Disco 2 Boost Box -Extra Umph

Hello
Sadly my old Disco TD5 (Done 183,000 miles) failed the mot on welding at the rear.... No worries as I rushed out and bought another Disco 2 a bit newer but still a TD5. On the old one I had some sort of plug in box sitting on top of the battery that it seemed remapped something in the ECU and gave here more umph.

Now I have been driving the new to me TD5 I can see that this aftermarket box on the older one did work..... I was wondering if anyone on here can tell me much about this mystery box and what it does and if it is quite an easy job to swap this from my old Disco 2 to the new to me Disco 2 and if this is wise

Add a photo of the box and more importantly the wiring connector (s).
Maybe then people will recognise it & what it does.There are various options for add-on boxes.

Hi, these kind of boxes are not the best choice even if some of them can improve performance. Depends if it's like in your title just a boost box or a power box cos these are not the same. Can you see how many wires it has and where it's connected ? Post a pic of it

Hello again. I have now got some pics of the Boost device that is fitted to my Old Disco 2. This is the one I was thinking of swapping to my new to me Disco 2. Both are TD5's. Any advice appreciated

Pics below

Thanks

Hi. So the ECU red plug is connected into that box's plug and you connect other plug to the ECU or how cos i can't figure it out from the pics. Anyway this is a so called power box which comes between the ECU and the vehicle's sensors which means it alters te real signals so the ECU will calculate the fuelling based on false inputs as to improve power... if you want to use it i strongly recommend you to fit EGT and ECT gauges

Thanks for the reply. On the old Landy it does not have those things you mention fitted... Either way I dont think I will bother to have that fitted

sierrafery said:

Hi. So the ECU red plug is connected into that box's plug and you connect other plug to the ECU or how cos i can't figure it out from the pics. Anyway this is a so called power box which comes between the ECU and the vehicle's sensors which means it alters te real signals so the ECU will calculate the fuelling based on false inputs as to improve power... if you want to use it i strongly recommend you to fit EGT and ECT gauges

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Hello
I have been thinking again about this and I can certainly sense that my newer TD5 has less omph than my Previous one with the Power Plus Box. I would like to do this as simply as possible as it is I think just plug and Play. I was wondering why you felt I need to fit the two gauges you mentioned as this seems an added complication as my old Disco that has this fitted does not have then
Thanks in advance

The problem is that the ECU mapping takes in data from the sensors and delivers power based on that data. The power delivered is in line with protecting the engine from excessive load and the heat damage that can cause - head gasket failure being most obvious. If you plug in a box that alters the data going to the ECU it will deliver some extra power, but without the in-built protection against overheating. The D2 is especially vulnerable to this as the temperature gauge is driven by the ECU and even when fed correct data it shows an overheat far too late at around 120 C; before that it sits happily in the middle. If you lie to the ECU about coolant temp the situation is far worse.

If you fit an Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) gauge and an Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) gauge you can monitor the temperature yourself and ease off the power if required.

If you want more power then there are some very experienced remap companies out there that can tailor the ECU map to your needs. From all out competition power with low expectation of engine life, to a mild improvement that should have no impact if driven sensibly. EGT and ECT gauges are still sensible precautions though especially if you have have changed the gearing by fitting bigger wheels.

Bigplumbs said:

I was wondering why you felt I need to fit the two gauges you mentioned

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Because in most cases when external power boxes are used the EGT(exhaust gas temp) gets high hence the ECT(engine temp) too and that will kill the engine on a long run. The coolant temp gauge stays at the middle up to 120*C so you can drive it at 115*C without even knowing it

EDIT: @Si Click's explanation is spot on, we were writing at the same time

Many thanks for that explanation. My Old D2 had this box fitted from the day I bought it and when it died (Rust Chasis) at 185,000 it never had any of the issues you suggest so I am still wondering if to just fit it. I tow a lot of boats so the extra grunt would be good. Other than towing I tend to drive very sedately and not over stress the engine etc. Is fitting those gauges you mention a difficult job

I had some silly tunes on a previous td5 fitted with egt gauge, saw it hit a 1000degc more than once, unsurprisingly it had issues in the long term!
If you want power my I sugggest sell it and get something else, looking back I wish I had of done, would have saved me a load of money.

lynall said:

I had some silly tunes on a previous td5 fitted with egt gauge, saw it hit a 1000degc more than once, unsurprisingly it had issues in the long term!
If you want power my I sugggest sell it and get something else, looking back I wish I had of done, would have saved me a load of money.

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Sell what the Car or the Boost Box. I have only just bought the newer D2 and I also have a D3. I will never sell the D2 as for the D3 that is a different story

Bigplumbs said:

Sell what the Car or the Boost Box. I have only just bought the newer D2 and I also have a D3. I will never sell the D2 as for the D3 that is a different story

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Tha car.

I tried Dasteck box quite good
Td5alive tune, then more aggressive tunes, incl mental ones
Boost controller
I-cooler
It always never seemed to have quite what I wanted power wise
I would have liked a vgt but could never justify to myself the cost.
Then the turbo cracked, manifold warped more than once, head cracked, not all at once!

Old saying and it is spot on, there is no substitute for cubic inches.

D3 is far from perfect, but it is certainly the most usable day to day land rover I have ever owned, 6 years and no thoughts of selling.

lynall said:

Tha car.

I tried Dasteck box quite good
Td5alive tune, then more aggressive tunes, incl mental ones
Boost controller
I-cooler
It always never seemed to have quite what I wanted power wise
I would have liked a vgt but could never justify to myself the cost.
Then the turbo cracked, manifold warped more than once, head cracked, not all at once!

Old saying and it is spot on, there is no substitute for cubic inches.

D3 is far from perfect, but it is certainly the most usable day to day land rover I have ever owned, 6 years and no thoughts of selling.

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Well I am not selling the car it is the best I have out of 6

Bigplumbs said:

Well I am not selling the car it is the best I have out of 6

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6 cars!

You can get high, relaible power if its tuned by the right person!

My 110s 230bhp/525nm (dynoed with a small intercooler leak (didnt know at the time) & standard airbox)

EGTs even at 90mph+ pushing up hill in 5th never got above 500°C, water temp sat around 98 - 102°C (Stack coolant gauge)

That is with a fair few mods however. Its also driven everyday and just about cover 10k miles at that power without an issue!

lynall said:

6 cars!

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Yes 6 I would have 7 but that would be extravagant

Now as for Boats I have well about 12............. You can never have enough

Bigplumbs said:

Yes 6 I would have 7 but that would be extravagant

Now as for Boats I have well about 12............. You can never have enough

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I have 1 boat and thats enough!

Unless they are small and very low maintenance, that is at least 11 boats too many. Pre-Covid, I raced and helped maintain the RAF Offshore Race boat, a J-109 called Red Arrow, and the amount of maintenance required to keep just one decent sized yacht in good sea/raceworthy condition is substantial. A fleet of 12 would need a dedicated team.

Si Click said:

Unless they are small and very low maintenance, that is at least 11 boats too many. Pre-Covid, I raced and helped maintain the RAF Offshore Race boat, a J-109 called Red Arrow, and the amount of maintenance required to keep just one decent sized yacht in good sea/raceworthy condition is substantial. A fleet of 12 would need a dedicated team.

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Largest is a Sealine S24 then 6 Fletchers 2 Ribs 2 net skis and several sibs most have 2 strokes the largest outboard being 200hp the smallest being 2.5

I manage to look after them all ok

If you think that is a lot I have over 220 RC planes and 10 plus drones

Each to their own