Outono 98 Discovery

outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
So last month, I became the lucky owner of this fine Disco 1. Thanks to @lunchbox for connecting me to his friend and for the work done to the truck before I got my grubby hands on it.

First order of business, take stock of what I just bought.

Day 1 parked.JPEG

It really is super clean. For one, that Safety Devices rack is just beautiful, the paint is mostly in tact, and the rust is, well, mostly non-existent...

Rusty.JPEG

For a vehicle that spent, what?, one winter in St. Louis...this isn't so bad. But for someone used to California vehicles, this is a lot more rust than I was hoping for. Either way, it's all surface and won't be too painful to clean up.

Leaking front main.JPEG

The engine looked really good, but the front main seal wasn't happy. Nor was the IACV. More on that later...

Leaking hub.JPEG
Oddly, despite the hubs just being done by Lunchbox, this one is leaking profusely. Turns out that this was the fine work of GLB Motor Works in Richmond Heights, MO. For those of you that live nearby, avoid that place at all cost. They:
  • "Serviced" the IACV by resetting the ECU, but forgot to plug the damn thing back in
  • "Serviced" the rear diff, but left the fill plug loose so it leaked constantly
  • "Serviced" the already serviced hubs and made a mess of things
When I got the vehicle, the previous owner had already warned me the idle would be rough at start up, but would smooth out over time since GLB "fixed" the issue. Unfortunately, things only degraded and the vehicle would stall regularly if you took off too quickly.

So after having found that the IACV wasn't even plugged in, I connected it to the harness and reset the ECU with the GEMS Utility app.

GEMS Util.JPEG
Those values don't look right. Good thing we're going back to square 1.

Of course, in the great state of California, you can't pass the "functional" Smog test without your readiness flags set. So im still waiting for those tests to complete. I have the procedure, just haven't had the time to knock it out fully.

Corroded fusible links.JPEG

I should probably swap those fusible links out eventually. They're looking a bit corroded.
 
Last edited:

outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Now that i've got the idle back to normal and the truck running relatively well, it's time to start throwing money at it.

I tackled the front main seal and cut the rear arches to make room for these sexy Toyo Open Country MTs.

Toyo tire.JPEG

But what good are sick tires without a suspension upgrade? The vehicle came with a, ugh, interesting set of suspension haha. Terrafirma up front, stock in back + spacers. It worked, but I think the bling I threw on it suits the vehicle much better.

Suspension up close.JPEG
After what felt like an eternity researching suspension for this truck, I settled on a set of KONI Raid shocks and imported a set of King tapered progressive springs out of Australia. The hardware is all galvanized stuff from Gwyn Lewis and the turrets are made by Ratel-X. I only bought the turrets because they look cool, i'll admit.

For those of you that give a shit, I started adding to Red90's brilliant collection of coil spring stats for old Rovers. You can find that database here. And if you want info on shocks, take a look at this.

Information like this is one thing that drives me nuts about the Discovery community; all of it is either lost to time or scattered across 15+ forums. Coming from Landcruisers, I was surprised that there isn't something quite like IH8MUD. Maybe DiscoWeb was that back before the server crash...

Suspension far.JPEG

Those arms, by the way, have the wrong caster correction. The previous owner put 6 degree correction on a 2" lift so it drives pretty wildly. We'll be fixing that in a couple weeks. And what's up with the cut brake line mounts? Why?

rear sway.JPEG
Looking good from behind. Also replaced the ball joints and bushings on the rear sway bar since I had the parts laying around. Not sure if I plan on keeping it connected longer term, but its fine for now.

Those rear suspension cups were a real bitch. So much so that I had to get a shop to help me out with their removal. No matter what I did, including drilling them, they just didn't want to come off. These late models must have had more than just 4 spot welds...

Sound.JPEG
Did I mention this was an overkill build? Went with the 4" Focals due to the seamless fit into the stock speaker locations. That Sony head unit is laughably large, but it's perfect for Apple CarPlay and GAIA Maps when needed. Just need to figure out the sub situation, but im not in a rush for that.

Last side view.JPEG
Coming together nicely.
 
Last edited:

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
Very nice! I moved out of St. Louis exactly 1 year ago. That is a rare find there. I lived a mile from GLB. I’m curious, did you buy from someone in Maplewood? It looks familiar.
 

outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Very nice! I moved out of St. Louis exactly 1 year ago. That is a rare find there. I lived a mile from GLB. I’m curious, did you buy from someone in Maplewood? It looks familiar.
Very close to Maplewood. Around University City / Clayton.
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
Not the one I was thinking of. It is also a white one, with CA plates. Well, CA plates were on it a year ago. It is also a really nice one. I walked my dog past it every day and thought many times about leaving a note on it asking if they wanted to sell it. But… I didn’t need to move another one over 1000 miles to my new home.

i moved 3 Triumphs and 3 Land Rovers here and there were already 2 Land Rovers here.

Stu, if you see this, go ahead and make fun of me, I deserve it.
 
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outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Quick update before a much needed vacation.

Finally got the truck's brakes and bits situated. New wheel bearings all around, as well as pads, calipers, rotors, and brake shoes. Fixed the leaky swivel hub too. The pedal still doesn't feel right despite lots of bleeding so im guessing the master cylinder or booster has a bent rod. Whatever, it stops just fine.

Also repaired an exhaust leak and located that intense fuel smell. Turns out, the previous owner forgot to put a seal on top of the pump. Easy fix.

But the big task this week was to get the vehicle registered. A month ago, it failed smog due to the readiness flags not being set. To date, I have still not been able to clear all of the tests. My guess is that it has something to do with this pending P0451 code that seems to come and go, but I decided to roll the dice and try to test again. Afterall, you get a pass if you have 1 incomplete.

IMG_1529.JPEG

After 20 minutes of nail-biting, it got a Pass. Just one day before the temporary operating permit expired. Whew!

IMG_1530.JPEG

Off to France for a week then back at it. I've got some new radius and trailing arms to throw on, as well as some Tactical Sliders and stainless track rods. Looking forward to it.
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
“The pedal still doesn't feel right despite lots of bleeding”


I replaced calipers, rotors, pads, brake hoses, and the master cylinder on mine right after I got it. For preload on the wheel bearings I followed the instructions exactly as written and even watched a video of Britannica on youtub. If you haven’t tapped that resource you should. The guy is a brilliant Rover mechanic and entertaining as well.

After I did the work and a couple thousand miles the brake pedal would randomly go to the floor. I reached out here and everyone said to check the wheel bearings. Sure enough, there was a little play on one side. I repeated the preload process (bearings looked fine) and the problem was gone. Well, 8,000 miles later and it is back. So, I checked the bearings again, this time the other side had some play, very little and hard to say absolutely. So, I did the preload process again.. However, the problem has returned very quickly. I’m not sure it actually changed at all as the problem was intermittent and only presents after a lot of driving, This D1 only has 75,000 miles on it. It is hard for me to believe the bearings are bad but I expect replacing them is my next step.

On the bleeding, in my experience, they are very hard to bleed the traditional way. I tried and the pedal never felt completely right. I purchased a $25 harbor freight vacuum bleeder and the pedal was perfect after 20 minutes effort.
 

outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
“The pedal still doesn't feel right despite lots of bleeding”


I replaced calipers, rotors, pads, brake hoses, and the master cylinder on mine right after I got it. For preload on the wheel bearings I followed the instructions exactly as written and even watched a video of Britannica on youtub. If you haven’t tapped that resource you should. The guy is a brilliant Rover mechanic and entertaining as well.

After I did the work and a couple thousand miles the brake pedal would randomly go to the floor. I reached out here and everyone said to check the wheel bearings. Sure enough, there was a little play on one side. I repeated the preload process (bearings looked fine) and the problem was gone. Well, 8,000 miles later and it is back. So, I checked the bearings again, this time the other side had some play, very little and hard to say absolutely. So, I did the preload process again.. However, the problem has returned very quickly. I’m not sure it actually changed at all as the problem was intermittent and only presents after a lot of driving, This D1 only has 75,000 miles on it. It is hard for me to believe the bearings are bad but I expect replacing them is my next step.

On the bleeding, in my experience, they are very hard to bleed the traditional way. I tried and the pedal never felt completely right. I purchased a $25 harbor freight vacuum bleeder and the pedal was perfect after 20 minutes effort.
Interesting. Well, I have new wheel bearings all the way around and the preload is definitely right. Im still keen to see if the rod is bent on the booster, but its not critical at the moment.

I do have a vacuum bleeder, but i've bled my other D1 the traditional way and it worked a charm. I didn't find it too annoying. 99.9% sure it isn't a bleed issue, but man that would be great if thats all it is.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Interesting. Well, I have new wheel bearings all the way around and the preload is definitely right. Im still keen to see if the rod is bent on the booster, but its not critical at the moment.

I do have a vacuum bleeder, but i've bled my other D1 the traditional way and it worked a charm. I didn't find it too annoying. 99.9% sure it isn't a bleed issue, but man that would be great if thats all it is.
I find a lot of times that the caliper pistons are corroded and binding in the caliper bores. Sometimes I can’t even get them out of the bore. I rebuild them with new pistons and seals. I think you could do that for around $100 an axle.
When these trucks were new they didn’t get a lot of poor braking complaints, old ones can kind of suck. I personally believe that after you exhaust all other possibles like you have, you gotta make sure those pistons can move freely in the caliper.
 
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outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Got some audio equipment in the truck yesterday. Decided to go big because, why not?

IMG_1824.jpeg

This head unit is absolutely killer. No interface lag whatsoever and the added CarPlay is a real plus. Maybe a little big for the area, but who cares, it's perfect for running GAIA while on a trail.

Running a Match amp under the seats and Focal ES 100K speakers in the front doors. I'll admit I know very little about car audio so the sound is not where I want it to be yet. Of course, I only expect so much out of 4" speakers - they just don't sound any better than the BT speaker on my desk. Something isn't right. Will need to sound deaden the doors in the coming weeks to bring out some more of the mid bass. I'll also need to get some rear speakers to fill in the low end.

Mechanically, im still chasing a terrible fuel smell near the exhaust. It seems to come and go, but my mileage is atrocious - less than 10mpg freeway driving. I've been told to check the EGR for clogging, but my UltraGauge keeps sending a Cat Temperature Bank 1 alarm (value is over 8000 and the alarm is set for 2000). This occurs right when I start the truck so maybe it's just a wiring issue? The CATs are supposedly less than a year old so I find it hard to believe its a CAT issue. My ScanGauge shows no pending codes. I also passed smog no problem. What else could it be?
 

outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Lot's going on this week.

My daily got a number of upgrades that i've been eagerly awaiting...

IMG_2142.JPEG
First up, Tactical Rovers sliders. I've always loved the low profile design of these, though I am a bit bummed they don't fit as seamlessly as I was hoping. You can see a gap near the area between the front and back door. It droops quite a bit more on the back than on the front, despite being mounted as high up as possible. There's also about an inch of no coverage at the front fender point. All in all though, it's a really nice set of sliders.

IMG_2144.JPEG
Underneath, we threw on some Gwyn Lewis stainless trackrods with greasable ball joints, installed an OME steering damper and relocated it, and swapped the front radius arms with a pair of Terrafirma's that had the correct caster correction. Of course, OEM rubber bushings were put on.

IMG_2145.JPEG
In the rear, we've got some new rear cranked trailing arms from Gwyn Lewis + a mix of OEM and SuperPro bushings. Topped it all off with an alignment.

IMG_2143.JPEG
For a heavily modified vehicle, this thing drives really well. There's only a few outstanding things left before the big trip in November:
  • Full cooling system replacement -- should I replace the bolts on the water pump or is re-using OK?
  • Determine cause of transmission / transfer case leak. I've also got a small one developing around the oil filter, though it's on quite tight. Hoping none of these leaks turn into anything worth worrying about.
  • Re-seat the head unit. The damn thing literally came out while I was driving. I don't think the kit that was used is holding it in the dash correctly.
  • Find a fuel pump cover. For whatever reason, it's missing. Does anyone know what screw sizes are used?
  • Fix the rear window solder joint so I can use them again.
 
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outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
A lot has happened since I last posted back in October:

The engine had a top end rebuild due to the head gasket beginning to fail. That's the easy explanation. What actually happened was that the block began separating due to head bolts that couldn't retain proper torque. When we dug in, we saw that the heads were not in great shape and hadn't been decked before. And the block was heli-coiled...I suppose that explains the damage in the photo.

Head.jpeg

So we did the gaskets, decked the heads, studded the engine, gave it a valve job, and dropped a Crower 53299 cam in it. The truck drives so much better, but I don't really see much benefit from the Crower, aside from maybe a little more torque in low gear.

We replaced the entire cooling system after discovering an abandoned wasp colony in the rad. For parts, I used a Superstant 180F thermostat, Flowcooler water pump, Nissen radiator, Trailhead 4x4 stainless oil cooler lines, and a shiny new Allisport reservoir. The truck never cracks more than 191 now.

index.php
IMG_2239.JPEG
IMG_2241.JPEG

The past few weeks have been spent primarily working on electrical annoyances and interior trim, which needs some love. For the exterior, I picked up a pair of these Camel Trophy inspired rear light guards that I think look just awesome.

Santiago1.JPEG

But I think my favorite find was this OEM Saudi grille. I picked up 2 of these brand new in box. I asked the guy if he had more, but those were the last of them.

IMG_2741.jpeg

These are far better constructed than the normal OEM grille. I like how the mesh is mounted to the plastic frame.

IMG_2758.JPEG

When the rain finally stops, i'll be tackling the leaking sunroofs and all of the window rubbers. I've got a set of D2 door seals so i'll be throwing those on too. Can't wait to get this thing out for some camping.

Santiago HIll.JPEG
 

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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
Nice job on the cooling system. I used a Nissens in my D1 for a little more than five years with similar results, although on my last trip on the WA Backcountry Discovery Route my coolant temps got up to 210 on long climbs at altitude in 100+ ambient air temps. I found a 4-row all-aluminum radiator at a price I couldn't pass up so I dropped that in a few months ago. On my November 13-day road (off-road) trip through J Tree and Anza Borrego with over 1,000 pounds in/on the vehicle it never climbed above 194. It's nice having that kind of peace of mind.
 
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outono

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2020
162
85
Orange, CA
Nice job on the cooling system. I used a Nissens in my D1 for a little more than five years with similar results, although on my last trip on the WA Backcountry Discovery Route my coolant temps got up to 210 on long climbs at altitude in 100+ ambient air temps. I found a 4-row all-aluminum radiator at a price I couldn't pass up so I dropped that in a few months ago. On my November 13-day road (off-road) trip through J Tree and Anza Borrego with over 1,000 pounds in/on the vehicle it never climbed above 194. It's nice having that kind of peace of mind.
Who makes the 4-row aluminum radiator? Is it an import?
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
Who makes the 4-row aluminum radiator? Is it an import?
There are cheap Chinese made ones you can find on eBay and Amazon. i have one and it is solidly constructed and cools very well. But, it required a little modification to fit. There are others that won’t need modifications but are much more expensive, like Allisport.
 
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Rangeroversurfer

Active member
Jan 16, 2013
40
13
Alaska
Now that i've got the idle back to normal and the truck running relatively well, it's time to start throwing money at it.

I tackled the front main seal and cut the rear arches to make room for these sexy Toyo Open Country MTs.

View attachment 63072

But what good are sick tires without a suspension upgrade? The vehicle came with a, ugh, interesting set of suspension haha. Terrafirma up front, stock in back + spacers. It worked, but I think the bling I threw on it suits the vehicle much better.

View attachment 63073
After what felt like an eternity researching suspension for this truck, I settled on a set of KONI Raid shocks and imported a set of King tapered progressive springs out of Australia. The hardware is all galvanized stuff from Gwyn Lewis and the turrets are made by Ratel-X. I only bought the turrets because they look cool, i'll admit.

For those of you that give a shit, I started adding to Red90's brilliant collection of coil spring stats for old Rovers. You can find that database here. And if you want info on shocks, take a look at this.

Information like this is one thing that drives me nuts about the Discovery community; all of it is either lost to time or scattered across 15+ forums. Coming from Landcruisers, I was surprised that there isn't something quite like IH8MUD. Maybe DiscoWeb was that back before the server crash...

View attachment 63077

Those arms, by the way, have the wrong caster correction. The previous owner put 6 degree correction on a 2" lift so it drives pretty wildly. We'll be fixing that in a couple weeks. And what's up with the cut brake line mounts? Why?

View attachment 63074
Looking good from behind. Also replaced the ball joints and bushings on the rear sway bar since I had the parts laying around. Not sure if I plan on keeping it connected longer term, but its fine for now.

Those rear suspension cups were a real bitch. So much so that I had to get a shop to help me out with their removal. No matter what I did, including drilling them, they just didn't want to come off. These late models must have had more than just 4 spot welds...

View attachment 63075
Did I mention this was an overkill build? Went with the 4" Focals due to the seamless fit into the stock speaker locations. That Sony head unit is laughably large, but it's perfect for Apple CarPlay and GAIA Maps when needed. Just need to figure out the sub situation, but im not in a rush for that.

View attachment 63076
Coming together nicely.
wow, this looks exactly like the same commercial warehouse area in Huntington Beach, California where we had an office for 13 years, near Bolsa Chica...I have the same LR Discovery with SD RR and 2"OME SL, small world.....definitely miss surfing in HB and living there.....many good memories!
 
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terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
I just returned from a week in Huntington Beach as it served as our base for a Disney adventure. Choosing Huntington Beach was on a whim and primarily for a pet friendly VRBO rental. What a really cool place!