Land Rover Discovery 1

[MrCat]

Hello Fellow Auto Lankans,

So I was able to acquire a 1997 Land Rover Discovery 1 a couple of months ago. This is from the last batch of Disco 1`s that came out before the Disco 2 was released with the TD5 motor, so is having a couple of air bags and ABS as standard (plus some basic creature comforts such as: aircon, power windows, heated mirrors, etc…). The truck is powered by the ever popular 300Tdi turbo diesel motor, coupled to a R380 manual box (plus a transfer case with low range and a center diff lock).

I know that there are a bunch of LR enthusiasts in SL and a whole heap of Defenders which are set-up quite brilliantly, but don’t know whether there`s much enthusiasm on Disco`s. It’ll be awesome to get to know a fellow Disco owner on the forum (plus LR owners in general), so we’ll see how it goes.

My intention is to slowly set up the truck as a capable tourer to take me to remote places and back. Thought of writing this up to record the progress of the truck as it evolves, this is going to be a slow process guys, so please be patient. Hopefully I`ll be able to share information with fellow Landy Owners and this thread might help someone someday in some way.

On a different note, I quite enjoy the fact that the general Sri Lankan community over here cannot comprehend the concept of buying a 15 year old noisy truck which is not even a Toyota or a Nissan..! I just reply: “oh I just have to do some work in the garden so need to haul material and stuff so that’s why I got this..”, just to put them out of their misery. LoL..!! Heck even some British guys roll their eyes seeing the Disco, they believe old Disco`s have a whole heap of issues in general.

Here`s a pic of the truck in it’s natural habitat:

TO be continued…

[Gummybr]

Hello Fellow Auto Lankans,

So I was able to acquire a 1997 Land Rover Discovery 1 a couple of months ago. This is from the last batch of Disco 1`s that came out before the Disco 2 was released with the TD5 motor, so is having a couple of air bags and ABS as standard (plus some basic creature comforts such as: aircon, power windows, heated mirrors, etc…). The truck is powered by the ever popular 300Tdi turbo diesel motor, coupled to a R380 manual box (plus a transfer case with low range and a center diff lock).

I know that there are a bunch of LR enthusiasts in SL and a whole heap of Defenders which are set-up quite brilliantly, but don’t know whether there`s much enthusiasm on Disco`s. It’ll be awesome to get to know a fellow Disco owner on the forum (plus LR owners in general), so we’ll see how it goes.

My intention is to slowly set up the truck as a capable tourer to take me to remote places and back. Thought of writing this up to record the progress of the truck as it evolves, this is going to be a slow process guys, so please be patient. Hopefully I`ll be able to share information with fellow Landy Owners and this thread might help someone someday in some way.

On a different note, I quite enjoy the fact that the general Sri Lankan community over here cannot comprehend the concept of buying a 15 year old noisy truck which is not even a Toyota or a Nissan..! I just reply: “oh I just have to do some work in the garden so need to haul material and stuff so that’s why I got this..”, just to put them out of their misery. LoL..!! Heck even some British guys roll their eyes seeing the Disco, they believe old Disco`s have a whole heap of issues in general.

Here`s a pic of the truck in it’s natural habitat:

TO be continued…

Congrats on your purchase!

As you say everyone will tell you to shy away from a LR, but a Disco1 is a real good vehicle specially with the 300tdi (they dont make engines like them anymore).

A disco will be as good as a Defender on the rough stuff, but will be way more comfy. Amazing how a vehicle built on the same platform can be different in many ways. The problem that you will have is the rear overhang which on steep angle's will take the bumper off. So your better off going with a bumper with smaller overhang.

Maybe you could do it up to a Camel Trophy spec for your off roading adventures.

[MrCat]

Congrats on your purchase!

As you say everyone will tell you to shy away from a LR, but a Disco1 is a real good vehicle specially with the 300tdi (they dont make engines like them anymore).

A disco will be as good as a Defender on the rough stuff, but will be way more comfy. Amazing how a vehicle built on the same platform can be different in many ways. The problem that you will have is the rear overhang which on steep angle's will take the bumper off. So your better off going with a bumper with smaller overhang.

Maybe you could do it up to a Camel Trophy spec for your off roading adventures.

Thank you..!!

This is exactly why I thought of not going for a Defender. Even though the thing looks the part, thought it might be a bit of a challenge to live with one on a daily basis. Range Rover Classic was out of the question as well coz there was none available here with the 300Tdi. Discovery 1 is essentially a different body on the Range Rover Chassis, I love the articulation provided by the two solid axels.

You are correct on the rear overhang; I have a tow bar as well, so it does get stuck to the ground. I am hoping to get a rear bar like this one day, it might not have a short overhang (need to check exact specs) but is much stronger, have jack/recovery points and will take the weight of the spare wheel off the door. Would be perfect with a Jerry can holder on the left.

Yes, need to research more on the exact Camel Trophy spec. I absolutely love the camel trophy Yellow (sandglow), the G4 edition`s orange isn’t bad either (Tangiers Orange), if I decide to do the paint I’ll learn my self how to and do it myself.

[Gummybr]

Yes, need to research more on the exact Camel Trophy spec. I absolutely love the camel trophy Yellow (sandglow), the G4 edition`s orange isn’t bad either (Tangiers Orange), if I decide to do the paint I’ll learn my self how to and do it myself.

Since your in Aussie I believe you have a lot of rear bumpers to choose from. I suggest you get a LandRover Owner International magazine they've got loads of options that you can tinker with.

The Camel trophy spec doesn't have many mods internally so you can go with a picture and mod it. Inside they have the full roll cage (from the movies that I have seen)

[YALA]

you could also check out 4wd australia those boys show case quite a few aftermarket products on their DVD and custom built rigs

[MrCat]

Since your in Aussie I believe you have a lot of rear bumpers to choose from. I suggest you get a LandRover Owner International magazine they've got loads of options that you can tinker with.

The Camel trophy spec doesn't have many mods internally so you can go with a picture and mod it. Inside they have the full roll cage (from the movies that I have seen)

Yes, there are many manufactures out there and a good product range. 4WDAccessories for Landy`s are not as common as for Toyota`s or Nissans (this country Is a Toyota and Nissan shop when it comes to 4WDs..!), but not hard to find. My other option is to go for a heavy duty rear bumper bar with a short overhang, but they don’t usually come with the spare wheel carrier + reverse lights etc...

Good thought on the Landrover Owner Magazine, I subscribe for some other 4WD magazine but not for this one, should give it a go.

[MrCat]

you could also check out 4wd australia those boys show case quite a few aftermarket products on their DVD and custom built rigs

You meant the 4WD Action magazine? I`ve actually subscribed for this and got a small collection of DVD`s as well.

[MrCat]

Despite it’s notorious reputation for electrical niggles, everything electrical/electronic was working fine on this Disco when I bought it, apart from the front dome light and ABS. The dome light, it was just the contact points at the switch so just took it apart and cleaned with contact cleaner. The error code related to ABS indicated front right hand side sensor so I’ll get it replaced later on. It’s good to have ABS but the brake feel of these trucks are much better without the early generation ABS module.

With 300,000 long ones on the clock, the LandRover was marking it’s territory quite madly. Despite a good clean with degreaser, I personally just could not figure out where all the oil was coming out from, engine block, gear box, transfer case, front chassis rail, they were all nicely coated with oil. The 300Tdi was still running as sweet as a nut though, no cold start issues or excessive smoking at all.

So I had to embark on a mission to stop (at least try.. ) the oil leaks. Additionally, the 2^nd gear was crunching as well and the clutch doesn’t seem to disengage correctly at times, it would make a crunching noise when coming to a halt with the clutch pressed on gear (the car won’t move, but still made a noise as if the gear was partially engaged).

The disco was off to a Land Rover mechanic eventually, after a few examinations and discussions, here’s a list of what got replaced or fixed (at 302,514 km`s on the clock):

• Replaced gear box with a fully rebuilt unit from Aschroft Transmissions – UK. – Apparently the R380 box could suffer from premature wear/failure of synchros` and the main shaft. At 300k, I don’t know whether mine was actually failing prematurely, but it had to be fixed properly so I had the option of getting it rebuilt or buying an already rebuilt one with warranty. I went for the second option due to the warranty provided.
  
• Replaced clutch (a new kit) + clutch fork
  
• Transfer box intermediate shaft bearings
  
• Replaced every possible gasket at the engine + rear main oil seal
  
• Replaced all belts (including timing belt) + tensioners + idlers. Also replaced injector spill lines
  
• New water pump + ‘P’ gasket
  
• New brakes at the front (rotors + pads)
  
• New hub seals (front) + repack grease all bearings
  
• Replace exhaust downpipe – the pipe was leaking from flexi joint. Had to replace with a used part for the moment since I could not find one brand new
  
• Replaced rear prop shaft rubber coupling – Rear prop shaft on the Disco does not have a universal joint at the back (diff end), so the rubber coupling is prone to fail over time
  
• All fluids drained and replaced
  

Here`s the old donk, finally (somewhat) clean and oil free. The previous owner had installed a dual battery system, so I need not worry about it :

Here`s the rebuilt gearbox in place. The oil patch at the front is leaks from the engine sump. I am yet to get the sump gasket replaced (the 300Tdi does not actually have a gasket at the sump, have to use liquid gasket to seal). I am not going to attempt replacing this at home because the diff sits right below the sump, so might have to jack the car up and even loosen engine mounts to get the sump off. This is for the mechanic to do at the next service.

Edited September 18, 2012 by MrCat

[The Don]

Out of curiosity Mr Cat, how much did all of that set you back vs the original cost of acquisition. I'm just trying to compare labour and market rates in the UK to ones in Aussie

[MrCat]

Out of curiosity Mr Cat, how much did all of that set you back vs the original cost of acquisition. I'm just trying to compare labour and market rates in the UK to ones in Aussie

Don, as you would expect, Landy parts are nowhere near as cheap (as in the UK) over here. Generally, locally sourced parts are twice the cost I would say. Main issue over here is economies of scale I believe, very small population compared to the size of the country, plus significant transportation costs added to every auto part sold. Other thing is, there`s very little competition amongst mechanics, parts suppliers, agents, etc… so everyone`s quite used to doing their own thing and ripping people off (how many Land Rover mechanics would be working around a major city over there you think? There`s around 3 in Perth.). Certainly won’t mind travelling to the UK one day, so I can grab a whole heap of bits and pieces for the truck.

The replacement R380 gear box itself was 1800 dollars, whereas Aschoft themselves would fit the box for around 1000 pounds over there (includes labor). Which is fair enough, considering the fact that freight charges would add up both ways (for the exchange unit to be sent back).

All up, the above list came up to around 5200 dollars, inclusive of around 1500 as labor cost.

[YALA]

You meant the 4WD Action magazine? I`ve actually subscribed for this and got a small collection of DVD`s as well.

yup thats the one no sense in me subscribing since i cant get it delivered so i just follow them online...

[MrCat]

yup thats the one no sense in me subscribing since i cant get it delivered so i just follow them online...

Search for "DVD 187" here mate : http://www.4wdaction.com.au/video

And download the DVD (issue 187) if you could find the torrent, did a quick search but I couldn't find it yet.

This is one epic trip they did mainly on the beach, some crazy crossings while battling with the tide. This Jeremy guy`s Defender apparently weighs 4.3 tonnes fully loaded and still drove through the freaking ocean. With that weight and the suction of the sand, they clearly mentioned that there was no vehicle around, capable enough to recover the Defender if it ever got bogged during the ocean crossing..!

[MrCat]

Hello All, Its been a while since I updated this thread, so here goes..

Steering response is the last thing you would expect from a truck of this caliber, and this Disco initially had a steering play of around 1/6^th of a turn. Tie rod ends at the steering arms were bust (especially the front right hand side one due to oil leak from steering box). Additionally, the two universal joints at the steering lower arm were worn out as well.

So the entire steering lower arm (this came as one unit with two uni joints each end) got replaced:

And heavy duty steering arms where also installed. These are considerably heavier and sturdier than the factory arms. My mechanic recons they are strong enough to jack the car up, hopefully I won’t get in to too much trouble to try that one day. I’ve also installed a diff guard, painted it yellow just for the heck of it. I’ve got the rear diff guard as well, but is yet to be installed since I couldn’t get around painting it.

Oh, and also, I had to replace the ignition barrel (with the lock) since the original was worn out and turning the key has become a bit of an “art”. It is a bummer since I have to carry two keys now , but just can’t be bothered getting the three door locks re-keyed at this point of time.

Edited October 1, 2012 by MrCat

[The Don]

Don, as you would expect, Landy parts are nowhere near as cheap (as in the UK) over here. Generally, locally sourced parts are twice the cost I would say. Main issue over here is economies of scale I believe, very small population compared to the size of the country, plus significant transportation costs added to every auto part sold. Other thing is, there`s very little competition amongst mechanics, parts suppliers, agents, etc… so everyone`s quite used to doing their own thing and ripping people off (how many Land Rover mechanics would be working around a major city over there you think? There`s around 3 in Perth.). Certainly won’t mind travelling to the UK one day, so I can grab a whole heap of bits and pieces for the truck.

The replacement R380 gear box itself was 1800 dollars, whereas Aschoft themselves would fit the box for around 1000 pounds over there (includes labor). Which is fair enough, considering the fact that freight charges would add up both ways (for the exchange unit to be sent back).

All up, the above list came up to around 5200 dollars, inclusive of around 1500 as labor cost.

LR parts are sadly expensive everywhere. This I found when trying to source parts for a friend of mine. Particularly the cost of used parts was a major annoyance as they were more than most other vehicles. Now if LR manufactured components as well as designed them then this wouldn't be such a big problem!

[MrCat]

LR parts are sadly expensive everywhere. This I found when trying to source parts for a friend of mine. Particularly the cost of used parts was a major annoyance as they were more than most other vehicles. Now if LR manufactured components as well as designed them then this wouldn't be such a big problem!

Yeah true. And the thing is, there`s always a list of components that go bust in a certain model, so those specific parts are in high demand. Wreckers charge a premium for those.

For example, my rear windows started playing up, apparently another common issue with the window controller unit. I didn’t want to get a replacement unit really, was thinking of taking the unit apart when I get some time, but just bid for a unit on Aus ebay to see for how much it would go for. At the end nobody else had a bid on the unit, I had to buy at the reserve price, 75 Dollars!!! Quite ridiculous really, I guess this is a 20pound item at a UK wrecker. Oh well, will plug it in and see when it arrives.

Kudos to the many British parts manufactures who helps to keep these beasts on the road though. Original Landy spares are on a league on their own when it comes to pricing..!

[Supra_Natural]

MAchan I have to hand it to you, you are one brave soul for taking on an old landie... I respect them very much but would never ever take one on. Ok, maybe a bog standard series I or perhaps a loaded Rangie Classic would be a nice toy but as something to USE, Toyota 4x4s all the way!

Max respect to your project though

[MrCat]

MAchan I have to hand it to you, you are one brave soul for taking on an old landie... I respect them very much but would never ever take one on. Ok, maybe a bog standard series I or perhaps a loaded Rangie Classic would be a nice toy but as something to USE, Toyota 4x4s all the way!

Max respect to your project though

Thanks a lot machan..!!

Guess I was getting bored with life and needed a challenge, sure bought one..!! Best of all this is my daily runner and the only car I`ve got. Also imagine the process of convincing the wife to move away from nice leather comforts and fancy electronics of a Honda in to a noisy, stinking Diesel. She`s a sweet soul though, she understands.

Furthermore, look at this list; the most reliable used car brands according to What Car? and Warranty Direct (cant remember which year`s survey i got this from though):

1 Honda

2 Toyota

--------

35 Alfa Romeo

36 Land Rover

LoL..!! I As a brand, I went all the way from 1 to 36..! Drive`s me insane at times, but at the end of the day, it`s all worth it I reckon.

I admit that Toyota 4WD`s are top of the game when it comes to reliability and function, but don’t think I`ll be able to convince myself to own or be passionate about running one (let me put it this way, I won’t be wearing a Toyota cap when I hit the beach. LoL..!). I`ll be just driving it around, like the rest of the millions all over the globe.

And also, look where the bog standard Disco is (with crap Chinese road tires) when a D4D Prado (with 70 horses more power on paper, running All Terrain Tires) is bogged on the Disco`s tracks. These things does go hard off-the-road :

This is the usual crowd I have to deal with, talk about Jap Dominance when it comes to Fourby`s:

[MrCat]

Hello All,

So I had some time off from work today, and decided to do some minor stuff on the truck. Nothing major, thought I’ll note it down anyway.

There was an old school 12v power outlet installed at the back of the Disco when I bought it. Don’t know where this standard is used, but I’ve never come across any 12v device which would plug in to a socket like this. I just replaced it with a ‘Narva’ cigarette lighter type socket. This is a direct connection which is not controlled via ignition so is quite handy to plug in any device whenever required. I am currently running a small 8 litre thermo electric cool box off this. The previous socket is on the left:

Replaced the trailer power connection socket as well, the previous socket was working fine but the front lid/cover was broken. This is a standard 7 pin socket, again a ‘Narva’ unit:

I painted the tow bracket in black before, so the whole bar kind of looks ok now:

Here’s the basic wiring diagram for the trailer socket/pin:

[Scooter]

Hi Cat, the old socket is what they call a "polarised" socket. Sometimes they were installed unfused, so careful with what is plugged in. Worth checking if the circuit is fused or not. You have a FANTASTIC electrical supplier over there inPerth called Engeland (the fridge people) who supply all this 12v vehicle power gear...they have some amazing power panels for Landrovers that make me drool and their prices are really good. You can look them up on:

http://www.engeland.com.au/welcome.toy

Looks like a fun Disc0.

[MrCat]

Hi Cat, the old socket is what they call a "polarised" socket. Sometimes they were installed unfused, so careful with what is plugged in. Worth checking if the circuit is fused or not. You have a FANTASTIC electrical supplier over there inPerth called Engeland (the fridge people) who supply all this 12v vehicle power gear...they have some amazing power panels for Landrovers that make me drool and their prices are really good. You can look them up on:

http://www.engeland.com.au/welcome.toy

Looks like a fun Disc0.

Whoa.!!! That’s some brilliant piece of information, especially this Engeland place. Thanks heaps for that Scooter. See what a great place A/L is, you never know when someone might pop-up with some great info/advice.

Look at those DC distribution panels by ‘Engeland’ with individual switches..!! Just 85 bucks..! Must get one of em wired up later on. I am eyeing on an Engle 40lt fridge/freezer as well, so will definitely pay them a visit soon.

You know what sort of 12v equipment would use this DC ‘polarized’ socket? Never seen one in use. You could be correct on the socket being not fused though; power is taken by tapping in to the main wiring loom at the back (which distributes to trailer socket, rear lights, etc…), but I can’t figure out whether it’s fused or not. Also, don’t know whether the factory wiring loom would have a direct live wire which is not going through the ignition, but this line is always having power. Need to check this properly.

[Scooter]

Maybe the idea of the polarised socket is to ensure that anything plugged in with a metal outer casing - like an older fridge - can't' get + power to the case and thus be in danger of shorting out to other parts of the car. Just a guess, Cat.

[MrCat]

Hello All,

As I’ve mentioned before, the Landy`s rear power shutters started refusing to move. Bit of research made be believe that it could be the common failure of the window control unit. So bought a window control ECU off ebay and it arrived a few days ago.

The controller unit is installed under the dash (left hand side) behind the glove box. Removed the glove box to gain access to the unit, which is on the left below, where I’ve pulled the connectors out. This was in a very tight place, was impossible to remove the screws that secured the unit. It appeared that I might have to remove the bracket on the unit on the right hand side and take the whole thing off to gain access.

Plugged the new one in while the old one was still in place, and after a bit more fiddling around (checked fuses again, had to play with the window lock button as well) the rear windows moved after a long time.

Just because it was hard to take the old unit out, I decided to plug the connectors back to the old unit to check one last time. And guess what, the old unit works now and the windows were still operational. The disco has decided to fix itself..!! Mad British electronics..!! They’ve got a mind on their own sometimes..!

Oh well, I now got a spare window control ECU. Can just plug it in when the old one dies for good.

Edited October 12, 2012 by MrCat

[The Don]

Mr Cat? Could it not have been either a lose connection or a mechanical jam, that just got unstuck after you fiddled around multiple times?

[Scooter]

Cat, looks like you're really enjoying working on the Disco. Good photos, always useful to others with problems.

Have you come across the free Disco Workshop Manual pdf? It's up on:

http://www.landroverresource.com/docs/D1_Workshop_Manual.pdf

...Brit vehicles ....and particularly their electrics.....really have a mind totally of their own, don't they!

[MrCat]

Mr Cat? Could it not have been either a lose connection or a mechanical jam, that just got unstuck after you fiddled around multiple times?

It could have been a loose connection at the pins Don. Could also be the circuitry inside the control box as well. Came home after a bit of running, it appears that the shutters are not moving again. I just don't know why the hell it started working after re-plugging the old unit in (I dint start the engine when testing before, but maybe something got re-set after staring the engine?). I might as well put the new unit in and test again later.

Edited October 12, 2012 by MrCat