2.7 Engine shocker.

[BLUETHUNDER]

Yesterday i got the chance to drive a disco 3 for a lenthy period.I must say i was more than impressed.All the stories i have heard about the car being heavy and a bit sluggish i found held no truth to them.The response from the peddle was impressive and the ride was first class.I found the engine to be quieter than the 3.0 as fitted to the X5 and RangeRover,and certaintly a better drive than the X5.Imagine my shock and dissapointment when mentioning the disco to a friend in the know with Land Rover,i was told that as a second hand buy i should walk away as the engine would require a cambelt change at 96,000 mls,no problem i thought this would be the sought of mileage i was expecting to pick up one of the diesals on be it Disco or RR sport.But what i didnt know was that the 2.7 has cambelts front and rear,so in order to do a cambelt change requires full engine and gearbox removal or at worst body off.Imagine the prospect for some one who suffers a snapped belt with the vechile being out of warranty.Not onlt would they have to contend with the cost of engine damage,but also the added extra cost of labour with engine and gearbox removal.It doesnt leave you with much scope as a second hand buy.

>> Edited by BLUETHUNDER on Thursday 2nd March 22:20

[triple7]

Interesting point you raise, but owning an LR which is less than 5 years old, you be wise to have a warranty, assuming it covered a cambelt change?

G

[CatherineJ]

I wonder if the same will apply to all the other cars that run that engine?

I believe it is also in the Jaguar S & XJ, itroen C6, Peugeot 407 Coupe.

[mustard]

One for Marquis Rex to explain!

Now running two cambelts by my reackoning would either double the chances of one snapping or make it vitually non-existant, (ie if one fails you've got the second to hold everything up!)

[daveatcopleigh]

"It has 2 belts, front is for the cams and rear is for the fuel pump.
The manual shows the real belt being changed in situe so i wouldnt think the engine would have too come out for that, the rear belt is also not timed so i would assume a break would not damage the engine."
The above is all I can find at present, I will post more as I find more info

[BLUETHUNDER]

From what ive been told the rear belt cant be done in situ?

[andyjmchaplin]

disco 3 mmmmmm leave well alone

if you get a gearbox fault its body off time and a 3 day repair bill id be happy with that wouldnt you


late disco 2 and run the thing for years td5 engines are cheap to fix and a recon manual gearbox is only £600 now where my money would be spent if i needed a shoping trolly

[farmeryellow]

A few Facts
both belts can be changed with engine in the vehicle
And so can the gearbox....the list below is taken from the offical Landrover workshop manual...how to remove your gearbox.....

Disconnect the battery ground cable
Raise and support the vehicle.
WARNING: Do not work on or under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Always support the vehicle on safety stands.
Remove the front driveshaft
Remove the exhaust system
Remove the rear driveshaft
Remove the starter motor.
Release the selector cable Using an additional wrench, restrain the clamping bush and loosen the locknut.
Compress the latch and release the cable.
CAUTION: Always plug any open connections to prevent contamination
Disconnect the transmission fluid lines.
Remove the retaining bolt
Release the retaining clip
Remove and discard both O-ring seals.
Remove the turbocharger support bracket.
Remove the retaining nut and two bolts
Remove the exhaust heat shield.
Remove the seven retaining nuts
Remove the exhaust cross-over pipe LH support bracket
Remove the three retaining bolts.
Release the transmission wiring harness.
Remove the exhaust cross-over pipe RH support bracket
Remove the three retaining bolts.
Remove the exhaust cross-over pipe center support bracket
Remove the two retaining bolts.
Release the wiring harness from the LH side of the transmission
Remove the two retaining bolts.
Release the retaining clip.
cont.........

[farmeryellow]

.....cont

Release the wiring harness from the RH side of the transmission.
Remove the LH retaining bolt.
Disconnect the electrical connector.
Disconnect the transfer case electrical connectors.
Disconnect the three electrical connectors
CAUTION: Always plug any open connections to prevent contamination.
Disconnect the breather line.
Depress the locking ring.
Release the wiring harness from the transfer case
Remove the 3 bolts.
Release the clip.
Remove the radiator access panel.
Remove the four retaining bolts
Release the flexplate.
Remove the access plug
Rotate the crankshaft in a clockwise direction to access the retaining bolts.
Remove the four retaining bolts.
Using a transmission jack, support the transmission.
WARNING: Secure the transmission to the transmission jack.
WARNING: Support the engine. The engine will move foward when the transmission is removed.

[YamR1,V64motion]

just more reason to get the supercharged V8 then?
dont they have a new V8 diesel coming out soon?, although this is meant to be for the Range Rover it might be an option in the RR Sport/Disco too?

[anonymous-user]

Are second hand Disco 3s that bad a buy? I know some of you are owners.

Would a warranty cover this kind of work?. I've had TVR's before and don't know if I can face any more reliability issues.

[hunttheshunt]

From memory my Disco 3 has three years warranty and is extendable subject to mileage. As I said in an earlier post, I've had a few problems but all sorted under warranty and nothing more than I have had on a newer X5.

I think it's a great bit of kit and I wouldn't have a problem buying a second hand one. Granted I wouldn't buy one without manufacturers warranty, but I doubt you can anyway. That said, I wouldn't own my X5 outside of it's warranty either. Far too complicated and expensive to start messing about with yourself.

I spoke with my dealer about the V8 diesel and he suggested it isn't an option on the cards for the Disco as far as he knows. Personally, I'd take the Disco over the RR or Sport anyday.

[anonymous-user]

Cheers.

[YamR1,V64motion]

hunttheshunt said:

From memory my Disco 3 has three years warranty and is extendable subject to mileage. As I said in an earlier post, I've had a few problems but all sorted under warranty and nothing more than I have had on a newer X5. I think it's a great bit of kit and I wouldn't have a problem buying a second hand one. Granted I wouldn't buy one without manufacturers warranty, but I doubt you can anyway. That said, I wouldn't own my X5 outside of it's warranty either. Far too complicated and expensive to start messing about with yourself. I spoke with my dealer about the V8 diesel and he suggested it isn't an option on the cards for the Disco as far as he knows. Personally, I'd take the Disco over the RR or Sport anyday.

have to admit i quite like the Disco but would take an RR over 1 any day,different preferances etc i guess