And I just went out to cycle it again and of course the suspension won’t come up. My goodness this thing is a heap of junk. But you have to laugh, I think it’s hilarious how worthless they are until you fix everything…

 

I found that adding coolant SLOWLY and pausing often allows the system to 'burb'. It takes some patience (not my strength) but it worked for me.

 

Well, I’m not sure where I am and have had the Disco in time out for a couple reasons: I’m pissed at it (normal), and we got close to a foot of snow the other day and are forecast for another 8” or so tomorrow and Monday. Yay. I couldn’t love where I live more, but I’m ready for a little more consistency in the weather.

When I do finally get the chance to get back to it (it’s under a decent bit of snow at this moment), I’ll try once more to bleed (I don’t think it will help), and then I’m going to pull the serpentine belt ad see if the water pump is loose or just not working too well.

Sadly, if the water pump seems like it’s in good shape, then I get to join the head gasket swap crew. I had always prided myself on never having had to them before and truly believed it was something you could avoid if you never let the engine get hot. Well after talking to my mentor from GBR, Tom, he said the pressure in the system when it gets hot could be the head gaskets.

I’ve reviewed the Atlantic British videos and been doing my usual dorky reviews of stuff in the Rave, and it’s not quite as big of a deal as I’d always thought, so in some regards I’m looking forward to it. As we all know, Disco ownership is a relationship that takes time and energy to make a positive experience. My initial drive home was indicative of a Disco, good to me, but it still communicated some underlying issues. Now, in order to regain its trust, I have to return the favor and address some issues. It’s only fair. It’s friggin annoying, but so it fostering a relationship.

OK, enough Saturday morning coffee philosophizing. I’ll have some updates in the coming weeks and document what it ended up being. Then I can finally start to enjoy the rest of the adventure.

 

If you aren't losing any coolant I'd take a breath before jumping into head gaskets. At least pull the plugs and see if there are any clues.

 

I couldn’t agree more. No coolant loss, and it looks perfect. Same with the oil on the dipstick.

Do you think it could be the water pump? The only thing stumping me right now is when it gets hot, the hose going to the thermostat on top has a lot of pressure.

I’ll add pulling some plugs and checking them out. Thanks!

 

So this was kinda fun. As most of the loons who are plagued with a love for Discos do, I troll for sale ads and such looking to be a vulture for parts and such. As luck you would have it, an ‘01 came up with a Voyager Rack, but tranny issues. Chatted with the guy a bit and he was super cool, but it was just too far gone to make it worth the effort to go pick up and the rack would need a full sand down and repaint. The boss heard some of the conversation, and with her being a pretty good gear head as well, she said no after thinking about all the issues (I of course was just going to take the rack and get it to a running state and flip it). It was just fun to be on the hunt for parts and such and even though this one didn’t pan out, it’s fun to look around.

 

if it's the one I'm looking at the ad for right now, are you sure it's not a battery/voltage problem and it's truly the trans? could be simpler than anyone thinks, these transmissions usually don't die unless run without fluid or installed improperly.

 

Oh it’s definitely not a particularly difficult situation. It’s the one in Empire. He’d already pulled the XYZ switch out and done the clean up and such for it to no avail, but I agree with what you were thinking.

We passed because there was just too much to sort out and very few part out or spares I’d be interested in:
- done head gaskets twice
- tranny was replaced with one from a yard a few years ago
- non CDL T case
- 4 low not working (linkage probably)
- interior wasn’t very good
- rack was really rusty and would take a good bit of effort to get to a decent atate
- 210k on the engine
- bumpers wasted
- headliner done
- no keys
- a couple window regulators done

About the only good things were the front driveshaft was a serviceable one and it was non sunroof (for those looking for that) and a clean title. It seemed straight, but I don’t know about the frame. It could definitely be saved, but it would take more effort than I’m willing to put in and an otherwise unremarkable example.

The fun part is just looking at all that stuff

 

For sure, this was a rough example and one I'd pass on as well. And as an owner of 2 non sunroof d2s they are worth it haha 2 less potential headaches per truck.

 

And this picture is why you should not rush- or rush to judgement- in anything in life.



I’ve been whining, racking my brain, getting angry, and basically looking at something in the complete wrong way.

I read in a thread somewhere about the possibility of putting the thermostat in backwards. It was noted in my mental Rolodex, but in my arrogance thought, “I’d never do something THAT dumb…”. Enter the above exhibit. Humility is a good thing.

I’ve not even swapped it yet, but am virtually positive this was my issue. Let this be a lesson: pay attention.

So NOW the real fun can begin and I’ll be sharing the fixes and upgrades on my latest adventure in self deprecation and insightful learning. A Disco can be a wonderful means to teach life’s lessons at times it seems like patience and pensive thoughtfulness.

Translated: sheesh, I am a total idiot.