1996 D1 SE in Montana

[MT D1]

Hello all, new member here in Montana. Thanks for letting me in, looks like a great forum with a lot of knowledge. I myself help run a forum for old diesel Volvos so am always glad to see an old-school discussion forum still thriving like this one is, even in the era of Facebook and YouTube. Glad to be able to join you.

Figured I would give a little intro for me and my newly acquired 1996 Disco SE.

I am a long time Volvo/VW/Audi guy, and for 4x4s have always had Ford pickups, but have admired the D1 and D2 LR trucks for years. Back in a previous life I worked down the block from a LR specialist garage in Seattle where old series models, RRC, Discos, and more came and went constantly. Always was fun to see what they were working on but I never got around to owning one.

Fast forward a decade-plus, my old Ford pickup is wearing out and will need some work and $ put in to make it through another winter... If I'm going to do that, why not find something I would be more excited to put the effort into? I started keeping my eye open for an early Discos in the winter-beater project price range. Found a unicorn 5-speed D1 in rough shape but running a couple hours away, but sadly the owner was a teenage kid who was abusing it, and literally the day before I was supposed to go see it, he blew the motor up. Bummer, but, I really wanted an automatic anyway... Found a teal green automatic D1 in decent shape but didn't like the color. Found a black D2 missing the front bumper with big electrical problems.... Fortunately decided to pass on that.

Finally end of last week a clean looking black 1996 Disco SE was listed in Billings. Seller said power steering was dead and the cats had just been sawzalled off by thieves, common for Billings sadly. But he claimed it ran and drove well otherwise.

Last night I went to check it out. After 10 minutes looking at it in the dark and 4 degrees, I got cold and decided to roll the dice and buy it. As soon as the ice melts off the roads from the latest storm I will go back and haul it home. Paid $1300 for it, no idea how I did on that, but at least it should leave me a little room for repairs to make it a driver. It ran and shifted and steered and stopped just fine (though loud with open headers, sounded like an old ski boat). Black paint is actually in excellent shape and tan interior is clean and unmolested and no signs of rust that I can tell. 142k miles.

So I now own my first Land Rover. Found some obvious immediate stuff that will be the first to tackle....

- CDL shift linkage is bound up, I was able with difficulty to get it into low and back into high, and did get the CDL to lock but couldn't unlock it again after that. Seems like probably just needs the linkage freed up and lubed, or at least that's my hope.
- Power steering reservoir is empty and no power assist. Pump has a QR tag on it making me think it was recently replaced, but after being run dry for however many hours I'm guessing it is burned up. So presumably a new pump plus fix whatever caused it to leak off all the fluid... Set of hoses I guess. Looks like the cheap Chevy P/S pump retrofit is worth a try.
- Needs cats of course. I might hack in some straight pipe for now to make it drivable and make sure the rest of the rig is worth it before spending the money. Live with the CEL for the downstream O2's in the meantime....
- Heater blower motor is dead. The guy said it worked before.... Fuse/relay? Need to check it out.
- Factory radio says "CODE" and owner's books are missing, so guessing I'm SOL on getting it working and will have to replace.
- Front seats cracked as usual, but covers are on them, I'll live with that.
- Tires are very nice matching Michelins......... with 2004 date codes. Pretty badly checked. So will need tires all round.
- Looks like the front end must have taken a light hit at parking lot speed above the bumper, various trim pieces cracked and loosened up, headlight mounts all screwy etc. So will need some junkyard bits there and some effort to get everything lining up straight again. The hood is also not original, presumably for the same reason. Besides that, doesn't seem like anything other than plastic got mashed though.
- EDIT: also has various dash warning lamps on. At least three or four of them, CEL of course, also Service Engine, ABS, SRS. Hoping some of it might be from a dead battery but may need to investigate.
- No doubt will find more needs when I start digging into it, plus the usual refresh of fluids, wear items, suspension and driveline bits, etc..... Crossing fingers nothing too major beyond that.

The good news: it's a color combo I like, the basics seem sound both cosmetically and mechanically, and I like the way it is optioned (automatic trans, no sunroofs, manual seats, fairly basic setup with less to fight with). Overall judging by the general appearance and the ancient but nice/expensive/matched tires, kind of feels like a rig that someone maintained well for a long time back when it was newer, then at some point traded in and its life got harder from there. But I think it might still have a chance of being nice again. Planning to just get it back up to snuff and keep it stock and see what I've got, then go from there.

Figured this thread will be a good way for me to keep track of what I'm doing with this and get a little input and advice from the experts. I will add photos when I get it back home later this week. Cheers!

 

[MM3846]

Sounds like a nice project. If there's no rust on it, I'd say you got yourself a good deal.

CDL linkage is common. Take it out, clean it up and free it. Lube it up, put it back in.
Those PS hoses always leak. New ones should do the trick.
If you dont need the cats for state inspection, weld in some universal high flow ones. A LOT cheaper and will at least do some soft of filtering and cut some noise out.
The radio code is a common thing, you'll either need to get the info from the dealer or just swap in an aftermarket one.
ABS probably lit bc the fuse for that is pulled, the ABS on these trucks is scary and sometimes just outright puts you into ABS for no reason under braking and well.. you can't stop. I didn't want to remove it until it happened to me and almost wrecked. Pull the fuse and live with regular brakes. SRS light comes on whenever the battery dies, and just stays lit until its reset with scan tool.
The front end bits might just be broken from normal driving or servicing, a lot of those plastic pieces are really brittle. Up to you if you want to replace or just repair with self tapping screws or similar to keep it all together.

If you want a driver, these trucks are fun to tinker with. Restoring one to perfection will get expensive, but it seems like you're on the drive it and enjoy it train. You'll learn what shit you have to live with and what you need to fix. The D1s are pretty simple mechanically, most of the issues with the electronics you hear of are from corroded electrical connections or solders and bad/old grounds. A no-sunroof manual seat SE is a pretty rare spec I'd think, unless its a SD but I'm not the best authority on options.

Do a google search for the "RAVE" service manual. It's available in PDF form on the internet (maybe even linked here somewhere...) but you get two; the service manual and the wiring/electrical troubleshooting manual. They're great to have handy, and leave them downloaded on your phone too.. just in case.

Welcome to Rover ownership!

 

[rover rob]

well congratulations on your purchase . the heater blower issue is probably the blower switch, those cook frequently. the service light is a tattle tale that comes on like every 30k . there's a box under the passenger side kick panel that has a hole in the side. insert a straightened paperclip and push in lightly , it will reset the light. the srs could be the rotary coupling under the steering wheel . if the horn doesnt work as well thats probably it. and you can get the radio code using the vin number of the truck. good luck

 

[MT D1]

Thanks for the replies and advice. Sounds like some of these problems will be easier to deal with than I was expecting. It would be nice to keep the factory radio head unit in it since the truck is pretty original.

If you want a driver, these trucks are fun to tinker with. Restoring one to perfection will get expensive, but it seems like you're on the drive it and enjoy it train. You'll learn what shit you have to live with and what you need to fix.

Yeah exactly, I am not going for a restoration with this nor does it need to be a daily driver or ready for a long trip in hot weather, just want something that is reliable enough to run around town in or get to a trailhead up a bad road. Hopefully can be at that stage without putting in too much time or $. If all works out and the truck seems healthy enough I might see if I can figure a way to mount a lightweight plow on it someday. Most folks in this area buy UTV's or side-by-sides for getting around town when the weather is at its worst, or for plowing out their driveway .... I'm thinking of this rig basically as my version of a side-by -side except with nice interior and a V8.

Seems like so far a few weekends of tinkering might be all it takes to get it where I want it for now. Main problem I have right now is the ice storm is continuing and I-90 is shut down between where I live and where the truck is sitting until I can haul it home. Not sure when I will be able to go get it, maybe this weekend if I am lucky I guess. It's a bummer because with the wind and snow drifting these next few days these are exactly the conditions I'm looking forward to using the Rover in.

 

[rover rob]

It's a bummer because with the wind and snow drifting these next few days these are exactly the conditions I'm looking forward to using the Rover in.

its the perfect truck for that.

 

[Blue]

Welcome to DiscoWeb!

 

[MT D1]

Well good progress so far, I think.

Got the Disco back this evening from Billings courtesy of AAA. By the time the tow truck showed up I had it running and driving well enough that I was almost tempted to drive it the 120 miles home, but between the 20 year old tires, the open header exhaust, and the mis-aimed headlights, heading down a dark interstate on a Friday night in a rig I don't know well and with surrounding traffic in this part of the country typically setting their cruise control at 95-100mph, I decided letting it ride on a flatbed was the safe play.

(Friends I sent the picture to of course gave me a hard time about the fact that my new LR was already on a tow truck before I even had a chance to hardly drive it.... I had my excuses though)

The fun part was that in the hour between when I called AAA for the tow and when the driver showed up, I killed the time playing with the truck.... and seem to have gotten more than half of its issues fixed just in that short time. Things were simpler than I thought they would be.

- Power steering: I added half a quart of ATF and the pump started growling. Another few ounces and it burped the air out and presto, I had nice smooth power assist and no leaks I could find. Upon closer inspection, not only does it have a recent new pump (though the pump is now suspect having been run dry for an extended time) but also has new pressure and return hoses. So the good news is some new parts in there and it seems to work for now. The bad news is that obviously this system had been giving somebody else trouble in the fairly recent past.... and somehow it still leaked off all its fluid. So I have a feeling this story is not over yet but at least it seems less broken than I was expecting it to be.
- Battery that I thought was shot turned out to have a loose negative terminal. Got things cleaned up and tightened down and the thing fires right up!
- Got the hood latch adjusted and hood striker height set so almost everything fits like it should up front. Just need to get the headlights and grille sitting square to each other.
- Found a Haynes manual in the back, imagine needing one of those with a LR! The bad news was that the manual had water damage, though it's not currently wet. I'll be looking for leaks in the cargo area though.
- Topped off the coolant and it was only about a half gallon low. That was a relief since I thought it might have been lower than that. Seems to run at normal temp and not lose any, so far. Will be interesting to see what it does after running on the highway.
- Got the CDL to disengage by fighting with the linkage a little more, so at least for now it's OK for driving on pavement. Seemed a little less stiff today in 35F than it did the other night in 4F. Still planning to take it apart and clean/lubricate it.

A couple photos of the beast. Whatever truck the hood came off of obviously had paint that was not as good, but it's not peeling so I think it will buff out OK. Rest of the truck has very nice shiny paint and no rust that I can find so far.

Thanks for all the help up to now, more to come! We still have at least 3 more months of winter left here in the Rockies so I am motivated to get this thing ready to roll ASAP and put it to work.

 

[Blue]

Damn the D1 looks good in black.

 

[MT D1]

Yeah I'm pretty happy with the color combo. I wanted a dark color, either black or dark blue or dark green. Probably would have been OK with white or silver too. But black seems to suit it pretty well, especially with the tint.

It's sitting at the exhaust shop to get the Y-pipe patched back together. Once that's done I have to chase a slow power steering leak, do a little more cleanup of the interior, polish out the paint (mainly the hood) and re-adhere some of the door exterior trim, clear some codes to turn off the dash warning lights, call the dealer for the radio security code, do a final check-over of fluids and grease it underneath.... and I think that's it other than drive it. Eventually a set of tires after I have put on a few miles to confirm the truck is worth the cost of fresh rubber.

Got the headlights and grille patched back together pretty well yesterday and did most of the other little fixes needed. Oh yeah, I guess I still have to take care of the CDL linkage.

But with any luck it should be on the road soon. Easier than I expected overall.

 

[MT D1]

New sections of pipe where the stolen cats used to be. I need to get a bung in there for the front O2 sensor on the passenger side since the exhaust fab shop forgot to put one in and the tweakers took the piece of pipe it needs to live in when they stole the cat on that side. Might just wire in the rear O2 that's still there.

It'll have a CEL forever from the rear O2's still thanks to the missing cats, but at least if I get the front sensors working it should run the same and go into closed loop. I can live with the CEL from catalyst monitoring until when/if I feel this thing is worth spending the big bucks on for a new set of cats.

She is far quieter and runs smooth and great! Finally got to really drive it now that it's not roaring with open headers. Drives well even on the ancient rubber. Making progress!