I read in the 60k mile sticky by Disco Mike, that some of the stuff he advises doing include flushing the transmission and engine. I have worked on and around cars for the past three years now, in the process of rebuilding my 4g63 again. I have never worked on or owned an automatic car. I was wondering if mike, or spike (maybe) could respond on how to do this? I have also never heard of flushing the engine, how do you do this, cycle oil through it or something?.


I have a 1996 Landrover Discovery I 4.0L with 115k miles. As far as I can tell, the last landrover certified (where they stamp the book) was done at 40k or 50k, can't remember.


Also, I think I have leaking injectors on the 5 and 7 cylinders. The car idles pretty hard now, CEL flashes almost always at idle to 20 mph.(im assuming this is one of the cat codes), I keep getting a misfire code, a lean bank code, a multiple misfire code, and some catalytic convertor code. (don't have the numbers on me, but thats what my reader said they were). I sent the injectors off to witchhunter.com and got then redone or w/e they do and the car rode so smooth for like three days and then back to rough, so I think that the injectors are shot, I went ahead and ordered two new ones yesterday. I know the cat on that side is done for, and probably the o2 sensor, I'll have to replace that when I can. Any other damage this could have caused, its been driven for awhile now, a few months or so like that, hasn't gotten any worse or better, but I just didn't have the funds to do it until recently.

Anyway, if anybody, espcially disco mike or spike667 (maybe) can answer those questions I would really appreciate it. Land Rovers seem so daunting to work on lol.

 

first... what year Discovery and how many miles?

 

I added that jycsalas, its a 1996 Disco I, 4.0, 115k miles

 

I never suggest flushing any ones tranny once they clear 80,000 miles, it can clean them out too fast and then they start slipping.
Send me your tele number and I'll call and answer your questions.

 

Cool now we can answer your questions. =)

What grade fuel do you use? It MUST be PREMIUM
IF it has been 60k+ miles since last service then you need to do everything on Mike's list and then see how she runs. For now I would...

-Clean your throttle body
-Clean your stepper motor
-Clean your crank case vent hoses

Transmission: When was it last serviced by anyone? (meaning after the last LR service) How does it run now? Does it shift smoothly and on time? What is the condition of the fluid. (Check the dipstick) If all is good then perhaps just changing the fluid is the way to go. Disco Mike's advice is good. I wouldn't flush it. Maybe change the fluid but not FLUSH.

 

I can vouch for that.

 

I dont recommend it but here is how you do a engine flush.
Drain the oil, refill the crankcase with a$$ brand el'cheapo ATF, IDLE the engine for 15-20 minutes.
Then change the oil and filter.
My prefered method for cleaning the engine is to just switch to full synthetic motor oil, it will clean your engine slowly without the risk of clogging anything.

As for changing the trans fluid, drain it, refill it with Dexron III, done.
On a DI this take 30 min.
You will want 6 qts of new ATF on hand for the trans, will take roughly 5.

 

I believe it was ran on 89 octane before I got it for around 12k miles. I immediately switched to premium. Maybe this is the cause of the ruined injectors? Honestly I don't know about the transmission, the book is only stamped, it doesn't say what was done and I got no paperwork on what was done either. I bought the car from a local dealer and they had no idea what the previous owner had done either.

As far as how the transmission shifts, it shifts a little hard coming out of one and two, and I have noticed that I no longer have the passing gear, it refuses to shift down when trying to pass. I also don't have cruise, these stopped working at almost the same time (could they be related). The other gears work great, transfer case (or whatever its land rover equivalent) goes into 4HI great, but will not shift into 4LO, I believe I have to replace some seized components in it from searching.

Thanks for the info on flushing the engine, thats what I thought you would do, but its nice to have somebody clarify. When I switched my old tacoma and my new civic to sythetic I just did what spike555 said. I have never heard of flushing an engine until now.

Any ideas on the injector issue. Plugs are brand new, wires are maybe a year old (napa stuff though). Its getting spark, and air so I figure the only problem can be fuel.

Mike I pmed you my number, thanks for the help if you get a chance to call.

 

Rover injectors almost never go bad, 90% of the rough run problems and running rich/O2 codes are due to the need of a serious tune up, new plugs AND wires.
www.apexperformance.net has the best price on the most recommended plug wires for these trucks, Magnecor plug wires.
If your trans is having a hard time shifting then I would have the filter replaced, the ZF transmission is almost indestructable.
Hard shifting can be caused by a clogged trans filter, worn out fluid or low on fluid.

 

Ditto on what Spike said..