2003 Disco II rebuilt engine cost
 

Well, the engine finally died. It was overheating with a couple of other issues arising (cruise control, heater not working).


What would it cost to install a rebuilt engine including labor (Seattle, WA)?




Thanks in advance!

10k plus. Your most price effective option is to source and put in a used engine. A lot of people go for the 4.6's out of p38 Range Rovers. You can also sort a new sleeved long or short block depending on the condition of your heads. You will find lots of threads on this as well, and the entire saga laid out for you.

My first question would be "what exactly happened to make you think it needs replacing?"
Possibly some rebuild in order, but full rebuild or replacement seems a bit extreme maybe.
Cruise and heater could be related to electrical issue, fuse box or BCU.
Vacuum for the cruise - hoses or diaphragm malfunctioning. I replaced my hoses and ended up having to replace the diaphragm and its worked ever since.

What shop were you taking it to and what exactly did they say died? I've been told I need a new engine maybe 4 times, only once were they right. While these can be costly to fix, they aren't any more expensive than any other engine to fix in reality, it's just that when certain shops see a Land Rover they assume their next boat down payment just walked into the shop.

Only something major like a cracked block would lead to you needing a new engine.

My usual rant
 

Don't get over your skis rebuilding a motor. Find one in a wrecked rover used for 500 bucks and put it in. I know a lot of us just love our lady's and want it to be right but spending 5 grand to build a motor for a truck worth 3 grand is....how shall I say this...dumb as hell.

Diagnose, Diagnose, Diagnose.

Did the heater not work at all or did it blow cold air?

Start with the cooling problem, if you have a head gasket problem you will lose coolant and/or have milkshake oil.

So start simple pull your dipstick and Oil filler cap do they look yellowish or light gray ? I bit of yellow on the cap is normal if you do short trips, a lot like paste is bad.

Were you blowing white smoke while driving ?

Have you had to top up the coolant a lot over time

At what point in an 'Old Vehicle Process' - does one start to put money into a vehicle that is only worth 3 grand? What if you're planning on keeping it for the long haul? At what point does an undesirable piece of metal become a barn find that someone is excited to find? I have mixed feelings over this.

Presently my vehicle needs the motor overhauled. It could use a good tune-up, the cooling system upgraded, probably a new power steering pump and maybe new O2 sensors. The valve cover gaskets are leaking and I need the transfer case resealed and topped up as well as a ball joint replaced. One of my calipers is sticking as well.

Last summer/fall it took over five months for 2 shops to not diagnose and misdiagnose an issue with the front cover and oil pump. Thank god for this forum for helping me figure out what the issue really was, asking the shop to take a look at the front cover and then replacing it.

I love my Rover and would like to keep driving it but have been having real struggles this past year determining when and if I should cut my losses and move on. A supposed safety check was done last fall and I was told that my Rover is structurally sound but does have the issue with the transfer case leaking and a bad ball joint on the driver side. I was given an estimate of $700 for the leaking transfer case and figured I'd get the ball joint looked at when I took it in for the brakes.

Right now I'm looking at trying to find someone who is interested in working on my motor and doing it right. I'd like to work with someone who has experience and knows what they are doing. I figured that $3000 would be an acceptable amount for the motor/cooling (me sourcing parts separately) and obviously the transfer case and ball joint, etc. would be done afterward. I have had quotes for rocker panel work as well and that was on my list of body work to have done this year at a body shop in town.

Perhaps I should cut my losses and just scrap it like some are doing. It's depressing to see people throwing vehicles away although I understand why they are doing so.

Looks like a drive by one and done OP...

To me it is worth spending the money because you can't buy anything new for near the money it takes to keep one of these running.

Once you spend the money and have a maintenance schedule in place you have a known quantity. Where you get in trouble with these is when you do pay $3 to 7k for someone elses deferred maintenance project.