I recently bought this 95 Disco with an unknown history and with engine issues. Its a five speed and it was not expensive.
Apart from the engine it seems to drive well and the drive train is quiet except for a whine from the transfer box I presume.

Although the engine seems to run quietly, compression when hot is so poor that it spins so fast it sounds like the plugs are out and will not crank. I decided to pull it down and check out the bores and rings. I have pulled off the pan and done a lot of disassembly but have a problem loosening the head bolts and I need better wrenches.
I am however puzzled by one thing.
The main bearings have bolts against the side of them coming from outside the block. I thought it was the 4.0 engine that had those, not the 3.9.
The plenum says 3.9 and the engine has a distributor but the entire engine shows brown silicon gasket sealant so I think it is not the original engine and moreover has been into extensively. Odo says 111,000 but I bought it in Georgia where apparently over 100,000 is exempt.
Am I right in thinking this is a modified 4.0? Can some knowledgeable person help me make a positive id?

I have located a used 3.9 with 88,000 miles about 100 miles away and I am deliberating as to whether or not I should spring for that one and dump this engine. Any words of wisdom?

Many thanks,

Steve

 

I was under the impression that the 3.9 & 4.0 were the same motor, the only difference is the intake, fuel injection system & no distributor.And probably the OBDII for the 96's.

 

I am very new to the Land Rover scene but I have worked on several other engines of other European marques. This is the first V8 I have worked on and I have no first hand knowledge of these engines.
It is my understanding that although the bore and stroke are the same thus displacement is the same, there are constructional differences. In particular I understand that the main bearings caps are "cross bolted" in the 4.0 and I think that is what I am seeing.
I feel sure there are folks on this forum who do have knowledge and can help me check out other features to confirm my suspicions.

Steve

 

I haven't dropped my pan to look at my mains. I know people have, but they may only be on here if they have a problem. All of the Discovery gas engines share the same block. That's all I know. Everything else would be speculation. Do you have a manual for ir yet? You can get a rave cd at rover-renovations.com . They will ship it to you for free, but it takes a little while. You can buy one for a few bucks on E-bay if you don't want to wait. It has the manual and electrical trobleshooting manual on it.

You can pull the numbers off the block and call rover to see what you have....

 

In Ga. exempt from what? I live in Ga. and I'm not exempt from anything, regardless of mileage.

 

Call the dealer and ask the service dept, based on your vin, what engine you have.
mike

 

What? [sm=wtf.gif]

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Once again, it is my understanding that there was a significant change in the engine construction when the 4.0 came out. The 3.9 engine is not the same although displacement is. Cross bolted main bearings are only present on the later engines I believe and this can be seen by a row of 5 bolts along the outside of the block, in line with all the mains, just above the oil pan level, on each side. It is my understanding that the 3.9 does not have those bolts but I am seeking confirmation.

The mileage of this vehicle does not appear on the Georgia title of the fellow who obtained it 3 months ago. Instead, the word "exempt" appears. I was told that vehicles older than 10 years do not have to state a mileage upon transfer in the State of Georgia.

Steve

 

I think he means exempt from keeping accurate milage records. Once you get over 100K they don't care about what the odometer says on the title. It's the same way here in TX. I think it just says "exceeded mechanical limits" or something like that in the explaination? But where the odometer reading is it will say "exempt"

 

Okdisco, he mentions the odo is over 100k and says maybe in ga. it doesn't matter over 100k. I was referring to this. Is he referring to some law that says the odo does not have to be correct over 100k miles?