Expedition?

Hello,

I' recently purchased a 1995 Discovery I with about 96k miles. As
expected, I have had a few problems with "secondary" systems (i.e., not
the engine or drivetrain), and have spent quite a few hours under the
thing so far. But this is OK, because I am a reasonbly compentent
mechanic.

One of the reasons for purchasing this vehicle was that I am planning
to do about a year of fieldwork in Belize, Central America. My question
to the group regards opinions about taking this vehicle on this trip.

The trip would entail driving from Arizona, through Mexico, and down
through Belize. I have done most of this trip before, and it is easy on
paved roads. No problem.

Once in Belize, some driving will be on pavement, but a significant
amount will be on seasonal dirt that can become impassable during the
rainy season.

The purpose of the trip is PhD research so I will have a small, but
extremely limited budget to work with.

I have couple concerns. Maybe you can identify some others, and pose
some solutions to these.

1) Gasoline - The vehicle says it requires 91 octane fuel. This may not
always be available. Do I need to cart along a case of octane booster
to be able to run 87 Octane? Or can the vehicle be adusted to run lower
octane fule?

2) I would like to just disable some of the electronic gadgets on the
car, but I find that many systems are tied into the same circuits. For
example, I am having trouble with the alarm system, so I pulled the
fuse. Then the power mirors stopped working. Does anyone have
suggestions on how to address these failure-prone electrical systems to
prepare a vehicle for long-term international use?

3) Emergency parts list - Other than the obvious (serpintine belt,
hoses, oil filter) does anyone have any recomendations of emergency
parts to bring on the trip? There is a LR dealership in Belize, but it
is quite a distance from where I'll be living.

4) Code Reader - The Check Engine light has already come on a coule
times. Would you recomend bringing an inexpensive code-reader? If so,
which one? It would be nice ot be able to clear codes. As for the
codes, I found this (http://www.troublecodes.net/landrvr/). Is this the
only resource I need
ot intrepret the codes?

Does anyone have any other comments or suggestions regardng using this
vehicle for long-term fieldwork? I am familiar with the history of
problems with these vehicles. I bought it cheap, and I'm not concerned
about aesthetics, though, and if I hgave the right parts, I usually can
fix it. I Don't have buyers remorse for blowing $30k on a vehicle that
breaks.

I am concerned about safty and reliability. I don't want to be stuck in
the middle of the jungle with a useless vehicle. If you have had an
experience using your Disco for a similar purpose and it completely
died on you, I'd be interested to hear your expoerience.
Thanks for your input!

--Sean

[email protected] wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I' recently purchased a 1995 Discovery I with about 96k miles. As
> expected, I have had a few problems with "secondary" systems (i.e., not
> the engine or drivetrain), and have spent quite a few hours under the
> thing so far. But this is OK, because I am a reasonbly compentent
> mechanic.
>
> One of the reasons for purchasing this vehicle was that I am planning
> to do about a year of fieldwork in Belize, Central America. My question
> to the group regards opinions about taking this vehicle on this trip.
>
> The trip would entail driving from Arizona, through Mexico, and down
> through Belize. I have done most of this trip before, and it is easy on
> paved roads. No problem.
>
> Once in Belize, some driving will be on pavement, but a significant
> amount will be on seasonal dirt that can become impassable during the
> rainy season.
>
> The purpose of the trip is PhD research so I will have a small, but
> extremely limited budget to work with.
>
> I have couple concerns. Maybe you can identify some others, and pose
> some solutions to these.
>
> 1) Gasoline - The vehicle says it requires 91 octane fuel. This may not
> always be available. Do I need to cart along a case of octane booster
> to be able to run 87 Octane? Or can the vehicle be adusted to run lower
> octane fule?
>

Having it adjusted is no real problem, but carrying some octane booster with
you is worth while. Not a crate, just some.

> 2) I would like to just disable some of the electronic gadgets on the
> car, but I find that many systems are tied into the same circuits. For
> example, I am having trouble with the alarm system, so I pulled the
> fuse. Then the power mirors stopped working. Does anyone have
> suggestions on how to address these failure-prone electrical systems to
> prepare a vehicle for long-term international use?
>

Have an auto sparkie bypass/remove anything that's likely to be problematic.
Most stuff will be able to be rewired.

It may be worth your while actually getting somebody to completely bypass
all the electrical gubbins and keep the functionality where possible -
basically having wires run direct with real switches rather than relying on
the computers.

> 3) Emergency parts list - Other than the obvious (serpintine belt,
> hoses, oil filter) does anyone have any recomendations of emergency
> parts to bring on the trip? There is a LR dealership in Belize, but it
> is quite a distance from where I'll be living.
>

All forms of fluid the vehicle could use
Half shafts - at least two of each.
Any failure prone moving objects - UJs, track rod ends and such like
Spark Plugs and plug leads
At least one spare track rod and drag link
Several spare fuel caps
Several spare filler caps for the various fluids
Several universal caps for when the dedicated ones have been used up
Fuses and relays of all descriptions used in the car
Starter Motor
Alternator


> 4) Code Reader - The Check Engine light has already come on a coule
> times. Would you recomend bringing an inexpensive code-reader? If so,
> which one? It would be nice ot be able to clear codes. As for the
> codes, I found this (http://www.troublecodes.net/landrvr/). Is this the
> only resource I need
> ot intrepret the codes?
>

If you need a code reader, chances are the engine's not field repairable.
That said and done, the Gunsons one seems to be decent for the money if you
really want one.

> Does anyone have any other comments or suggestions regardng using this
> vehicle for long-term fieldwork? I am familiar with the history of
> problems with these vehicles. I bought it cheap, and I'm not concerned
> about aesthetics, though, and if I hgave the right parts, I usually can
> fix it. I Don't have buyers remorse for blowing $30k on a vehicle that
> breaks.
>

Steering protection - up front guard and sumo bars. The steering on Discos
is notoriously vulnerable to low hanging objects.

Diff guards - the best you can get. I'd personally recommend the QT
Rockslider Guards as being some of the toughest I've seen. You don't want
to end up running with no diff oil.

Rock/tree slider side sills if you're planning on doing any work in forest
areas - it's not nice trying to open a door you've just accidentally
crimped shut, and these help prevent that.

Yet again, bush wires of some description if you're likely to be in forested
areas - can save a smashed windscreen.

2 way radio of some description. Carry one of whatever's common in the areas
you're going to along with spare batteries. Also remember that even if it's
a wonderful piece of kit it can and will break at the worst possible
moment.

Highlift jack. At least one. Can get you out of many many difficult
situations.

Tirfor type winch in the largest size they do along with a full strop kit -
this will get you out of most of the other difficult situations.

It's probably worth your while getting your tyres pre-sealed with the goo
stuff. Makes them impossible to fix afterwards, but great for making sure
you don't get stuck somewhere you'd rather not be.

If you're towing a trailer then try and make sure it runs on the same rims
and rubber as the car - gives you 2 extra spares if you need them to get
you out of trouble.

Carry lots of water along with water purification kit. Likewise food.

Make sure whatever you're relying on to heat your food has enough fuel for
at least 1.5 times the duration you plan on being on the road.

Make sure you have some means of heating food when the fuel runs out
anyway )

Fit a snorkel to the vehicle if you can along with the "distrbutor condom"
that some places sell - this can allow you to get out of places you would
otherwise get the car stalling due to moisture in the ignition.

If it's a manual gearbox in it then have the final drive inspected for wear
before you go and replaced if it's at all worn. Fit a Steve Parker oil
device if it isn't worn as a matter of course.

Waffle boards can get you out of some silly situations and are reasonably
cheap. Don't bother with things like ChockTracks - they are too expensive
for what they don't do.

Carry a normal survival kit as well as everything else you carry and make
sure to be trained in how to use it - for some idea of the sort of thing
I'm talking about, look for "The SAS Survival Handbook" by John (Lofty)
Wiseman. It covers the basics and a whole load of other stuff you'll
probably never need. A basic outdoor survival course would be worth your
time along with a basic first aid course.

Make sure you're carrying a full first aid kit - not a burns and cuts one,
but a minor surgery capable one. Most especially make sure you are carrying
a sterile sharps kit. I don't know anything about health provision in
Mexico or Belize, but I always feel safer in unknown circumstances with a
known sterile sharps kit to hand.


P

--
If Mind over Matter is a Matter of Course
Does it Matter if Nobody Minds?

Mr.Nice. wrote:
>
> Expedition work I've done was with defenders with no such electronic
> reliance.

Well Mark, your comment has made me decide to actually post my opinion.
Sell the Disco and buy a Defender which will have quite a lot less to
go wrong. I'd also seriously consider moving to a diesel vehicle for an
expedition such as this as it leaves quite a lot less to go wrong.


--
EMB

On or around Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:14:32 +1300, EMB <[email protected]>
enlightened us thusly:

>Mr.Nice. wrote:
>>
>> Expedition work I've done was with defenders with no such electronic
>> reliance.
>
>Well Mark, your comment has made me decide to actually post my opinion.
> Sell the Disco and buy a Defender which will have quite a lot less to
>go wrong. I'd also seriously consider moving to a diesel vehicle for an
>expedition such as this as it leaves quite a lot less to go wrong.

diesel fuel is sometimes more easily got in odd places, too - especially if
you have a high-compression V8, you'll be looking for high-octane fuel,
which you may not get. This was one reason for low-comp engine options in
the range rovers, in earlier days.