E W I’ve had that recently too- wouldn’t start one morning in pouring rain. Got out to find diesel everywhere! Took motorbike to work and went to investigate the leak. No sign of a leak and it started first time😂 Think they just love attention 😜
I find them dependable. I fix them myself and I don’t have any major issues. If you keep up the standard maintenance stuff its as good as anything else.
Here's a bloke on yt you might enjoy viewing... ru-vid.com/show-UCg40yNbF_DcDXKn2XTZCwzQ Im a Landy bloke my self, but hey, the 4x4 community is about getting out there no matter what we drive. Hope you enjoy. Peace.
pretty much every land rover mechanic will tell you it needs a ton of work. and yet...it still runs. unless the head gasket is totally gone, the rover will probably run forever if you keep up the fluids.
Yes it will. Just don't overheat it and pull over. Ok, there is one problem that you can't do anything about. The dreaded front driveshaft double u joint failure. If you don't pay attention and it breaks it hits the transmission. Not good.
No, it won't run forever if you keep up the fluids. Keep driving with a busted headgasket, and it will overheat badly one fine day. The aluminum block will crack when that happens, and a major coolant leak into one or more cylinders will develop. It will misfire and run like crap after that. Re-sleeving the block with flanged "top hat" liners and rebuilding the engine will cost more that the truck is worth. You can get a used engine, but no one knows how many times it was overheated and how long it will last. The only permanent fix is a GM LSx swap, 5.3s can be had for short money these days. But that's a lot of work, and you need to know what you are doing very well. Neither of the two ZF trans will hold behind a GM engine, so you'll need a GM trans and an adapter for bolting a Rover LT230 transfer case to it. Don't go crazy on GM power, the diffs and axles can barely cope with 5.7 LS1 in its stock form. Add some more power, and you will need expensive diffs and axles. That's why GM 5.3 from a Trailblazer is a perfect engine for this truck. Just enough horsepower to wake it up, not enough to start breaking driveline parts.
I also bought a 2004 Discovery 2 8 months ago, although I bought a TD5 (Ireland). It had 114000 miles on the clock, a full service history, no tow bar so never seen a trailer or was farm and to top it off it came from London so probably never seen a dirty road! I've had a few other 4x4's in the past, but like yourself I absolutely love driving mine and I would buy another tomorrow if this one let me down. I'm a member of the many Discovery groups on Facebook and it always amazes me that people are constantly having problems. Now mine isn't perfect, it does leak oil from somewhere, it leaks water around the door seals, but apart from that I've had no problems. I've carried out preempted repairs on the common faults, after I've taken it off road I always give it a real good clean underneath making sure to hose out the chassis rails - I generally maintain it really well. Today I just dropped it off over in Scotland to have the chassis cleaned, descaled and protection applied to prolong the life of especially the chassis which should see it good for about 5 years before it needs protection again. Would I recommend a Discovery 2 to someone looking to buy one? Absolutely, I would say find a lower mileage one which has a full service history and if the chassis is good, then go for it!
DO NOT TRUST THE TEMP GUAGE!!! It will sit rock solid halfway no matter what the coolant temp is. Once the guage goes up it is too late. Fit a temp alarm.
Discovery 1, especially the 200tdi is a beautiful Landie, I've driven thousands of miles cross country and on trails in the N.W. Sahara and my Discovery 1 has always got me through rough terrain and never let me down.
I so miss my 200tdi. Body rottted with perfectly good mechanics. She was ripe for a 100’ defender body to be dropped on but circumstance was against it.
Partly due to this particular TFL project, after years of wanting one...I have finally purchased not one but two Disco 2s (2003 & 2004) in the past 4 months....LOVE them, niggles, leaks, quirks, wrenching, forum research, RU-vid repair videos and all. When I have them where I want them mechanically, they will be outstanding and I’ll probably have at least one Disco 2 in my garage from here on out. They are addicting, there’s nothing else like them. Ive even thought about buying them, fixing them and reselling them to help keep these glorious machines on the road.
these videos helped me push the button to go out and get a disco. i found a 130,000 mile 04 on craigslist. the previous owner has taken super good care of it...all new hoses and the head gasket has already been replaced and it’s running perfect so far. the headliner could be better and there’s a leak near the driver’s side window but honestly i don’t expect to live anywhere else where it rains and snows much. i don’t wanna jinx it but I feel safe enough with the reliability so far that i may be comfortable putting some $ into making it look like a trail edition. i live in sierras near the rubicon trail but I love this car so much i don’t think i’ll ever risk taking it on any trail crazier than a semi-level dirt road. thanks for the content!
They are great! Just gotta stay on top of them, I've replaced the radiator and the thermostat to a grey/black 180° t stat basically fixes the overheating issue. Otherwise awesome vehicles!!
IMHO...it looks great with the tires, lift, and roof rack!! I like the color and the interior is nice. However, if this is truly a "PROJECT" then every 3 or 6 months fix something on it. NO more mods, but fix. So, I would start with the transfer case. Pull it and replace the seals or bushings or whatever to seal it up. Then in another 3 or 6 mths, do the head gaskets. NOW...you will have a much more reliable vehicle. Besides, who is checking the transfer case levels?? Being with TFLoffroad, you can do the work yourself. Or, enlist a Land Rover tech (and help)...and feature him/her during the videos. FREE business exposure. It would ADD a tremendous value to the channel...IMHO.
I'd prioritize the transfer case too. Heck I'd just pay the dealer for that part. Everything else, water pump, head gaskets, that's a weekend in the driveway as long as you don't have to deal with 300 sensor leads
Just buy a used t-case and seals, swap the seals into the new case, then swap the cases. The LT-230 is cheap as chips, as it was in every D1 ever made. BEFORE YOU DO THE HEAD GASKETS: inspect the cylinders with a camera through the spark plug hole. If an internal cylinder is polished, your block is bad and you need to do a motor swap. If an outside cylinder is polished, you can just do the heads and water pump (a weekend job, easy stuff). If you need a new motor, this is your chance to truly make this a forever truck that will last through the zombie apocalypse - LS or Cummins 4bt diesel. Your Yota loving friends will die of jealousy.
Lol my 2003 doesn't leak at all and has been awesome! Finished replacing the water pump AC unit and driveshaft myself as well as getting some help installing my Terrafirma lift been an awesome vehicle! Plus you cannot beat the capability and looks of the disco 2.
@@haihoegaatet6963 it only condeses on the bottom of the front main seal a bit otherwise the other seals have been replaced before I bought the truck, it's been great.
Bought my D2 with 120K and only had to do 02 sensors, replaced the water pump. Did all the hoses and belt while in there. No issues this week replacing 02 sensors and a leaky master cylinder. DIY fixes. I do all the listed MF mileage maintenance myself and if I can't or don't have time.. I don't let anyone touch it unless they've got madd skills. Thanks to many of the LR forums I've done some easy and hard fixes. It's gratifying. Many of us LR owners have learned that most mechanics, well, from my experience, don't know what the hell they're doing and/or take twice as long on labor and charge extra for lack of skills. Always a good idea to know how much OEM parts cost and normal installation time.
I've had 3 Disco 2 and all had Rod knock, leaking head gaskets, all sorts of broken interior parts, but like you it was the best off road and fun on road SUV I've ever driven.
The 'rod knock' may be cylinder liner mis-alignment (also could be why the engine loses coolant). Liner shift can present as a blown head gasket, impacting performance, fuel economy, and temperature stability. The coolant bubbling and coolant staining suggests it has overheated at least once, which is one of the primary causes of liner shift in the 3.9/4.0/4.6L motors.
yup, typically a crack in the block which will display as a polished clean piston and cylinder on one of the inside cylinders. Before committing any cash to fixing it, remove the spark plugs and inspect each cylinder. If one of the outside ones is polished, do the heads. If one of the inside ones is polished, you've got a bad block - buy a cummins diesel or an LS and swap that bitch for a badass truck that'll last as long as any Toyota!
I have two discoveries right now and a full size Range Rover and honestly they’ve all been super reliable. The D2’s were both in rough shape when I bought them but after putting in about $1000-$1500 on top of how much I paid for them I’d say I have an awesome deal on great trucks (I paid roughly $800 for each one). Keep the videos coming, love seeing Discovery 2 content!
People can laugh at the Land Rover all they want but when you get it 90% in shape minus the interior it'll run for 30+ years. I replaced the gaskets on my old one and when I got everything out I removed the Air conditioning unit since up here in Canada we need more heat than cold air. If this came on bring a trailer I'd definitely bid on it. Only place to watch for rust is the rear door sills at the wheel wells, otherwise it'll be the bumpers that go.
I’m thinking about buying a used one for the year, maybe two that I’ll be in YYC before I head back to a car-less city... what do I need to watch out for?? I LOVE THEM, but I’m terrified to buy one for 7,000$ and then be stuck with a beautiful paper weight that needs 10,000 in repairs... advice??
I have the exact same Discovery(almost)...I have had great success with a product called K-Seal for greatly reducing coolant loss(and no plugging of the heater core) and another product called ATP AT-205 Re-Seal for engine oil and gear oil leaks. These are definitely worth trying in your rig!!
My $1000 Land Rover discovery 2 has had 0 issues since I bought it 4 years ago besides the head gasket which i know was out when I bought it and fixed it in one weekend. Easy to work on
As a devote LR enthusiest of 15+ years I could have predicted the list of maintenance items you have. Most D2's have all those issues in time. We often say "if you own one you must learn to work on one". You become a mechanic by necessity. Head gaskets, overheating, leaks and modifications are done by the owner as a result of saving money. I have a similar D2 as yours but only have $2500 into it after purchase price, all repairs and modifications. Not bad considering the initial sticker price of $41,000 new. When Wheeling I stay right up with others that have a popular 4x4 priced at over the $40g price with all the luxury a LR provides. I hope to see this rig on the Colorado trails as I live there and belong to Expedition Colorado and many Rover Clubs as well.
I am a giant fan of the Disco I and Disco II. You were right not to do the head gasket, the most "Over sold" repair to a Land Rover. Not to say they don't fail, YES THEY FAIL, but it is obvious when they do. If you buy one that has not failed, just make sure you replace the thermostat and water pump, service the cooling system. The quart of coolant is not being burned, check the throttle body leaking. I did say throttle body, it sends coolant through the throttle body to cool it. The "Rod knock" is not a knocking rod, it is the internal valve lifters located centrally in this engine. They are prone to "Pumping down" when you do't use the right oil or when they get some miles on them. Make sure you use Shell Rotella 15W-40 with a good AC Delco filter. On the coolant, go to Cadillac and buy the tablets they sell for the Northstar and drop them in the system when you service it every 30K miles. I have owned more than 60 of these and currently own 5 Disco Is and IIs. There is a saying in Discoville, "I it ain't dripping something, it ain't running!".
I love me old disco 2! But mines a TD5, been really reliable never had any "major" issues 😂 just a few niks to sort out. I'd love to try race you! See how mine remapped 2.5 TD5 going against yours :P
I have a 1990 Range Rover Classic. It runs pretty well, surprisingly, and this weekend I changed the air filter, engine oil and the catalytic converter, so now it will be better
I’ve got a 2004 TD5 in the same colour as yours. Owned it for 12 years and Daisy is our family car. 200,000 miles + on the clock. We imported her from UK to Australia when we emigrated in 2011. Engine is oil and coolant tight (as long as I keep checking the timing cover gasket and fit proper jubilee clips to the coolant hoses). Transfer box leaks and is next to get fixed. I get just shy of 30mpg (UK gallons) on the freeway. I’ve had the horn issue too, time for new switches. Like you I do my own maintenance and don’t listen to garages who want me to change perfectly good components. I have a thick file of receipts for ‘fair wear and tear’ maintenance that I have done. Daisy’s only disgraces were the gearbox (replaced for $AUD7K but that included a new clutch and flywheel) and her rear diff (fitted a second hand unit for $150 and 4 hours of my time). My friend, you clearly ‘get it’ about Land Rovers. Daisy’s injector seals failed driving from Sydney to Canberra, we drove 180 miles in low ratio and it took 12 hours! Ordered the parts ($20) and the special tool ($250), spent a night under the bonnet and fixed her. I’m looking forward to posting ‘Tranquility Base here, Daisy has landed’, she will achieve lunar distance. And there is a TD5 in Sydney with 1,000,000 km on the clock!
I had a very similar set of symptoms regarding coolant consumption and bubbling up long hills. I solved the problem by replacing the coolant filler cap. The old filler cap had lost its ability to hold the pressure so it would leak by when the engine was running hard. It's a simple and cheap fix that is very often overlooked.
Try getting some small neodymium magnets and gluing them to the consul and trim for power windows,seats etc. I had the same problem on my 2002 discovery...
I have an 04 and love it despite it leaking every fluid and issues. The head gaskets aren't hard, I did them myself and had the heads resurfaced with no issues since. Mine wasn't burning coolant it was leaking out of the back of the passenger side head (look for a little coolant leak when turned off warm).
im glad you like it ..your previous videos you weren't so sure .i own 3 . 2 03s and an 04 love them .. just like any vehicle you need to maintain them.. replace gaskets they dont leak.. remember these are old vehicles ..they need loving and parts replacing.. cheers
The reason that you're losing coolant is your sleeve around the cylinder is beginning to slip. That's why you have a knock in the engine. Many people think it's a lifter or a rod knock it's actually the sleeve moving up and down don't use any stop leak in that engine. Try to keep the engine as cool as you can if you have to drill a quarter inch hole around the inside of the thermostat so you can get a little cooler opening time it won't climb to a higher temperature. Good luck. I love my Land Rover Discovery I have had many issues with it but I'm always trying to figure out a better way to overcome it. Another thing you can use is a thinner oil that will reduce your engine knock also
If you're the type of person that will run to a mechanic every time your disco squeaks and have to shell out $2-300, then yeah, you're going to hate it and call it a money pit and all that stuff. On the other hand, if you 're moderately interested in self-reliance and maintaining your vehicle yourself, you're going to have a high level of satisfaction, because it's easy and cheap to work on yourself, it feels good to fix things and feels good to drive something you know you fixed yourself and you're intimately familiar with its workings. You're going to feel great every time you spend 20 minutes fixing something and save yourself $300.
There are some great RU-vid videos (Atlantic British) and books on amazon on how to fix those problems on your rover. The head gasket kit is $85, water pump is $44, transfer case gasket set is $35. So start buying tools and do it yourself.
lol I was one of the sceptics. I live on a ranch and caretake the place. The owner has I think a 2003 or 4(its not a discoverer) and I swear to you that thing is in the shop every other month and its EXPENSIVE to get repaired. Specialized stuff I guess. I have tried to convince her to buy a Yukon or something cheaper to fix but she absolutely loves her range rover 4 wheel drive. She has gone to range rover school and everything! I also have a friend who has a disco about your year and its sat along side his house for the last couple of years due to an electrical issue that no one has been able solve. Glad to see yours has not been a pain in the side for you!
I spent $7000 on my 04 and have since put on 20,000 uninterrupted miles of highway, city and of course Texas hill country!!! Hands down my favorite vehicle ever and I’ve had lots of them.
Great review. I had a used 2004 Td5 once before with 350,000 km. Can be a money pit if you are bothered by idiot lights going off every now and then. Almost a Range as far as comfort. Definitely stylish with plenty of internal space. Have sold it since and replaced with an auto SwB '85 G wagen. But still retain my '97 300 tdi Defender 90. My true love. The manual D90 is more spartan, & definitely less of a guzzler. Do own a Disco2 if only for the experience. If going off road, then you can make do with less perfection on the truck. For a daily driver in town , I find the D90 more reliable ( less idiot lights to trigger anxiety ). Cheers !
I know they have a bad rep...but I love my land rover. They just look so awesome, they drive really well, (when running) and they’re incredible off road. They’re a labor of love.
my 93 pathfinder with 250,000 miles still runs like new and does not leak a drop of anything. I did replace the high pressure steering line because it went but that was it. I paid $500.00 for it and have been driving it every day for 3yrs. Did the suspension, and put ko2's on it and a custom roof rack. Solid Arizona truck for cheap! I still like your truck better though.
Funny story about horn when I was in college. The horn button jammed. However I was blasting music while we were crawling through a school zone. I could not figure out why everyone was behaving crazy around me. Turn the music down realized my hand had slipped over the horn button on the steering wheel and jammed it lol.
Worry about the rod knock! Ignore it and you will need to replace the whole engine. If you replace them niw, you may be able to just replete the bearings and oil pump before all the bearing metal ruins the cylinders.
Rod knock more likely a slipped liner, especially if goes away when warmed up. If you haven't already, check the OBDII codes, and fix any O2 sensor problems, and replace the MAF sensor (MUST be genuine Bosch) and with any luck, the fuel consumption will improve, and the power will also be better (My 4.0 gets about 16MPG on a highway cruise). If engine eventually lets go, a few people make LS kits for these so you can throw in a 5.7L with same gearbox, or a 6.0L/6.2L with the GM Auto box with transfer adapter. Then you move on to HD propshafts and Diffs to deal with the extra power and torque it was never designed for :-)
Do not let it overheat, stop imediately. It'll save the liners from slipping. Replace the seals. Regular oil changes and it'll go for thousands of miles. Love it!
The only people who don't like these older LRs / Discos are those who never own or drive them. And as you said it well, at 1:17, the greatest enemy of this truck is those guys... (LandRover Dealers / specialist). Its an eternal love, with all its sweet and sour memories! I still think my best out going memories comes from when we had our 1999 SE7 Disco. No car made it again, that way. May be I need to buy one again! But that is, if this video has not rose the prices beyond the reach!
Ya, a fly by night mechanic told me 8yrs. Ago I should immediately get rid of my 03 disco, still running strong, he has probably went through 4 vehicle's himself by now, just cause they leak a little oil, it saves on oil changes it's always fresh oil I'm putting in to replace the little leaks, my heated window screen still works good, drive it till it dies.
That slight knock is most likely a slipped cylinder sleeve. Pretty common in the discovery 2 4.0 and 4.6. I’ve always liked the discovery 2, but if I ever owned one again I’d swap in a 5.3 and be finished chasing constant rover v8 issues.
Usually head gaskets last 80k ish. You might get another 20k out of them. I semi retired mine as a DD, but going to bring her out of retirement bc I miss driving it so much!
You should try that blue devil head gasket sealer. Hear a lot of success with it. If you guys don’t plan to do the head gaskets then give this stuff a go.
I’ve heard that a lot of jeeps and similar vehicles, with the swap are in the 20+mpg daily driving. Off road long in the teens. Someone did a R2.8 swap in a small RV at SEMA and reported nearly 30mpg. A guy from Hoonigan is doing a R2.8 swap just like this vehicle.
Hey there, I know that this is not your more recent video on the Disco, but I also have a 2004 disco. Have you done a tune up on your own on this yourself? If so, do you have any advice on how to approach changing the plug wires while running into the secondary are a/c lines in the back?
In the U.K. we race those axels because they are fairly tough. Don’t know why the transfer case is leaking, that isn’t normal? V8 might have a dropped cylinder liner rather than an actual head gasket issue. Not saying it has, but it’s knowledge worth sticking in your back pocket.
My wife and I had one a few years ago. You can put a 5.0 ford motor in it, and it will be much more reliable. There’s a transmission adapter plate for it. Once you have the 5.0, you have the entire aftermarket at your disposal.
If finances aren’t an issue, it’s an iconic vehicle to own... I love mine. Shirt lock replaced, cam replaced-because in Britain (I guess)-steel isn’t as... hard as it is here; broken plastic bits... but, if you exercise the transfer case and diff lock, keep it topped off, she is a keeper.
Also keep in mind with those oversized tires you are going further on a tank of fuel than the odometer says. So factor that into your MPG calculation please. There are tire calculators out there that can give you the percentage of difference.
I have the discovery 2 as well 2002 4.6 l v8 it’s amazing it’s out lasted what I thought I’d buy one again and I’d never sell mine cheers love your Chanel
I have a 99 disco 2 and all it needs is a full break job and that's it, it was sitting for many years, once I charged the battery it started right up the first time, and I only got it for $300!!!!!
We bought a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 brand new. That thing was a complete nightmare. Cost of service, slow on freeway, super expensive parts, scraping the rear end on the ground when moderately offroading. Years later came the rust! Wheel wells rusted through. Tailgate rust. Gas mileage was I think 9 MPG. Underpowered. Complete junk. We sold it and bought a 1995 Range Rover LWB. Now that was a nice truck! Way more reliable and parts were not that expensive.
Honestly I'm surprised there aren't a million 3800 swaps out there, that old rover V8 supposed to be a Buick-based motor right? Why not drop in a series II supercharged motor off a wrecked regal gs?
We had a car alarm go off on a vehicle of ours that was broken down. We ended up just pulling the horn fuse. Much better than trying to fix an issue that will probably repeat itself before you can actually fix it.
I bought a 1998 with about 98000 miles on it for $1500 and planned to put about the same into it at the garage to pass inspection. It was $2700 at the garage, but so far I am pleased with the vehicle, and in 3 years I can officially put antique plates on it and stop worrying about emissions tests.
Great video. Though something is off on the gas mileage. Mine is set up identical to yours rack, bumpers, 33s and I I get between 15-17 on the highway and 11-13 around town. My truck also has 241,000 miles on it- original head gaskets and looks great inside and out. My favorite vehicle I ever owned. I might mention that your odometer is off about 10-12% because of the oversized tires and you may not be taking that into account when figuring your mileage. Check against your GPS device. I watched another video of yours and your were irritated with the climate control beeps when changing the temps and fan speed. Look in your owners manual as there is a way to turn the beeps off.
Great segment and yes I would buy one myself if I could find as great a deal as you guys did. Then my wife heard you mention the fuel economy and she said no! Thanks Tommy.
200 miles per tank sounds like something might be wrong. I get 300 at 8000 feet running on trails. You might want to get that looked at. You should also check the brakes. Mine was iffy when I first got it. New rotors and Akibono's all the way around and the thing will stop scary fast. I would never advise anyone to buy one, but I wouldn't give mine up.
It's not leaking it's marking it's territory! Don't know weather you have LPG" liquid petroleum gas " in your part of the world but I have the 3.5 V8 version of this engine in the UK and the LPG make running the car a more enjoyable .
Land Rovers are built to last , just keep up on your Landies condition and do proper maintenance, goes on forever if you do. Forget modern false landrovers.
Anyone knows the name/model/brand of that aftermarket roof rack? just got a 2001 disco 2 and would love to put the same roof rack on. Yes plenty of work to do on a 20yr old disco but it runs and runs.. :)
Mine got broken into multiple times. This was during the time my tumbler on drivers side door broke from constant use due to my key unlock lock being broke.
It hardly leaks at all once you redo head gaskets, rocker gaskets and water pump correctly. On mine the last place it leaked was the steering box. And that was until we were in florida and the discovery started overheating again and blew a radiator hose while I was picking up my kids. Correction it leaked a ton from the throttle body heater. Trick for that use a file and sand paper to get a flat surface no silicon.
