Converting Land Rover Discovery to Diesel

[Beezer]

Sounds like it's resolved... same story almost as the diesel KLR... the conversion costs as much as a about a 5 year supply of gas.

One other consideration is if you have emissions requirements for registration.... some governments are not very understanding. Our local Municipality for one.

[Patrol]

Sorry, 50% of sticker price, that is.

[Mully]

Originally Posted by Patrol

My wife grew up in England and she's wanted one ever since. I got an incredible deal on it. It had belonged to the owner of a LR/Jaguar dealership. 13000 miles and 50% off, hard to go wrong. I don't think we'll get rid of it, but the way it drinks gas is unreal. I've never owned anything that came close to it as a guzzler.

Yeah, Disco's are pretty shitty on fuel consumption: I think about that all the time as I drive around town, but never when I'm out in the back-country in it (well, maybe I think "do I have enough fuel to get back?".....).

BLUF: if you're getting around 12 in traffic and 15 on the highway, that's ball-park. If it's worse than that, see a good mechanic or spend some time on Land Rover Repair Forums to learn what effects MPG.

mully

[Jman]

Patrol, where in the land of flat and straight are you? If you attempt something like that I could lend a hand if you were close by. (I'm in London.)

[Patrol]

I'm in Belle River (suburban Windsor). What do you do in London? I'm from Grand Bend originally.

[TDM Rider]

Mully is right- about 12mpg around-town and 15-16mpg on the highway is about the normal range for a properly running Disco. I've got a Disco II and a Defender 90 and love them both but economical they are not.

If you really want to know more about a diesel conversion, search around on the Disco web. There was a guy who did a very nice DII conversion and ended-up with a really unique truck but sank endless amounts of time and money into it.

Cheers,

CARL

[P B G]

How about an OM-617A swap?

[limeymike]

There is a booming biz in the UK for converting Land Rovers and Range Rovers over to diesel. Do a search on some of the websites over there for kits. Perkins, Cummins and some Japanese engines can be fitted.
Another popular option is converting the standard engine over to LPG, you will get the same MPG but the fuel is much cheaper.

[motu]

You need a TD27T.

[bleedin orange]

The MD kit is the only way to go.

Anything else would be insane. There is a specific kit for the Disco. Wiring, rad, mounts etc etc.

I've got an '04 Disco G4 and am about to embark on that journey, along with a 5 speed tranny. The way I figure, this thing will now last for a long time, and WAY better mileage (about 36 on the hwy). I'll be keeping this truck for 10+ years, so it will pay it's self off.

[Commuter Boy]

If it's a 2004 Disco 2, instead of a 2004 Disco 3 (Wikipedia has both of them available as 2004's) then you could import a JDM/euro front clip with the Td5 diesel or possibly a whole vehicle from 1998/1999 under the Canadian 15 year exemptions

A comparable beast would be a diesel Toyota Land Cruiser, they're going for $20k in good shape, and half of that for a front clip. A diesel Toyota 4runner is $10k, a clip again about half that.

Tough call. Amortize it out over 5 years, would you save $2k a year in fuel, plus the cost of your time to figure out the conversion? The diesel should get 25 - 40% better fuel economy depending if it's city or gentle highway cruising.

[acejones]

You'd have to keep it til you die, but it'll rust out before that.

[concours]

Originally Posted by Patrol

We have a 2004 Discovery that we love, but the gas mileage is ridiculous. Our Suburban was a hybrid by comparison. I just got a promotion that came with a company car, and was contemplating selling the Rover. Then I started pondering the idea of converting it to diesel. I'm a weekend mechanic at best, in fact, that's giving me too much credit, but I've been maintaining our cars/trucks and my bikes successfully. Jesse James I am not. This would be by far the biggest project I've tackled.
Does this sound do-able? Is it going to be so expensive that it's just dumb? I have a lead on a very low mile diesel motor from a Toureg that got written off in Michigan, and I was thinking about using that. What do you guys think about time, cost, probability of success?

Sell it and buy a diesel rig if that's what you want. You'll be $$$$$$$$$$ ahead and have less grey hair. Unless you enjoy the hunt. It would be a job for a VERY ACCOMPLISHED MECHANIC, NOT a shadetree. Good luck!

[HapHazard]