[slickclick]

i am looking at a nice 2003 discovery w/ a knocking crank; so the motor needs either an over haul or swap... I found info on the transmission in it & it seems several motors can "bolt" in to the 03 ZF box maybe have to take the bell housing from the donor engine but any thoughts on these motors working as swaps..?

the 80-82 lincoln that came with a 4.9/5.0/302 FI sounds like this bell housing is the ticket to a 302 swap in these; maybe..?
I am thinking maybe a BMW motor 87-94..?

http://www.zf.com/media/media/document/int_print_catalogs_documents/usa_4/4HP24_22.pdf

 

[slickclick]

So I have been reading more; the I6 BMW Diesel motor mounts exist; is that only for the disco 1 or disco 2s up to 04 w/ ZF boxes..?

I like these trucks, need the seating; but as a mechanic always knew the motor was trash... But an inline 6 bmw motor is bulletproof; I am not a power hog either Id be happy to fit a 2.5-3l bmw I6 in there...

anyone know what other motors of the bmw i6 line fit the diesel that came in these..?

 

[wjsj69]

I, like you, would love an alternative, but I don't know if you'll find much support here; most members are more purist oriented, and the general consensus is that by the time you get everything done, (electronics being the biggest hurdle) you could've had the v8 redone correctly, ensuring better reliability and a much less complicated process..

I'm curious what you come up with though, and I like your "outside the box" idea of using a BMW.

 

[slugbeast]

I second wjsj69. The electronics are definitely the big problem, moreso than bellhousing/ motor mount type issues. From what I've understood; I'm not sure if the transmission or traction control or many other systems can work without the V8 ecu (or at least some kind of input that is LIKE the v8 ecu). Maybe a top of the line AEM could work in place or something non factory and programmable? otherwise there is a nightmarish amount of wiring to make all the electronics "talk to each other" in a functional way. And thats just to get it running and shifting, who knows about tachometer or other gauges... its a massive project either way though. Wedging a different motor in there is LESS than half the battle for a swap like that.

But the reason I've thought about it is because it could potentially save money in the long run, MPG, cheaper parts, more performance parts availability...

 

[slickclick]

well its not far out the box to me; its clear the factory used the inline 6 bmw diesel; and i know several people have done the conversion...

I used to fix BMWs From what I gather from the ZF specs is that one can beef up the internals of the transmission to handle up to a v12 bmw motor saw a video on youtube of a guy w/ that swap; thought about a 4L bmw v8 so the i could plug & splice the stock ecu to it but having experience w/ bmw i know the v8 isnt the best it ok but still cheaper to tinker w/ than these rover lumps...

Id do a v12 but then its just for bragging rights & worse off than w/ the rover engine when needing a core & such parts...

thats when i saw over the pond you guys get bmw inline 6's so with ALL BMWs 87-94 coming w/ the same transmission thats a huge range of available inline six cores here in the states; I am just not into bmw that deep yet knowing ever "e" #gen there is ya know... so i am seeking some feed back from possible BMW powered rover owners to figure out what mounts to order or try... maybe someone has a north american vin# of a bmw diesel powered disco 2 03-04...

german car makers make highly interchangeable i know bmw never changes anything lol i like mk2 vw's but like i said i used to work at a euro repair shop & did bmw, jag, benz, even a rover once... but now i need seating & round town reliability...

 

[slickclick]

to address the electronics issue looks like 03's have separate controllers... at least on ebay any one that can confirm that..? anyone w/ a wiring diagram..?
if both vehicles use the same transmission whatever comes out of the 94 should connect right to the disco tranny; as far as engine inputs go... the rest should be with the tcm & abs systems; id bet only a hand full of wires connect between the factory ecm/wire harness and the rest of the car...

more over if bmw put in a inline 6 diesel; id bet that harness in that model has very little connection w/ the tcm systems...

germans are smart people...

 

[disco biscuit]

Just because the zf will bolt up doesn't mean the tranny controller off a 94 will work on an 03 disco.

Lucky8 sells a tranny controller that should stand alone. You need to piggy back a whole lot of crap to keep traction control, use the wheel sensors and abs nightmares. A complete Holley injection on gas motors have different piggy backs and complicated crap that might work....far as me and a buddy looked.

I gotta tell you ahead of time. All land rover purist business aside...you will still be spinning your wheels. I'll give you a few major points that hung me up on mine.

Number one is all the wiring, computer mess... let's just leave the 2 things I mentioned and add the tranny..etc.

The tranny also reaches torque and HP limits with Chevy LS motors much less different diesel variants. I think the vw TDI would be the safest besides the ones Landy puts in over the pond. The land rover diesel would no doubt be the best diesel conversion of any. All headache we talk about kinda goes away.

Also and most important for me is the balance of the whole vehicle. I tell everyone, the only tires I went through since purchase never needed rotating. It might just be the tire combo or just my truck, but it feels right. The motor in it now can be moved around by hand. Assembled its roughly 330 lbs. Its right off road in what is already a heavy vehicle. Good luck matching that number. An LS is the closest you'll get that's easy enough to do. The rest of the conversions seem like boat anchor or turning it into a tank.

I should also mention the rover motor, in my unprofessional opinion, is really easy to work on. Parts aren't as bad as you think. Call ptschram...use google and amazon to fill in gaps and you might be surprised all the similar parts you can find locally at Autozone etc..

I rebuilt mine well under 1100$. I did heads,valve work, sanding and the whole nine...alternator, coolant reservoir,water pump cam...all bearings etc. If you're doing all the work on the swap thing I think its crazy not to rebuild this one right. My mechanic buddy wanted to swap ****, I had already considered all that. After I researched all of it...I talked him out of it. I talked the other day about building something high performance for it. He really liked this motor. It looked unbelievably like a little smaller version of an LS in the machine shop...which is the motor he had sitting there to drop in. It has very close to the same cross bolting.
Research the rover cost a little more. Call ptschram

Also I don't think you have a rod knocking. They're pretty good rods and all attached to it. Maybe oil pressure. Worn bearings. Concentrate on what's wrong now and you'll realize it ain't that bad...?

 

[Bosnian Discovery]

Not sure where you got the info but there has never been a factory produced BMW 6-cylinder diesel Disco.

The only diesel motors offered in the D1 & D2 were the 200Tdi, 300Tdi (both 4-cyl) and the Td5, 5 cylinder. As far as I know none of these made it to the USA - we only got V8 gas models.

The only BMW I6 to ever go into an LR was the M52 gas engine. And even that was only put in about 1000 Defenders in South Africa.

Bottom line, you won't be able to cherry-pick parts and wiring harnesses. You'll have to do everything custom.

Not saying it's not possible - the D2 engine bay is huge and I'm sure you could fit a V10 if you wanted to, but your logic of putting a I6 diesel into a D2 for the "seating & street reliability" is comical. If those are your only criteria just get a Honda or Toyota minivan. More seating, more reliable, more economical, easy to fix, etc.

 

[jaacina]

The Land Rover ZF is tilted compared to the BMW application. If you get the pieces from a Range Rover with a TD6 you probably can get it to fit. South Africa had CKD Defender 90s powered by BMW 6 cylinder engines.

 

[slickclick]

Actually not sure where anyone got the idea I only want to put a diesel in; that is honestly not my intent...

My idea is to use a compatible -and more readily available- motor...
it seems many reading are not going to the posted link so i will say it here:

ZF 4HP22 comes in the following -i am listing common junk yard state side-vehicles:

ALL 4-speed BMW -except 7/850 has 4HP24- from 87-94
JAGUAR XJS 87-94
Volvo 740, 760, 940 86-96
Land Rover Range 87- Tempest 97- Disco 92-?

this is where I need confirmation of the VF tranny in the 03 as far as i have found its the 4hp22 so if that is in fact the case there is a whole mess load of bmw motors that will fit...

A v8 bmw would be ideal plug & play in my opinion; but the head gaskets are a common issue, but i guess some head studs & victor reinze head gasket would solve that issue... But that is why i like the idea of the inline 6...

so td6 mounts and/or a m52 stock mounts would be the ticket...
I also read some where about the x5 4.4 being a direct block swap; but again not confirmed...
So far only a video of a LR w/ a v12 bmw motor...
as for the tilt issue I figured id snatch the bell housing too just in case...

The guy isnt responding back to me now to sell me the car because i know the motor is knocking & I suspect an odo swap... id still buy the car if its cheap because i like the truck & i want to try this swap lol

link to v12 land rover?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm5ygZmsf1o

 

[obababoy]

Any other hope for a better powerplant in these otherwise amazing vehicles? My 04 D2 is itching for a Diesel!

 

[helievacpilot]

Actually not sure where anyone got the idea I only want to put a diesel in; that is honestly not my intent...

My idea is to use a compatible -and more readily available- motor...
it seems many reading are not going to the posted link so i will say it here:

ZF 4HP22 comes in the following -i am listing common junk yard state side-vehicles:

ALL 4-speed BMW -except 7/850 has 4HP24- from 87-94
JAGUAR XJS 87-94
Volvo 740, 760, 940 86-96
Land Rover Range 87- Tempest 97- Disco 92-?

this is where I need confirmation of the VF tranny in the 03 as far as i have found its the 4hp22 so if that is in fact the case there is a whole mess load of bmw motors that will fit...

A v8 bmw would be ideal plug & play in my opinion; but the head gaskets are a common issue, but i guess some head studs & victor reinze head gasket would solve that issue... But that is why i like the idea of the inline 6...

so td6 mounts and/or a m52 stock mounts would be the ticket...
I also read some where about the x5 4.4 being a direct block swap; but again not confirmed...
So far only a video of a LR w/ a v12 bmw motor...
as for the tilt issue I figured id snatch the bell housing too just in case...

The guy isnt responding back to me now to sell me the car because i know the motor is knocking & I suspect an odo swap... id still buy the car if its cheap because i like the truck & i want to try this swap lol

link to v12 land rover?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm5ygZmsf1o

That is a D1. MUCH easier to drop a replacement engine in. D2 is a different animal altogether. Extremely complicated electronics. Every once and awhile, someone comes along and is sure that they have the expertise and knowledge to convert a D2 on the cheap and still have all the systems work. On top of that, the expense is so high to do it right, that the frame would rust to the ground around you before you could every re-coup the savings of the extra mpg. There is supposedly a company out north-west that will do the conversion right, but your looking around the 15k range if memory serves. That's a butt-load of premium gas.
Common sense also dictates that if it were easy and relatively inexpensive, it would have been done by now. These trucks have been around forever and are dirt cheap. BTW - No such thing as a D2 purist.