[Discoverse]

Greetings, i just recently bought a 2000 LR Discovery II in need of an engine. The only reason i bought the truck was because i figured it would end up costing me less to fix up an old land rover (insurance wise and other) than it would be to buy one new. Now, i know this might sound ridiculous, but the truck was so clean i had to get it, immaculate exterior and interior but the engine is toast (id assume) I drove the truck 65 miles from where i bought it to home with no issue, but the engine was making faint noises and is covered in oils sludge. Once home, i put some cardboard underneath and the next day i had a puddle of power steering fluid (reservoir is either cracked or some hose shot, not sure yet) just a few drips of oil and a large puddle of water ???? sounds like a canidate for a new engine to me..

Now im really not the most mechanically inclined individual, and the only other vehicle i did major work on was a 95 lincoln that died on the person i sold it to when they bought it....so im probably going to take the truck to a shop for most of the work. Id like to get a pittle more educated on land rovers tho before doing so, as i dont even know what kind of oil or coolant this truck takes, since it didnt come with an owners manual. After doing some research, it seems like working on this thing is a bit more complicated than usual, & im starting to get worried as the last few mechanics i called said they wouldnt touch the truck because its too expensive & time consuming. Uh oh.. so could i get some pointers, maybe just some basic info or a link to an owners manual..

does anyone kno what other engines are compatible with this truck? or do i HAVE to get another LR engine? Would a LR3 engine fit? I love this discovery truck, its comfortable, clean & stylish..im willing to sink some money into this thing because i want to turn it into a good, reliable truck..i just hope it doesnt become a money pit...

& please forgive for any typos im writing this on mu phone at work as i dont have a computer at home..

 

[Dane!]

Hello, the water could be from a leaky radiator, or water pump, you can buy the gasket for pump, its common, the coolant that is in the manual "dexcool" is what they think causes those leaks. no big deal. just dont use Dexcool, some people use peak, dont use any universal coolant, gold colored coolant is good coolant. Also the oil leaks if its not much is no big deal, although you should address those, thats what rovers are notorious for. The front drive shaft should be rebuilt they end up breaking off and killin your tranny if not addressed, its really easy to rebuild yourself, i did it with my mechanic with a hammer, a flat head and a hours of time. (toddco. suspensions sells the kit for 100$ or the center ball for 30$, you can get premium ujoints @ oreily's) The power steering leak could just be a gasket or a leaking hose, id try and clean it up as much as you can fill the res and then follow the dripps. if it runs fine as you said, id check out mikes 90,000 mile maintainence post (on top of the disco 2 forum) if you decide to keep the motor id do all that to be on the safe side!

Goodluck,
Dane :beer:

Bputah.com is a great site for all of your disco II parts. great pricing as well.

 

[Disco Mike]

Only a 4.0 or 4.6 from a D2 or late.
You are going to be needing some help, if you want, PM me your number and I'll call and walk you thru all this.

 

[helievacpilot]

OK, so you know right off the bat, a lot of people here call me a "hater", but I believe in telling it like it is.
If your hoping to save money AND are not mechanically inclined AND are going to depend on ANY shop to work on it, get rid of it NOW. It's going to be a money pit. You have already experienced the attitude of some non LR mechanics first hand. Even if you find a good INDY shop, your probably looking at 100.00/hr labor + parts.
These trucks hate neglect of the smallest kind and will make you pay. Most people buy these trucks in hopes of working on them themselves to save money. If that's your goal, then good for you, but it's going to be a massive learning curve.
Your already way behind the 8-ball on this truck, mechanically wise, so think long and hard about your ultimate goal here. If it's to save money and you can't work on it yourself, sell it. If you have to have one, spend the extra money and buy a clean running example that's been checked out by a reputable LR INDY shop. If you want to off-road it, look at a nice 2004. If it's mostly for on-road, look at an LR3.
Good luck either way.

 

[disco biscuit]

That's good advice. If the engine is shot(I don't think it is totally), that could very easily cost you 5k if someone has to do it all, prolly way more than that. By the way if you drive that down to an independent place and tell them it needs an entire new motor...they probably won't argue...even though you just drove it. Add power steering and many other things that seem to be neglected. You just paid cash for a car that prolly put you in debt to IT 6k at least. That's not saving money at all. Also very tough to justify that purchase at all, given the info you gave....

 

[jafir]

Were you running the a/c? The water could have just been condensation.


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[Discoverse]

Damn i was worried about that .. but my plan from the beginning was goin to be to sell it if it wa going to take too much money to fix this. I searched for parts and totaled it up to build from the ground up basically and the price was reasonable (i know LR is expensive) but i couldnt factor in the labor cost.


I have some of the parts required for the engine rebuild .. but am not sure about this situation. I didnt pay much for the truck, perhaps i could save money and trade up..

than again, if i can get the right mechanic.. I might just save this truck

Im sure the insurance rate on a LR3 would be crucial to me. So thats not an option at this time.. it'd be nice tho.

Yes i guess the water would have been from the AC

thanks for the advice

 

[helievacpilot]

Here's the thing. Regardless of how "clean" it is, if the PO neglected the engine, God knows what else was neglected too. Your looking at just the engine right now. There are many other complex, expensive systems on these trucks just waiting to bite you in the ass, err wallet. LR's need TLC BEFORE something breaks, not after, to be reasonably reliable. Any way you look at it, if someone else is doing the work, bend over. I sense trouble ahead with this truck. I understand the insurance on the LR3, so look at a nice 2004. You'll be money ahead in the long run.