Okay guys,

I just got back in from giving my new '04 Disco her first oil change... and, I have some interesting observations that I am HOPING some of you veterans can help me with...

Background:

The Disco has 33k miles, and was bought new by a private party, who traded it in to a dealer for a new luxury car, which is where I got it. CarFax shows no service records... and I haven't been able to find the local dealer yet to see if they brought it in regularly. The owners manual is gone.

Observations & Questions...

1) When I went to change it, I noticed that it was a BIT low on oil... it still registered on the dip stick and all, but it would have needed probably 1/2 quart to get it back up to "full".

2) The oil filter was of the "Land Rover" brand. This tells me that it was either ALWAYS maintained properly by the dealer... or (gulp) that it NEVER had an oil change. Normally I'd laugh at this suggestion, but my mom once drive her '99 Chrysler for 25k miles without even checking the oil... let alone changing it.

3) The oil FILTER was not hard at all to remove- I did it with one hand. But the Oil CAP was on so hard I needed to put a rag over it and use an oil filter wrench to get it off.

4) I added six quarts of Mob1 Full S. Ext. Prot, but still registers a little low on the dipstick. I used a K&N 3001 filter which is considerably bigger than the normal one... is that why? Should I add a certain amount of oil to it to make up for the difference?


Thanks guys!

Pat

 

loose filter and cooked on cap,,,,

sounds NOT good at all.

 

My oil filler cap sticks all the time, I have to hold the "neck" with channel locks and then remove the cap with my other hand.
If the cap has been on there for like a year withouot ever being removed...it will stick.
A oil filter is only supposed to be hand tight.
Add more oil to bring it up to the "full" mark if you want, as long as it is in between the "hash" marks you are fine.
You are low because of the bigger filter.

I new a girl who bought a brand new Honda Accord and NEVER changed the oil, NEVER, just added. She drove that car for 100k before I lost track of her.
Of course I do not recommend this practice to anybody.

 

Yes, I know what you mean about the cap- our '00 Disco's cap was TIGHT when I changed the oil in that as well.

The loose filter threw me though... Maybe everyone else breaks the "as tight as you can get it with one hand" rule, but with both the late Jeep and the first Disco, the filters were on so tight that I had to punch a screwdriver through the filter walls to get enough leverage to remove them.

(Haven't bought a big filter wrench...)

That's crazy about the girl with the Honda... I couldn't believe my mom went that long without changing her oil, that was from about 60k-90k miles. That Chrystler is still running at 205k, so I guess I don't have a TON of room to talk...

Thanks for the info, and I look forward to hearing everyone else's feedback as well!!!

Pat

 

Where was the oil changed before you bought your '00? At a quick lube? They put the filters on supper tight so they dont fall off. Same thing with the oil drain plug, you can always tell who had their oil changed at a quick lube all the time because the drain plug is ususally rounded over.

My truck was also a one owner who always had it serviced at the dealer.

 

No idea about the '00s oil changes... The guy was pretty passionate about Discos though. The dealer said he traded it in on an '04 Disco with 12k miles that they had shipped from South Africa.

I'm HOPING this one was always services at the dealer... On all the others that I carfaxed, they showed "Serviced by dealer" on the carfax report. All this one has is Massachusetts state inspection records...

I'm wondering if I should run it for 500-1,000 miles and then change it again, or what. With my old Monte Carlo, the oil was clear until about 1,500 miles after the oil change. With this thing, it's already dark tinted after just idling for a while.

It was about a 1,000 mile drive from Rhode Island to home, and it drove and ran very well the whole time.

Another question I have, is this (I might need to start a new thread some time): Do the 4.6Ls sound different than the 4.0s? My 4.0 idles smoothly and quietly. The 4.6L is quiet, but it almost sounds a TINY bit like a diesel. Is that because of the longer bore stroke? Don't get me wrong- it idles VERY smoothly, and when you're in the cabin, you can barely hear it idling... but it does sound different.

 

I do not know the answer to the sound question.
Run it up to 35k and then change the oil, then every 5,000 miles there after.
So the next one is due at 40k, then 45k, 50k, etc.

 

That's great advice, Phil- thank you.

And hey- I have another business idea for you to mull over- I will shoot you an email soon.

Pat

 

I'm already selling plasma, what other buisness idea do you have, selling my seed?

Shoot me a e-mail and I will mull it over and get back to you.
Off to bed now.