Deisel Smoke 300tdi

[Richie B]

Hi I have a 96 Disco and it is reliable and steady but slow as a mule. Fuel economy is sensational. It is very smokey on start up but reasonably good on running. I have done everything to try and stop it. Fuel filter , air filter, fuel sedimenter, glow plugs, injector cleaner,clean intercooler, etc. Does anyone have any clues to this ? Are all these trucks pretty slow? Is this all I can expect from the beast or is it worth tweaking with ?

Best regards.

[buick215]

It depends on what you are comparing it with,but a slack timing belt wont help,as with loads of other things like making sure its making the correct amount of boost,hoses not delaminated etc.They are no racer but they shouldnt be too bad.Oh,a dead lift pump takes the edge off performance too - even tho they still start and run OK.
Keep looking,you'll get there.

[Richie B]

Thanks for the reply. The timing belt was done about 30thous kms ago by a reputable dealer. Do you know if it is possible for the timing to go out a little and for the truck to still run OK?

[buick215]

The belt will have streched a little in that time but should not make any noticeable diffence to power.I'd check out that lift pump first.Does your engine have EGR kit on it - not sure what Ozzy cars had,but a sticking EGR valve will knock the edge off too.Good luck !

[nzoliver]

Aloha from NZ!
Ditch the EGR now!! Should help. This is a 2 ton truck so DONT expect whiplash from acceleration! Look after the engine and you will get HUGE mileage out of it.
Oh, are you pre-heating it before starting? They need to be heated first if cold.

They aint quick but unlike most Jap 4x4s you will get where you are wanting to go. Remember, 70% of all LRs made are still going...... That's a hell of a record!

[Geobloke]

Originally Posted by Richie B

Hi I have a 96 Disco and it is reliable and steady but slow as a mule. Fuel economy is sensational. It is very smokey on start up but reasonably good on running. I have done everything to try and stop it. Fuel filter , air filter, fuel sedimenter, glow plugs, injector cleaner,clean intercooler, etc. Does anyone have any clues to this ? Are all these trucks pretty slow? Is this all I can expect from the beast or is it worth tweaking with ?

Best regards.

Ok, LR diesels! Where to start. Ok every pre-TD5 LR diesel puffs a good cloud of smoke on startup, enough to be noticable anyway. As the engine is starting up (and as a function of not being controlled by a brain but by cables, levers and diaphrams) and before it fires up fuel is pumped in to the cylinders and then pushed out in to the exhaust system unburnt. So when the engine fires up the unburnt fuel is pushed out of the exhaust pipe in a cloud! This looks even more impressive if there is condensation in the exhaust as that is expelled at the same time!

If the cloud is causing the world to disappear for a bit then the primary culpret is the air filter, if that is dirty then not enough air is getting through. Mind you if the cloud disappears during driving I would suggest it is the normal startup cloud!

If you are still concerned take a picture of it so we can see the size of the cloud.

As for speedy LRs, I have a 200tdi which has loads of gear on it (including a tent) and have tweaked the pump and fitted a larger intercooler (also have a disco transfer box) and that is a speedy enough to keep up with most vehicles and blast past people on the motorway. Actually once I hit 3rd and 4th gear I tend to leave people standing...

[Richie B]

I have no EGR on my truck and thanks for the response.Maybe EGR was not necessary in Australia?. I am begining to agree that smokeness is part of life for these models. I have a local LR expert who has a 4 wheel Dyno it may be time to get him involved. Thanks for your good advice . Cheers