Hello - I respect the many opinions here on Land Rovers and the bittersweet joy of owning one. I helped my son purchase his first car a couple months ago and it is a 99 Disco 2 with about 145K miles. I have followed advice from thsi forum and am changing out many old parts - mainly cooling system hoses, thermo, radiator, fan, clutch. But I have a question that I had not seen answered.

I have heard/experienced that in American made cars, if you change the trans fluid on an older car (when it hasn't been maintained) the detergent in teh new trans fluid can "clean up" enough sludge so that the transmission will fail. Meaning loose gunk that can block ports and fluid passages. Drawing on the DiscoMike and SavannahBuzz-types here. What should I do with this DIsco. The fluid is clearly old and spent. Be nice!

 

Well, I work at a shop, but have not always. What I did was change the fluid and filter, and did it again a week later. With previous (non-Land Rover) vehicles, what I have done is change the fluid, keep an eye on it, and sometimes change it again the next day. And then again the next week.
This might sound costly, but really is not, compared to a new transmission.

 

You would need the multiple changes anyway, as a simple drain leaves behind the fluid in the torque converter. Drain, refill, drive, repeat. About three times ought to do it.