Working on "new" Disco I

[tgmiller77]

Just traded a guy a 1977 Mercedes 450sel for a 97 Discovery with 150,000 on the clock. Love the Land rover so far and I have spent the last two weekends getting it current on the maintainance. NGK plugs, oil chage with a Motorcraft 300 oil filter, diff and transfer case fluid change, transmission fluid (mobil 1) and filter, air filter, Sea Foam, etc.
First of all, changing the transmission filter is no joke and it took two days. I did get the pan out by just getting the exhaust loose, working the crossmember down far enough and working the pan out. It shifts like a dream now.
Now she needs shocks, steering dampner, and an ATF flush because the engine sounds like a diesel at idle. I think I got a good one, dealer serviced, but a little high on the mileage side. It doesn't even leak oil. What should I be looking for going foward on this truck.
Thanks, Greg
Nashville, TN

[Disco Mike]

Don't forget the fuel filter, Magnacor plug wires and a good decarboning.
What are you going to do for a suspension?
Mike

[Funrover]

nice.. I love both the mercedes and the rover.....and yeah the trans filter sucks!! I hate it! As far as shocks etc I have enjoyed my OME's(Old Man Emu's)

[tgmiller77]

I did change the fuel filter very easy to get to and change. Are the Magnacore wires the best? I was thinking about just getting Bosch or Lucas wires from one of the many parts suppliers on the net. The ones on my Disco have about 120k mi on them. On the shocks, I can get a set of Boge shocks for about $200 or Bilstein for $275. I know they work great on Mercedes, but unsure about how they will work on a Land Rover. I hate Monroe and KYB shocks they are too harsh, don't know anything about OME but seem to be very popular. With the miles and age on my truck I need to change out lots of rubber suspension parts and tie rod ends etc. She handles a boat.

[Rhich]

I’m getting ready to do a filter and gasket on my 96, reading your posts I now start to wonder should I take a weeks vacation?
How hard are they to do really?
Anything I should look for or buy ahead of time?

[tgmiller77]

It was really tempting to just drain the pan and refill. Having 150k on my Rover I was positive that the filter had never been changed and I wanted to get a look at the pan to see how much clutch material was in the pan. If I was to do it again this is what I would do and try not to take short cuts that just waste time.
Undo the exhaust pipe just after the Y, loosten the exhaust from the manifold, but dont completely take it out. Spray with plenty of wd-40 to aid in getting the nuts off, and don't strip the nuts. It will drop about 5-6 inches. Then undo the crossmember and wiggle it down until it touches the exhaust. Then undo the pan, slide it back and turn it to get clearance from the suction tube and it should come out. Take your time and double check your gaskets you don't want to do this procedure again.
Stuck bolts on the exhaust manifold slowed me down greatly as well as pondering what in the hell to do next. Should really take 4-5 hours if no road blocks. Good luck. Check for exhaust leaks when finished!!

FYI, when changing out transfer case fluid get a new drain plug. I broke mine off with maybe 10 lbs of torque. To fix I just took gasket maker, black silicone, and filled the plug like repairing dry wall. No leaks

What shoud I do about spark plug wires and shocks? I don't think this truck will leave the road so comfort is most important.
Greg

[Rhich]

I personally am a big fan of MSD wires, not the cheapo ones but the MSD 8.5’s. I’ve bought the sets that you make up the length and crimp the ends that sort of thing, not hard at all really and you get wires “just the way you want them” I’ve even bought V8 sets and made two sets for my 4 cylinder Saabs….

As far as shocks, I haven't gotten there yet but I have an OME steering stab and I've been happy with that.