The Landrover Discovery Td5 Thread

101sean · 01-02-2012 12:28am

Td5s should start instantly with no wait for glowplugs and no smoke. If it's stood for 14 months it could be fun starting it if the fob batteries are dead. Check the rear floor and front footwells for wet and rust, twin sunroofs means 4 potentially blocked drain tubes. Disco 2s aren't as prone to this as earlier Disco 1s though. See if it has any early service history, the TD5s do last if properly serviced and early warranty issues were taken care of.

Check it's sits level, if UK spec it probably has air suspension and ACE. It will also have ABS, ETC and HDC, the lights for which on the dash should go out shortly after moving off. If it's never been off road, the hi/low linkage may be seized. A lot of D2s don't have centre difflock, Land Rover thought HDC and ETC was sufficient :rolleyes:

Check it has decent tyres otherwise you'll be budgeting €6-700 for decent ones

You describe it as Td5 2000 which is correct, then mention 300 series? The 300Tdi was in the later Discovery 1 which ended in 1999.

I'll move this to the Discovery Td5 thread, have a look there for problems others have had.

kincaid · 01-02-2012 12:44am

Thanks Sean, he said it was the 300 series but was wrong,
Anyway he has to get €1650 for it but maybe its too dear seeing its has no DOE...

101sean · 01-02-2012 10:13am

That's cheap enough but I'd get him to test it first, could need a lot of suspension bushes for example.

pcbscott · 01-02-2012 9:43pm

Hi Guys,

Have a quick query about my 03 td5 Discovery, its just gone past the 85,000 Mile mark and im wondering if its time I had the timing belt looked at? Is there anything else you think I should get checked out..

Can anyone recommend a decent mechanic with land rover experience in Dublin or close that would give it a decent service??

101sean · 01-02-2012 11:22pm

It hasn't got a timing belt, chain can thankfully. 85k miles is barely run in!

Servicing is simple although some don't realise it has two oil filters (one is centrifugal) and use a decent 5W30 oil. It's worth changing the the injector wiring loom, post 02 aren't supposed to leak but they do. €40 part and 20 mins to change.

Kings 4x4 comes recommended but pricey.

Green Oval · 19-02-2012 11:10am

I am having various, mostly pretty minor troubles with a 03 Discovery. This is my 3rd one so i'm somewhat familiar with how things work by now. Current main issue is when i try kickdown in D the engine will go to about 3200rpm and then seems to hit a brick wall.
Holding down the pedal it fluctuates between 3000 and 3500rpm all by itself and won't settle down. I rarely do this in real life on the actual road and i only know this cause i occassionally give it a go to check if it works or not. The car is all there, good fuel filter,oil change every 6000miles, k&n filter which has just been cleaned. Total mileage 104k but it had a new factory engine at 40k after the previous owner blew up the original. I bought it from a main dealer who fitted the engine.

I get about 26mpg on a long trip so i feel the car is working ok overall. Is it?

101sean · 19-02-2012 12:06pm

I'd expect a little more from an auto mpg wise but not a lot.

Be careful with K&N filters, if you over oil it the MAF sensor will die, it's possible it already has with the reluctance to rev. Unplug the sensor and see if the performance improves, if it does you need a new sensor. I'd also put a paper filter back in or use an ITG one which are sticky rather than oily, the oil mist can coat the wires on the MAF sensor and they burn out. The sure way to tell is to get it plugged in, a dead MAF sensor won't register a fault but the live readings will show it.

The other known issue with autos is the xyz switch on the box, the aircon drains on to it :rolleyes: If yours is changing gear and kicking down properly it's OK.

Green Oval · 19-02-2012 12:47pm

Unplugged the MAF sensor and have a new car! Now getting wheelspin from stationary on a dry country road, Revs smoothly all the way with no reluctance. The filter may have wrecked the sensor as suggested. Can i run safely without the sensor? I do recall a main dealer (Youngs, Kilkenny who are excellent in my humble opinion) unplugging this before on a previous car and telling me not to worry about it. After i fitted the filter i was careful with the oiling and regualrly cleaned it but rarely went near it with oil.
Will the fuel consumption be better or worse now? I drive pretty gently but on a motorway set it at 70mph and leave it there. Thanks for the info Sean.

The gears always worked fine. Can not really detect changes in normal driving. Oil and filter changed in gearbox every 20k.

101sean · 19-02-2012 6:51pm

You should change the MAF for a Genuine/OEM one. You won't do any harm with it unplugged but it will use more fuel. The ECU switches to a default fuel map is guessing the amount of fuel based on the rest of the inputs.

The K&N may not be responsible, they can just fail randomly.

Green Oval · 19-02-2012 10:50pm

That's one trouble solved. Now for the leaking non-opening sunroofs, the warped rear disc, the sticky rear door, the drivers door regulator, and the bushings on the anti roll bar at the back. And fit the rear dampers i bought ages ago. And fix the wiring socket which produces random lights on a trailer. You need to keep after these things all the time or they get away from you

101sean · 19-02-2012 11:48pm

That's so true!

Just worked out what the oil leak on the front of my Td5 engine is after 4 years (camshaft oil seal, basically a rubber bung):o

Still haven't fixed my abs, had part for two months.

:o

Green Oval · 19-02-2012 11:56pm

There's a few drops of oil under the front of mine too!
I'll investigate some day. Never drops any oil on the dipstick so i'm not too worried.
For now.
I see a silver one going around our local town which looks like it left the factory last week. And its a 02 to make it worse. Must find out who owns it. Its showing me up a bit so a spell of polishing is looming as well. I think a local solicitor might own it so lets hope it gives him endless trouble.

Is there a trouble shooting thread for New Holland as well?

Atilathehun · 20-02-2012 12:22pm

I drive a company supplied Landcruiser, commercial. It's 2005, and has 256k kilometers on the clock. Injector seals done under warranty. Apart from that, just plain vanilla servicing.

It's due to be changed in August, so I was seriously considering getting commercial Discovery. Like the cabin compared to Landcruiser.

But now that I have read this thread ,....

:( , ........... would I be off my head, to consider such a change.

101sean · 20-02-2012 2:03pm

I assume you'd be looking at a newer Discovery 3 or 4 (2004-2008, 2008 on) which doesn't have the issues that the D2s in this thread had, just some different ones! They are considered pretty reliable, the Range Rover Sport is on the same chassis and you don't hear many complaints about them.

Land Rover currently can't build there products quickly enough, 8 month wait on Evoques at the moment. If going to a LR dealer be choosy, some are hopeless, others OK. Dealers here are also selling D4s with 5 seats as N1 commercials and don't appear to be importing the full 2 seat commercial versions.

For specific D3/4 issues look here - http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/
http://www.disco4.com/forum/

Suckler · 20-02-2012 2:05pm

Atilathehun wrote: »

I drive a company supplied Landcruiser, commercial. It's 2005, and has 256k kilometers on the clock. Injector seals done under warranty. Apart from that, just plain vanilla servicing.

It's due to be changed in August, so I was seriously considering getting commercial Discovery. Like the cabin compared to Landcruiser.

But now that I have read this thread ,.... :( , ........... would I be off my head, to consider such a change.

Had a Discovery 3 - Can honestly say it was one of the best cars I've ever driven. The Air suspension is superb. Only changed it because I changed jobs.

Atilathehun · 20-02-2012 2:53pm

101sean wrote: »

I assume you'd be looking at a newer Discovery 3 or 4 (2004-2008, 2008 on) which doesn't have the issues that the D2s in this thread had, just some different ones! They are considered pretty reliable, the Range Rover Sport is on the same chassis and you don't hear many complaints about them.

Land Rover currently can't build there products quickly enough, 8 month wait on Evoques at the moment. If going to a LR dealer be choosy, some are hopeless, others OK. Dealers here are also selling D4s with 5 seats as N1 commercials and don't appear to be importing the full 2 seat commercial versions.

For specific D3/4 issues look here - http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/
http://www.disco4.com/forum/

Thanks for that. Just had a very quick glance through the issues on Disco 4.
Mind made up. Stick to the Landy. I just cannot believe, that any modern day vehicle could have so many bugs and glitches, and still have people who want to purchase.
Quite apart from the annoyance of so many problems, I just simply would not have the time to be tooing and froing to the dealer to get the issues fixed. I need to sit into the car, at 7am every day, and drive to thje job, and stay on the job, all day every day.
That prerequisite, would seem to be beyond the capabilities of Disco 4.:(

Suckler · 20-02-2012 2:57pm

Suckler wrote: »

Had a Discovery 3 - Can honestly say it was one of the best cars I've ever driven. The Air suspension is superb. Only changed it because I changed jobs.

Also to add to this, I still have a TD5 Disco - The disco has given me two minor problems in 70k Kilometres - Fuel pressure regulator & Sensor in the roof recently.

I've towed cattle and lengths of steel and she always kept going. Lovely machine to drive on motorways as well

101sean · 20-02-2012 7:00pm

Most of the problems that crop up on here are with older high mileage vehicles that are on their 3rd/4th owners that didn't get proper care early on, especially if they were new in Ireland.

Land Rover's quality control has improved vastly, Freelander 2 is reckoned to be trouble free. The dealer experience is the let down, seem to be either very good or a total disgrace with nothing in between :rolleyes:

Green Oval · 20-02-2012 10:22pm

Atilathehun wrote: »

I drive a company supplied Landcruiser, commercial. It's 2005, and has 256k kilometers on the clock. Injector seals done under warranty. Apart from that, just plain vanilla servicing.

It's due to be changed in August, so I was seriously considering getting commercial Discovery. Like the cabin compared to Landcruiser.

But now that I have read this thread ,.... :( , ........... would I be off my head, to consider such a change.

Well, if you'd rather drive round in a up-turned boat so be it. I fear we can help you no further. You do realise that the Disco3/4 is an entirely different car than the one discussed in this thread?

Atilathehun · 21-02-2012 10:57am

Green Oval wrote: »

Well, if you'd rather drive round in a up-turned boat so be it. I fear we can help you no further. You do realise that the Disco3/4 is an entirely different car than the one discussed in this thread?

No, it's not that I'd rather the Landcruiser, but that I absolutely need reliability and the car on the road 99% of the time. I rather fance the idea of changing to a Disco 4.
The thread I'm looking at is this one http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/faults-fixes-d4-vf48.html

That's a lot of stuff cropping up on the D4!!

It's just I'm coming off a vehicle, that has never once let me down. Not once.
Still, I must take a test drive in the Landrover, just to whet my appetite a bit more. Bloody expensive though compared to L'cruiser:eek:

101sean · 21-02-2012 12:59pm

Fair enough, may as well take advantage and get a test drive anyway but it sounds like you are not going to be converted!

Your perception of reliability is one LR has struggled with since the 70s and they've still some way to go, they are sometimes their own worst enemy

OldGuysRule · 21-02-2012 3:16pm

Reliability can be seriously impacted by servicing. I am on my second Disco td5 (my fourth Disco altogether) and have never been left at the side of the road. I keep my vehicles serviced and use them well.

Tora Bora · 21-02-2012 6:43pm

OldGuysRule wrote: »

Reliability can be seriously impacted by servicing. I am on my second Disco td5 (my fourth Disco altogether) and have never been left at the side of the road. I keep my vehicles serviced and use them well.

But reading back this thread, there appears to be a common consensus that LR vehicles, have issues, albeit the D4 is somewhat better then previous models, PLUS, too many of the dealers are below par:eek:

So we have a mix of a vehicle which needs really good dealer serice to make up for it's underlying quality issues, which in actual fact has a poor dealer support

Wow:rolleyes:

Green Oval · 21-02-2012 8:35pm

I've had 3 disco 2 and the only time i was left stranded was once when i let one run out of diesel. The first had 180k on it and was still going fine when i sold it. Issues are not uncommon certainly but in my experience the issues i've had are more annoying than journey ending. I've been all over France, Belguim, Germany and Holland in these cars and never let down once. I'd set out for anywhere in the morning in mine. Don't confuse sticky door regulators with basic reliability. In engine and gearbox terms Disco is as sound as anything really.
A lot of its down to non-servicing i'd say when it comes to major mechanical failure.
There's no real way to prevent 7 yr old electric window winders going wonky.

OldGuysRule · 22-02-2012 1:15pm

The youngest Disco 2's are now eight years old, it would seem a bit mad relying on main dealers for minor or service items. There are enough guys out there around the country who know these vehicles.

Green Oval · 22-02-2012 1:30pm

OldGuysRule wrote: »

The youngest Disco 2's are now eight years old, it would seem a bit mad relying on main dealers for minor or service items. There are enough guys out there around the country who know these vehicles.

True to a large degree. But if you plan to trade it back to the same dealer some day it also pays to keep in touch. I would'nt buy a second hand Discovery of any age from anybody regardless of the deal unless they were a main dealer.

JohnBoy · 24-02-2012 1:34pm

Does anyone have any links to a good buying guide? i'm thinking of changing the frontera and it's either another frontera, or a td5

OldGuysRule · 24-02-2012 1:44pm

Not sure if you have to register but a very good site;

http://www.thed2boysclub.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=136

Just remember that when you look at lists / buying guides like these, they are a condensed form of all the problems many have had over years of ownership of thousands of vehicles. Highly unlikely that you could find a machine with all the problems! They do provide a good checklist of things to look for and questions to ask

101sean · 24-02-2012 1:47pm

http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=40317 is very good despite being South African based.

Plus look back up this thread!

Go for the newest you can, post 02 best and the run out models will have extras thrown in (UK imports, any first registered here will mostly likely be poverty spec)

Kali_Kalika · 28-03-2012 12:20pm

Appologies I know I've asked this elsewhere but it doesn't appear anyone there has any info for me - so I hope I can post this here

How do I remove the back seat head rests in a 2002 Land Rover Discovery? There are no push in clips - just round circular pieces covering the 2 spikes of the head rest - you turn them to move the headrest up and down but I cannot remove them completely

Turning the circular pieces - this will only raise and lower them - I pulled hard to remove them but not overly hard as I don't want to break anything - but if they were going to come out from just doing that they would have.

Checked the owners manual - no help.

Thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this!

OldGuysRule · 28-03-2012 5:28pm

Sorry, can't help you. Any time I needed that sort of space, I just put the seats down in my Disco.

I will have a look later and respond if I work it out

tony.aspergers · 28-03-2012 5:57pm

As far as I know, they cannot be removed, due to a rule change in the UK when that model came out in 1998. The centre one should drop down into the seat when you open out the arm rest. The other two are designed to remain in place when you fold the seats down.

Using this vehicle without the headrests in place contravenes the safety rules (something to do with the airbags/seatbelt design).

Hope this helps.

Kali_Kalika · 29-03-2012 11:36pm

I only needed to remove them to place a cover over the seat

No laws were broken

Head rests were successfully removed and replaced

Firstly - its not a 1 person job (unless you have 2 sets of arms!)

The secret is to turn them both to the "open" direction (the way the allows you to raise and lower them) then keeping them firmly in that direction your helper needs to lift them fully out - they will slide out incredibly easy once both of them are pushed and held to the full "open" position.

101sean · 30-03-2012 7:27am

Glad you go that sorted, I looked in the RAVE manual and that didn't even cover it.

mf690 · 03-04-2012 1:35pm

Anyone know where I might get a front bumper for 02 td5 discovery.New or a good secondhand . Main dealer price is over €600. any help appricated.

Suckler · 03-04-2012 1:47pm

mf690 wrote: »

Anyone know where I might get a front bumper for 02 td5 discovery.New or a good secondhand . Main dealer price is over €600. any help appricated.

Was looking for one of these myself a while ago - decent 2nd hand ones are hens teeth!

101sean · 03-04-2012 3:33pm

Best I can find is from LRseries which by the time you add VAT, delivery and exchange rate won't be far off €600

http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/4840/DPC000150PMA-FRONT-BUMPER-ASSEMBLY-BLACK.html?search=front%20bumper&page=1

Try Equicar or CWS 4x4 breakers in the UK

tony.aspergers · 03-04-2012 8:10pm

mf690 wrote: »

Anyone know where I might get a front bumper for 02 td5 discovery.New or a good secondhand . Main dealer price is over €600. any help appricated.

Try the dealers up in Northern Ireland........ Or the UK breakers / independent specialists. Most of the secondhand ones down here are in poor condition, they break easily especially the original 98-02 examples. The later ones mid 02 onwards are better usually.

MyStubbleItches · 17-04-2012 4:01pm

Always keep an eye on this thread but unfortunately the time has come to look for advice!

My 03 td5 (same one you saw Sean) started giving trouble a few days ago. Running rough, idling speed only c. 700 rpm, would only hit c. 2750 rpm with the pedal to the floor in neutral. Having re-read this thread, I took out the ECU and sure enough there was a bit of oil appearing on the red plug. So I've just fitted a new injector harness but the problem persists, although not as bad. She'll rev to c. 3100 rpm now in neutral. My initial thoughts were that it was a fuel problem. She got a full service not so long ago, incl. the fuel filter.

Anyone have any ideas?

101sean · 17-04-2012 6:45pm

The oil that's in the main loom will still run out of the red plug for while, you'll have to flush it out with solvent every few days for a couple of weeks until it stops. I use a spray can of brake cleaner for a job like this.

Was it you I meet you in Thurles and diagnosed a duff MAF? My memory isn't what it was

It's possible for even a new MAF to fail, unplug and see if performance improves.

MyStubbleItches · 17-04-2012 8:10pm

Your memory is perfect, that was me in Thurles alright. That's good to hear, I'll give it another while so. I was beginning to fear injector trouble but I'll hold off on mortgaging the house to pay for one of them for a week or two.

Is it worth opening the ECU itself in case any oil got into it?

MyStubbleItches · 17-04-2012 8:14pm

Forgot to mention, I unplugged the MAF sensor already and it made no difference. Hopefully if the harness eventually remedies the problem I'll unplug it again to see if it improves the power. I kind of forgot about it after I met you and never got around to doing it but its definitely something I'd replace if it seems it makes a difference.

JohnBoy · 17-04-2012 10:01pm

Practical question, for those with kids.

I've decided I'm getting a TD5.

something that's just occured to me though. The back doors look relatively narrow. what are they like for putting small kids in/out of child seats.

I know I need to get out and drive some, put the seats in/out and the kids too, but curious as to other's experiences.

OldGuysRule · 18-04-2012 9:51am

I have a baby seat in the back of mine for the last year and have no problems. Kids seem to be happy as they can see all around! Have a friend who has two baby seats in the back and she is just as happy, width of door has never seemed a problem.

101sean · 18-04-2012 8:21pm

D2s used to be the choice of yummy mummys on the school run and trips to John Lewis in the UK so I don't think you'll have a problem!

MyStubbleItches · 01-05-2012 3:49pm

Update.

Things have gotten worse unfortunately! Sean kindly stuck his diagnostics on the disco last weekend and it didn't give any major fault that would explain the problem. Both he and my girlfriend's father reckoned it might be the fuel pump so I took that out but it was clean. The problem has worsened, she has cut out on me a few times since, as soon as I meet any kind of a hill she dies away and cuts out. She'll eventually start again after plenty of swinging and she blows a fair bit of smoke while cranking the engine, which disappears again once she's running.

I'm getting a bit worried now that I'm doing damage as she's running so roughly but the guy I need to bring it to (Paddy Buckley) is about 40 miles away on hilly roads so I'm not sure if she'd even make it there.

Anyone hazard a guess what else I could try myself before I have to organise a transporter?

101sean · 02-05-2012 9:27am

It does sound like the fuel pump is failing but they normally get very noisy, yours is very quiet. The only way to test one is to screw a gauge into the FPR and see if you get 4 bar.
Just swapping it to see if it is that is expensive if it isn't, £199 from Paddocks.

One other thought, find the fuel pump relay and check it's seated properly and connections are clean.

OldGuysRule · 02-05-2012 9:48am

Where exactly / roughly are you? I know of another landrover mech who is in the general area of Paddy Buckley who may come out to you?

MyStubbleItches · 02-05-2012 10:38am

101sean wrote: »

It does sound like the fuel pump is failing but they normally get very noisy, yours is very quiet. The only way to test one is to screw a gauge into the FPR and see if you get 4 bar.
Just swapping it to see if it is that is expensive if it isn't, £199 from Paddocks.

One other thought, find the fuel pump relay and check it's seated properly and connections are clean.

I actually thought of that yesterday and forgot to do it because it was lashing outside. Will do it now. Think I can swap it out with the windscreen heater relay.

OldGuysRule wrote: »

Where exactly / roughly are you? I know of another landrover mech who is in the general area of Paddy Buckley who may come out to you?

In the Macroom area if he's anywhere near that. Cheers.

MyStubbleItches · 02-05-2012 10:54am

Just swapped out the relay and no difference. Its a bit strange, she's revving quite freely from idle and hitting 3000-3250 rpm before she stops. Then if I take her out on the road and try to push her she'll start spluttering at around 2200 rpm.

The Landrover Discovery Td5 Thread

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