Disco 1 300tdi lost all power while driving

Hey all, my disco lost all power while driving up a hill. The revs surged a bit and the auto box seemingly couldn't decide what gear to be in. I managed to get it off the side of the road and once it was stopped the engine cut out.

It wouldn't start again straight away so I let it cool down for an hour or so. It did eventually start again after quite a while (it would always start first pop once warm) and seemed to idle fine but the oil light had come ine. Once I put it in drive and tried to move it would cut out again.

It has been leaking quite a bit of oil. I've been keeping it topped up, however I did check it when it died and it was a bit below the low mark.

Anyone got any ideas on what could be wrong here?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Welcome to LZ.
Not a great start for you in the new year.

Sounds like you need a new engine, low oil/oil light on = do not waste any money trying to repair the one you have.

Low oil can cause longer term wear issues, but wouldn't normally cause an engine to splutter and cut out.

I think it sounds like an air leak somewhere, which is when air gets into the fuel line by a worn/cracked pipe or loose fitting.

If you start the engine (bonnet up), let it run for a min and give it some revs then shut it off, you might be able to hear a hissing sound in the engine bay, it'll be faint, so easier with two people, but that would confirm if it is an air leak. Also check all fuel lines to see if they are wet with fuel and if you have recently changed the fuel filter, make sure it is tightly fitted. I've had a leak on the seal there before.

Lift pumps can also fail which could also produce similar problems.

The Tdi engine is fairly simple, if it isn't an air leak the only other two things I can really think of are the stop solenoid, although this would normally be on or off and not just poor running. So I'm inclined to say unlikely. Or an issue with the injection pump, although I suspect yours is an EDC setup due to being an auto, to which I'm not overly familiar.

I guess in theory low oil plus maybe some other timing issues could have bore washed the cylinders causing low compression and poor running. But this would be more of an extreme case. I'd certainly be checking fuel lines first and replacing the lift pump.

Please post the outcome, I am interested in how the fuel system puts on the low oil pressure light.

robbie101 said:

Hey all, my disco lost all power while driving up a hill. The revs surged a bit and the auto box seemingly couldn't decide what gear to be in. I managed to get it off the side of the road and once it was stopped the engine cut out.

It wouldn't start again straight away so I let it cool down for an hour or so. It did eventually start again after quite a while (it would always start first pop once warm) and seemed to idle fine but the oil light had come ine. Once I put it in drive and tried to move it would cut out again.

It has been leaking quite a bit of oil. I've been keeping it topped up, however I did check it when it died and it was a bit below the low mark.

Anyone got any ideas on what could be wrong here?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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Do you check the oil level once a week ?

Were there any signs of oil under the vehicle prior to this ? You say it's been leaking and you've topped up, where was the oil coming from ?

Dippypud said:

Do you check the oil level once a week ?

Were there any signs of oil under the vehicle prior to this ? You say it's been leaking and you've topped up, where was the oil coming from ?

Click to expand...

I reckon less than 1 percent of the population check their cars oil, the rest learn the hard way, like the op.

lynall said:

I reckon less than 1 percent of the population check their cars oil, the rest learn the hard way, like the op.

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Even if I've done it the day before, I still check it before a long drive, cos I make so many small runs, 10 miles or less, even a 20 mile drive is a run out for me ...

lynall said:

I reckon less than 1 percent of the population check their cars oil, the rest learn the hard way, like the op.

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And yet a daily or weekly check only takes minutes.
As an army driver this would be expected daily and a quick once over gives peace of mind.

Eldon said:

And yet a daily or weekly check only takes minutes.
As an army driver this would be expected daily and a quick once over gives peace of mind.

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I would say seconds rather than minutes, bonnet up stick up slowly the last bit so as not to make a mess, then back in the hole, glance at coolant and brake fluid then bonnet down.

Ten trucks at where I work, any truck in the shop for any reason and I check the levels, rare to not need oil.

lynall said:

I would say seconds rather than minutes, bonnet up stick up slowly the last bit so as not to make a mess, then back in the hole, glance at coolant and brake fluid then bonnet down.

Ten trucks at where I work, any truck in the shop for any reason and I check the levels, rare to not need oil.

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How reliable are the electronic oil levels on a lorry? (Iveco has dip stick,but you have to tilt the cab and the electronic dash type)

Hicap phill said:

How reliable are the electronic oil levels on a lorry? (Iveco has dip stick,but you have to tilt the cab and the electronic dash type)

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Pretty accurate so long as the actual level is calibrated into the computer.
Daf XF has elec check but have to tip cab to get to dipstick, which means dropping the bullbar.
Scania has elec check and dipstick is under the grill, but you have to drop the bullbar to get the grill up.

Dippypud said:

Do you check the oil level once a week ?

Were there any signs of oil under the vehicle prior to this ? You say it's been leaking and you've topped up, where was the oil coming from ?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I've only had it for a month or so. It did leave a fair amount of oil when parked, so I did check every few days and had to top up once