Hello. I'm Josh. I just bought a 1998 Disco a couple weeks ago and had a few questions. I'm new to Rovers but I had a buddy who has had a couple go with me and he told me to get it. The Rover I bought was from an older gentleman who has a few rovers. He said the owner before him knew quite a lot about rovers as well. I looks brand new inside and out and has been kept in immaculate condition. I'll post pics later this afternoon. It has a 4 wheel Coil conversion, 4 wheel slotted/drilled disk brakes, aftermarket elec. fan. I believe that is all the extras other than the remote start and stereo. It has 160k miles. Got it for what I think is a really good price but we'll see if it holds up. So far it runs, shifts and drives great with a little death wobble only if you hit a crooked bump at highway speed. haha

Check engine light is on and it is an 02 sensor. There is either a leak from the Power Steering reservoir or power steering pump. Both of those I feel like I can take care of pretty easily. The first week I had it there were no overheating problems. The 2nd week it would start to creep up to about the 10:00 position when I was sitting in traffic with the A/C blasting due to the 105+ Texas Heat and every time I would either pull over and shut it down or blast the heater and it would immediately cool off. This probably happened 2-3 times at most. It sits about 8-9 o clock in normal driving conditions so I'm thinking stuck thermostat. The previous owner had a TON of extra parts that he gave me including another stock radiator and thermostat. I'm thinking about giving it an overhaul this weekend, (radiator flush and rod, test the thermostat to see if that's the problem, oil change and figure out what else is going on under the hood) By doing a search it looks like I'll be going with Shell Rotella 5w-40. Any help with a filter would be appreciated. It would be a huge help to have a list of things you guys usually go over while I'm under there to make sure the maintenance is up to date. My buddy is going to help me as well but I'd really like to hear multiple opinions. Thanks so much in advance for the help and sorry for all the new guy questions. I look forward to having some real fun in it soon.

 

Josh, start here, you can't go wrong.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...-owners-36324/

 

Napa, WIX or Fram XG I think. Go to the sticky on our D1 front page and scroll through there, many smart people posted many smart things. Also depending on where you are in the world, you may be better off running 15-40 Rotella.

 

Thank you for the link and information. I've done a few searches and have come up with some pretty good ideas. I am located in Dallas, Texas. Per the previous owner and some help with carfax it seems like all major maintenance has been done. That is a great link and I'll save it. I appreciate the reply.

 

Look in the Discovery 1 part of the forum, the top listing is the tech section, lots of things to look at. And full set of factory shop manuals for free to download, link below. Would worry about aftermarket electric fan keeping up in traffic, if that is all you have. It won't be the thermostat, more likely fan clutch (if still equipped) or radaitor needs flush, rod out, re-core, or replace (that's in $$ order). And make sure air flow is from the grille thru condenser and thru radiator, my PO wired the condenser fans backward and would overheat when AC on. My Death Wobble was related to wheel bearings, warped rotor, sticking caliper, and steering damper removed by PO. Certainly increased the pucker factor when first encountered on freeway exit.

 

Josh,
Welcome.
I use a Mobile 1 301 oil filter. They have them everywhere. IT will fit your rover. It doesn't leak either. Its the biggest oil filter you can get for this car. It will increase your flow big time. If I were you, I would see when the last time the swivels were greased up (or oiled but oil leaks, grease doesn't... not as fast at least) Then check your axle fluid (front and rear) If you decide to change it do not open the drain plug before the fill plug because if the fill plug doesn't open your .... You have a stock radiator? That's a $600 part, just bought one. I would put a 180 thermostat in it. I did that with mine and so far so good. Check water pump maybe? You could always take out the rad and just put your new one in it to see if that was the issue, only 2 bolts, 2 oil hoses 2 transmission hoses 4 rubber hoses. Takes about 45 min each time.

 

I'm not sure if it's a new radiator that he gave me but it looks like it's in great shape. He gave me about 4 boxes of parts. Yes, there is no fan on the drive system. He said he put that on so he could cross higher water...? I have a new 180 thermostat in a box. But I'm going to take out both thermostats and boil them to see if there is a difference to see if that's the problem. Thanks for the information guys. I bought 15w-40 rotella and a K&N oil filter. Got some water wetter too when I flush the coolant system.

 

There's a ton of tech stuff on the post mentioned at the top of the Discovery 1 section, also on Discoweb.org tech section, and the RAVE manual is published. The itemized list for 60k service is a good place to start.

Also check your transmission and oil cooler lines. They tend to leak after time as the rubber cold flows out from the crimped section. You don't want them to blow.

If you have rear A/C, check the pipe that routes over the rear spring perch on the driver's side. It rubs and wears a hole in the pipe. If you catch it early you can reinforce it to stop the problem. Otherwise you have to replace it.

Check the condition of brake lines, pads and rotors, and all fluids.

Second on the Mobil 301 filter, but the Bosch is only a few mm shorter and costs half as much. Unless you have severe motor problems, the oil suspends most contaminants and you remove them by changing the oil, not by filtering the oil.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. Here are some photos.

 

Great tire cover logo!