New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Hi gang,

After trying to find a Range Rover for a few weeks and finding out they are ALL in New York and New Jersey, I decided to try and find a close Discovery. I did!

I got a fantastic deal on it because it has some issues. I have a ton of experience with everything related to cars so I have no fear of jumping neck deep into this thing. I put late model fuel injected V8s from Camaros and Corvettes into Mazda RX-7s for fun :) ...oh, and yes, they pass emissions and are complete!

On to the Disco and the issues it has that I'm aware of:
94 Disco 3.9 5 speed

Transmission: The 2nd gear synchros are shot. Otherwise, it shifts beautifully. Are internal transmission bits available aftermarket, or is this going to be a "Bend over at the dealer" item? I have no fears of breaking it open and replacing the synchro myself if I can get my hands on one.

Interior:
The shift boot has a plastic base that clips into the console to hold it into place. Unfortunately, mine doesn't clip into the base anymore as the clips are all broken. No big deal, but it looks ratty and I'd like to fix it. Anyone know of a source for this part?

Sunroofs:
The front sunroof sounds like it tries to eat itself when you try and open it. Probably plastic gears that have bit the dust. The motor and slides appear to be OK though. Common problem?

The rear sunroof doesn't operate at all. No click, no hum, no whir. Unfortunately, it's cracked open about 1/4". Is there a manual method to close it? If the rear one doesn't work then it's no big deal as long as I can close it to keep the weather out.

The engine:
The nitty gritty part of the post!
When I picked it up, it had a pretty bad miss - but also had mismatched plug wires and had evidence of "patching" when the correct parts couldn't be found.

I installed a set of custom Accel plug wires using the OEM distributor connectors to reach way down and get to the terminals. That alone made a big difference in how it ran, but it still has a slight miss. I don't think the miss is terminal (or expensive) as a vacuum gauge reads a perfectly smooth 15" of mercury. I'm guessing the spark plug that was attached to that hacked plug wire is fouled and not firing at all.

While sorting out the rest of the engine bay, I noticed the timing was about 5* advanced past factory spec. While doing this, I noticed some other things that I need some help with while I wait on some parts to arrive that I ordered today.

On to the pictures!

Here is a shot of the distributor and the way I found it.
http://www.team140.com/disco/P2140197.JPG

Looking at that shot, the red arrow is pointing to a nipple on the vacuum advance that's not hooked to anything at all. Where should this guy go?

The yellow arrow is pointing to the vacuum advance hose that goes right to the top of the intake plenum, which is the yellow arrow in the photo below. Is this correct? Does this nipple on the intake plenum pull vacuum at idle? If it's supposed to (vacuum advance should have vacuum at idle), then I have a problem as there is none.

http://www.team140.com/disco/P2140198.JPG

On to vacuum mystery number two!

In searching for other possible vacuum advance nipples, I ran across this guy at the back of the intake marked by the blue arrow:

http://www.team140.com/disco/P2140200.JPG

I would ASSUME that it goes a short distance to this guy marked by the blue arrow on the passenger's side of the firewall.

http://www.team140.com/disco/P2140199.JPG

Am I correct on my assumptions? Any idea what the pressure sensor (marked in blue) is for? If it's for providing the ECU with a vacuum reference, then it may explain single digit fuel economy (well, along with everything else!)

The only other issues I've found with it have been the O2 sensors. The driver's side was completely unplugged and the passenger's side continues to throw a code. New ones are on the way.

Also, does anyone know where to find a service manual for the 94 Discos? All I have seen are 95+ except for the Haynes manual which is OK, but I find factory service manuals are way more detailed and way more informative.

Thanks!

Brian

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

What's up welcome,
I know I have gotten good used parts from www.landroversland.com You can get good prices on anything. If you don't see what you need on their site call 'em. I dont really have any help for your nice pictures (seriously) but I can offer you the service manual and electronic manual on a couple of cds... email me pm style and we can work out the details

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Welcome Brian !
Please, one problem per post. As far as your 5 speed, Rovernorth or AtlanticBritish have rebuilt trans' readily available and it is your best bet $ wise. Parts are no longer available from most dealers for your trans.

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Just an update:

I pulled the sunroof motors out to give them a better look. The front motor's gear that drives the sunroof mechanism were worn pretty bad, so I moved it to the rear. The rear motor was siezed with corrosion, so I disassembled it, cleaned the armature and brush contacts and now it works like new. I moved it to the front and all is well.

FYI: There are small panels about the size of your thumb just to the rear of the sunroof switches that will pop out and allow you to manually operate the sunroofs with an allen wrench. You'll need a slightly longer than average allen wrench to do so as they are a couple of inches behind the plastic interior pieces.

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Hi Brain,
The red thingy is not going any where it is just pluged off. I looked in my engine bay and I can't find the blue things .My rover is a 1995 so it should be the same, however the part on your firewall does look a bit like an add on. My disco is also standard trans. I am told very rare in North America, I,am in Onatrio. The best bet for the gearbox parts is England, they are quite cheep there, but you will take a beating on the freight. It might be an idea to make sure the gearbox has the right oil, for some reason it takes auto trans oil. dexon 3. I use synthetic, it,s getting hard to find full synthetic in dexon. I also have a mazda [miada]. I liked your photos and your post in general. I don,t think there is any rule about one problum per post. but if there is there should not be, it seems a bet petty, we are supposed to be here to help each other.
Regards Dennis, hope this is helpfull.

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Thanks Dennis. After seeing other engine bays and your comment, it looks like the red port is in fact, unused.

I did stumble across *5* Disco 5-speeds at a local shop for a really good deal. I'm going to head over there on Monday to take a look at them and buy at least one of them. I could probably get all five for less than the cost of one at a Rover specific parts house.

Either way I'll make a post to let 5-speed owners know where to find them. They're cheap enough to buy just to have as a spare.

This weekend, the truck is getting a full fluid change all around with synthetics :)

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Where are you? I would like to get one of those manal transmissions for my 96 Disco SE7. Thanks

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

The transmissions are at a transmission rebuild shop in Memphis, TN. I'm about and hour southeast of there.

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

I just had some work done on my 97 disco on a road trip to Denver. The shop I went to was called Linden Engineering. They buy wrecked Discos and Range Rovers and rebuild them so they always have a heap of good used parts for sale. The owner, Dennis Williams, has a wealth of knowledge and is super helpful. They also rebuild Unimogs and Pinzgauers. His website is www.lindenengineering.com check it out and give him a call if there's any parts you need.

RE: New Disco owner with some TECH questions
 

Thanks adowgiert, I've added them to my favorites and I'll probably give them a call to locate a couple of oddball parts.