The third generation Land Rover Discovery was the vehicle of the year in 2005
Here we have the Discovery 3 which literally marked the end of the era on Land Rover’s alliance with BMW. Out went the Td5 diesel engine and in came the advanced 2.7-litre V6 diesel that Jaguar and Peugeot had created together.
The old Discovery had such a huge number of facelift versions that there was a running manufacturing joke that there were more Discovery variations around than actual Discovery’s themselves. Although this may have encouraged a specific selectiveness among purchasers, it never did much for the Discovery’s resale value, which was average in best case scenario.
Factors in the vehicle’s poor reliability and its appearance showed it was clear that a serious redesigning needed to take place. Land Rover received such poor customer satisfaction feedback on this model that they decided a radical overhaul was paramount.
With Ford funding the redesigning process, this was a genuine ‘no cost spared exercise’ to assemble the finest family 4×4 vehicle.
With the Range Rover Imposing huge amounts of money, there was an enormous swath of market for the Discovery to extend into, charging premium costs for a superior quality item. From the year 2004 model, all Discovery models were fitted with the Land Rover Watch stolen vehicle following system.
Land Rover was quick to hold the family’s DNA with this vehicle, so the twin sunroofs, steeped roof, asymmetric back window and the unique seven-seat potential needed to be incorporated. In addition, Land Rover expected to keep the Discovery’s tough rough terrain driver soul, yet with the invasion of rivalry traversing the entire SUV range – from extravagance SUVs, like the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 right through to the workhorses including the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Pathfinder, the new Discovery 3, as it was known needed to handle and ride more like a car than a 4×4. So, in essences, the 2004 model when launched needed to flaunt enough innovation, technology and configuration to punt the competition clean off the map. Land Rover engines need to create a vehicle that was an ace of all decks.
About the engines accessible
In 2004 the Discovery 3 was no longer manufactured with the Td5 diesel engine, so in came the 2.7-litre V6 diesel that Jaguar had created along with Peugeot. This powerhouse is developed from compacted graphite iron (CGI) to guarantee exceptional quality, strength, solidness and most importantly light in weight. Since less material is required to fabricate a CGI engine block, subsequently the engine can be shorter.
There’s also the 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine available however this isn’t just the ordinary 4.4-litre BMW-sourced engine found in the Range Rover, this engine is a broadened form of the 4.2-litre V8 that is found under the hoods of some Jaguar models. Tuned to convey the kind of low-down torque that Land Rover drivers require, this unit also benefits from improved residue/waterproofing and updated breathing capacities to enable the Discovery to swim through waterways effortlessly.
The petrol engine is accompanied with a six-speed gearbox with ‘intelligent shift’. However, a traditional six-speed manual high speed gearbox comes as standard with the 2.7-litre diesel engine.
One benefit of the 2.7-litre TDV6 diesel engine, is that you can re-programme it to increase the bhp by 36 achieving 3,802 rpm and boosting the torque by 71 Nm achieving 3,427 rpm for extreme power. The upgrade costs around £500.00 including VAT and has no impact on the fuel consumption. The Discovery 3 unfortunately was never manufactured with Range Rover’s 3.6-litre twin turbo TDV8 diesel engine with 272PS and 640Nm. Regardless of this is has more power and torque than the TDV6, fuel utilization figures are the equivalent or in fact better at 19.6mpg urban, 31.2mpg additional urban, 25.1mpg consolidated. Cuts 0-60 by 4 seconds to 8.5 seconds.
In conclusion, the 2.7-litre TDV6 diesel engine was a tremendous step forward for Land Rover, delivering great execution and economy while being sensibly refined. compared with the Td5 diesel engine, the new TDV6 was super-smooth, unmistakably progressively responsive, and extremely quite due to the quantity of noise and vibration isolation in the Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport models. An excellent example of a 4×4 vehicle as in service, the TDV6 is commonly dependable and is oozing with power. Incredible for ordinary use. Its advantage is that it allows you to tune it up to a noticeable power level, however, remember that the standard torque is restricted to protect the gearbox.
Common Problems
The most common problem with this engine, Likewise with any turbo engine, the oil quality is crucial, low quality oil can cause the turbo bearings to wear causing the turbo to become noisy and/or oil smoke fumes from the exhaust.
In serious cases, oil can pour into the intercooler and flood into the cylinders causing misfiring or piston and con rod damage. Poor oil quality likewise increases the wear on the camshafts’ and cross-over drive chains, decreasing the life of the main and big end bearings. So, regular servicing is essential.
The TDV6 utilizes a timing belt to drive the exhaust camshaft for every cylinder bank, at that point a short chain on every cylinder head to exchange drive from the exhaust cam, the right-hand one being at the back of the engine and the left hand one at the front. Early engines could experience the effects of cam chain wear, the tensioner system could create issues being the teeth jumping causing the engine being demolished. If you hear the engine rattling, check straight away.
Injector Issue
If your vehicle is having trouble starting due to a backfire and there is a strong smell of fluids This is an indication that one or more of your injectors are faulty.
Remedy – Replace faulty injectors. To confirm which injector is faulty they can be sent of for testing. Royal Rebuilds are able to provide this service.
Intercooler fault
Excessive dark black smoke coming from the exhaust pipe of your vehicle or noticeable loss of power is an indication of a broken or defective intercooler. Which is a typical issue in this diesel engine.
Remedy – Strip and inspect, replace to intercooler.
Big end bearing issue
One of the most widely recognized issues of this type of engine is that the big end bearings over heat causing them to attach/melt themselves to the crankshaft which causes engine seizure.
Remedy – Strip down your engine including replacing the crankshaft and compressively rebuilding the engine back up. Royal Rebuilds specialise in this service.
Turbocharger issue
The turbochargers work very hard in this type of engine and may become powerless in performance or in extreme cases they will blow causing a large amount of blue smoke to escape from the exhaust. This is caused by low oil pressure; when the turbos do not receive enough oil to lubricate them.
Symptoms of the turbo failure is a whistling noise from the engine. This is a disaster for the EGR system as it permits a huge volume of carbon stream towards the turbo making it over coil.
Remedy – – Strip down your engine and replacing the turbo/s and compressively rebuilding the engine back up. Royal Rebuilds specialise in this service.
Piston Issues
When the main timing belt breaks it causes the valves to drop, the pistons then hit the valves resulting in the pistons being damaged.
Remedy – – Strip down your engine and replacing the timing chain and compressively rebuilding the engine back up. Royal Rebuilds specialise in this service.
EGR Failure
EGR valves become stuck in the open position. This allows exhaust gas to re-circulating. The particles of burnt carbon in the smoke makes the vehicle drive badly and causes pollution to the environment.
Symptoms of this are
- Excessive black smoke
- Increased fuel consumption
- Rough Idling
- Lack of power
Remedy – Replace EGR
The Main Timing Belt
The main timing belt should be changed between 60,000 and 100,000 miles this is dependent on the usage of the vehicle. The more work it does the shorter the life span. When the timing belt is changed it is also recommended to change the short fuel pump drive belt which Is found at the rear of the engine. In unfortunate cases the main crank shell bearings can rotate blocking the oil way, this can lead to the seizure or breaking of the crankshaft. Symptoms are a rumpling noise from the crank.
Remedy – Strip down your engine including the replacing the crankshaft and compressively rebuilding the engine back up. Royal Rebuilds specialise in this service.
Re-calls
- 9-11-2005: Vehicle may end up unstable whenever jacked VINs SALLAAA185A320952 to SALLAAA176A357812. Safety Recall R/2005/144
- 30-11-2005: Safety belt clasp may not retract, form dates 21-8-95 to 12-9-05. Safety Recall R/2005/154
- 30-11-2005: Parking function of an automatic transmission may not work properly, build dates 2-7-2004 to 30-4-2005. Safety Recall R/2005/156
- 7-6-2006: On petroleum renditions fuel may leak, manufacture dates 2-7-2004 to 20-5-2005. Safety Recall R/2006/069
- 19-3-2007: On petrol modes – probability of fuel spillage, fabricate dates 3-5-2005 to 28-9-2005. Safety review R/2006/226