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........

Yup shes a right cougar that one!

Figured out why my brakes are soft... im puking brake fluid out of the main brake line along the chassis rail everytime i press the pedal. Anyone had to swap this line out before?

Well started ripping into the rear brakes today... not a pretty sight. One of the main brake lines to the rear is leaking, the rear axle brake line sheared off at the caliper and the calipers are seized. Im looking at a complete brake system overhaul...

Question on the rear hub, see pic below. How does one remove the abs ring on the backside of the rotor to access the hub-rotor securing bolts? Iv taken off the 10mm nuts but the ring piece doesnt want to come out.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...3a5552e5cd.jpg

Waiting for brake parts...

Spent a bit of time today waxoyling the rear axle and rear section of chassis. Found a few holes up around the rear most body mounts but cleaned everything up and soaked it in waxoyl.

Also refinished the rear bumper in stone chip.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...624cb89736.jpg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...8aa45adcc7.jpg

That bumper looks nice!
Did you apply the waxoyl with a brush or spray on?

Thanks

Yup it goes on pretty easily with a brush... I found a small brush works best as there's quite a few nooks and crannies to get into. Also, definitely put a tarp down and wear a hat!

Nice!
Thanks for the tip. :)

Back on all four wheels... hubs and new rotors on, need to track down some good used calipers now and replace the rotten brake lines.

I found a good used hood and doors. Started with the easy job and got the hood on, then the rear passenger doors with no issues. Any tips on rear cargo door alignment? Whatever i do, i cant get the door to seal properly and water just pisses in...

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...e55cd19c79.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...8c42e64cb2.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...843c5426eb.jpg

The rovers toyota sister... no more farm gate brush guard also...

Calipers - give the two guys in my signature a shout.

Had a busy last few days on the disco...
Got some CuNiFer brake lines made up and in place, new calipers installed and changed the gear oil in both diffs (wont be be doing that again without a pump!)

Hit a snag with the caliper bolt bracket. Managed to strip some threads so an M12 1.25 thread pitch tap saved the day. That was a nervous 45 minutes but its all back together!

Going to attempt bkeading the brakes and clutch tomorrow then should be good to go for a rip... still a little nervous regarding condition of the motor, ive iddled and revved upto operating temp with no signs of overheating and im not losing coolant or contaminating oil, but its definitly at the age where HGs may be needed.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...891e9997b1.jpg

I just did a clutch this weekend if you have any questions...

Thanks June - I'll be tackling that this week. How did it go?

So. Got the brakes bled up using the one man no mates bleeder shown in the Tech section and it went pretty well. Only issue I had was a leak at one of my new unions but that was solved with a 13mm and 11mm pair of spanners.

The rears definitely took a bit of extra time but I was starting from new empty lines so I wasn't surprised by this... just kept pumping and checking until the air bubbles were no longer.

With working brakes, I went for my first proper test drive, about 10km on the backroads near my house. Here's what I noted:

Brakes are good - will need new front rotors at some point.

gear changes are a bit "clunky" on the upshift. downshift seems fine but on the upshift there's a lot of mechanical noise coming form the gearbox. Clutch is a bit sensitive. Plan to do a clutch flush and bleed this week (if its the same age as the brake fluid, then it needs doing ASAP). I haven't checked the transfer case and gearbox fluid level/condition either - ought to get that done before any more test drives...

Power steering fluid leak. I could tell by the look of the steering box, there has been a leak that the PO didn't sort out. After my test drive, the LHS of the engine bay where the jack and the air intake is was covered in PS fluid. I need to dig into this a bit more - the hose form the reservoir looks a little suspect... is there an overflow/vent from the reservoir?

DEATH WOBBLE. I've heard of this on Series trucks but never experienced it myself. Until today that is. I was going about 50mph over some railway tracks and the steering wheel starting shaking like a banshee. Proper scared the Shi'ite out of me but now I know what death wobble is! I see there's some good info on the forum regarding "DW" so I've got my work cut out to get that sorted - its become my No.1 priority on this truck as I plan to hand it over to the missus at some point and it's just not safe as it is.

On the positive side, I didn't lose any coolant and no sign of overheating or HG issues but it was only a short run out so I won't really know for sure until I get it out on the highway. Need to get that death wobble sorted first.

Drained transfer case oil today. It was a dark stinky mass so who knows when it was last changed... pulled the transfer case inspection cover and resealed with RTV. Will refill tomorrow once the gasket has set in. Gears in the Tcase looked alright...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...40a0d75e6f.jpg

Flushed out the R380 gearbox fluid today.

Before servicing the gearbox, the gearbox was very notchy and quite clunky in shifting up from 1-2 and 2-3. Shifting from 3-4 and 4-5, as well as all downshifts were OK.

It was a right faff getting the drain plug off - the last person to do this job obviously didn't want the plug falling out!

Anyway, I noticed quite a few very fine metal filings on the drain plug magnet, and the fluid was very dark but still smelt like ATF. A little concerned by the filings, as there was easily 1/2" of them sticking up form the magnet. No chunks of metal in the fluid either which is good I suppose.

Anyways, filled it up with REDLINE MTL and took it for a spin. Overall the box is a lot quieter and the shifts are improved but still quite notchy. I can eliminate the clunks for the most part by shifting slowly, but the box still feels "sloppy". Not much I can do beyond that for now - what are your guys' thoughts? Should I prepare for impending doom on this gearbox? Is there anything else worth checking/doing, i.e. linkages and/or clutch flush and bleed? (will probably do the clutch fluid as a matter of course anyway).

Been driving around a for a few days with the Redline MTL in the box and the gearbox is definitely smoother... I've also adapted my driving style to the R380 - with my Toyota FJ Cruiser I shift gears almost like in a car - slowing down and pausing in neutral between shifts definitely works better with the R380. Double clutching completely "fixes" the issue with 1-2 upshift so I reckon the synchros are worn - should be OK with the box as it is if I continue to shift this way. She's definitely got "personality"!

I also opened up the cats and pulled out the disintegrated catalyst material. No more rattles but the empty cats no work like resonators so she's pretty loud... better than that rattling though!

Box is definitely smoother with the Redline and seems to get better with more miles on it. I guess it takes time for the active ingredients to properly lubricate all the friction surfaces and do their magic. It's still not "perfect" but I can live with it...

Did the panhard bushes also - went with some poly bushes but it was a right PIA getting the old ones out as the bolt had seized in the old metal bush. It seems to have cured the severe death wobble but it still a bit white knuckle driving this thing... I know my shocks, front bearings, tie rods and damper all need doing at some point so I expect the gains will be cumulative as I tick each job off the list...

My fuel consumption sucks by the way - think I'm on target for about 8mpg!

Flushed/replaced coolant and replaced thermostat (those housing bolts were a PIA for my massive digits!) and did a quick sea foam treatment through the PCV hose to the intake, and the Disco is running really good. Noticeably peppier and quieter too. Only drawback is that all that extra power and speed have resulted in my death wobble coming back - got it really bad doing about 110km/hr on the freeway and hit a pothole... had to slow right down to about 40km/hr with the hazards on before the shaking stopped!

Oh well, I knew that the suspension/steering needed an overhaul and although the new panhard bushes made a big difference at lower speed driving, the problem is not resolved yet.... swivel seals leak so it's another reason for me to dive into the swivels in the near future.

What's everyone's opinion how much mush worn shocks/springs and wheel bearings affect the death wobble? I'm pretty sure all three are suspect and will need doing soon, but I'm just trying to prioritize jobs to get the biggest bang for my buck. also, is it worth just throwin on a new steering damper to help in the meantime?

Main culprits for death wobbles are the hub and swivel housing bearing pre-loads, then panhard rod bushes, steering damper, shocks, springs.
Springs i would do last or with a shock package, the rear A-frame balljoint when worn can give a rear steer affect so its worth going right over all the bushes and tie-rod ends.
Unless badly neglected you wont need to replace the wheel bearings only an inspection and repack with grease and a new hub seal.

Sold the Disco today to a forum member... it was good times working on her and im sad to see her go but now I can focus on the Series 2A and the wife is happy! Its gone to a good home...