Being new to a Land Rover (and new to keeping up with responsible vehicle maintenance and care), there's a lot of things I don't know about. Here are a few:

I've got a 99 Disco II

1. The L-N-H stick. I think I've got the general idea on what it's for, changing the gear boxes? Almost like on a bike with multiple speeds where you can go through gears 1-5 but then change another lever and switch through a different set of 1-5. I'm guessing the "L" gear is for towing heavy loads. So my question is, how does it work exactly and what gear should I be using for what situations? I think "H" is just for normal driving but I'd like to know more.

2. There's a "Mode" button south of the L-N-H, when pressed it turns on a light on the dash--an 'S' inside of a gear. Looking through the Rave manual I found that it turns on Sport Mode. When would I want to be using this?

3. I'm trying to go through the Newly Purchased Used High Mileage vehicle recommended service list right now (just changed the oil myself (for the first time) yesterday) and I was wondering about servicing the transmission. Is this just changing the fluid and filter or is there more to it?

4. While changing the oil I was looking at the front U-joints to see if I could tell if it had greasable ones put in. I think I know what to look for, and I didn't see any place to add grease from, though I can't say i've ever had a zerk pointed out to me before. The joints and shaft look in pretty clean and in good condition, almost like their new because the old failed at some point. I'd like to get it rebuilt with the right stuff. After searching the forums, it looks like i'll need to pick up these items:
3 x PDQ 1-0005
1 x Neapco 7-0081NG

This is job I don't really feel comfortable doing on my own. Is that just my lack of experience scaring me away or would it probably be better if I buy the parts and take it to a shop to have put in? If I take it someplace are those 4 things all I will need to give them?

5. I read about a Volo chip for better fuel performance. That's something that interests me since I'm used to driving little manual transmission tin can "gas sippers" with around 37mpg. Anyone have experience with those and think it's a good idea? Any downsides to it?

6. Going to do an induction cleaning with Seafoam also putting a can in the gas tank. Does this count as putting an additive in the gas tank? (sounds stupid even asking it, but i wanted to be sure that seafoam qualified as that "additive" because i had never seen it before.) Also, how long should all the fun smoke coming out of the truck last when I do that?

I'm sure I'll have more questions along the road, but thanks in advance!

 

1) That is for your center diff keep it in H unless you are off road then use low but keep speeds under 5mph
2) No
3) Read the sticky
4) yep rebuild it
5) Bull****
6) Don't bother with seafoam in the tank, use 2 bottle of techron, which is a proper detergent fuel system cleaner. Bottles are $5 each from wally world

 

1. Your Discovery is full time 4WD (not to be confused with AWD). The H-N-L stick is for your transfer case. With normal daily driving you will be in "H", the "L" is for slower speeds off-road.

2. Pressing the "Mode" button will alternate the transmission between "sport" mode and standard mode. In sport mode the transmission will be quicker to downshift for better acceleration. Use this if you want to race people or want even worse gas mileage.

3. You can change the filter, but some just recommend draining and refilling the transmission with fresh fluid. There is a filter/gasket kit available at Autozone for under $25.

4. If you think you could follow the write-ups and can handle tools you could try and tackle it yourself, but if you're unsure, I would suggest you farm the driveshaft rebuild out to a pro. People seem to pay about $250 to have it done.

5.I have a Volo chip and got a 1-2 mpg boost in the city and on the highway, so I say it was worth it, every gallon counts. Before I put my roof rack on I was getting 16/18mpg city/highway mpg. It is not going to make your Disco a Prius, but I get an extra 40-50 miles out of each tank.

6. With the induction cleaning, yes Seafoam could be considered an "additive." Many people recommend adding Techron every few fill ups just to help keep things clean. Make sure to follow the Induction Cleaning instructions and ADD IT SLOWLY. How long it smokes depends on how dirty the engine is....could be 30 seconds, could be 30 minutes.

 

3. I'm trying to go through the Newly Purchased Used High Mileage vehicle recommended service list right now (just changed the oil myself (for the first time) yesterday) and I was wondering about servicing the transmission. Is this just changing the fluid and filter or is there more to it?

Remove the fill plug and stick your finger in there and look at the fluid. What color is it? What does it smell like? That's the easiest way to determine if you need a fluid change. If you decide to do the filter, its easy. Very easy actually. My only advice is to not tighten the bolts real tight when you put the pan back on.

4. While changing the oil I was looking at the front U-joints to see if I could tell if it had greasable ones put in. I think I know what to look for, and I didn't see any place to add grease from, though I can't say i've ever had a zerk pointed out to me before. The joints and shaft look in pretty clean and in good condition, almost like their new because the old failed at some point. I'd like to get it rebuilt with the right stuff. After searching the forums, it looks like i'll need to pick up these items:
3 x PDQ 1-0005
1 x Neapco 7-0081NG

This is job I don't really feel comfortable doing on my own. Is that just my lack of experience scaring me away or would it probably be better if I buy the parts and take it to a shop to have put in? If I take it someplace are those 4 things all I will need to give them?

Yup those are the parts you need. I would remove the shaft yourself, and take it to a shop and have them do it using those 4 parts and paying for the labor only. When you remove the shaft, make sure you mark how you removed it, so you can assembly it the exact way when you get it back, etc.
________
Jeep wagoneer

 

1. The L-N-H stick controls the transfer case. Yes, similar to a bike but, not a smooth transition of ratios. H for normal driving, L for slow going off road.

2. The Mode button does two different things. With the t-case in H, it turns on sport mode - transmission shifts at higher rpms. I use it going through highway mountain passes. With the t-case in L, the mode switch sets the transmission to manual mode - no automatic changes, select and change gears as desired/necessary.

3. yes, fluid and filter

4. I consider myself very handy with automotive stuff in general but, I wouldn't do the front shaft again. U-joints are simple enough, my trouble was with the centering ball. Some might remove easily, but mine was really stuck.

5. no experience

6. anything added to the gas is "additive"

 

Also search Google (or ebay) for an owner's manual if you don't have one. Read it from cover to cover, it'll answer a lot of questions. It's a lot lighter than the rave and pretty interesting, especially if you're committed to knowing your vehicle.