buying 03 disco 2 few questions

Jul 15, 2016
18
0
SW Michigan
I am new to these vehicles, thought I would try one like the looks and the buy in is very cheap. I am a former toyota mechanic and not afraid of repairs.

One of my questions is, the 03 I am wanting to buy needs an oil pump. Is there a reason why I can't just buy the gears if the front cover is not damaged? I have read the gears themselves break but no mention of the cover being an issue.
Also do most replace rod bearings at the same time since the oil pressure was low?

Being an 03 model my understanding is they do not have a CDL in the transfer case? Is there a way to fit one or do I need to swap in a complete older version?
Also where is the best or cheapest source for these items?
Thanks for any input.
 

squirt

Well-known member
Nov 13, 2008
824
13
Los Angeles
Since you're a former mechanic, you'll know that a failed oil pump can have a significant negative impact on other components, depending upon how long it was run before the issue was addressed. You mention rod bearings, but I'd also be worried about cam bearings, lifters, anything depending on oil pressure. It's a bit of a crap shoot, unless you're planning to tear it apart anyway. Front cover should be salvageable unless they ran it for an extended period with broken gears.

You can search for more info on the CDL, even google will yield plenty of results. In short, you can just swap the front housing (leaving the center diff gears in place) and obtain a CDL.

Since you're new to Rovers/Discos, I'll give you the advice I give anyone looking at getting their first. If you can't do the work yourself, don't buy one out of warranty. If you can do the work yourself, plan to spend $2-4k making up for deferred maintenance. You might get lucky and spend a whole lot less, but you might not.

That $1000 truck that the seller advertises as needing one repair can turn into a $5k investment in a heartbeat.
 

XCELLER8

Well-known member
Sep 21, 2009
249
12
the '03s are known for oil pump issues.....search a little more and there is a vin # break where they were"supposedly" fixed after that. IIRC some of it has to do with the dowel pins not alligning the front cover properly....Land Rover customer service should be able to tell you if it was ever repaired or updated
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
Welcome to the world of Land Rovers. It takes a special kind of patience and devotion to be an owner. My advice is to wait until you find a better truck to buy. Consider an earlier Discovery 1 (1996-1999) for simpler electronics and mechanics, but those are often in lousy shape by now.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Welcome Toyota guy. There was some very good advise in this thread about the oil pump failure and a vin break to learn about. The problem on some has to do with the dowels for the front cover not being aligned properly and causing the ring gear on the pump to break due to the misalignment and stress put on the pump.

For a while the diff lock shifter was missing and the actual lever was left on the t case with nothing attached to it. You would need to crawl under the truck to inspect for the mechanism. if it is in fact on the truck installing the shifer and linkage is easy.

Since you haven't bought anything yet I would look into the difference between a Disco 1 and the Disco 2. The Disco 1 front axles with swivel housings will be like the old Land Cruisers. The Disco 2 will look a bit more like your grampas Buick.
 
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MNinWI

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2007
83
2
I have a 2003 D2. I do very little off road driving and find the lack of CDL to be a non-issue. The traction control is fully adequate for any driving I do. Mine does not have the CDL components in the transfer case.

I did have the "three amigos" problem when mine was still under warranty. The shop told me that the control unit under the hood that operates the traction control and anti-lock braking was the most expensive thing under the hood after the engine. I asked if the new one that they put in (under warranty) was going to go bad in three years too, the shop manager said that he had never seen a replacement one go bad. Mine that was installed in 2006 is still operating the way it should. Do a search for three amigos if this may be of concern.

If you park and lock it for a month, the computers and alarm system will drain the battery.

Some have commented on the front drive shaft losing a U joint and (I think the term is) grenading as the drive shaft takes out other components. I had greasable U joints installed on my front drive shaft as a preventative measure. If I recall, some suggested that a U joint can have the lubrication cooked out of it from being close to the catalytic converters.

These are the only things that I can think of now.
 

kcabpilot

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2006
334
1
California
I found the 3 Amigos on my truck to be caused by an internal breakage in the little embedded circuit card that runs from the main connector to the switch pack. It's not really a "circuit card" just a board with two traces and I'm pretty sure that it just breaks due to thermal expansion cycles. The fix is well documented and very easy to do, you just run the two wires from the switch pack externally and splice them into the main connector. It requires no new parts and can be done without removing the ABS module or disconnecting any brake lines.

I mention this because obviously there are no longer any Discos out there under warranty and this was a well known issue with the Wabco ABS units.
 

helievacpilot

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2007
960
0
Denver CO
The shop told me that the control unit under the hood that operates the traction control and anti-lock braking was the most expensive thing under the hood after the engine.

Whoever told you that was completely ignorant, full of shit, or both. SLABS units are readily available, and cheap. Even my '04, low mileage SLABS was only 50 bucks.
 

Hubacek

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2015
88
0
Dallas, TX
Whoever told you that was completely ignorant, full of shit, or both. SLABS units are readily available, and cheap. Even my '04, low mileage SLABS was only 50 bucks.

He's referring to the modulator under the hood. Not the SLABS ECU in the cab.





Brand:

Wabco


Part #:

SRB 101203


Other Part #:

-


Other Part #:

SRB101203


Condition:

New


Price:

$1,965.48
 
Last edited:

salvvia

Well-known member
May 28, 2005
990
39
BIG WHEEL ROVN IN KNOXVEGAS TN.
Look for rust in the rear frame horns the d2s are bad for holding moisture and worse for salt corosion inspect carefully dont be afraid to take a screw driver shopping poke hard in between thewelds on the rear frame it can be right on the thresh hold of rotting from inside out and look fine and of course check floor boards for moisture sunroofs like to leak but can be fixed if your willing to sweat and cus a little ha ha good luck and dont be scared there is a wealth of knowledge here and plenty of smart asses
 

Buddy

Well-known member
Nov 6, 2006
2,839
1
Central NC
First thing your going to learn is that replacement engines are hard to come by. I know of no good source for a good remanufactured or new engine.

Second thing he'll learn is that it's a lot easier to buy a Rover with engine noise then sell one.
 

MNinWI

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2007
83
2
He's referring to the modulator under the hood. Not the SLABS ECU in the cab.





Brand:

Wabco


Part #:

SRB 101203


Other Part #:

-


Other Part #:

SRB101203


Condition:

New


Price:

$1,965.48

Correct, that is what I was referring to.
 

kcabpilot

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2006
334
1
California
I bought the book "How to power tune Rover V8 Engines for road & track" (Speed Pro Series) You can get the Kindle version on Amazon for about twenty bucks. It contains everything you'd ever want to know about these engines - good and bad and how to correct some of the major issues with blocks and liners in the final 4.0 and 4.6 versions. Of course we're talking money to do this.

You'll also want to get a copy of the Rave manuals that you can download for free.

My brother has an '04 with the infamous "ticking" noise for which everyone seems to have their own opinion as to the cause. It's been doing it now for about three years, he just keeps driving it.
 

juramico

Well-known member
Mar 6, 2005
175
0
LONG ISLAND NY
I've had 2 4.0 and 2 4.6...I find the 4.6 much more prone to overheating from Throttle plate, coolant tank cap and clogged radiator.and the usual head gaskets headaches. Hope you are very handy. Good luck