D1 questions

[upcruiser]

Hey guys, I was hoping I could pick some of the experts brains here regarding a Land Rover Discovery I am borrowing for a couple of weeks. I'm out in Colorado for work and a good friend of mine lent me her D1 Disco to use for that time period. First off, I really, really love this truck. It is a '95 5 speed with a 4.6 conversion, OME, snorkel, ARB bull bar, Borla exhaust, and some other kit. I've been a Land Cruiser guy forever but have always had a thing for Rovers. I've driven Range Rover Classics before but never a Disco. I love the ergonomics, the the feel, and the visibility. It feels solid, yet somewhat agile compared to my 80 series. I always hear how you have to drive one to understand the untangible joys of driving a Rover and I can totally attest to it now. I'm hooked.

The story behind this rig is that it was her husbands who unfortunately passed away last year. He put alot of love into this Disco and it has been sitting relatively unused besides some weekend spins in it by her. She asked me if I wanted to use it while I was in Colorado for work and to give it some use. I thought I'd get the oil changed and just give it a quick once over to let her know if anything seemed amiss on it from sitting so long.

The fist thing I noticed driving it was a noticeable amount of gear whine. I have no idea if this truck was regeared or not. It has the OME lift and 235/85's on it currently though, so possibly? On the highway with the stereo off there is a fairly intrusive amount of whine that creeps into the cabin. Is this a red flag of an issue that needs to be addressed soon?

Also, what octane fuel is recomended for the 4.6? Oil? She doesn't know a whole lot about the truck and its build as her husband had done the majority of the work from what I can understand. I'll try to post up a picture of it. Maybe some of you front range Land Rover guys might recognize it and know a bit more about the truck's history. I really want to help her out and make sure it is running well, or at least tell her what issues it might have.

Brakes seem to be fine, clutch and tranny shift well, and wow, that exhaust note is to die for. Ok, thanks in advance for any help from a complete Land Rover newb...

 

[timmy!!!!!!!]

For the manual transmission use redline MTL
Just change out all of the tcase and diff fluids just in case but a lot of noise is pretty normal as the transfer case is gear driven.
The oil I have been using is mobil 1 10w-40 high mileage which is pretty cheap at wally world in the 5 quart jugs.
Oh and use premium gas in the things.

 

[upcruiser]

Couple shots of it, anyone know this truck?

 

[upcruiser]

For the manual transmission use redline MTL
Just change out all of the tcase and diff fluids just in case but a lot of noise is pretty normal as the transfer case is gear driven.
The oil I have been using is mobil 1 10w-40 high mileage which is pretty cheap at wally world in the 5 quart jugs.
Oh and use premium gas in the things.

Ok, thanks for the tips there. Glad to hear the whine is normal. I am taking notes on this. Good stuff.

 

[JSBriggs]

You can run regular gas if it has been tuned (retimed) to run on it. I stopped running premium years ago.

-Jeff

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I can't comment on the D1 stuff, but the 4.6 sounds like it's from a D2 so I can.

On the octane, I don't recommend using regular. The 4.6 doesn't need to be retuned, you can just go ahead and put regular in it and it will tune back the timing automatically. So it won't detonate, and it'll run ok. What it WILL do is you will lose power, and efficiency, so MPG will drop and you're really not saving any money. Then, others have stated that running like this long term will leave carbon deposits on the valves, leading to an early head job being required.

For me, just not worth the risk.

On the oil, Land Rover specifications, and other LR experts I trust are adamant to use oil with an ACEA A3/B3 rating in order to protect the cam and valvetrain. This stuff is hard to find with this rating. I use Castrol Syntec 5W40 which has this rating. It's a little more money, but again, I don't think the savings are worth the risk.

Maybe if people payed more attention to the factory recommended servicing, these trucks wouldn't have so much of a bad reputation.

 

[Pskhaat]

Don't you dare ...

 

[timmy!!!!!!!]

I

On the octane, I don't recommend using regular. The 4.6 doesn't need to be retuned, you can just go ahead and put regular in it and it will tune back the timing automatically.

Even with a 4.6 the 95 will still have a cap and rotor for the ignition system which means it can't be timed automatically. 96 was the first year that land rover started using coil packs etc... to where the timing will be adjusted automatically. Oh and JackW on here timed a hunter RRC to run on regular gas and I don't think he had any valve issues in the 180k miles he owned the thing.

 

[JSBriggs]

Maybe if people payed more attention to the factory recommended servicing, these trucks wouldn't have so much of a bad reputation.

Seriously?

-Jeff

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Even with a 4.6 the 95 will still have a cap and rotor for the ignition system which means it can't be timed automatically. 96 was the first year that land rover started using coil packs etc... to where the timing will be adjusted automatically. Oh and JackW on here timed a hunter RRC to run on regular gas and I don't think he had any valve issues in the 180k miles he owned the thing.

That's a good point. I guess the question is did they put a 4.6 block in this with the old ECU (and dizzy), or did they swap over the whole 4.6 ECU system as well?

Regardless, I know who I listen to on these things, and I'm running premium.

Seriously?

I didn't say "good" reputation, but "better".

 

[muskyman]

I really doubt anyone swapped all the components of a DII 4.6 into it...LOL

pop the hood, if it has a distributor go ahead and run regular and it will actually get better mileage on the regular then the premium.

go to walmart and get Rottella T 15/40 regular dino oil at $11.77 a gallon and you will be taking great care of the thing. Dont use fram filters for the oil...wick premium works great for a fair price.

Timmy was right on with the geear noise, the 94 and 95's really make alot of gear noise and they also are clunky but they really dont have many issues so just look at it as personality.

You are right about them being more agile then the yota 80's. I wheel with a couple 80's all the time and the disco will drive circles around the 80's on tight trails. they get blown around a bit more on the open road then a 80 but that just how things work its all about trade offs.

enjoy the truck while you have it, pretty clear the guy musta loved it to swap in a 4.6, dont be afraid to drive it hard they love to be driven hard and will actually run better if they are.

 

[Antichrist]

WIX 51515 is very good oil filter, with a larger than OEM oil capacity. Generally available at independent autoparts stores and heavy truck parts houses. Baldwin/Hastings B2 is quality as well. Wix filters are also available as the NAPA Gold line. Wix or NAPA should run $4-$6 depending on where you get them.

 

[Schattenjager]

The story sounds too familiar - is this near Evergreen, CO? If so, I do know the rig from a distance as well as the guy that did some work on it. We met your lady friend in a parking lot a few months ago and my buddy told me the tragic story. She has a pup in the rig as well. Sweet rig. PM me and I can pass on the Tech's name and number. He is a solid Land Rover guy and a skilled wrench.

 

[FourByLand]

Don't you dare ...

LOL, one at a time...

:costumed-smiley-007

 

[tdesanto]

Don't you dare ...

LOL, one at a time...

:costumed-smiley-007

:lurk: