First off, let me say I am not a mechanic nor have I played one on TV. However, I do know some basics. Over the summer we bought a 2003 Disco II with around 119,500K on it. Since purchasing we have attempted to get all the maintenance and leaks squared away. I recently took it a local mechanic who specializes in and LR and other European vehicles. He replaced the the valve cover gaskets and lifters. Made a few recommendations for future repairs and general information.
1. He recommended not using full synthetic oil and replaced the high mileage royal purple that was recently installed (after purchase) Mobil GTX synthetic blend(not sure on weight). My question is what is the right answer to what I should be running in Idaho?
2. He said there was some noise coming from a sleeve in one of the cylinders that did not need to be addressed immediately. It sound like a loud ticking noise and you can hear it easily when standing outside the vehicle. He said the fix would be to pin the the sleeves with a set screw. This would be done by removing the oil pan, drilling and tapping a set screw in each cylinder, back it with a nut and wire as to insure they do not move. He said it similar to bulletproofing done on diesels. Before I say go, is this the way to go?

Thanks for your help!

 

Here is a short story from someone that has paid to do "all the maintenance". It seems they all need some work here and there, no matter how much you do to them. Some people like to tinker and have a project, others get tired of paying shops to fix it.
https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...2000-a-109958/

Plenty of info on the forum answering your questions, but don't expect a 100% right answer as they're all personal opinion.

 

Hi Hensel, the good news is that both of your issues have been addressed quite a bit on these forums if you use the search function and limit it to the D2 forums you will find a TON of posts which offer more information than any one thread could address. Now, that being said to respond to your questions (to the best of my knowledge):
1) The typical "go-to" oil you will find around here is a 15W-40 shell rotella which is technically a diesel oil but these old Rover V8's with their large clearances seem to like it, plus there is more zinc in it which protects the cam lifters better. I see that you are in Idaho so you might want to go a little lighter in the winter depending on your seasonal temperatures.
2) Pinning the sleeves is an option for a slipping sleeve. Somewhere on this forum is a fantastic walkthrough with pictures on how to do this but it's pretty involved.
3) First step to bullet proofing after initial fixes would be Extinct's superb inline thermostat mod, it's posted at the top of the forum and is the absolute best $80 you can spend on your Disco.

 

He is correct on pinning the cylinders although they will run for many thousands of miles potentially without having that done. Eventually the ticking cylinder will probably result in a blown head gasket. I also agree on his oil recommendation generally, in ID you should use 5w40 or 0W40 motor oil in the winter, 15w40 in summer months.

 

Thank you for your feed back!

 

Thanks again for the help! i think I will move forward with the sleeve work as well as the inline thermo kit. Where is the best place to but the kit? What temp thermostat?

Thanks again!

 

https://inlinethermostats.com/land-r...38-inline-kit/

 

You might want to check the work order on the valve cover and lifters job. If he did the lifters he also replaced all of the intake / valley gaskets getting in and out of there. Or should have. And missed a "easy" opportunity to replace the plug wires.

 

I had my cylinders pinned last summer, the best thing I have ever done in my 10 years of owning them. I usually just tolerated it, but I decided to spend the $2k to get it done. It turns out it is generally only the drivers side that needs doing. I am pretty handy, and do everything myself, and given a warm garage and more time I probably could have done it myself. But this was the one splurge on this truck, there is some likelihood of causing more damage when drilling. The shop that did mine in NJ has done tons of these. He is like a savant of rovers, identified a bad O2 sensor by hearing a stumble that was virtually undetectable.

As said above, there is not bullet proofing a 2 yr old vehicle. mine have done pretty well, never left me stranded. The inline thermostat in a necessity. new hoses and radiator while you are at it? maybe a preemptive CPS replacement? Check the master and slave cylinders for rust? I had one leak via rusting through.

 

Check out the tips and mods in the sticky at the top of the D2 forum: https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...s-here-102491/
Specifically, start by doing the very simple PCV mod; install an inline thermostat; replace the coil packs, spark plugs, and wires; perform Option B; flush the power steering system and fill it with a high-quality fluid (e.g. Pentosin); and replace the oil in both differentials and the transfer case.
Most importantly, realise that you can do all the mods you want, but you won't have a reliable vehicle unless you keep up with the maintenance.