2003 Disco Engin Knocking ?

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zeeklancer

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2006
82
0
Howdy!

My Disco is getting old and has developed a knocking sound. Only seems to happen after it warms up. I did some research on this issue and found that my Disco has a vin range in a oil pump defect. I recall having the oil light come on briefly while driving a few times. By briefly I mean 30 seconds max. I had taken it into the shop and they never could find anything wrong. Recently have seen it a few times right when I start the car on a incline but it goes away after maybe 10 to 15 seconds in this situation.

The real problem here is that I have had the disco in the shop so many times and already put about 10k into it to keep it going. The shops keep trying different things for the knocking but nothing ever fixes it. At this point I just want to junk this thing because I have put so munch money into it and the knocking has gotten worse.

That brings me here. What can I do? Any suggestions? If my engine is failing due to a manufacture defect do I have any recourse ? How long will it drive before it dies? Should I just drive it into the ground, or would it be worth putting up for sale?

I have 90k miles if that maters. Looking for advice on what to do with this car, and what the best option for the $$ I have at this point. I don't trust any shops at this point.
 
lanceputnam

lanceputnam

Well-known member
Dec 14, 2006
352
0
39
Albuquerque, NM
At 90k the oil pump may be an issue but if it hasn't detonated yet, it's likely not the problem. My best guess would be that one of your sleeves has let go or started to let go. If that's the case, consider your engine on the clock. Now it's a guess as to how
Much time you have left. There are some that I'm
Sure will chime in and say as long as you can deal with the abnoxious noise, it'll go for many
More miles. Mine lasted 9 miles before I had a total engine failure caused by cylinder #5 letting go.
 
seventyfive

seventyfive

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2010
4,280
100
over there
crown14 said:
Wrist pins


4.0 swap is the ticket
Click to expand...

either wrist pins or rod bearings. stripping 4.6's Bosch engines one thing is constant, rod and mains are worn pretty bad.

the 200k mile engine i just replaced out of our '03 knocked when warm. the main failure was head gaskets. cylinders 1 and 7 were completely blown out to the cooling jackets.

when i stripped the gems rotators ALL the bearings were shot, i had to literally pry the oil rings out of the pistons, and the wrist pins would barely move. soaked them in a jug of rostoff for a day and they freed up.

im stripping the Bosch engine down and sending the block to the machine shop, just out of curiosity, to have them check it. if the liners dont pull out from tanking and heating it, i might rebuild it for a spare. figure a Bosch four six engine that lasted 200k miles may be a keeper.

i have gems bottom ends in both my D2's, but Joel has a good point. in my experience the ONLY failures ive seen, with 4 liters, have been head gaskets. but if you use Cometic stainless steel head gaskets and studs, i doubt you'd have gasket failure before something else fails.

4 liter bosch engines have to be more plentiful than gems blocks these days, so id suggest what Joel suggested. use a 4 liter.
 
Z

zeeklancer

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2006
82
0
I know this is the technical forum but I don't see anything in the for sale part of this forum.

At this point I don't know enough or have the tools to deal with this sort of issue and don't want to waste any more $$ on this car.

What would the best option be? Sale as whole? Part it out? It still runs just has the issue described. What could I even expect giving the issues? This is currently my every day driver, so I am thinking I should start to take the bus.
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
FWIW I had a 4.6l DII at the dealership that had a knocking noise in the bottom end, and I diagnosed it as the liners moving. I let the truck idle outside for probably half an hour with the a/c on (summer time) and then pulled the oil pan. When I turned the motor over by hand I could see the liner moving. Its also evident sometimes when you pull the head gasket, as it will leave a ring where it was hitting it.

Does anyone remember the video that the guy took of removing the liners by heating up the block on a BBQ?
 
D

Dave03S

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2012
62
2
Seattle, Wa
Back to the point of the OP, obviously an oil pressure issue, and first things should always be done first. Start with a mechanical oil pressure measurement. At 90k any year of Disco could have failed oil pump rings. Pop the front cover and check the rings for cracks. If after 90,000 miles your oil pump gears are in pristine condition and you still have low oil pressure either you have been using a crap oil filter thats failing all this time... you have been using 5w30 all this time... or maybe clogged pickup tube in the pan...

My point being rule out all the simple obvious stuff before telling this guy to junk his truck.
 
T

turbodave

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2008
325
3
KY
jymmiejamz said:
Does anyone remember the video that the guy took of removing the liners by heating up the block on a BBQ?
Click to expand...


http://youtu.be/d6G1Ojv3I20
http://youtu.be/7fRDR5svIv8

You're Welcome :)

And at the risk of being flamed for posting somethign from another forum, this is a success story of the famous "ticking only when warmed up" syndrome that affects too many of these later motors:
http://landroverforums.com/forum/general-tech-help-8/how-i-fixed-my-land-rover-tick-slipped-sleeve-48770/
 
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crown14

crown14

Well-known member
May 11, 2006
6,288
4
Clayton, NC
My 03 overheated. New head gaskets didn't fix it, it was filling #6 with coolant. So I took the 4.6 block and swapped it for a 4.0, and my liners, wrist pins, and rod bearings don't knock. :)
 
Z

zeeklancer

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2006
82
0
Update!

Okay, so here is some more information now that I now what to look for and have another issue that may be related.


1) The sound only happens after the engine is warm. Everything sounds find until the gauge reaches the half way point (where it sits).

2) I have a collent leak. Or it is overheating. I can't seem to find where the fluid is leaking, the only thing I can see happening is that fluid comes out the overflow until it gets too low and causes the gauge to rise when going uphill or downhill. Never reaches the top. Topping off coolant seems to solve the problem (for a while).

From my understanding the sound can be caused by slipped liners (which I hope it is not), and or oil pump issues. I am going to get a pressure test kit to see what is going there first.

As for the coolant leak (should have mooned this before, did not think it was related to anything). I have already taken it to 3 different imdi shops (a new one after each time the problem does not go away). I have had the radiator replaced, the overflow tank replaced, and the head gaskets replaced but the problem still persist.

I am told that it may be the thermostat, so this weekend I am going to replace it (seems to be about the skill keel I have right now, but learning more ).

I don't have problems putting money into this car if I can gan may be get around 1 more year out of it for around $3k.

Somebody some place else suggested that liner problems can be fixed by doing a 383 conversion... I am not skilled enough to do that, and have not even heard of anybody doing this with rovers. But is that a option? Can I find a local enthusiast that likes doing this sort of thing and pay them to do that?

In any case, any suggestions are welcome, I am currently working on some of the ones here.

Thanks for the help!
 
super88

super88

Well-known member
Nov 28, 2004
94
0
Mile High City
zeeklancer said:
2) I have a collent leak. Or it is overheating. I can't seem to find where the fluid is leaking, the only thing I can see happening is that fluid comes out the overflow until it gets too low and causes the gauge to rise when going uphill or downhill. Never reaches the top.
Click to expand...

One important piece of data for you here. D2 temp gauges are non-linear. They are driven by a computer. Around 140/150 it comes off the peg and slowly rises to the 3 o'clock position. Then it stays there until you hit something pretty high, like 225 I think. Then it will pop up nearly to the red. I'd suggest investing the $70 in an Ultragauge so you know what your actual temps are doing.

If you're pushing coolant out of the overflow there is a problem. Potentially something like bad head gasket(s) allowing exhaust gas to pressurize the cooling system. Any competent shop should be able to test for CO in the coolant, or there is a test kit available from NAPA.

zeeklancer said:
As for the coolant leak (should have mooned this before, did not think it was related to anything). I have already taken it to 3 different imdi shops (a new one after each time the problem does not go away). I have had the radiator replaced, the overflow tank replaced, and the head gaskets replaced but the problem still persist.
Click to expand...

Rover-specific indy shops? This is important, in my opinion. Did you get the heads machined (or at least checked) prior the the gasket job? If they've been overheated, chances are good they're warped.

zeeklancer said:
I am told that it may be the thermostat, so this weekend I am going to replace it (seems to be about the skill keel I have right now, but learning more ).

In any case, any suggestions are welcome, I am currently working on some of the ones here.
Click to expand...

Check the throttle body heater. It's on the driver's side, follow the black air intake tube from the air filter box on the driver's side toward the center of the engine. Do a search and you should find plenty of pics. They are prone to leaking. You'll probably see evidence of it on the valve cover immediately beneath. It's a good beginner-level project to replace.

Get the soft spring, 180 degree grey T-stat. And do as many cooling system related things at the same time so you din't have to keep discarding anti-freeze and bleeding the system.

Check your fan clutch (engine off, of course!) The cooling fan should spin sluggishly when cool and barely, if at all, after the vehicle was warmed up.

If your head gaskets are in fact compromised from warped heads and/or subsequent overheats... you might be better off finding someone who will steal your car at this point.
 
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zeeklancer

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2006
82
0
As you guys can tell I am not very knowledgeable in cars. But I am learning as fast as I can.


super88, Yes, the throttle body has been a problem in the past, I have had the gaskets replaced already once. Upon inspection I can see red crud all over the seal and where the two hoses connect. The red crud stuff always seems to be dry, so I thought it was normal swing how it showed up shortly again after I had the gadgets replaced.

I will add that to the list of things to fix. It does not look that complicated (I may be wrong) so I will get a new gasket and plop it on there. I should note, that the two hoes seem to have a lot of reddish white crud on them too where they connect.

Thanks again for all the info.


I was once told to own a rover you will either need to be very wealthy, or learn to work on your cars. I am learning to work on cars.
 
Nate7

Nate7

Active member
Mar 18, 2010
25
0
Washington, DC
That is the start of a worn front camshaft bearing. I had the same problem around 80K and at 113K I'm looking at an engine swap with a rebuilt unit. A rebuild is the only thing that makes sense if you're going to hand onto the vehicle. I'm guessing seals are leaking as well?
 
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