No the Disco she was/did buy is not junk because the original owner ran only 87 octane fuel in it.

 

Nobody on this site could possibly give a straight yes or no answer regarding if the Disco in question is junk because previous owners used regular fuel. We do not know enough about the history and the condition of the vehicle to make that kind of a assessment. Did previous owners keep up with all oil and other fluid changes? Did the engine ever overheat? Was the Disco ever involved in a accident and repaired? Is the oil pump bad? Is the front driveshaft bad? How did previous owners drive the vehicle? Fast sudden acceleration? All these factors (and so many more) are what determine whether the Disco in question (or any vehicle for that matter) is junk or worth its money. The only thing we can do is give our honest opinions and make recommendations based on our own experiences with our own LR vehicles.

If I was in her shoe's I would bring it to a specialized LR shop and have them do a thorough inspection of the rig. Do another compression test, drop the oil drain pan, check for leaks, check both driveshafts, inspect the wheel hubs and all the sensors, check the belts etc. Only the results of that inspection will determine if the Disco is junk or not. With that said she must decide for herself weather to buy the vehicle and if yes weather to use regular fuel or premium.

All I can stress is read the owners manual and follow those instructions. Simple, honest, peace.

 

Naughty naughty owners.
They will get coal under the tree for putting in 87 octane into a Discovery rated for premium.

If the below is true, then our engines run TOO HOT.
May be the fault of the cooling system running 230 or so with "sub par" cooling system
which are plugged, bad fan clutches, air in the system, on and on.

What If Dyno.com - Combustion Dynamics for Poor Man's Dyno Low Budget Engine Test Stand for testing of HHO, ION, Water Vapor

This is really interesting..

Multiple sparks can help to overcome the failed sparks (due to homogeny problems) but multiple sparks will not make the combustion gas burn any faster. Dual spark plugs could make the resultant gas burn time shorter because of two burn sources. Sort of like burning a candle from both ends. The candle will burn faster this way, and so will the combustion gases. But each end of the candle still burns at the same rate. A rotary engine is the exception, and uses multi-spark dual spark plugs to compensate for poor homogeny due to the abnormally long combustion shape of the rotor in conjunction with the ported intake gas flow.



Gas Burn Rate Several factors affect the burn rate (flame speed) of the gas. A common misconception is that octane increases the burn rate, but that is just not true. Octane increase increases the temperature required to ignite the fuel. The chemical properties control the fastest burn rate that the fuel can achieve. With HHO mixed in, the fuel chemical properties are altered, and the fuel now burns faster.Without HHO the air-fuel ratio (a/f/r) affects burn rate. Mixtures with a/f/r of less than 11:1 have little chance of burning (to rich), and a/f/r greater than 20:1 have little chance of burning (too lean). The fastest burn rate is at 17:1 but that is far to lean for reduced emissions, and way to lean for maximum power. Best power is achieved at an a/f/r of 12.6:1. With HHO enhancement all these a/f/r values will surely change. This change is what enhances the fuel burn and resultant engine efficiency.

 

And MN (Aka Jessie Ventura) says:



GASOLINE OCTANE FACTS and MYTHS
When you pull into a gas station to fill up your car’s tank, you almost always have a choice
of several kinds of gasoline. The majority of pumps usually offer a product called
“regular,” other pumps are labeled “premium,” “super,” or something similar, and their
product sells at a price about 12 to 13 percent higher than the price of “regular.” The difference in name and
price is based on the gasoline’s “octane.” Regular gasoline has an octane rating of at least 87. The octane of
mid-grade gasoline will range from 88 to 90. Gasoline labeled and sold as “premium” is required by law to
have an octane rating of 91 or higher.
What is octane?
Octane actually has two definitions.
One is chemical: Octane is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid that along with other hydrocarbons –
pentane, hexane, heptane, and many others – is refined from crude oil and make up the blend of
chemical components called gasoline.
A second definition: Octane is a measure of a fuel’s tendency to knock or ping when it is mixed with
air and burned in the cylinder of an engine. This octane rating is not based on the amount of chemical
octane in the gasoline. The rating is called octane because the gasoline’s ability to prevent engine knock
has been rated against the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane, which has a rating of 100.
Gasoline, which is made from a blend of many other hydrocarbons, may have a higher or lower rating,
depending on how its anti-knock performance compares to the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane.
How is octane rating determined?
Gasoline is subjected to two testing methods to establish its octane rating: one, called the motor method, runs
the gasoline in an engine running under load; and the second, the research method, runs the gasoline in a freerunning
engine. The research method gives slightly higher ratings, and the octane number displayed on the
pump is an average of the two methods.
Octane Facts
• Knock occurs when cylinder pressures are high. It is normal for an engine to ping a little at full throttle
because cylinder pressures are very high at full throttle. Engine knock, however, should not be ignored
since it can result in serious damage to the engine.
• High octane gasoline burns slower than low octane gasoline. The slow burn prevents engine knock when
cylinder pressures are high.
• If your engine runs well and does not knock or ping on low octane gasoline, there is no advantage in
switching to higher octane gasoline.
• If your engine knocks or pings, it does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the gasoline. It could
be a problem with the engine’s electronic control systems, ignition timing or exhaust gas recirculation. On a
high mileage engine, a carbon build-up in the cylinders can increase cylinder pressures and cause knock.
• Almost all of today’s new cars have fuel-injected engines that need to use gasoline with a detergent additive.
They do not necessarily need high octane gasoline with a detergent additive. Generally, new automobiles
need high octane gasoline only if the manufacturer recommends it.
• Always follow the auto manufacturer’s octane recommendations in your owner’s manual.
Octane Myths
• High octane gasoline improves mileage.
In general, if your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, high octane gasoline will not improve
mileage. If switching to high octane gasoline does improve mileage, you might find that your engine, or its
control systems, need repair.
• High octane gasoline gives quicker starting.
No, it doesn’t.
• High octane gasoline increases power.
If your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, you shouldn’t notice any more power on high octane
gasoline. Again, if it does make a noticeable difference, your engine, or the engine’s electronic control
systems, may need repair.
• High octane gasoline has been refined more – it is just a better product.
Additional refining steps are used to increase the octane; however, these additional steps do not necessarily
make the gasoline a “better” product for all engines. They just yield a different blend of hydrocarbons that
burn more slowly. The additional steps also increase the price.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Weights and Measures Division regularly checks the quality,
safety and labeling of motor fuels, heating fuels and gasoline sold in Minnesota.
The Division also ensures the accuracy of all commercial transactions in the state involving products that are
weighed ore measured. These products include grain, produce, livestock and gasoline.
For more information on these services, contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Weights and
Measures Division, 2277 Highway36, St. Paul, MN 55113-3800, Phone: 651-215-5821.

 

So supposedly the higher Octane gasoline has been refined not to ping in an engine...
If you can afford a Land Rover, you can afford to pay for premium gasoline.
I suppose this is the theory at LandRover.com for those who buy these new.

 

Thanks J

as for newer land rovers they are high compression so they do REQUIER premium without a doubt.

 

link me at $195 with head bolts.

if someone is too cheap to use the recommended gasoline then most likely they were too cheap to change the oil at regular intervals, and most likely the transmission was never serviced, the transfer case and diffs have never been touched and who knows what else. It's a poop box.

 

Ed,
Santa has to bring you headbolts for Christmas in your stocking on the mantle over the fireplace.

Since Atlantic British decided to merge with British Pacific - meaning
British Pacific was "too inexpensive"

Then I bet headbolts have gone up.

I remember mine came in a bag from Allmakes which I bought from British Pacific

As for the quip about the Land Rover bought "is junk" on regular --
I don't think the regular made that rover "any better" or "helped" it
survive miles put on it.

OK here we are:

$1.86 a bolt.
Allmakes.

ALLMAKES 4X4 Engine Cylinder Head Bolt - Buy W0133-1640603 Engine Cylinder Head Bolt Online

 

I searched the largest land rover parts supplier online. First result 195$ there's your clues

 

Let me google that for you

first link.

Discovery II Head Gasket Set (Same As Genuine Part # STC4082): Land Rover Discovery Engine Parts