Disco 1 nasty knocking??

gary brion · Apr 5, 2019

Hi All,

My D1 has started making a dreadful noise,here we go,when she is started there is a very deep knocking rumbling coming from the bottom of the engine I think,I do not think its the ends as it only done123k with massive oil and filter service, the oil presser is good oil light is out while cranking,it gets a bit better when she has warmed up, but still there, when I rev up it continues after the revs drop for a short period,bit like a vicious fan,its not quite in time with the engine Strange,its a 96 300tdi auto, any advice much appreciated..Thanks

Disco1BFG · Apr 5, 2019

Deep knocking rumbling is pretty likely to be big ends

Presuming you have actually checked the oil pressure with a gauge ? Next thing I'd check would be the condition of the flex plate ....

If you have any suspicions about the fan VC ... take the fan off whilst you look for the cause....

Give us some more info on service history - when was the cam belt done last for example ? last oil change .... and with which oil ...

gary brion · Apr 5, 2019

Its had one owner before us and the guy went mad on oil changes 4 a year and only doing 8k or less a year
its due and oil change now for sure done about 12k on 10/40 semi, and cambelt is overdue, last done 6yrs ago
on 78k,now 126k i think,never been worked hard and driven like a granny,That's the last engine I thought the ends would have gone on,

Marmaduke · Apr 5, 2019

When's the last time that the timing belt was done?

Marmaduke · Apr 5, 2019

Marmaduke said:
When's the last time that the timing belt was done?

Ah sorry just re read your last post

dieseldog69 · Apr 6, 2019

Remove the vicious fan, they make a lot of noise, put a T piece or use a remote sender line off the oil filter housing and a gauge to check oil pressure, get cam belt done and see where you are after that, lots of oil changes sound promising but you have no way to verify unless you or a trusted mechanic did/witnessed them being done.

Not a terrible job but if the car is a keeper pull the motor and do a mini rebuild, but if the mains are shot expect a rebore & oversized pistons and small ends.

lynall · Apr 6, 2019

gary brion said:
Its had one owner before us and the guy went mad on oil changes 4 a year and only doing 8k or less a year
its due and oil change now for sure done about 12k on 10/40 semi, and cambelt is overdue, last done 6yrs ago
on 78k,now 126k i think,never been worked hard and driven like a granny,That's the last engine I thought the ends would have gone on,

Iirc 300tdi oil changes are every 6k, which may explain things?

gary brion · Apr 6, 2019

Ok to shed a bit more light,its getting hard to start having to crank for a while and the noise is there whilst
turning,I really dont think is the ends you can hear the engine running sweet, and the knocking noise remains
roughly at the same speed and does not build up with the revs of the engine.
how would a cam belt change make things better?

discool · Apr 6, 2019

If you believe that the “very deep knocking rumbling coming from the bottom of the engine” then drain the oil and remove the sump pan that’s the only way to to check the crank and bearings, it’s not unknown for a bearing shell to disintegrate.
The oil pressure light going out doesn’t always mean the the engine oil pressure is good, it just means there is oil pressure and sufficient to match the setting of the oil pressure sensor.
Other that as we can’t hear the sound it’s all just guessing.

Disco1BFG · Apr 6, 2019

gary brion said:
cambelt is overdue, last done 6yrs ago

D1 300 Tdi belt interval is 6 years / 72K miles - it is due, and therefore needs doing - if you think it's noisy now, wait for the belt to let go and see how you like it then

....

.....

lynall said:
Iirc 300tdi oil changes are every 6k, which may explain things?

Yep, tis correct.

gary brion said:
how would a cam belt change make things better?

Big ends are not unknown, BUT it is more likely to be the front cover bearing, or the crank damper, or either belt tensioner and TB idler and or water pump / PS pump etc. ... and all that will get examined / replaced during the belt change, which you really should DIY.

Plus, of course, flex plate, and even flywheel coming loose

( as above ).

gary brion · Apr 6, 2019

umm, Just went for a short trip and found that it almost goes away when the engine is pulling
and comes back whilst coasting, and is Not associated with the engine something running/turning slower
which from what said so far would indicate flex plate or flywheel area, which I have no experience of
Shame lovely car, gearbox out job I guess and very hard to get a decent mechanic around here.
Thanks all for the helpful comments

Marmaduke · Apr 6, 2019

Mmm flexplate

To be fair it made one hell of a noise and certainly not a knocking one

gary brion · Apr 6, 2019

oh dear! No I have done about 50miles today and it comes and goes, normally there on startup
then seems to go away as she warms up, and sounds smooth and quiet again.

Marmaduke · Apr 6, 2019

gary brion said:
oh dear! No I have done about 50miles today and it comes and goes, normally there on startup
then seems to go away as she warms up, and sounds smooth and quiet again.

I'd say it's not like mine was then, might be worth checking the torque converter bolts though. Mine sounded like a jack hammer

discool · Apr 6, 2019

gary brion said:
umm, Just went for a short trip and found that it almost goes away when the engine is pulling
and comes back whilst coasting, and is Not associated with the engine something running/turning slower
which from what said so far would indicate flex plate or flywheel area, which I have no experience of
Shame lovely car, gearbox out job I guess and very hard to get a decent mechanic around here.
Thanks all for the helpful comments

There seems to be a few in your area, here is one to start u off https://dashwoodservicecentre.co.uk/landrover.htm

Gazbo · Apr 7, 2019

Marmaduke said:
I'd say it's not like mine was then, might be worth checking the torque converter bolts though. Mine sounded like a jack hammer

There seems to be some different noises associated with flex plate failure, my mates auto D1 sounded a lot like what @gary brion is describing here, just a knock, knock, knock, like a big end, but not always there.
Your plate failure was a doozy, many crack most of the way around only hanging on in one place and not breaking out completely.
Checking inside the bell housing via the wading plug hole for a brown dust deposit called "fret corrosion" can be a pointer to a fractured flex plate, this "dust" is a product of the boundaries of the fracture under pressure of the drive rubbing together and throwing off the dust.
The old D1's with auto have a bit of history with cracked flex plates.

gary brion · May 9, 2019

Well, guys, she has finally given up,
the starter will not turn the engine over anymore, is this flex plate part of the turning over procedure?
I mean as in the starter turns the flywheel.

Marmaduke · May 10, 2019

gary brion said:
Well, guys, she has finally given up,
the starter will not turn the engine over anymore, is this flex plate part of the turning over procedure?
I mean as in the starter turns the flywheel.

Does it turn over at the same speed as it did previously? If so how do you know it's not turning the engine over?

Disco 1 nasty knocking??

gary brion

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