'97 Disco?

[cbrown]

Hey all,

I currently own an '89 RR Classic, and am thinking of buying a '97 Disco for the wife. Obviously, I'm familiar with RR issues, but not Discos. I was hoping for some insight into common problems and what to look for.

I'm not looking hard, but have had a car salesman(friend whos is aware I'm looking) just let me know that they got this truck in today. He tells me it has been well taken care of, has been driven by a dentist's wife, and has 65k miles. Any thoughts?

 

[Lutzgaterr]

Obviously a sharp-eye inspection on the body, internal switches working, AC, cruise cntl, rust around windows, sun roofs, test drive and drop in low and over to diff-lock, etc..., but after all of those touchy-feely things are done, if you are really interested, drop $$ and get an indepedant LR mecahnic to inspect. One last item, tell them to show you the maintenance records and walk that timeline to ensure no gaps exist.
Hey, ask them to pay for the inspection, yea, that's the ticket.

Just becuase it may have not seen offroad, does not mean it is in prestine shape under that hood or in the driveline.

Now if you knew more about these trucks, then the list would be quite large and the members of this board could go on and on with items to check.

Good luck.

 

[Rocky]

89 Classic to 97 Disco.....believe it or not most of the problem areas on the classic are the same on the disco....so if you know your classic, you know the disco....mechanically the Disco is an OBD2 rather than the easy stuff on the Classic. the auto box is a development of yours.

 

[RangeRoverHP]

Chris is right.
If you know your RRC, you know the Disco.
Only major difference is it's very hard to get a CEL on an old Rangie. But could happen at the drop of a hat on a GEMS Disco.
Get a LR specialist to check it out before purchasing. Just like old Classics, there are good ones and then there are.............

 

[cbrown]

Thanks for the help. I was able to take the Disco home for the evening, and got a pretty good look at it, and did notice that it is extremely similar to my Classic. It seems to be in fairly good shape, but I have a pretty major concern y'all might be able to help me with.

The salesman showed me that the ABS light was on in the binnacle. He said that the previous owner swore that nothing was wrong with the brakes, they just couldn't get the light to go off. While I was driving it last night, at one point, I was braking, and there was a bad clanking sound, the sound went away, and the light went out. The brakes seemed to be working fine after that. However, every other time I took it for a drive, the light would be on when the vehicle was started, would go off occassionally, and I heard the noise one other time. I have informed the salesman that there is a problem with the ABS system, and they are looking into it. I guess my question is, if they are able to fix this problem, are there any collateral concerns I should be aware of? Thanks again for the help.

 

[p m]

Only major difference is it's very hard to get a CEL on an old Rangie. But could happen at the drop of a hat on a GEMS Disco.

Very true. My '89 Rangie barely runs, but no CEL. A '96 Disco runs like a champ, but CEL is ON.
However - with no CEL and no trouble codes in the ECU, it takes knowledge and thought to troubleshoot the Rangie. And it only takes a laptop and a OBD-2 cable to instantly know what caused the CEL in a GEMS Disco (on mine, it is usually charcoal canister vent whatever, most likely caused by the gas cap).

 

[Jaime]

On the 97 disco the ABS light is on when you start the truck and will go off shortly after you start moving.

A quick thing to try is to make sure that the ABS sensors are pushed all the way in against the sensor rings. On the rear wheels they are mounted on the side, and on the front they are on top of the CV joints.

I had all sorts of ABS lights, and the ABS engaging on dry pavement, and the problem was solved by pushing in all the sensors.

Jaime

 

[Joey]

I agree with Jamie, I will also say that on my '97 if it rains or the weather is a little musty. My Disco will keep the ABS light on all day, but as soon as it drys out, start up and drive and out goes the light... Might just need a good cleaning or in my case, it just may be time to look at getting new brakes