Hellastony
Active Member
Apologies for late introduction but been workin on it...! long post ....sorry!
Two weeks ago bought a 2001 Disco TD5, ES, auto, white gold, LHD, 7 seats, 84K, SLS, ACE. My intention is to take it to Greece where it will replace my German reg LHD RAV 4. I need something a bit stronger for towing a boat and some of the roads, (carttracks is being good to carttracks!), leave a lot to be desired out in the wilds of the South Pelion. Really nice part of the Greek mainland if anybody knows it. No tourists, bloody marvelous.
Anyway, courtesy of Stuart Collins Insurance (Stuart Collins and Co European Motor Insurance and Annual Green Cards) it is possible to long term take a UK registered motor abroad to Europe and still have insurance cover despite the fact that it is SORN'd here and untaxed and un MOT'd, (must carry out test local to country though), so thought a Disco would be ideal, as we have to drive 3 1/2 hrs north to Thessaloniki to leave the car with a guy there when we fly in and out, and a Disco would be good for both the bad roads and the motorway, and need 7 seats ideally.
Looked around found several very overpriced LHD's and stumbled on this one. Supplied by LR as a tax free vehicle in 2001, taken to Egypt, later returned to UK then taken again (they must have loved the car!) to UAE. It has a full service history, Egyptian and UAE dealer stamps, and everything on it is genuine LR, and I am its 2nd owner. Due to the places it has been it has virtually no rust anywhere at all, but some of the plastics and rubbers have suffered a bit due to the heat.
I had read lots on here and elsewhere about Disco problems and what to look for, and could not fault the car, other than an oil leak and the M & S lights on the dash refused to come on, nor does the gear readout in the digital odometer work. I was assured that the mode did change, but didn't have the time to see it on the diagnostic.
Anyway it got home OK. After stripping it all down, (back to serious toolwork after many years away), the oil leak appeared to be from where the oil cooler housing joins the block, as well as from the usual injector harness and dripping out of the bottom of the main harness as well as in the ECU plug, (but no misfire!), as well as a slight weep at the rear of the sump, (but might have been from the main harness drips.
So thinks me, I know the oil cooler is a problem, and being unsure if it had ever been changed, I would do that, change a bottom hose that was leaking as well, and the oil pump sprocket bolt as well.
All done over a weekend, on the driveway (blockpaved of course...!). The oil cooler had indeed been changed, (evidence of silicon) so the replacement went back to RST at Mersea, (thanks guys and Sue), (phew £165 better off!), all cleaned down underneath to identify any further leaks, and although there appears to be a small weep from again where the oil cooler housing joins the block, but not enough to drip off the bottom, (should have used silicone with the new gaskets!!), and the oil filter appears to be leaking very slightly around its top - didn't change it due to intention to do a full oil and filter change later, knowing I had got water in the oil when the oil cooler housing came off, and it was all jetwashed down, so hope that will stop with a new filter, tomorrow maybe - all appears to be ok!
Used car last weekend to take mother in law back to Cheshire and all was fine, wife loves it, prefers it to my soon to be going Audi A6 for comfort!
Did fast run, traffic awful going up, better coming back and over 420 miles didn't use 3/4 tank of diesel. Pretty good I thought.
Anyway, it has a slight lean to the left, 1" down on passenger side (lhd), as you look at it, springs appear to be different colours, one purple, and one white, not sure why they should be different, but RAVE says they should be, but both the same on a RHD car...! so that needs sorting. Trying to find a CD autochanger to replace the one somebody has removed from under the seat. Now got one but its a Philips and apparently I need an Alpine...!:doh:
Future plans are to clean out the intercooler and hoses, de EGR it, get it Dynachip'd after reading excellent writeups and talking to Mike, and I would like to change the torque converter after reading some excellent results about replacing the standard one with the HD Ashcroft one. Not sure I will get round to that, and need a ramp or a pit to do it. It needs a towbar, (I keep being outbid on fleabay!) and as it has the difflock gubbins in the transfer box, it seems sensible to add the correct lever and linkage to make it work, but can I find one? (50pence and I have spoken!). I also have a kilometer speedo to fit before it goes and need some lhd headlight units as well. Oh and I need to waxoyl it too! BUT, (touch wood, and other things!) other than the slightly unusual M&S lights, (help already had from sierrafery and others) all seems to be well by comparison from what I read here.
Many thanks to thebiglad for providing an excellent list of what to do on first acquisition, and am slowly working through this. Many other things to check and do, already replaced transfer lever and handbrake gaiter with nice leather ones, old ones were disintegrating leaving black dust everywhere.
I have corresponded, met and spoken with some really helpful people, LR specialists included, as a result of my short period of ownership of the Disco, and consider this to be an excellent resource, keep it up!
I hope in due course I can assist as well.
Regards
Tony
Two weeks ago bought a 2001 Disco TD5, ES, auto, white gold, LHD, 7 seats, 84K, SLS, ACE. My intention is to take it to Greece where it will replace my German reg LHD RAV 4. I need something a bit stronger for towing a boat and some of the roads, (carttracks is being good to carttracks!), leave a lot to be desired out in the wilds of the South Pelion. Really nice part of the Greek mainland if anybody knows it. No tourists, bloody marvelous.
Anyway, courtesy of Stuart Collins Insurance (Stuart Collins and Co European Motor Insurance and Annual Green Cards) it is possible to long term take a UK registered motor abroad to Europe and still have insurance cover despite the fact that it is SORN'd here and untaxed and un MOT'd, (must carry out test local to country though), so thought a Disco would be ideal, as we have to drive 3 1/2 hrs north to Thessaloniki to leave the car with a guy there when we fly in and out, and a Disco would be good for both the bad roads and the motorway, and need 7 seats ideally.
Looked around found several very overpriced LHD's and stumbled on this one. Supplied by LR as a tax free vehicle in 2001, taken to Egypt, later returned to UK then taken again (they must have loved the car!) to UAE. It has a full service history, Egyptian and UAE dealer stamps, and everything on it is genuine LR, and I am its 2nd owner. Due to the places it has been it has virtually no rust anywhere at all, but some of the plastics and rubbers have suffered a bit due to the heat.
I had read lots on here and elsewhere about Disco problems and what to look for, and could not fault the car, other than an oil leak and the M & S lights on the dash refused to come on, nor does the gear readout in the digital odometer work. I was assured that the mode did change, but didn't have the time to see it on the diagnostic.
Anyway it got home OK. After stripping it all down, (back to serious toolwork after many years away), the oil leak appeared to be from where the oil cooler housing joins the block, as well as from the usual injector harness and dripping out of the bottom of the main harness as well as in the ECU plug, (but no misfire!), as well as a slight weep at the rear of the sump, (but might have been from the main harness drips.
So thinks me, I know the oil cooler is a problem, and being unsure if it had ever been changed, I would do that, change a bottom hose that was leaking as well, and the oil pump sprocket bolt as well.
All done over a weekend, on the driveway (blockpaved of course...!). The oil cooler had indeed been changed, (evidence of silicon) so the replacement went back to RST at Mersea, (thanks guys and Sue), (phew £165 better off!), all cleaned down underneath to identify any further leaks, and although there appears to be a small weep from again where the oil cooler housing joins the block, but not enough to drip off the bottom, (should have used silicone with the new gaskets!!), and the oil filter appears to be leaking very slightly around its top - didn't change it due to intention to do a full oil and filter change later, knowing I had got water in the oil when the oil cooler housing came off, and it was all jetwashed down, so hope that will stop with a new filter, tomorrow maybe - all appears to be ok!
Used car last weekend to take mother in law back to Cheshire and all was fine, wife loves it, prefers it to my soon to be going Audi A6 for comfort!
Did fast run, traffic awful going up, better coming back and over 420 miles didn't use 3/4 tank of diesel. Pretty good I thought.
Anyway, it has a slight lean to the left, 1" down on passenger side (lhd), as you look at it, springs appear to be different colours, one purple, and one white, not sure why they should be different, but RAVE says they should be, but both the same on a RHD car...! so that needs sorting. Trying to find a CD autochanger to replace the one somebody has removed from under the seat. Now got one but its a Philips and apparently I need an Alpine...!:doh:
Future plans are to clean out the intercooler and hoses, de EGR it, get it Dynachip'd after reading excellent writeups and talking to Mike, and I would like to change the torque converter after reading some excellent results about replacing the standard one with the HD Ashcroft one. Not sure I will get round to that, and need a ramp or a pit to do it. It needs a towbar, (I keep being outbid on fleabay!) and as it has the difflock gubbins in the transfer box, it seems sensible to add the correct lever and linkage to make it work, but can I find one? (50pence and I have spoken!). I also have a kilometer speedo to fit before it goes and need some lhd headlight units as well. Oh and I need to waxoyl it too! BUT, (touch wood, and other things!) other than the slightly unusual M&S lights, (help already had from sierrafery and others) all seems to be well by comparison from what I read here.
Many thanks to thebiglad for providing an excellent list of what to do on first acquisition, and am slowly working through this. Many other things to check and do, already replaced transfer lever and handbrake gaiter with nice leather ones, old ones were disintegrating leaving black dust everywhere.
I have corresponded, met and spoken with some really helpful people, LR specialists included, as a result of my short period of ownership of the Disco, and consider this to be an excellent resource, keep it up!
I hope in due course I can assist as well.
Regards
Tony
