People believe that babble about 25000 mile oil changes. Change oil at 5000 max, use something that is a diesel rated oil (for extra cleaning and added ZDDP in the formula - like Shell Rotella). Run a big oil filter so you have extra oil capacity.[/QUOTE]

By changing to a bigger oil filter like say the mobil 1 301. Should more than the recommended 6 qts of oil be added?

 

Yep, the larger capacity filter will increase the capacity by a half quart or more in some cases. You would fill the filter before screwing it on, and fill truck, watching the dip stick. After a brief run at idle, let it drain down and re-check, add a smidge if needed.

In rare cases the engine gets so much sludge (and it takes a lot) that oil can't drain back fast enough to supply the pump. The extra capacity filter helps with this sort of thing. When people are having problems with this the oil light can actually flicker at high rpm, a very bad sign. Plus in general, extra oil that can be kept warm is a good thing. Big semi trucks usually have a 10 gallon sump.

All engines produce wear particles, some so small that they escape filtration. This swarth circulates in the oil, and as the percentatge of it increases the oil changes color, and the mechanical wear is greater. So some of that stuff is in there, if oil does not hold it in suspension it may not get to the filter or may bypass the filter when the bypass valve is open (start up, sudden WOT operation). This grinds down the other parts slowly. So changing oil and filter removes this gunk. Some lads change filter every other time, to me that is false economy. Some lads use that super special synthetic oil, and keep it in there 25,000 miles. To me that just gives the particles there were not trapped 5 times as long to wear things down. IMHO using a modest priced oil, and a good jumbo filter, and changing them every 5000 will provide good results. But check under the hood weekly and before any long distances.

It's like the diff fluid for an LR3. The front diff holds 22 ounces. The spec fluid is like $30 a quart. So you could replace fluid in that $2200 part over 70 times for the cost of the part.

Fluids are one of the cheapest things you can do for your vehicle in the long run. All these 150,000 mile fluid changes were dreamed up to compete in the cost of ownership arena and for leased vehicles. The factory does not care when it fails after the warranty runs out. Well, there are exeptions to that, my dad was a zone manager for Pontiac Motor Division of GM and he could approve a motor or transmission for a dealer to swap out in unusual circumstances.

Rant over.

 

Thanks for the info Buzz

 

I know that this is an older thread but I gotta put in my 2 cents, reliable Land Rover, Aint no such thang!

 

After working in an industry which is heavily dependent of multimillion dollar machinery, which themselves frequently break down. Ive learned afew things about men and machines:

Machines no matter the vehicle, no matter the application can and will eventually break down. Does not matter how new or old it is or how much $$$$$$ it cost. Some break down because of factory defects, others fail over time due to wear and tear and many more fail due to human error! Often times human error is the reason for mechanical break downs. Weather that be a operator who pushes the machines to hard, to fast or makes incorrect adjustments OR a owner who fails to keep up with basic servicing like oil and filter changes. Over time the human error leads to more mechanical problems and eventually complete failure.

The Discovery models were a much cheaper option that the Range Rover, more people could afford them, but when it came time to change the oil, service the cooling system as recommended or do the brakes the owners tend to neglect things and cut corners in order to save afew $$$ now years later we the enthusiasts have acquired these used and sometime neglected vehicles and are dealing with all the problems left behind by original owners.

On the flip side Land Rover could have spent more time engineering/designing the Discovery models.... they could have made many improvements overall. But they are primary focused on Range Rover and the luxury market. Seems they have lost their way from the origins and the Series/Defender models.....

Just take care of your vehicle no matter the make model or year. Just do your homework, get a carfax before you buy the vehicle and make dam sure you get one that was well cared for, cause chances are you will enjoy your Rover more if it belonged to a loving owner...