 170 bhp, but Jeremy Fearn / Allisport et al will be able to tell you more.

To answer your question about range, I used to get just over 200miles between LPG fills with twin 35 litre tanks. Memory fades, but I think I used to get about 55-60 litres in there (13 gallons). Of course I still had the 90 litres of petrol to go at if I ran short - more than enough to outstretch a full diesel with standard tanks.