D1 Smoking on Interstate -

[Savannah Buzz]

Saw a white D1 with smoke coming from under the hood on the side of I-16 on Christmas morning. Two young guys standing with it. I stopped, explained that I owned one, and they popped the hood. They had driven for some unknown distance with oil light on. They said it would not crank now. Approaching, I had though busted water hose, maybe the little one to /from the throttle plate heater. But it was oil smoke from the exhaust manifolds. It had sprung a leak somewhere near the oil filter, because the fan has sprayed the most of the engine compartment with black-as-your-tire oil. The alternator was covered with oil blown on it from the front, over the top, etc. There was oil on the stick. Black oil. The heater hoses had been bypassed, and the bypass was a sharp "V" instead of a "U", I imagine that there was little coolant flowing in the bypass circuit of the plumbing. It was about 40 F outside, so heater would be missed. I explained to the young men that there was an oil cooler, showed them the lines, etc. Told them that if they were very lucky they might tighten one of those lines, or replace the oil filter; but if oil light stayed on they could not drive the truck after it cooled down. I walked away thinking how I had just met two fellows who will shortly become "previous owners" with all the accolades that accompany that position. I have serious doubts about that Disco cranking again.... You never change the oil, everytime some thing breaks you bypass it, and you drive down the expressway with the oil light on. Not a formula for good vehicle husbandry....

[DiscoJag]

Yeah, they take a 15 year old truck abuse it and when it breaks down they blame it on the Land Rover.

[Paul Grant]

If that happened here in CT I'd be expecting a call.

"I hear you buy old Land Rovers?"

[Savannah Buzz]

I did not mention that they had some kind of aftermarket stereo, with an extra fused red wire leading off the battery, the wire was 3/8 inch diameter. Guess there was no folding money left for oil changes....

I do hope they found that it was just an o ring on the oil cooler line.... and that they really had not been driving along at 70 mph with oil light on....

If their oil pressure regulator function of the oil pump stuck closed, the filter pressure could have hit 150 PSI, and swelled the filter or popped it or an O ring on the cooler lines - see http://www.aftermarketsuppliers.org/...ish/83-1R2.pdf

Of course, high pressure would keep oil light off, until either a cooler line fitting or the filter became compromised. At that point, oil spray would be blown around by fan, and oil light would come on, being at 2000 rpm, engine won't be happy for long.