04 Discovery update/issues and thanks Disco Mike/others :)
First I just was to say thank you to Disco Mike and others who answer questions on this forum!:buttrock:
I'll try to summarize what I've done and issues I've run into on my Disco 2. Sry if it's messy, doing a brain dump before I forget lol. I have some photos but will have to post them later.
Weak Brakes - When I first got my Disco the brakes were horrible. Some said that was normal other said it wasn't. Well it's NOT normal. I've fixed my brakes and they are now working perfect!
Problem/solution - Had 5 vacuum leaks and a bad check valve. Scary to drive, would not hold even on the slight decline in my driveway.
1. Replaced brake booster with one from the junk yard (original booster was leaking where the pedal piston goes in, could hear the leak inside when the brake pedal was pushed in).
2. Fixed brake booster line leak at the check valve and where it connects to the intake.
3. Replaced check valve and seal.
4. Fixed leak between the brake booster and the master cylinder (brake fluid ate away the paint, making a bad seal between the booster and master cylinder).
5. Found a disconnected vacuum line under the dash (re-connected)
6. The above fixed the main problem but I also flushed the brake fluid and replaced the pads/rotors.
Brake lights staying on - brake lights stuck on, didn't realize it until someone gave me the finger and honked their horn when they almost rear ended me.
Problem/solution - Cheap switch, piston pushed in all the way. Removed the switch (twist to the left I believe). I took the switch apart and pulled out the piston. It appears to be self adjusting, I pulled the piston way out, pushed down the brake pedal, put the switch back in and let the brake pedal push the piston back in to the correct position. It's still working but I will eventually replace it with a better quality one.
Blinking M&S lights, trans stuck in 3rd - Bad XYZ switch, like that when I purchased my rover.
Problem/solution - I drilled out the rivets on the switch. It was clean and dry inside but some of the gold on the contacts flaked off and was shorting out the switch. I cleaned it off, added dielectric grease and put in back together with SS nuts/bolts, re-installed. worked fine ever since. I did see a site once that detailed how to do this but I couldn't find it to add the link. sry!
Engine coolant temp fluctuation - Engine would run cool with A/C on (high speed fan) but temp would still fluctuate a great deal when in stop/go traffic on the verge of overheating.
Problem/solution - Bad water pump, stretched belt. I heard a rattle sound in the motor when driving to work. turns out the water pump was so worn it had about an inch of play in the fan/shaft! Can't believe it was not leaking at all! I got a new pump off amazon for under $100 and replaced the pump and belt, while I was at it I replaced all of the clamps with SS ones, (previous owner put new hoses in) put in a new Motrad 439-180 thermostat, flushed the coolant and added water wetter. No more issues, runs between 188 to 197 in traffic on a hot Florida day.
Springs - Went with OME Springs (2763 & 2766). The OME springs are great! I gained 2.5" in the back and 4.5" in the front (front stock springs were really worn!). The back sits about .5" lower but I think it will even out if I add a winch to the front. Note - Kind of a pain in the ars to install without a lift, I installed them one at a time with jacks. the hardest one being the front passenger spring due to the drive shaft. I disconnected the swaybar and used spring compressors for the front to make it easier.
Shocks - Pro-comp ES9000, I went cheap and it shows in the poor quality of these shocks. They ride pretty good but the bushing are crap, they didn't come with dust boots nad it looked like they were spray painted by hand. I might be changing these out soon. I recommend spending a little extra to get better shocks.
TJM bumper - Love the look of it! easy to install, not easy to align by yourself. I had a problem with it moving because of the slotted mounts on the bumper, once I got it adjusted and lined up with the fenders on both sides, I drilled 2 additional holes and added bolts to lock it in place.
Tires- Went with 265x75x16 Nitto Terra Grapplers on the stock rims.
All I can think of at the moment.
Still on my todo list..
- fix curled dash
- replace flaky MAF
- extended brake lines, it's ok on road now but I can see how if I went off road the lines will be strained, especially in the back.
- sun roof not working
- cruise control not working
- exhaust leak on the passenger side, can't really find exactly were it is.
- fix/glue/replace all the stupid plastic trim parts
-replace back bumper
hope this helps someone.. thanks for reading!
I'll try to summarize what I've done and issues I've run into on my Disco 2. Sry if it's messy, doing a brain dump before I forget lol. I have some photos but will have to post them later.
Weak Brakes - When I first got my Disco the brakes were horrible. Some said that was normal other said it wasn't. Well it's NOT normal. I've fixed my brakes and they are now working perfect!
Problem/solution - Had 5 vacuum leaks and a bad check valve. Scary to drive, would not hold even on the slight decline in my driveway.
1. Replaced brake booster with one from the junk yard (original booster was leaking where the pedal piston goes in, could hear the leak inside when the brake pedal was pushed in).
2. Fixed brake booster line leak at the check valve and where it connects to the intake.
3. Replaced check valve and seal.
4. Fixed leak between the brake booster and the master cylinder (brake fluid ate away the paint, making a bad seal between the booster and master cylinder).
5. Found a disconnected vacuum line under the dash (re-connected)
6. The above fixed the main problem but I also flushed the brake fluid and replaced the pads/rotors.
Brake lights staying on - brake lights stuck on, didn't realize it until someone gave me the finger and honked their horn when they almost rear ended me.
Problem/solution - Cheap switch, piston pushed in all the way. Removed the switch (twist to the left I believe). I took the switch apart and pulled out the piston. It appears to be self adjusting, I pulled the piston way out, pushed down the brake pedal, put the switch back in and let the brake pedal push the piston back in to the correct position. It's still working but I will eventually replace it with a better quality one.
Blinking M&S lights, trans stuck in 3rd - Bad XYZ switch, like that when I purchased my rover.
Problem/solution - I drilled out the rivets on the switch. It was clean and dry inside but some of the gold on the contacts flaked off and was shorting out the switch. I cleaned it off, added dielectric grease and put in back together with SS nuts/bolts, re-installed. worked fine ever since. I did see a site once that detailed how to do this but I couldn't find it to add the link. sry!
Engine coolant temp fluctuation - Engine would run cool with A/C on (high speed fan) but temp would still fluctuate a great deal when in stop/go traffic on the verge of overheating.
Problem/solution - Bad water pump, stretched belt. I heard a rattle sound in the motor when driving to work. turns out the water pump was so worn it had about an inch of play in the fan/shaft! Can't believe it was not leaking at all! I got a new pump off amazon for under $100 and replaced the pump and belt, while I was at it I replaced all of the clamps with SS ones, (previous owner put new hoses in) put in a new Motrad 439-180 thermostat, flushed the coolant and added water wetter. No more issues, runs between 188 to 197 in traffic on a hot Florida day.
Springs - Went with OME Springs (2763 & 2766). The OME springs are great! I gained 2.5" in the back and 4.5" in the front (front stock springs were really worn!). The back sits about .5" lower but I think it will even out if I add a winch to the front. Note - Kind of a pain in the ars to install without a lift, I installed them one at a time with jacks. the hardest one being the front passenger spring due to the drive shaft. I disconnected the swaybar and used spring compressors for the front to make it easier.
Shocks - Pro-comp ES9000, I went cheap and it shows in the poor quality of these shocks. They ride pretty good but the bushing are crap, they didn't come with dust boots nad it looked like they were spray painted by hand. I might be changing these out soon. I recommend spending a little extra to get better shocks.
TJM bumper - Love the look of it! easy to install, not easy to align by yourself. I had a problem with it moving because of the slotted mounts on the bumper, once I got it adjusted and lined up with the fenders on both sides, I drilled 2 additional holes and added bolts to lock it in place.
Tires- Went with 265x75x16 Nitto Terra Grapplers on the stock rims.
All I can think of at the moment.
Still on my todo list..
- fix curled dash
- replace flaky MAF
- extended brake lines, it's ok on road now but I can see how if I went off road the lines will be strained, especially in the back.
- sun roof not working
- cruise control not working
- exhaust leak on the passenger side, can't really find exactly were it is.
- fix/glue/replace all the stupid plastic trim parts
-replace back bumper
hope this helps someone.. thanks for reading!
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