I beg to disagree - head gaskets do go bad on the 4.0 and 4.6 as well, without liner issues. They start leaking outside the engine at some point, usually around 100k miles.
I beg to disagree - head gaskets do go bad on the 4.0 and 4.6 as well, without liner issues. They start leaking outside the engine at some point, usually around 100k miles.
Disco: more reliable than a Maserati Biturbo
I drove a Disco once. It seemed like it would be a fine thing to drag a few sections of harrows over the back 40, but why anyone would ever think of driving it on the street is completely beyond me. Add in the classic British underengineering applied to an early 60's failed GM engine experiment, and I'm absolutely baffled how they ever sold the second one.
JohnRW1621 wrote: Disco: more reliable than a Maserati Biturbo
When they were new, yes a Land Rover was more reliable than a Biturbo. But not by much. Now that they've aged ( like a cheese, a stinky stinky cheese), well.....
they are not all that bad to drive really.. I find mine to be pretty nimble on it's feet and certainly better to drive than most of it's contemporaries.
I imagine the BMW SAVs are better to drive, but they were out of my price range a few years ago
I've seen a couple Land Rover craigslist ads with something like "Engine replaced 50k ago, headgaskets 20k; trouble free car, excellent condition"
Bought a Disco from CoPart for my son. Put a new engine in it. Wised up. Gave it to coworker who drives 2 miles to work. She loves it. Generally repairs it with JBWeld.
My favorite (normal) vehicles are LR Discoveries, VW Golfs and XJ Jags so there's that.
Try a 2002, I believe the dropped liner issue started after 2002.
But I picked this 2005 for $3,000:
[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_15.jpg.html]
[/URL]
ebonyandivory wrote: Try a 2002, I believe the dropped liner issue started after 2002.
Dropped liners were a problem (in the USA) from 1987 to 2004. They don't "just drop", the problem is typically a result of overheating from a failed water pump/belt/radiator/hoses/thermostat/ etc. The oil pump issues were really bad on the 4.6s in 03-04. This was not a pump manufacturing issue but rather a block issue-the castings were shifting and the dowels aligning the oil pump would be off just enough to cause the pump to eat itself. Therefore if you get a rebuild on an 03-04 core you will most likely have issues forever. The earlier 4.6s were much better if you need a core for rebuilding.
Someone needs to make a kit to retrofit Ford 4.9 (300ci) into these.
ebonyandivory wrote: Someone needs to make a kit to retrofit Ford 4.9 (300ci) into these.
Too long. An LS1 is a fine choice, but would likely overpower the rest of the drivetrain.
The thing is, in Europe these are considered dead reliable. Over there they were 90% diesel, with less electronics, no (leak prone) dual sunroofs, manual transmissions, cloth interiors, etc. A Euro spec swap is what you want.
For a while there was a shop in Maine bringing in Euro spec trucks/parts and converting US trucks to the good bits. Not sure what happened to them but I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the same category as the place that was bringing in Skylines that got crushed.
I wish mine was a diesel with the five speed. To be honest though, except for the engine, mine has been very reliable. No weird clunks, leaks, or electrical gremlins
ZOMBIE THREAD REVIVAL!
There's a 2003 up the road with "bad head gaskets."
It runs and drives and 4WD works.
$2200 asking price.
It would be used only as a "farm truck." Am insane for considering it???
I figure it's cheaper than a decent ATV, and I can put stuff in/on it. And I wouldn't fix ANYTHING.
"Option B" is a 4.0 Cherokee with no title.
Thats too much for one that needs work. Just checked my local CL a couple of hours ago. There are 3 of them that need work but run for under $1000. There are a handful of "nice" ones in the 2 to 3K range. The 2001 Range Rover 4.6 HSE I bought my wife a couple of years ago for $1000 has been a great car. Heater sticks open so I bypassed the heater core last summer and will again soon. Had maybe $500 worth of nagging things wrong like rear hatch pistons and cables needing to be replaced. She was rear ended in it last summer and we got a check from the ins company for $1400 for minimal damage, so the way I look at it, the car was free. Been looking for a Disco 2 with a 4.6 for my 17 year old daughter. Passed on a 2003 here in town a couple of months ago for $2800 that came with another running identical 2003 parts vehicle that had front end damage. Guy was firm on the price and while I was thinking about it somebody else in town bought it. See it ride by my house all the time. Should have bought it!! She's eyeballing one of my Triumph TR8s now that summer is coming. Alternate plan is to give her the wife's RR and buy the wife one of those cheap Jag XK8 convertibles I keep coming across.
In reply to tr8todd:
I figured I'd offer $1500. The proximity to the house saves me wasting a bunch of time looking at turds.
The thing with rovers is they don't easily show their rust. Pull up the carpets and make sure that this one is clean. I actually think they're pretty reliable if you stay on top of the cooling system and other things. I've got a 90 rover that I've been driving daily for several years now and while it needs much more work than most vehicles, I also get stopped to talk about it weekly.
Smartass, you could have the liners pinned if you're going to pull the heads off anyway, might as well make it a truck that will last.
since I replaced the engine in mine almost two and a half years ago, I have had three issues. The Clock Spring in the steering wheel went ($35), one of the wheel sensors is bad so abs, traction control, and hill descent do not work, and I had to replace the 02 sensors. I do not consider any of those issues out of the ordinary for a vehicle approaching 100,000 miles.
I drive mine at least 5 days a week back and forth to work (25 mile+ a day) plus a couple of long trips a year. Since the new engine, )2 sensors, and replacing the exhaust with a stainless Magnaflow system, I am up to 14mpg in mixed driving
Yeah. Turning the key on this thing is like Clark Griswold plugging in the Christmas lights, but I still want it.
well, I love mine. You never forget you are driving an off road vehicle. This is not a vehicle with off road abilities, but an off road vehicle with on road abilities. Try to avoid 2002 1/2 and 2003. those models had both the bad oilpump issues AND did not have a locking transfer case
mad_machine wrote: since I replaced the engine in mine almost two and a half years ago, I have had three issues. The Clock Spring in the steering wheel went ($35), one of the wheel sensors is bad so abs, traction control, and hill descent do not work, and I had to replace the 02 sensors. I do not consider any of those issues out of the ordinary for a vehicle approaching 100,000 miles. I drive mine at least 5 days a week back and forth to work (25 mile+ a day) plus a couple of long trips a year. Since the new engine, )2 sensors, and replacing the exhaust with a stainless Magnaflow system, I am up to 14mpg in mixed driving
Dang, the twin turbo v12 in my cl600 gets 17.5mpg and that tank is probably as heavy as the disco.
Smarta$$ McPoopyPants wrote: Yeah. Turning the key on this thing is like Clark Griswold plugging in the Christmas lightss, but I still want it.
"The little lights aren't twinkling, Clark."
I like the old Discoveries too, but I think the conclusion I came to, was that if I replaced the entire drivetrain with an LS, 4l80e, Dana 60s etc. The interior electrical equipment would be just as unreliable as before I started.
I could be wrong, probably am, I hope I am.
So if I did decide to replace headgaskets, how big of a job is it?
In reply to Smarta$$ McPoopyPants:
Sure when I suggest a Ford Ranger in your ATV thread, I get scoffed at. But here you are looking a Disco for your ATV use. LOL.
If you get it start a build thread so I can get the RR want out of my system too! 
You'll need to log in to post.
