Hey everybody,

my '03 Disco, 95K miles, good working condish, 3 amigos flash on from time to time, but not always.

new plugs, wires, coil, O2 sensors (before cat), pwr steering pump, hose, water pump, belt.

I drove Chicago to CT for christmas, and the power steering failed on the last 100 miles. refilled fluid and was fine until a mile from parents house in CT. So i took it in to mechanic in ridgefield, CT, and they steam cleaned the underside and looked for leaks. water pump and power steering. so i googled and found prices and found some info about the oil pump failure due to factory design flaw. my disco is within the VIN range for the bad pumps, but I'm lucky it never failed. I bought it with 16K miles, now has 95K.
I'm planning a car camping road trip for a few months this spring/summer and i don't want any surprises. Should I at the very least have the pump check out? or fully replaced? I have read that if the pump will fail, it probably would have failed already.
after this recent service, it's running great, with no spotting (leaks) when stopped. I want to add an oil pressure gauge to keep an eye on that...


Any suggestions for what I should do? fluids changed? (other than oil i mean) belts replaced?

I want to add an oil pressure gauge to keep an eye on that...

I'm pretty disabled, so I can't do this on my own, but i do have a good friend that is a great mechanic in naperville, IL. but it would be cool to find other land rover owners in chicago...

thanks,

scott

 

Oil pressure gauge install is your best insurance. Then you can tell if the oil pressure is to spec at different temps and rpms. You can also tell over time if you oil pump outer gear has started to crack which will give you oil pressure but at a reduced rate. Then its time for replacement.

 

The oil PSI gauge is good, and look at the Ultra Gauge, which helps you keep an eyeball on everything else. See UltraGauge Automotive Information Center and OBDII Scan Tool. At minimum an oil PSI test. But the cracked pump is a sneaky demon that lets the oil light go out while it allows engine to be under lubricated. So the result is not just fixing the pump. Oil gauge is a darn good idea.

In addition to belt and oil, diffs and transfer case and tranny fluids (and tranny filter) should not be overlooked. Coolant flush and replace, etc. Water pump is a consideration, and certainly a battery if over two years old (it will be closer to three when you make the trips).

You have to maintain a little more frequently to keep that reliability factor up, since road side repair is less of an option. Another thing you might want to consider is a spares kit (belt hoses, fuses, tools to install), because the kind of folks you go camping with would be glad to help in a pinch.

 

A5scott- I live in Ridgefield, CT and would love to know what mechanic you took it to! What are their qualifications as Rover mechs? With the exception of one guy who has a reasonable rover knowledge base, I did not think there was one around here.

 

Hey matt3502,

I took it to Marty's motors, on danbury rd.

92 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877-4020
(203) 438-0485

he worked on it twice... first job was the plugs/wires/coil, and second job was water pump and power steering pump.

i'm not sure of their qualifications, but they weren't sketchy about working on it, and did it quickly.

I think he did a good job diagnosing, and once he had the parts, a couple days later, it was finished in one afternoon.

i hope this helps!


scott

 

You are probably okay with your oil pump but yes get an oil pressure guage, that's something I've been meaning to do myself. If you are really worried about it, have him inspect the gears. If they are cracked, you can get a gear replacement kit from atlantic british for about $100.

 

Savannah if the oil pump gears are cracked, is that an indication of the oil pump/dowel pin error of the 03's. Or could it just be that is it time for the pump to be replaced?

Thanks

 

Bringing back the dead...


For the '03 disco oil pump problems...

Should I be good to go with the new gear pump assembly swap? Any work needed to recondition the timing chain cover? or do they usually need the whole shootin-match... timing chain cover and new oil pump gears.

just learned about the front driveshaft deal... waiting for one from utah... should be all good

thanks

scott