New Member, New (to me) Disco
 

Hi everyone,

Been a lurker on this forum for a while now as I was researching a potential D1 purchase. Anyhow, I bit the bullet and picked up this beauty for CAD$800 (about $600 US!):

Attachment 34122

She's a 95 D1 with manual transmission and the 3.9l GEMS engine. ~200k KM or 125k Mi.

Amazingly, the vehicle had no check engine/warning lights on when I got it (and no they weren't burnt out!) and all the electric windows/locks work. It needs a complete brake overhaul - the PO stopped driving it about 6 months ago due to the "scary" brakes...

So far things I've done/noticed:

- Changed engine oil and filter. Went with the Rotella 15w40 per the sticky thread on this forum but stayed with the stock size filter.

- Cleaned out throttle body and MAF (threw a CEL which is how I know the bulb is not burnt out - presume this just goes off after a while?)

- Broke the vacuum hose connector from the throttle body to the dizzy. Replaced with some flexible vacuum hose.

- No major oil leaks noticed, although pretty much everything is oily on the underside (tcase, gearbox, sump). I used to own a Range Rover so I'm well familiar with checking the parking spot for oil patches every morning.

- Used the forum to "fix" my stuck cargo door with a bit of penetrating fluid

The truck drives well enough except for the brakes. The clutch takes a bit of getting used to and the gearbox is definitely more utilitarian compared to my 6MT FJ Cruiser - slowing down the gear changes really helps I find...

I did notice the cats are rattling. Looking for some wisdom here as I couldn't find any posts specific to my question - on the 3.9l GEMS with the O2 sensors pre-cat only, can I just cut out the cats and go straight pipe without throwing any codes? If so, has anyone done this before? This is purely a technical question, and I'm not really up for getting into the environmental debate...

I'll be focusing on brakes first, will probably change out hoses and definitely do a fluid flush and bleed as the pedal is really soft. I want to put a lift on eventually, does anyone see any issue with installing the extended SS brake lines for stock ride height until I get round to the lift?

Any references out there on how to change the fluid for the R380 manual gearbox and tcase? I have a Series 2A Rover and it's easy enough to go in through the seatbox but I guess this has to be done from under the vehicle on the Disco 1?

Cheers!

Dave

that's a nice looking truck !!......she got any sisters ??lol

No problem removing the cats. May want to loop the extended brake lines with zip ties until lift installed. Fluid fill for the R380 is up high on passenger side, drain just below it. Do you have a copy of the Rave - Service Manual? Helps mucho.... It's listed in the "tech section".

Sounds like the clutch is in need of replacement, not normal to "wait" for the gearbox to slow down during shifts. May just be air in clutch reservoir but might not be considering the mileage. If you end up needing to replace the Master Cylinder for the brakes and distributor use Rover genuine M/C and Lucas for the cap and rotor. That's to save you headaches down the road.

Clean looking disco, not keen on the farm gate out the front though.

C, that's what I figured RE the cats and brake lines...

Jury's out on the clutch still - because the brakes are shot I haven't driven it extensively and what I'm noticing could just be that the R380 is a lot more utilitarian than my brand new FJ Cruiser where I tend to shift between gears really quickly. Don't think the R380 is intended for that sort of duty.

Good call on the MC - no idea when this was last replaced (if ever)

Yeah I'm undecided on that - it bolts off easily but I'm going to focus on the mechanicals before the cosmetic stuff!

Yep!

Attachment 34116

I have two stricken Rovers in my driveway now... not sure how long missus will tolerate the current situation so I'm relying on the fine people of this forum to help me get the D1 drivable!

Congrats on the sweet ride!
Those 5 speeds are getting harder to find by the day. With your 95 you can program key fobs without a scan tool, nice... :)

Awesome truck.

I'm likin' the older more experienced sister........