Can A Disco Be Made Reliable?

[swampfoxSC]

I have always loved these things. But also realise what a POS they are. And talk about depreciation!!! I know of a 97 that I can get for around $900. It doesn't start. The lady told me it was the CPS. Atleast that what she was told. I am tempted to take a gamble. It does turn over but will not start. The offroad capabilities off the showroom floor are great. But I do see alot on rollbacks or just on the shoulder.

 

[TS888]

It's a pretty broad question. The D1 is simpler overall, so arguably more reliable out of the box, but the earlier engine is a bit more trouble prone than the engine in the DII. Although the DI engine is labeled a 3.9 and the DII is labeled 4.0, they are exactly the same displacement. The later engine has some improvements that make it a bit stronger, but the versions with supplementary air injection are a PITA to work on.

The problem with most Land Rovers engines is the owner. Yes it's a V8, but it's not a SBC. Given regular, proper maintenance, the engines are mechanically robust. They need regular oil changes and annual coolant flushes, and should NEVER be run too hot -- a mechanical temp gauge is a great idea, mounted where you can see it easily. Keep the radiator clean and make sure the fan clutch is working.

Head gaskets are the most common failure. The earlier engines used 3 more head bolts than later ones, and this creates a stress than can lead to gasket failure. The solution is to leave these bolts out when the gaskets are replaced. Sounds nuts, but it works -- that is how LR built the later engines. Also, if you have to rebuild, use top-hat cylinder liners. They can't slip like the originals.

D1's use an engine management system called GEMS. It's OBDI, and fairly reliable. The MAF sensor needs to be kept clean, and vacuum leaks will give it fits, but most of those are from leaky hoses so easy to fix.

If taken care of, D1's are pretty solid trucks. They are built on the same frame and drivetrain as the Range Rover Classic, which is very robust (look at those lug nuts -- they weigh about a pound each!), and share a lot of parts under the skin like window motors, door locks, etc. The only "weak" link in the drive train is the axle half shafts, which are not up to hard off-road use pushing larger tires (bigger than 32's). Stronger axles are available, but a little mechanical sympathy can go a long way. And, axles are easy to swap and stock ones are cheap new and used. With stock axles, other parts like differentials seldom break, so think of the axles as fuses...

The window motors have a long life, the electric seats are reliable, the interior in general wears well. Headliners will sag over time, but are pretty easy to replace as they are a big panel, not stretched fabric.

Rust problems can crop up in the steel rear cargo floor and the inner front fenders, otherwise most of the body is aluminum.

DII's use a version of Bosch Motronic, OBDII, more complex than GEMS. Motronic is reliable in and of itself, but the problem with the OBDII spec is that it is very picky about the running conditions of the engine, and will set off the CEL for a huge variety of problems. Then you need a code reader, or access to a Land Rover T4 system to find the problem. This can get expensive, and annoying.

DII's have a few common problems -- both fuse boxes get iffy as they age, so intermittent electrical problems crop up. Replacing the fuse boxes is easy, and generally buys you another 10 years of no problems. Crank sensors also get old and fail, but are easy to replace as well.

Some DII's have rear air suspension. The best thing to do is drive until it fails, and swap in springs. Easy and pretty cheap.

The interior on the DII has more plastic bits that break or fail, like cup holders. Sunroofs in DII's are notorious for leaks, and for failing motors.

Overall, I would not buy a DII. The quality wasn't great from the get go, as it was intro'd as BMW was buying Land Rover. Last minute spec changes, like the Bosch engine management, meant the engineering was rushed. BMW also downgraded the strength of some components like brakes and hub, which means the trucks are not as strong off-road as the earlier D1 and Range Rover Classic.

 

[DiscoveredLC]

No....

 

[alia176]

No....

and this guy should know what he is talking about

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Can A Disco Be Made Reliable? ....... with unlimited patience and $$....maybe.

 

[Dagwood]

How about fixing oil leaks on the disco 2????

 

[ColoradoCarlisle]

I have had two over the last 10 years totaling about 10 months a 1996 d1 and a 1999 d2
I had more issues in those 10 months than I have had combined when I started driving in 1986
They were low mile discos.
I have owned 1973 fj40
1996 4runner with 226k
1996 fzj80 with 180k
1997 lx450 with 136k
2000 100 series with 176 k
1996 4 runner with 264 k yes I have owned two 1996s

All of these put together didn't come close to the maintenance of the discos
The disco is the only vehicle to leave me stranded on two separate occasions

Here is the kicker
The parts guy at rovers north in Vermont with many years of experience has a land rover but drives a........you guessed it a Toyota ....... Either a 4runner or a LC
He told me you can never just drive a LR .......

 

[agomez]

lol.....

 

[Atlas Suspension]

I have always loved these things. But also realise what a POS they are. And talk about depreciation!!! I know of a 97 that I can get for around $900. It doesn't start. The lady told me it was the CPS. Atleast that what she was told. I am tempted to take a gamble. It does turn over but will not start. The offroad capabilities off the showroom floor are great. But I do see alot on rollbacks or just on the shoulder.

I believe the answer to this question is simple: Chevy Small Block. Haha.

Seriously I'm on my second Disco II and I would not recommend them to anyone who puts reliability at even the top half of their list of things they find important in a vehicle. They blow head gaskets, leak fluid, the windows and moon roofs leak and randomly stop working, the ABS/ traction control system is fussy and failure prone, the engine management system is a pile and it's if the interior was assembled by drunken Hobbits. Other than that they're great!

My wife wanted a second one for me to cart the baby around in. For some reason she was convinced that it is better than allocating $1500 to retrofit AC into my stinky, old and RELIABLE FJ40

I told her the only way I'd get another one is if I could throw a small lift and tires at it to make me at least look as if I'm driving around in a good decision and have my s*** together. I test drove nine of them over a period of two months and finally settled on this nice, low miles 2003 that seemed really solid and runs like a champ. I can toss a CDL transfer case in it down the road if it survives long enough to become my thrasher mobile.

Two days after I got it home I got a visit from
The three amigos. Hola Traction Control Light, ABS Light and Downhill Assist Deactivation light! I thought I just kicked you out of my driveway. Sigh....
Then I washed it and now the drivers headlight assembly doesn't work.

If I wanted to throw tons of money at one of these fancy buckets I'd rip everything out of the engine bay and throw an LS1 in there and rewire the whole truck, cut down a dana 60 and 14 bolt, throw a kit under there and drive it like I stole it since you can't with the factory driveline in it, it'll explode.

The design of the suspension is awesome and they are brilliant offroad until they catch fire. Awesome visibility and surprisingly fun to drive in the dirt. Puts an equivalently equipped Jeep to shame until coolant erupts from the back of the block on the left side into a river and kills everything downstream creating an uproar with the Sierra Club resulting in every offroad park IN THE WORLD being shut down. But man you looked upscale while doing it.

The key to keeping a Disco alive is maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. Keep that cooling system in tip top shape and do a cooling system flush every spring and fall and replace with DEXCOOL (the pink stuff) only.
Make sure the fan clutch is in good shape and the electric fans come on reliably. When the brilliant minds at Land Rover put that fancy Bosch fuel injection system of that 40 year old motor they brought the operating temperature of that motor up to make it run right and it operates at the high end of where you actually want it. This engine DOES NOT do well overheating and a moderate overheat may warp the block and cause a head gasket to leak, or worse. If you have to do a head gasket do it right and have the heads and block planed.

Now, I have a good friend who's father has a Disco Uno with 230k miles at it and it's running strong. Remember: maintenance, maintenance, maintenance, buy a Land Cruiser.

FIN

 

[KyleT]

99 d2 with 197K

as long as you keep up with maintenance they are fine.

 

[GAS-A-LOT!]

Has anyone done a 350 swap? I've always dreamed of that as an option.

Oh well. Ill stick to my 60 and 4runner.