Disco 1 300TDI Rev Range!

ok some of you may know i have got myself a new to me disco (1998 manual 2.5tdi estate 5 seats not 7)

anyway other then the many little issues she drives well and sounds quieter than i expected for her age and engine size.

THE QUESTION.
What rev range should I be driving it at/too

eg. in my last vehicle (not saying what it was lol) i had 2 driving modes the car was happy with

normal driving mode generally changing gear around 2000rpm on the flat, and down hills, and up to around 3000/3500rpm going up hills

then i had playful driving mode generally changing gear at closer to 7000rpm

now from what i can tell (rev counter not too healthy rite now so not perfect) im chugging along at around the 1500-2000rpm mark generally changing gear around 2000-2500rpm ish but up hills around what looks and sounds to be around 3500rpm.

going down a motorway at roughly 70 (speedo not to healthy either lol gotta love a disco) im around the 3600-4000rpm mark.

does this sound about rite or should i be reving her more in the lower gears and less in the higher gears!

any input on this would be gratefully received im not used to big and beefy im used to light and speedy am enjoying the difference though, wanted a disco for as long as i can remember got one and i haven't been let down even with all the faults haha

The rpm at 70 sounds way to high, standard wheel size and standard gearing it should be at about 2800 rpm if I remember right ( not had a standard disco for some time and don't usually go up to 70mph, I'm running a 1.4 ratio transfer box and 35" tyres ) if your rev counter is playing up its hard to make a judgement on those figures though

4000 rpm at 70! check the spade connector on the back of alternator is good. That usually sorts the rev counter out.

I wouldn't worry too much about the rev range just drive it how you think should be driven.
If it starts chugging then drop down a gear if it sounds like your revving its nuts off then back off a bit.

the spade repair is something im going to look into sorting today i know its loose and very corroded. just wanted to know what everyone else's views were on the "correct" rev range to be driving one of these tanks

My disco is a '200' so has a working speedo & old-fashioned 'mecanical-cable' drive connection from the transfer box (by huge transmition / hand-brake drum) to the dash cluster

Anyway, gloat over

Think in 5th it's at 2k @ 50something mph (I'm in bed having a lie-in so can't quite remember I'll update later when I've left a landy smokescreen around Ammanford )

Believe your '300' should have 1.2:1 transfer box, if it has a defender t/box then it would (should??) be the lower 1.4:1... So better acceleration (usefull for a 2t disco ) but worse motorway cruising

Rich.

Who drives according to the rev counter? Most "normal" drivers will very soon (within a few minutes) acquire a "feel" for the vehicle and almost instinctively know when to change gear, up or down, especially when driving on the road, off-road might be a bit different, but I don't see why it should be.

brian47 said:

Who drives according to the rev counter? Most "normal" drivers will very soon (within a few minutes) acquire a "feel" for the vehicle and almost instinctively know when to change gear, up or down, especially when driving on the road, off-road might be a bit different, but I don't see why it should be.

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lol im not actually driving to the rev range i drive as i always have by the engine sound/feel but i noticed the revs and wanted to know if it was the umm how can i put it "friendliest" way to treat the engine. im new to the landy scene so learning things daily. added not i just fixed my rev counter and it no longer bounces around

Mate had an XR4x4 Sierra years ago, borrowed it to tow a trailer & was concerned with its revs compared to speed, turned out it had a 4cyl taco & dash cluster with a 2.9i V6 engine so the revs were 1/2 as much over-reading

Ok, I'm not saying a V8 cluster / revcounter will work with the 300tdi's alternator derived signal but it would look like "all-revs-&-no-trousers"




I'll get my coat.........


Rich.

ceffyn said:

lol im not actually driving to the rev range i drive as i always have by the engine sound/feel but i noticed the revs and wanted to know if it was the umm how can i put it "friendliest" way to treat the engine. im new to the landy scene so learning things daily. added not i just fixed my rev counter and it no longer bounces around

Click to expand...

First off you're driving a fairly big diesel and although they tend to have a lower rev range and a narrower power band than petrol engines, a turbo goes some of the way to mitigate the difference.
As we've both decided, driving to the feel of the vehicle and a maximum speed around the national limit (give or take ) in top gear should be quite friendly towards the lump.

The friendliest thing you can do for your engine is your regular maintenance and oil changes.

My 300 tdi Auto D1 is sat at 2500 at an indicated 70, but 65 according to the sat nav.

David

with my now working rev clock my 300 tdi manual is at 2250 rpm at 55mph sat nav (main speedo still not fixed lol) was looking to check 50 or 70 but it just happened to run along happy at 55 so looked then haha