Recently our '03 Discovery S7 started knocking really loudly. We took it into the mechanic and he said it was the lifters or the cylinder sleeve had shifted out of place causing the knocking sound. After we were told this the knocking got even louder making me think its the sleeve. We used to own a Mercedes Benz '85 "million mile" 300 td wagon and it was probably the best car we ever owned. I found out it was possible to put that engine in the Discovery with not too much additional work. I watched this youtube video ( ) and saw that his rpm dial doesn't work and the engine light stays on. I was wondering what all it would take to do this conversion, if it would be worth keeping the car (or should it be parted/ sold), and if the rpm dial and the check engine light could work the way they are supposed to?

 

tach shouldn't be too hard to sort out.... you'd just have to lie to the original ECU somehow. Maybe a toothed wheel mounted to the crank pulley and move the crank senor to a custom bracket.

Check engine light, that will be MUCH harder. You could get it to not be on, but there is almost no way you would be able to use it like it is "supposed to." You'll never get fault codes out of it that mean anything about the diesel.

 

I'm in the middle of this right now. It's an intriguing possibility, trust me I know the feeling all too well. But it's not cheap and it's not particularly easy. I'm at a standstill right now waiting on some fabrication work, and that's gonna be your biggest hurdle, unless you happen to have a CNC machine and some spare stainless steel laying around, it's gonna get costly. Also plan on modifying the oil pan quite a bit, unless you are willing to put in a sizable lift. Also, do you plan on regearing your differentials? Do you plan on cutting out your old gas inlet to fit the bigger diesel gas nozzle, or are you gonna look silly using a funnel the first time you go to the pump to fill up?

There is about a hundred different things to think out before you do the swap, and every time you answer one, ten more questions will arise. If you do decide to do it more power to you, but as someone who is already committed to the swap; you know you want the final product but are you willing to deal every issue that arises along the way and not become discouraged?

Addition/edit: I think that is a D1 and if my memory serves me correctly, that means the steering pump is on the inside of the frame rail which means he had to do more oil pan modifications than if it was on a D2... So there's a plus.

 

sleeve normally is described as a "tick" or sounds like a diesel. Moves up/down with piston, starts normal, noise comes on when warmed up. May go away at higher rpm as sleeve is slipping and can't keep up with the piston. It is still slipping, just can't get to the end of travel before piston reverses.

Knock may be main bearings (can be done in the truck - see our tech area) - one diagnostic method is at idle disconnect spark plugs one at a time. The theory is that when explosions cease in the cylinder with the problems there will be a change in the sound.

Overhead valve system is straight out of the early 1960's Buick. You can listen thru a stick to the valve covers and hear what is going on.

"Sounds" like to me you may want a second opinion from another mechanic.