Disco 3 (LR3) Towing?

Hi I’ve recently bought a disco3 and absolutely love it even if being slightly underwhelmed by the towing.

I did my first bit of towing last night (a 900kg trailer with a 1600kg car on it so 2500kg)

it’s a tdv6 manual, first gear pull aways are not great feels sluggish as hell anything other than flat needs plenty of acceleration and clutch slipping to get going, is this normal?

I’ve gone from a 2.5 Vivaldi and it wasn’t any issue for it even on hill takes offs? Surely something not right?

Does anybody have one that can comment please?

You’d naturally think it would trump the vivaro wouldn’t you but it’s not anything close atm.

Matt

Matt BB said:

anything other than flat needs plenty of acceleration and clutch slipping to get going, is this normal?

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is normal if the clutch is slipping so maybe that's your problem, what mileage is on that clutch ?

Clutch isn’t slipping mate, it bogs down if anything if I don’t slip the clutch it kind of wants to stall.

should it be easy work for it taking off with 2.5 ton on the back?

Matt BB said:

should it be easy work for it taking off with 2.5 ton on the back?

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it should'n be much struggle, when was it last serviced with air and fuel filters ? ..also is it on standard dimension tyres ?

I have just bought it a service kit when i went to change air filter the old one looked brand new which is a good sign I guess. I will get a fuel filter for it to go with oil and filter.

I’m starting to think it could be egr issues as it’s only pick up it struggles, once it’s moving it’s flying. Does that sound likely?

140,000 full service history

Matt BB said:

I have just bought it a service kit when i went to change air filter the old one looked brand new which is a good sign I guess. I will get a fuel filter for it to go with oil and filter.

I’m starting to think it could be egr issues as it’s only pick up it struggles, once it’s moving it’s flying. Does that sound likely?

140,000 full service history

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If its pre 07 the egr blanking kits off of ebay work fine, use them as shims and leave all the pipes in place for the mot, 15 quid Iirc, easy to fit as well, though you may need slightly longer m6 bolts where the pipe flange meets the egr valve itself.

It’s 2009 so I’d need to get it remapped out after installation?

not too worried about mot

I found the D3 manual needs low range for slow maneuvers, or pulling away on hills, if a heavy trailer is being pulled.

Imo the auto is the best tow vehicle, as the D3 clutch isn't very long lasting when towing.

I’ve always got on with manuals better, autos are always in the wrong gear in my infinite wisdom

I don’t understand I’ve towed with all kinds, my dads Freelander 1 pulls away from a standing start better than this disco, can’t get my head around it.

Matt BB said:

I’ve always got on with manuals better, autos are always in the wrong gear in my infinite wisdom

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They can be, but do tow better, as the auto box holds the engine at an Rpm where maximum torque is being generated.

Matt BB said:

I don’t understand I’ve towed with all kinds, my dads Freelander 1 pulls away from a standing start better than this disco, can’t get my head around it.

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There are a couple of things I noticed with the D3 manual. First is that first and reverse are geared quite high, by comparison to other LR vehicles. Actually the Freelander is 1 is geared very low, and tows well as a result.

The D3 is also very heavy, around 800 Kgs more than a FL1, and it can feel like it when towing. I've driven both manual and automatic D3s when towing, and the automatic definitely takes the work out of it.

That's my in my opinion anyway.

It's also worth making sure the engine is performing correctly, or it will feel down on power.

I think I’ll just have to hold gear a bit longer than what I’m use to.

no mate you are spot on with the gearing, I think that’s the issue. You don’t really get going till 3rd but once there it’s brilliant.

think I’ll get it remapped, that’ll help.

how quick would a manual clutch last , I tow a fair bit for work.

Matt BB said:

how quick would a manual clutch last , I tow a fair bit for work.

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I've seen the D3 clutch done in 25K miles. It's best to use low range when you can, so keeping clutch slipping to a minimum.

But isn’t the low range crawler gears? Is it practical on the road?

any damage to drivetrain?

Matt BB said:

But isn’t the low range crawler gears? Is it practical on the road?

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For pulling away low range is fine. The transfer box can switch from low range to high range on the fly, so it's very possible using this technique.

Pull away in 1st low, change up to 2nd low, running the engine up 4K Rpm, select N, switch to high range, back to 2nd and continue in high box from then. This will get the vehicle moving, with minimal strain on the clutch. I've used this technique many times to get a fully loaded D3 and trailer moving.

However it's this messing about with the low box, which makes me prefer to use the auto.

Just reading that was hard work enough for me, I’ll just remap it.

why would they make it struggle to take off with a bit of weight on the back. Ridiculous

Matt BB said:

I’ll just remap it.

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That'll help. Just be aware that the clutch will be under more strain, so last less time. Also the crankshaft on these engines are a bit fragile, so I'm not sure how it'll respond to the extra workload of a remap.