oil pan exploded?

Rockbeard

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2015
80
0
memphis, tn
i'd say that does not look good. since it happened 15 minutes from the shop that just supposedly put oil in it, i'd be having a huge talk with the shop owner about what was possibly overlooked during its service. sorry for your woes.
 

11b4v

Well-known member
May 5, 2009
257
17
N. Alabama
Check the oil, see if anything is left in the lower end of the sump/pan, might be a good indication of whether or not it was filled up.

Most express lube joints have the two person, check the oil before it leaves prevent blown motor routine down pat. I bet I could safely say most local shops dont have a two person check rule on oil changes. Most shops do have liability coverage for these things, if its their fault.

Hope you called said shop immediately from the side of the road.
 
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dobiedisco

Member
Dec 1, 2004
16
0
Houston, TX
Sorry for the late reply, been dealing with an injured donkey. I know WAY more about animals than doing auto repairs, since I have a rescue. I've had this thing since it was off lease in 2002 and always take good care of my vehicles. This one has never required anything other than routine maintenance until the death wobble came about. It was in 2 different shops, I provided the info I gathered from this forum, and neither shop repaired the problem, just replacing shocks. It has always had a tiny brake fluid leak and when I was out of state for several months helping my mother, it had no fluid when I returned. I added fluid, but the brake pedal still went to the floor. Had it towed to Christian Brothers after speaking to them about the issues. They said it required a new master cylinder, steering box, alternator, belt, and I don't recall what else (invoice is in my Suburban). In hindsight, I probably should have looked into selling it to a scrap yard. They said the engine looked good, it ran great. Had new tires put on after picking it up and planned on sending it to my mother, but needed to drive it a bit to ensure the death wobble was gone. A few days after picking it up, death wobble struck driving in the rain and in traffic. Called the shop to let them know I would be bringing it back in and had printed off the check list from this site. Wanted to run a tank of gas thru it, because the check engine light had come on while in the shop and they said it was gas related. On Thanksgiving day, I was headed to the stable to tend to the horses and donkey, nice part of town, when the engine blew. There was definitely oil in it, because it spewed a trail to where I was able to pull over.

As someone mentioned, I had to decide whether to throw good money at bad, but since I'd already put $3800 into it in repairs and tires, I knew I wouldn't get the money back and started hunting for a used engine for $700 at British Parts International, which happens to be here in Houston. That was half of the one the shop found and a remanufactured engine would be $6500, which was WAY out of the question. Shop is discounting the installation, but I will now have the most expensive 1999 Discovery EVER. And the damned sunroofs still leak.
 

dobiedisco

Member
Dec 1, 2004
16
0
Houston, TX
I will have the shop let me know when the oil pan is removed and take pics to post. The "new" engine has 103k miles, British Parts Intl said there is no rhyme or reason as to when this happens. They've seen it on ones with 89k miles and have seen them go over 200k with no problems. They also said there is no way to track the problem, something about how Land Rover codes things (not sure if I'm saying this correctly) so some type of repair bulletin could be issued.
 

dobiedisco

Member
Dec 1, 2004
16
0
Houston, TX
That's a red flag right there. They gave it back to you with the CEL still on?

Yes, they didn't tell me what the code is, I can check the receipt to see if they put it on there, but they said to run a tank of premium gas thru it because it had been sitting. I'm going to compare part costs, too, because I checked online to see what the alternator, steering box, master cylinder and belt would be and the total was only $700.
 

Maximumwarp

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
836
26
Fairburn GA
That could be the smoking gun. Even if you didn't ask them to pull the codes, they still should have since you're in there spending a lot of money with them. It really behooves them to pull them bc then they can tell you more things that are wrong that they can fix for you. Giving it back to you with the light still on is just tacky.
 

dobiedisco

Member
Dec 1, 2004
16
0
Houston, TX
Yup, they are claiming to be baffled by this happening. Will be interesting to see what they say when it's pulled apart. When the engine let go, I first heard a clattering type sound and thought the front driver's turn signal lens had fallen off. I have it taped on, because the plastic connectors had broken and a new one was sitting on the passenger seat. but when I looked in the side mirror and saw the smoke, I knew that wasn't the culprit.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,735
1,026
Northern Illinois
That's a red flag right there. They gave it back to you with the CEL still on?

Ya thats kinnda strange. I think he took it to them without the light on and it was on when he picked it up. I wish I could get away with that.

I personally think you made a good decision. It would be hard for me to walk away from the money you already put in it. I never figure I'm going to get the money back out of my old Disco's. This truck has been with you a long time, you know it's history, its yours. What better truck to get out in a field to tend an injured animal.

I kind of wonder if something fell in the engine and caused this. Like a small nut or those inserts from under the valve cover gasket. Regardless if the're going to help you with the cost of installation that will help.