So I bought this Disco II a couple weeks ago, it's a fixer-upper. So far everything has been going well, fixed brakes by bleeding them, repaired ignition switch so I can retrieve the key and solved some misfiring with fresh coils and plug wires.

However after installing the new coils and wires, it developed a loud popping/chugging noise--never heard anything like it before. Doesn't feel like the truck is misfiring/shaking when it occurs. No hesitation/jerk or loss in power when it happens while accelerating. Is loudest through exhaust (see video) and appears to be coming somewhere from the left bank of cylinders. Almost sounds like a backfire but it does't seem to have any affect on engine other than making unpleasant sound. What the HAY is this? *video to come*

 

Here's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81vp7...ature=youtu.be

 

Im not an expert here but the first thing that came to mind is squirrel food! Little critters like to take up residence in strangest places and have a tendency to bring in loads of stockpiled food or nest material..... just a thought lol.

 

Either that or perhaps there is a problem with the exhaust system? Put her on a lift and inspect the underside of the Disco and see what you find.

 

Yeah I feel like it is an exhaust issue, going to run and pick up some Sea Foam and see what happens!

 

It does seem to be idling well from what I can tell from the video, but my guess is you may have crossed two wires when you put them on. Likely two that fire at almost the same time. I'd check the wire placement.

EDIT: Or, one plug is Not firing and the unburned fuel is igniting inside the exhaust. Pull one plug at a time and see what one does NOT make a difference in idle.

 

Hey man---
DONT DRIVE.
That is a mechanical sound.
A mechanical device is binding. Something that spins.

My prediction is that soon your belt will burn off a pulley as a pulley will lock up and bind.

the noise is conducting thru the exhaust.

If you put your hand on the tail pipe - can you feel the noise when it makes it in your hand?
If so - mechanical

 

If you can feel the air of the exhaust change when it pops, then I think it is a misfire.
Does not sound like a misfire.

If you can put your hand on the exhaust pipe to feel for vibration and not air flow
and you can feel vibration then something is knocking the exhaust pipe.

 

You called it!! Got the 1 and 6 plugs switched, looked over coil schematic, rearranged the wires and BAM!! she fired right up and ran beautifully! Good call SuperSport.

But shortly thereafter, things got interesting... very interesting. So what does a young guy armed with blind courage, free spirits and a newly fixed Rover do? Well he seeks adventure of course, seemed like a perfect opportunity to go test my new toys' off-road prowess.

So with the coil diagram still open on the screen, I started out by folding my laptop up on the passenger's seat and setting off toward some trails near my house that I've never been down, just saw them on google maps. After traveling down about four miles of winding back country road in the dark, I ended up near the back end of a state forest backing up to a river and marsh. After switching to low range, I set off down some awesome trails, all very wooded and completely removed from civilization. After being spooked by a random house buried far back in the woods, I turned around and started heading back towards home.

This would be a good time to mention that I have been having a small coolant leak out of the upper radiator hose near the thermostat but I thought I had it licked. Anyway, after returning to the dirt-ish road that I came in on, I noticed another set of tracks going off to the right, flanked by and large "NO TRESSPASSING!!" sign, so what did I do but turn right and head down the trail?! Weaving in and out of spider webs and palm brush proved entertaining enough until I reached the corner of the holy grail of off-road entertainment: a dried low-land. "Approaching a mud bog at night, by myself, on private property far back in the middle of nowhere? Not such a good idea I think. Turn back Brad, turn back." So I threw it in reverse and prepared to leave when I thought to myself: "Let me just get out and inspect that bog to see if it's actually solid enough to drive on." After a small hike, I decided that I should proceed down the [dried] lake bed.

It's funny how getting stuck combines the feeling of driving into a soft pillow where all sensation of direction and motion go numb and an adrenaline fueled panic. There was nothing in it, I was completely stuck in a matter of seconds. Tried rocking it out, forward/reverse, forward/reverse, nothing. The street touring tires spun helplessly, greased by mud from hell.

I remembered getting stuck in a Jeep once before and getting myself unstuck by digging each tire and placing sticks and rocks behind the tires so with Rover idling calmly, I set about scouring the woods for sticks and stones with my flashlight. With my hands, and in my sandals, I worked my way through the mud to each tire and dug out behind it and placed my treasures. Tried rocking it back and forth out again with no improvement in traction. It was about this time that I notice the temp gauge starting to rise and I knew my fun was over and immediately shut her down to evaluate my options. I was roughly five miles from my house, my window regulators are taken apart for repair, so I can't close the windows and my laptop is in the truck. Too late to call anyone, looks like I'm walking home, damn.

As I am hiking down this long, dark isolated road, circa 10:30pm carrying a macbook pro and a flashlight, some passerby thinks I look interesting and turns around. "What on earth are you doing?" I told her what had transpired about a mile and a half down the road and she offered to give me a lift to my house.

This is a long story but stay with me.

So I start chatting it up with this girl and it turns out she is a veterinary science student in the Cayman islands and just happened to be back visiting her family and went to UF sometime around when I went as an undergrad. We end up switching numbers and I walk back to my house. My plan is to load up my other car (a FIAT 500) with a shovel, some plywood to put under the tires and some water to fill the radiator and go back to dig out the Rover. I texted my new friend 'Tanya' that I was headed back to dig out my truck with a FIAT, she politely laughed at me and offered to help with her dad's truck. Now don't forget, I JUST met this girl on a dark road in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Anyway it's all loaded up when I realize that I left my keys in my mother's car when she dropped me back off at my house earlier in the day, ****! Well fortunately I have an old Porsche 944 turbo that I have had since high school so I took the battery out of my FIAT, put it in the Porsche and grabbed the keys for it out of my office.

"Tanya, I am on my way out to the truck, am driving a black Porsche." At this point, this girl thinks I am absolutely nuts. "Um, what happened to the Fiat? Are you sure you're not a serial killer?" Like, what 20-something year old guy gets his Land Rover stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere and is going to go rescue it with his Fiat, no, which has now become his black Porsche? But whatever, I kid you not--this bad bitch still came to the rescue! Fortunately I was able to free the truck under it's own power with the shovel and plywood pieces. She followed me home, gave me a ride back to pick up my Porsche and we parted ways. Looks like we are going to meet up for some beverages tomorrow night though.

SO, this is what Land Rovers are made for. The stuff of stories and adventure. If there is any other vehicle that can write you an adventure like that the first time you take it out, I'll buy that one too.

It's about 2am EST, this is Brad, signing out.

 

Congratulations, and CONGRATULATIONS!!! Wow, what a night.