By Leslie on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 03:03 am: Edit

On Saturday I changed the oil in the Disco ('99 SD Series I); after putting the oil back in, then I changed the filter (put oil in the filter before installing), drove it a bit, and checked the fluid levels to make sure all was kosher. Rest of Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to work, no problems. Then....

Yesterday afternoon, I'm on my way home, up a long hill-climb from the red light at the bottom, and the Rover quits accelerating... just won't get up to normal speed going up this hill. Once up, though, it's acting normal. About 10 minutes later, I noticed a dash-light blink, and looked (my meathooks were in the way, so I didn't see it earlier).. the oil light would blink on, stay for three seconds, then blink off for about five seconds. Blink on, then blink off. SO I cut off the radio and air and start listening while pulling off the road. The thing sounded like a Subaru, with a valves clicking like the oil level was low. (Temperature was fine, I noticed, not hot.)

I jump out, grab a quart of oil out of the back, pop the hood... but when I check the oil level, it's fine, not low at all. So I start it up, still clicky, cut it off and check it again... still fine. Start it again, and after a several seconds the clicking quit.

So I drive on home, with ears wide open. About a mile from the house, it clicks again. I pull over, cut it off, then restart, and it quits clicking. So, when I get home, I check the oil level again, and it's a bit high, actually. So I slide a pan under there and bleed a little oil out of it.

The wife and I had a dinner date with the boss, so I had to hurry, and didn't quite get enough bled out. Heading to the Ramada, it was quieter most of the way, but started softly clicking a bit before getting there. The Rover then got to sit for several hours. Once we left and went home, there was no more clicking. And then again, on my way to work this morning, no clicking either.

So....

What's going on??
Could the new filter be defective? On this change, I switched away from the Fram that I had, and put on a PureOne filter. It's supposed to be a much better filter... is this a fluke?
Or, would too much oil cause clicking that sounds just like too little oil? I wouldn't think...

Anyway, my intent is to get another filter and swap on there, and adjust the oil level so it's not too full once warm.

Any thoughts???

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 04:00 am: Edit

yes , very well could be a bad valve in the filter. It happens with all brands from time to time. It was just your lucky day.. Make sure you fill the filter with some oil before installing it..

Kyle

By Moe on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 06:21 am: Edit

Could also be debris collecting on the oil pick up screen in the sump and starving the engine when it is working hard. When the engine rests the shit floats away, allowing for better initial oil flow. It might be time to change the sump gasket and take a look

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 06:25 am: Edit

Another good point , although , the "Sump" is the lower portion of the "oil pan"

Kyle

By Moe on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 06:37 am: Edit

LOL Corrected by the KVT spell checker

Just a thought: would starving oil also contribute to the loss of power?

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 06:50 am: Edit

Yes , the lifters will fall down and therefore make it lose power.

Kyle

By Leslie on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 07:15 am: Edit

Moe: I didn't know if the two are related or not. But for one odd thing to happen right after another odd thing, well.... I was suspicious. Kyle's point sounds dead-on.

Kyle: I hear ya... it was a pain in the butt, having to pour the oil into the filter, wait so that the air will burp out, pour in some more, wait some more, etc... I didn't have it all the way full, but had more than enough so that when I lined it up to spin it on, oil was running out and down my hand.

That is a thought, though.... Problem is, my gasket supplier is now heading to Billing to the LR show and won't be back for two weeks.

Hmmm..... I'll see how it behaves between here and the house... if it still seems well, I'll just do a filter change. If it acts up again, though, I'll drop the pan too, and see what I can see. I can use goo as a temporary gasket if the original is boogered in the process, but hopefully I can be gentle enough...

BTW..... The Purolator catalog lists a regular Purolator filter for Rovers, but not a Pure-One. I just picked the Pure-one based on the crossover size for the Fram-8A... That 'could' be the source of the problem, I suppose.

What size Pure-One is recommended? OR, what size in another brand is recommended?

Thanks,

-L

By Jeff Bieler (Mrbieler) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 07:21 am: Edit

What about all the other part houses around? BP, RN, AB, Roverconnection? Not everyone will be in Billing...

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 07:26 am: Edit

Pan dont have a gasket. its just RTV I think....And it could be very possible that while pouring that new oil in it disturbed some shit in there that got in the pick up screen...


Kyle

By Leslie on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 07:38 am: Edit

Hmmm.... if no gasket/IS RTV, will drop and swipe out and flush.... go-to-go...

'Mr. Bieler',
True enough. Ended up being a non-issue in this case. I do, however, have a serious allegience to my parts dude... I can get whatever I need through him, cheaper than I can get it elsewhere, usually! He's actually a Series parts guy, but since he owns a Rangie, too, he gets bits and pieces in for me pretty darn cheap. So, he's fairly won my loyalty. And on some Disco things, he'll tell me where to go to get it cheaper... like Magnacors, or K&N filters, etc....

-L

By Jeff Bieler (Mrbieler) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 08:38 am: Edit

I assume you're talking about Thatched Roof Garage.

I agree about being loyal, but when it's crunch time, you go where you can. I tend to float towards BP as they have been real good to me.

Hope you get it straightened out.

Jeff

By Leslie on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 09:04 am: Edit

Yeah... If I don't watch it I sound like a broken record... David's a good guy, has passed along substantial savings to me on many items.

I've been mulling it over, and have come across a question:

What exactly happens in a Disco if you did overfill it?

I got it close, then took it up and down the road for a shake-down for the fluid levels, and thought that I had it warm enough. Since it was showing high on the dipstick once I got home yesterday, I reckon that I didn't have it warm enough, and ended up topping it off too high. I've now been wondering if perhaps that maight have been the cause somehow.

Racking my brain for anything else...
Aside from switching to a Pure-One filter, I also switched from 5w-30 to 10w-40 for the late July/August warm-up. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have, and should go back to the 5w-30.

Can anyone confirm the right size Pure-One filter, or another brand and size recommendation? Seems like everywhere I go, the main thing I find is Fram... I've never had problems w/ 'em, but I've heard so many horror stories that I'd rather not gamble... 'course, maybe this Pure-One was just a bad one -hey, it happens- but maybe there's about it than I realize...

-L

By Ron on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 09:20 am: Edit

I have a pure one in the 8A size no problems

Ron

By Leslie on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 09:48 am: Edit

Thanks Ron,

Reason for asking:
I DID notice that the Purolator book listed xxx number for regular Purolator filters, and then added a prefix for the Pure-One filters. Don't recall the number off the top of my head... Anyway, the Pure-One column for Rovers was marked N/A. I found a Pure-One in the 8A size, which was a different number than the Rover number. I went with my gut which said that the 8A 'had' to be right, but after this episode, I started second-guessing myself.

Thnx!

-L