Hi everyone, new here and looking at purchasing my first Land Rover. The vehicle in question is a 03 Disco II within the dreaded VIN range for possible oil pump failure and engine detonation. I've read a good half dozen posts on the web regarding this issue and the cost of replacing the engine. My local service department has told me they are aware of the problem and to this date there is no fix for the defect. I've been told there is no way to correct the improper placement of the dowels that mount the oil pump in the block. I've also read some posts saying that a replacement oil pump can correct the problem. Is this so? Is there a part number for a newer oil pump that doesn't run the risk of failure?

Can anyone give an accurate idea of how many of the 03 engines have failed? Are all engines within the VIN range eventually going to implode or is it still a rare event?

Sorry for all the questions. I've done a few hours of searching online and phoned multiple dealers, including Land Rover North America, but have had no definitive answers as of yet. I would love to buy the truck as it is exactly what I am looking for but I really don't want to be picking up front cover pieces off the road when the engine decides dissect itself.

Thanks for your time...

 

Is the Disco you are interested in at a LR dealer?

Either way, take the VIN to a local dealer, have them look it up, and they can tell you where it was purchased and maintained... You can also contact that dealer and ask them for the service reports, which would include any problems related to the oil pump failure... They only thing you can;t have is the owner's information...

If the engine was going to fail, it would have failed within the warranty period and would have been covered... I have yet to find one that was in the VIN range (or near the range) and fail outside of the warranty... If any one else knows differently, please, chime in...

 

jmrivera,

Thanks for the reply. I phoned LRNA and ran the VIN through them. All recalls have been performed, but no engine replacement or failure has ever occurred. The truck is a private sale and well out of warranty and into the 60K miles range. Most of the problems I've read about are on lower mileage trucks. The VIN range affected looks to be almost 40,000 trucks, yet I've only read about a dozen stories of engines failing. I would assume that means most failures have occurred, like you said, under warranty and have been remedied properly. Guess it would be a bit of a risk to still purchase the truck, but you could say that about just about any vehicle with 60K on it.

 

Unfortunately a new pump will not fix the issue. The issue isn't necessarily the pump itself, so getting a new one will not fix it. If you replace your pump before the failure happens you can post pone it, but then you're just guessing when it's going to happen. You can save the engine if you see your oil light come on and IMMEDIATELY shut off the engine and then have it towed to a shop to put in a new oil pump.

To be honest though, I'd rather look at an 04. Not having to worry about the issue is worth the little extra money you'll have to spend for me. Also the 04's have the factory CDL lever installed :P

 

Ok, here is the scoope, the dowel pins on the engine block that the front cover aligns with are out of alignment, the oil pump is housed IN the front engine cover.
Over time the extra stress on the oil pump will wear out prematurly. If you replace the front engine cover and oil pump before it grenades you have have bought yourself some time. It will wear out again.
The only 100% fix is a brand new engine not affected by the defect.
No, not all have gone out during the warrenty period.
Most fail around 50,000 miles.
Just because you dont hear about it doesnt mean it doesnt happen. When it does go some people have it fixed at a indie shop, others take the truck to a junk yard, some sell it and others still put up a fight.
Just because it is in the VIN# range does NOT mean that the engine is bad, but the odds are against you.
I dont know about you, but I dont have $7,000 to gamble with.
The safe bet is to avoid the '03's all together.
If you do buy it and buy a extended warrenty, the warrenty will not cover the engine failer. LRNA will not cover the engine, the dealer wont cover it...YOU will cover it.
If you bought the truck brand new and always had it serviced at the dealer then yes they would cover it, even out of warrenty. But you are buying it used, buyer beware.

 

I'm reviving this thread because I'm looking at an '03. Haven't checked it's VIN yet, but I'm wondering if this is still an issue to worry about now? Seems like all these affected trucks should probably have died off by now? What do you guys think? Still a concern?

 

What mileage? If it's over 100K, then you're fine. Plenty of other things to check over but the oil pump should be good if the motor made it that far.

 

I have a 03 with 80 k miles and my oil pump just went
mechanic told me today it was worn so there you go
when I bought the vehicle I called landrover and no work was done to the pump
mine falls between the bad vin

 

The one I'm looking at (although maybe not anymore) has 133k.

 

If you have an 03 D2 or are looking at one the chance of it having an issue with the dowels or front cover = You'd have a better chance of winning the $50,000,000.00 Power Ball Lottery. It was either done before the D2 was sold, shortly after or if by some miracle it made it past that a previous owner or independent shop fixed it. Most 03's I saw that arrived when the issue arose = didn't make it out of the PDI without having the front timing cover swapped. Those that did drive off the lot and died ended up with 02 RR 4.6L engines that most of the dealerships had in stock at the time (which meant some RR owners got a D2 engine lol).

I have owned probably 5 03 D2's (2 were brand new, 1 was LR Certified Used, and the other two were well over 100K when I got them. My first 03 was not in the VIN range, and I put around 180K on that one without even a HG job. It ate a few sets of OEM spark plug wires, a purge control valve, and an airbox lid. My second 03 did fall into the VIN range, but I was told it was fully inspected and good to go. I got around 160K out of that one with once again nothing besides brake pads, a radiator (hit a deer). I then traded it in on yet another 03 which was the LR Certified Pre Owned one. I was told it had a completely new engine installed at 4,500 miles. It had 25K on it when I bought it. That D2 was very badly treated by my G/F at the time & it some how made it to over 100K before I traded it in.\

D2's are not getting any younger, so finding a well maintained one is getting harder and harder. If it's not in good shape two things have happened. #1 no TLC from previous owners, and repairs done poorly (zip ties & duct tape...). Then #2 is just overall time & age. Oil pumps can wear out on any engine, and mechanical issues can crop up on anything.

If I ever come across another 03 Adriatic Blue D2 with a black Interior = mine lol