dieselassist Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 I bought this yesterday as I had no functioning transport at all, n I needed something immediately, and especially in the not to distant future to haul a car transporter about repeatedly, when I move units. As per News24 thread; bought it off a burly bearded deep sea fisherman, who didn't want to entertain much in the way of haggling; contrary to news 24 its not 100% rust free - 'biscuit sized' hole in front drivers side inner wing, n the rear passenger back arch splash panel, mudguard mount thing is a bit lacey - but all up its solid n honest - chassis looks particularly good... these are never 'ridiculously cheap' here; always commanding a price when functioning in any way, be they road legal or not, n there is often a huge marging between a good/decent one n one that's a heap/falling to bits... I know how bad these can rot as, as I do a bit of welding, ive been asked on occasions to 'assess' how 'bad' the rot is, by various folk including local tight wad farmers who never bother washing n wonder why they rot so bad... never results in ay actual work on disco's tho - presumably they 'have a go with the arc welder' themselves or whatever - I don't know as I never hear from them again usually... anyways back to my one; it also sported a cleverly disguised cracked windscreen (sticker over that) which i'll replace, front prop was in the back load area as the fisherman had a few new joints put on it n 'hadn't had the time' to refit it, remains of the old 'harly spicer' joint is in a bag beside the shaft so I couldn't question his honesty... he seemed like an decent ole skin, tho 'stern demeanour n a very pessimistic' out look on life, as my brother remarked when we got home last night; his small talk consisted of accounts of various recent stabbings n murders n how it wasn't safe to walk about the streets after 9pm, n all sorts of doom n gloom... anyhow his plan was to buy a 'fridged van' next to keep his catch fresh for 24thrs at least... ....the beacon is fully functioning via an aftermarket switch on the dash, n has proved itself very useful at 'warnin off' modern biscuit boxes at roundabouts - they dare not 'make a bust' for a gap in front of you with it on !! 3rd gear seems occasionally not to 'co'operate' but by the last leg of the journey I was finding it (rather than grinding it!) a bit more readily... No petrol station shots, as I was stressed to the max trying to catch up with my brother as he got lost n hooned his focus about Tralee... Dirk Diggler, John F and Lacquer Peel 3
DS20 Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 1999 is late for one of these. Hope you don't find any more rust to deal with.
Bobthebeard Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 Bought from a fisherman, not 100% rust free..... Chassis looks particularly good....front propshaft is in the back.WCPGW? 😄 dieselassist 1
scruff Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 If I had to have a Disco it would be a van. Looks tidy enough.Don't go looking for more rot would be my advice...!
dieselassist Posted March 24, 2015 Author Posted March 24, 2015 1999 is late for one of these. Hope you don't find any more rust to deal with. Yeah, they carried on sending over these to our shores, the pre-TD5, 300tdi in 2dr panelled/commercial spec long after the range had been facelifted - must have been a gr9 seller for the stealers here !! I was up early n 'poking about it' - I use the 'no mercy show to unsound metal' pick-end of a body hammer, approach so I 'made' the rust hole out of what started as a small blister, in front inner wing; similar approach all over the Disco, n no real other cause for alarm - chassis is very very good for one of these - spring mounts rear axle 'hops' n rear tank area all looking sweet n factory new... Ive been through one hoover already today (bag filled to bursting) despite giving the gravel a brush n dustpan up - doesn't look like the interior has ever been cleaned... started on the rear load area n still have to do the cabin... a quick look through the 'part service history' (any 'part' of a service history in this country is considered 'wow') revealed it original purchasers were a building contractors firm; that probably who had the flashing beacon installed ... Im happy enough with it for the time being - could do with a pir of tyres n tracking tho - i'll do that when I install the prop (need to order up new bolts).... Hawkeyethenoo and Bobthebeard 2
They_all_do_that_sir Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 4x4 based vans seem very common down south, anytime I'm down that way see plenty of shogun commercials etc
dieselassist Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 For the most part of the last week ive just drove this daily, without doing anything more than jousting any 'suspicious looking rust blebs; apart from what was initially reported above; theres no other holed rust, but it does have some scabby bits that need 'whizzing down' of rust; threated, primed painted gloss black... I 'bid n bought' a 235/70 r16 single 4wd tyre for €50 on adverts.ie, as the front drivers side front was lookin a bit sparse of thread; collected it yesterday n had it lobbed on the rim at the local Latvian garage by a very friendly welsh fella; the old tyre was massively egg-shaped n took a few cracks of the sledge to dislodge, once he okay'd that with me - for a tenner fitted I could not complain - seemed like he ran a small corner of the cramped garage as his tyres biz, n explained he could supply n fit a pair of new Asian tyres for rear for €140.. said id be back... Handling n steering has improved no end with the new tyre fitted - I also replaced the rear hinge of the rear door as it was arm-muscle defeating to close; got a bottom hinge off a defender 2 which doubled up as sleepin quarters for the yard's dog n stank of dog n gear oil n was parked arse slap up against a bank at my local scrapyard - had to crawl through into the small rear opening of a foot n a half, n getting to the hinge bolts was a pain, as was chiselling off the pop riveted bit of the bottom hinge.... took about 2 hours wasa right feckin ordeal!!! ive been goin to this local yard years n they let me in n take whatever I want off myself, which many yards view as 'commercial hari-kari' here with all the H&S; its a filthy 'cars jammed in to the max' n 4 car high place; nothing much over 15years of age - a bit of a grumble about taking a bottom hinge off a disco 2 rear door would render the whole door 'unsaleable' but its the usual theatre off the scrapyard managing folk; we agreed on €15 in the end... fitted it on my own down the lockup, as im now the only 'sitting (shitting?) tenant there now with a bitta careful balancing of the door on an old barrel, once the spare had been removed - splashed a bit of weld on the hinge bit that is usually pop riveted - not that I can imagine is too vital ... Ive still to fit the prop as Ive only this evening got the fine thread bolts, but I have to say Im liking my first 4wd experience, despite the hike in my commercial policy by €100; somehow im getting real decent MPG from this 43 (ish) MPG at the moment; that will inevitably change I reckon when I refit the front prop... Dirk Diggler 1
barmatt Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Looking good so far, I can give you a few tips on improving mpg in these but you say the front prop is not on it, So are you constantly in difflock then? this could explain a tyre being scrubbed bald and it's not something you want to do for long on tarmac. dieselassist 1
dieselassist Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 thanks barmatt; yeah looks like the UJ cage burst, under previous owners use; judging by the remains that were in the load area; he supplied a new UJ n splined joint, n he had recently fitted a new tyre to the passenger side... I couldn't get the bolts last week off the local Landrover Dealers - it closed completely n the showroom has been turned into a secondhand furniture shop n the rear worshop area has been taken over by a body shop n eastern European garage; Landrover now just have the parts only section run out of what was a small valeting shed- they were moving everything over last week, allegedly; I presumed they'd shut up shop completely but I got a call back on a voice mail I left n the parts lady explained all of this... in the interim I ordered up the bolts off an engineering firm, n they came in today n got my brother to collect them...
barmatt Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Get the prop fitted and take it out of difflock asap, they don't like it much on sticky roads and it can cause serious diff wind up. As for mpg, a well maintained 300tdi will get 30-35 all day long. (I think 43mpg means the exhaust is routed through the cab and you're hallucinating) It can be improved though by removing the decat pipe, tweaking the turbo up a bit and chucking away the egr valve. Good luck in your disco ownership, they're great old trucks, I've had a few if you hadn't guessed.
dieselassist Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 ...well Ive worked out 43mpg, N ive even 'busted that down' as I thought that was 'unfathomable', n did the figures again; I calculated the mileage n juice used, even since ive sat into it n drove it back from Kerry last week, n 43 mpg is probably a 'busted down figure, going by the highest price of diesel here, tho I usually fill at the cheapest outlet....It does feel a like it has a huge deadspot mid range - Id say it'd benefit from the egr fed pipes cleaned out then the egr blocked with a plate... any truth in the rumour that the governor on the pump can be shimmed out to improve throttle responsiveness - read they stop feeding the diesel due to the governor after 2600 rpm....
barmatt Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Here's a cracking thread on LZ shows exactly how to tweak your pump without any invasive surgery and it works. http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/sluggish-disco-not-any-more-146991.html
dieselassist Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 /\Looks like an interesting thread; seems they are very similar then to the old mk2 golf/jetta Passats GTD pumps in terms of the 'innards' - starwheel n boost pin profile n needing a turn; mine looks like it has a bit more electrictrickery on its top; Ive arsed about with mk2 tds n gtd's with boost pins n star-wheel adjustments, n put bits of cut down small tube into pump governors (to reduce slack)... governor messin about with can often end up in a leaky pump tho.... Im away tomorrow as a passenger but I might have time to investigate tomorrow evening....
Rusty_Rocket Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 Looks like a bargain. These cars really are the only vehicle you'll ever need. We have two 300tdi Discos at work and I've had my early 200tdi for three years. I'd love to know how you break the 40mpg barrier as we 'only' get 30ish from ours. The last long trip I did with a trailer returned 24mpg, but it was pulling a large Ifor with a 110 Defender on it (over 3 tons)..Great vehicles really.
John F Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 I rarely get better than 30 mpg from my 300 TDi either, but that's not bad for what it is. PS you won't have any problems with the diff lock if the front propshaft isn't fitted scruff and mat_the_cat 2
dieselassist Posted April 12, 2015 Author Posted April 12, 2015 ...I fitted up the front prop, about a week or more ago, using the previous owners bits that were in the back, plus new bolts -€5.50 from the local engineering place - it drives a lot better with the front axle being 'driven' - what a revelation!! ...the front diff etc don't make any bad noises or anything so, happy days there!!... While shimmeyin en under the disco several times over, I noticed some swelling of the outer sills, n what looked like old scabby resin or underseal or something peeling off... couldn't resist havin a good aul prod... ...anyhow after a good aul jousting session with the sill trim skirt thing rulessly pulled off in a rage unbolted much of the outer sill from the bottom of the A pillar back, had disintegrated n was on the ground in a massive discharge of rust....DEPRESSING!!! I got the measuring tape n zintec out n folded up a new outer sill, after cleaning up the inner sill which looks alright after a zing down with the grinder, n blessed it well with weld tru primer... I left it like that for about a week, driving about with no outer sill n the rear alloy quarter skin flappin about... Today, I welded in a 'half outer sill - to the B pillar (didn't take any pics as I had to pack up as I had steak n mash to cook at 9pm tonight)... As for the remaining rear sill area; Ive been debating about what to do about 'access' to the sill -its covered by the alloy skin rear quarter; Ive got as far as removing all the inner trim n getting all the quarters 10mm bolts out, but its well glued on there - obviously I use thing disco daily so getting the panel off will be a fairley involved job, n means it will be sat up for awhile.... The other alternative is to just cut the bottom of the rear quarter off at the /under plastic trim line, welding up sill n reattaching the quarter section with a drilled plate in under the cut, n riveting it back in place, and the plastic trim then glued untop to 'cover the cut' - I can alloy weld, but I don't have an AC/DC welder, so its rivets plates n seamsealer to reattach... Im not a huge fan of such outwardly asthetic bodging but its a lot more straightforward that taking off the whole feckin rear quarter!! Any other disco owners have experience of this sorta headache...??
dieselassist Posted April 13, 2015 Author Posted April 13, 2015 Ive just picked up an offcut of ALLOY CHECKER PLATE, n im contemplating bending that up as per the lower rear quarter, to rivet on after I do the remaining sill welding; I might spray it black to tone down the 'ONE LIFE-LIVE IT' look... The present lower rear quarter is all furry, thin n near to being holed.... I have to go n buy a new pop-riveter as my Present Draper one doesn't seem to be gripping the pins; ive used it all of twice previously; literally on two rivets, but it lain idol for about 2 years...
dieselassist Posted April 16, 2015 Author Posted April 16, 2015 ...been at this disco since Monday off n on - ive about 25 hours in the sills n adjoining panels n part of the rear floor, which I managed to patch; as with all commercials here, the floor has to be flat, so theres a box section 'raising frame n 3mm plate covering the main floor n bits of tin 'filler panels' forward of the wheel arches - I just bent back the tin filler panel bit (pop rivets to the box section frame were not that accessible) n managed to get a patch in there to meet the top of the inner sill... I bent up the outer sills outta 1.2mm zintec, using one of the RSJ's that supports the neighboring barn.... Its been a right aul weldfest, as you can see from the pics; so much for it being 'pretty much rust free' post purchase- I lashed on some primer seam-sealer n handpainted back top coat (aldi's 'metal pain) this evening - no pics of that as it got everywhere, including all over my hands..... plan is to pop rivet the alloy outer panel I chopped off, with a bit of drilled 2mm steel behind it, n stick the rubber outer trim on to hide most of the join.... The passenger sills do look solid; so much was ''crunchy nut cornflaked' with rust on the drivers side I had to use the passenger side sill as a reference occasionally n it does look solid....
dieselassist Posted April 16, 2015 Author Posted April 16, 2015 more pics of 'the ordeal'... binhoker668 and mat_the_cat 2
dieselassist Posted April 16, 2015 Author Posted April 16, 2015 ...eh, thanks - this disco effort was more a case or 'getting it done quick' /its a jeep etc 'devil may not give a shit' approach , as I had to leave the jeep overnight at the lock-up n use another borrowed car, so needed it back 'under me' again- but it didn't turn out too bad .... I just have to reattach the quarter cut bit, n reassemble the inner panels, which I took out as I had half heartedly contemplated taking the entire rear quarter panel off, before sacking that off, as 'too much of a big job/bordering on a 2 month project etc etc
dieselassist Posted April 16, 2016 Author Posted April 16, 2016 UP TO THE MINUTE /MONTH/YEAR TO THE DATE, er update - as it happens; straight off the press... ....not a lot really to report really on this; test was up again recently (commercial test) - a leaky steering box was flagged up, along with a rear prop to diff coupler 'excessively worn' (some fibre strands hanging out of the rubber bits) plus a disintegrated rear exhaust section - I bought a new, yet cheapest of the cheap 'does all models incl V8 models for €50 - as I weld a lot this is the first new exhaust section ive bought in about 5 years, but time was an issue so I bought the 'lowest of the rung' uni exhaust back section, which needed some exhaust clamp mods to tail down to the 2.25 in diameter of the rest of the exhaust, not a whole lotta room for error on these the way the exhaust is routed but a lotta gun-gum n the modded clamp squezzed it down n it doesn't foul on anything...job done... as per news24 thread had some issues with the replacement box being also a leaker but some white 'neurotheane' (or something) seals on the imput shaft bit of the box achieved a leak free box for the test.... all good for another years test (well 11 months really) and I emptied the wallet after the €180 test fee costs by bunging 6 months tax on the window - with the CVRT test cert disc, I felt like I had to have a full house of expensive 'government beer mats' on the window... ...all that done, I disposed of the original seats in favour of a pair of Raceland recliners - (recaro copies) -I had these sittin in the lockup (were in my previous mk1 caddy daily)- the original seats were mega uncomfortable for me, n with years of the accumulated arse sweat stink of previous owners.... its much more comfortable to drive now...no pics of the new seats unfortunately.... Ive done about 13k miles in this n really abused it, as its a love hate relationship really as a daily; I cant really fault it tho- gives 38-40mpg n never fails top start n go... recently I threated it to a new rear door card from a bit of old sign from the ex lockup/unit complex owner which 'blew down with the wind'.... I can recommend these 300TDi's if you can find one without rust issues; mine has done a lotta towing n house move assists, as well as car recovery... ive this taxed till august so will run it till then - it has surprised me, n its economy n reliability - its not huge fun to drive on the road, but is hugely reliable as a daily, n can withstand a lotta abuse... Rocket88 1
dieselassist Posted October 6, 2018 Author Posted October 6, 2018 Ive dug this up from the forum's 'Arianna trench', as Im intending to flog it soon; having welded up many 'box of matches/fag packet' sized holes on the rear of its chassis (only one was discovered on its last test, but I welded up whatever areas looked a bit frilly); involving dropping its tank, towbar braces n rear exhaust... ...Im no JohnK so I went at this on evenings and weekends, n it sat up on 'modded' axle stands for about two months (as per another thread 'when to call it a day on old shitters/bangernomics thread) - but its tank is reinstalled n it literally started 1st turn of the key after 5 seconds of cranking despite the tank lines being dry (I did open the bleed screw on the filter top)... ...anyways, I thought someone on here - maybe a hardcore Irish Shitter- might think it worth risking divorce /financial insecurity as its a mega base @irish only market' spec - non sunroof, no airbags n even has a factory 'GLOVEBOX DELETE PANEL' made from fibreglass - talk about short'changing your chosen market - i'll get some pics tomorrow, if anyone is bothered... It needs rear shock rubbers, n its rear brakes scored at 51% fail (55% + is the minimum pass) at the last test (in june I think)... €600 to a shitter...
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