Hi Guys & Girls,

I am planning on getting a disco as i have been advised its a good 4x4 and will run on veg oil, I have also been advised to get a pre 98 as later ones have more elcetronics to go wrong. I have been running a transit on veg/bio for the last 3 years so am ok on this side of things but know nothing about disco's.

I want an auto as i do a lot of town work and get feed up changing gear, mpg is not a problem as my fuel is free. I will also be doing all my own servicing as far as i can.

Can anyone tell me what model I should be looking for and any other pointers that I should look out for to make sure i get a veg friendly one. getting a bit confused about 200tdi and 300 tdi and when fly by wire was introduced, are these good or bad on veg?

Cheers

hifly said:

Hi Guys & Girls,

I am planning on getting a disco as i have been advised its a good 4x4 and will run on veg oil, I have also been advised to get a pre 98 as later ones have more elcetronics to go wrong. I have been running a transit on veg/bio for the last 3 years so am ok on this side of things but know nothing about disco's.

I want an auto as i do a lot of town work and get feed up changing gear, mpg is not a problem as my fuel is free. I will also be doing all my own servicing as far as i can.

Can anyone tell me what model I should be looking for and any other pointers that I should look out for to make sure i get a veg friendly one. getting a bit confused about 200tdi and 300 tdi and when fly by wire was introduced, are these good or bad on veg?

Cheers

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What you need is a TDi300 auto - they have a bit of electronics but nothing to worry about.

As a recovery tech who has seen quite a few landies run on veg - it would be far cheaper if you picked up a scaffold pole. Both would make a good rod for your back, only the pole is cheaper!

Seriously - if you are looking to run on veg oil, you want a non turbo, normally aspirated push rod engined vehicle that costs no more than a few hundred pounds and it will be fine. Much as the transit really - basic engine, no bells or whistles and little to go wrong.

If you do go for a disco, you will need pre-heaters and a good supply of fuel filters, and check the sedimenter every few weeks - they gel up really quickly!

One landrover (defender 200) that a guy has locally runs on veg. He has broken down so much, that breakdown companies have banned him, and he cannot get a garage within 90 miles to look at it! That has pre-heaters etc, but it keeps gelling up, messing the injectors, bores - you name it!

Hardly a cheap fuel when you are paying garage fees!

If you want cheap running costs - go for LPG......I had a trooper 3.2 that did 45mpg, a shogun 3500 that did 50 mpg, and currently a merc 3.2 e class that does 65. LPG needs less servicing too. Beats gambling engine gunge any day.

mostly lots of BS

Sean said:

mostly lots of BS

Click to expand...

lol

As i said in my OP i am very familure with running on veg/bio and what can happen if you don't know what you are doing. Its not the veg thats a problem but the user. When i got my transit it was the same cost as a 98 300 tdi is now, if it has a bosch pump and is not common rail or got too many immision sensors then it will be fine, i have done over 50,000 miles on veg and know 100's of others that use it in all sorts of cars with no problem at all.

What i don't know is which disco fits that profile, upto what year would fit the above ? i.e. bosch pump no immision sensors, ERG is ok as that can be blanked off, also turbo will not cause any problems with good fuel and good engine servicing.

I'd go on what thebiglad said...300TDi, with the only remark that if u want to get rid of another worry think of a manual one......as a fact u wont be able to get just pre 98 of that one......after 98 it'll be Td5 already and that's not the one u need if u are scared of electronics ......the 200TDi will do it to but these are all pre 95.

If u have enough patience u'll get more info here http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/search.php?searchid=1330042

Mines a very late 300tdi ES Auto, February 1999 S Reg to be exact, with all the electrics and trimmings, runs on veg oil no problem, takes a few more turns to start 1st thing but thats it........ no other issues.... oh and no pre-heaters

same here,got a 1994 300 tdi so i guess one of the early ones. That has run on 100% bio without any ill effects to speak of. Even started without issues during the cold spell at the start of this year. Also no pre heaters. 200 tdi basic but very good machine. 300 tdi alittle softer on the eye with a splash of added comfort over the 200 tdi. But both very good machaines

thanks for the constructive replys, As far as pre-heaters are concerned unless you are heating the head, injector pipes, i-pump, filter and fuel lines I think they are a waste of time, I would sugest changing the oil at a more frequent interval then recomended as its di, and also use an oil flush on each oil change.

so its a 97/98 300 tdi then,

i normally run on a mix of home made biodiesel and filtered veg oil, currently running 50/50, winter time i go to 100% biodiesel as it will work at the lower temps. If anyone is interested in good info on biodiesel and veg oil check my sig for the best forum on the net for all things veg oil related.