Hope to be Newbie '95 Owner--Have some Questions!

[mnwolftrack]

Hello,

I hope to a a first time Land Rover owner soon, and I'm looking at the mid '90s Disco's here in the U.S. I've been reading up on them finding out what I can about them, including their bizzarre electrical problems and other issues. I'm looking at a '95 Disco. It's a basic model with an auto, cloth interior, no jumpseats, no sunroofs, and appears to be in overall good shape and bone stock.

I want to make a list of all the things I should be looking for when I buy something. If I don't get this '95, I will stick with something pre-1999 due to my budget. Some of the things I've been reading about that I should look for is:

1. Ask for maintenance history
2. auto gets stuck in park if tail light bulb burns out. Is there a permenant fix for this or do you just keep replacing bulbs???
3. In order to prevent gummed up valves, drive it like you stole it. Literally.
4. Rust around the eco windows.
5. Leaky (factory) sunroofs.
6. Rusty door hinges.
7. Poor quality weather stripping on doors/windows.
8. diagnostic codes being spewed out for no apparent reason.
9. Gas mileage around 12-13 mpg city, 16-17 highway. Any way to improve this slightly without spending big bucks?
10. Door locks/handles nonfunctional.
11. curling dashboards. Are there dash covers available for these despite the airbags?
12. Leaking power steering.
13. manual trannies are a bit noisey and won't shift like a sports car so don't expect it to.
14 Am I missing anything, or am I wrong about anything???

Thanks!

mnwolftrack

 

[96DiscoSE7]

my .02 worth

welcome to DWEB, you will get alot of info here as well as opinions
1. Ask for maintenance history
1A YES
2. auto gets stuck in park if tail light bulb burns out. Is there a permenant fix for this or do you just keep replacing bulbs???
2A USALLY JUST THE SWITCH I THINK
3. In order to prevent gummed up valves, drive it like you stole it. Literally.
3A SURE, ALSO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS A SNAP=ON "MOTOR VAC' TO CLEAN THE INJECTORS AND VALVES/PISTONS...
4. Rust around the eco windows.
4A ALSO LOOK UNDER BODY AT ALL THE SEAMS & UP FRONT BEHIND FRONT TIRES
5. Leaky (factory) sunroofs.
5A IF NO SUNROOFS THEN NO PROBLEM....
6. Rusty door hinges.
6A EASY TO CLEAN AND PAINT
7. Poor quality weather stripping on doors/windows.
7A I HAVE NO ISSUES......YET....
8. diagnostic codes being spewed out for no apparent reason.
8A NO ISSUES.....YET
9. Gas mileage around 12-13 mpg city, 16-17 highway. Any way to improve this slightly without spending big bucks?
9A THIS IS IN THE RANGE THAT YOU SHOULD BE GETTING, SORRY
10. Door locks/handles nonfunctional.
10A SIMPLE MECHANICAL ISSUES
11. curling dashboards. Are there dash covers available for these despite the airbags?
10A CHECK WITH DEALER ON RECALL OR GET A TRIM KIT, DONT PUT ANYTHING OVER AIRBAG
12. Leaking power steering.
12A PAR FOR THER COURSE
13. manual trannies are a bit noisey and won't shift like a sports car so don't expect it to.
13A AUTO BETTER FOR ANY OFFROADING...

 

[Narzuhl]

Hey I am looking at several as well.
So far the models I have been looking at are the SE or SE7 (Preferred) I have also looked at a few SD models. Still debating about the Sunroofs. Kinds leaning towards them as without this i find the headliner looks like it is missing something.

Here is what I have discovered.
Power Steering: Almost all leak. If it is a hose leak it is an easy fix.
Rust on rear door jam seam: Have found several without any rust here.
Sunroofs: so far all I have looked at are tight and no leaks.
Rear window molding: most are cracking but again no leaks.
Weather stripping: Cheap to buy easy to put on....no worries here...my Jags were terrible for this and they did not leak at all.
Oil Leaks: Well I have owned about 7 or 8 British cars and all leaked oil.
Electrical: Yep again British so if it works today it may not work tomorrow but it will work the next day.
Gas Mileage: Big Heavy 4x4, Smallish V8 Yep they suck gas. But hey if we buy them for good mileage then we would drive a a small box on wheels.
Rusty door Hinges: only seen this on the rear doors and again this is an easy fix.
Door Locks/Handles: Buy a XJ 40 Jag then complain. These are easy things to fix.
Never heard of the problem you said about the Auto trans.
Watch out for the 5 speeds; if the Input gear has not been replaced then look elsewhere.
Also if looking for at a 96 be wary as it may have the Valve train issues that the 96, 4.0 are known for.
Service records: This is very important. If they do not have any then it must be a used car dealer. From what I understand most Land Rover Dealers will run the VIN for a fee.
CarFAX; a must before you buy anything. I found 1 I loved. The dealer was all over me. CarFaxed it and turns out it was a Rebuilt Salvage. No thanks.
Look for pitting and leaks at the swivel ball joints.
Look for rust.
Tap the Cats and make sure they are OK as they are Expensive to replace.
From Cat back it is not so bad for pricing.
Check the Exhaust manifolds for cracks.
1 thing that i am having trouble finding is try to get one that has had the timing chain replaced. Saves you the trouble.
95 and older are easer to work on from what i have been told.
Other than that look around. I have been looking for about 2 months and i have founds some nice ones and either thay want way to much or the milage is way to high or they look nice but CarFAX finds strange problems.

Search around here and the web, pick up some of the UK magazines, (most big chain book stores have these) you will find that they have alot of info about the Diesels, these are not offered here, to bad.

Have fun looking i am.

T

 

[Narzuhl]

1 quick note. as for the Curling Dashboards, several site (i thinks EE has this) have a repair panel that will cover and clean this up. I have not seen how it attaches but it looks good. I saw 1 on Ebay as well.

 

[syoung]

"1 thing that i am having trouble finding is try to get one that has had the timing chain replaced. Saves you the trouble."

Replacing timing belts is a given, but the chain? I've seen GM engines go 250K on the same chain... Do the Rover engines have a problem with chain stretch or something?

 

[Narzuhl]

Ii have read this in several places that it should be replaced and to look for this as a problem. I cannot remember if this was with the plastic parts or not, but if so then they should be replaced to.
Why wait till it goes. i just did the one on my truck (160,000 miles should have been done at 120,000) and after seeing how worn down the teeth were (the fact that i rolled the timing chain off the teeth is not a good sign) i want to find one that has been done.

 

[syoung]

wow- another thing I gotta do to mine now. I think in the spring I'll do a preventive water pump and chain then.

 

[Andrew Homan]

Having good luck So far with my 95. Seems pretty easy to work on too. Wish I could have found a cloth seat no sunroof model. sounds like a great start to a good off-road disco.

Cheers Andy 95 D1

 

[scubaman99]

Hi Shawn

i have a 95 DI and this is what i can say about your list:

1. Ask for maintenance history [always a good idea no matter what kind of car your looking at]
2. auto gets stuck in park if tail light bulb burns out. Is there a permenant fix for this or do you just keep replacing bulbs??? [this is a sign of a worn out brake switch... fix it you fix the problem... wihile inconvenient when it happens, this is easy to fix <15min]
3. In order to prevent gummed up valves, drive it like you stole it. Literally. [uh sure...]
4. Rust around the eco windows. [living in California, we dont normally have rust problems... so i dont have much to add here]
5. Leaky (factory) sunroofs. [Dont get them... and you wont have any of the HEADACHE]
6. Rusty door hinges. [living in California, we dont normally have rust problems... so i dont have much to add here]
7. Poor quality weather stripping on doors/windows. [while my rear windows do have cracked weatherstripping i have yet to detect a leak even after blasting the area in question with a hose to check for leaks... i wouldnt worry to much]
8. diagnostic codes being spewed out for no apparent reason. [while i have had codes come up they were Never for no reason... i would question a rig that had codes spew out for no reason... aka there is a reason...]
9. Gas mileage around 12-13 mpg city, 16-17 highway. Any way to improve this slightly without spending big bucks? [leave your rig completely stock... dont change tires... dont add aftermarket stuff...]
10. Door locks/handles nonfunctional. [on a LR... this should be expected..... ugh]
11. curling dashboards. Are there dash covers available for these despite the airbags? [my 95DI doesnt have the dreaded dash curl... (knock on wood) and yes i have a dash pad that is specially cut for the air bags]
12. Leaking power steering. [its a LR... expect it]
13. manual trannies are a bit noisey and won't shift like a sports car so don't expect it to. [agreeded its a HEAVY SUV... so dont expect Porsche like shifting]
14 Am I missing anything, or am I wrong about anything??? [nope, good luck]


KEN