Hello all, new member here.

I've been pretty interested in getting a discovery for some time now, and think I have found one that appears to be a reasonable deal, albeit with some questions.

The first thing I'm most concerned about is the lack of records from the seller, of which there are none. He's had it for a year and a half or so I believe, so not sure what there is prior to his ownership.

Secondly, the entire cooling system was replaced (rad, water pump, thermostat, etc) not too long ago. The seller indicates that he came out morning and there was a big puddle under the car, but from my prior understanding of how these things typically fail, I'm not sure that would all of a sudden happen absent of any prior symptoms. Am I fair to assume that the engine likely overheated in this case, or is what he described something that's been observed before?

I've been reading a bit about common failure points, especially with the 4.6 engine. I'm not sure what I can really do here to do my due diligence on the engine besides havinh it checked out by someone who's familiar. There's also a bit of an oil leak, I haven't checked it out in person to get under the car yet to see where it's leaking from.

Any feedback or tips would be appreciated, thanks!

 

Pretty unusual for something to fail while parked, but not inconceivable. I would recommend signing up for a mycarfax.com account and putting the vin in their and then look at the service history.

Read the stickies at the top of the forum. Search for the other pre-buying threads. A few recommendations, first two are key:

1. Frame rust - behind rear wheels. This is number one, most expensive repair by far and most shops will not do it.
2. During pre buy inspection, get the engine fully warmed up. You will want to check and see if it ticks at idle when warm. If it does there are two possibilities:
   1. Slipped liner, not gonna cause the engine to blow but a major repair to correct and most shops won't even do it. You can do a search.
   2. Low oil pressure, could cause major engine failure. Due to three possible reasons (requires disassembly to determine which one it is):
      1. Cracked oil pump gears. Fairly common, not super difficult repair but front of engine has to come off. Parts not expensive.
      2. Walked cam bearing. Pretty significant repair. Most shops will not want to do it, they will want to put in a rebuilt engine.
      3. Worn rod bearings. Rare, but same outcome as #2.
3. If it is an 03-04 it is quite easy to check the oil pressure on the engine during a visit/test drive. Remove one bolt, screw in mechanical gauge fitting and you are good to go. Same can be done for 99-02 but the fitting is harder to get to. The other possibility is to screw on an oil filter adapter but the owner would have to be ok with your removing and re-installing the oil filter to do it.

Everything else is repairable. Here is a rundown of the common problems:

1. Wear related issues - you can't prevent these, they are mostly use and time dependent, the good news is most items in this category last at least 130k, when some start going bad.
   1. Hubs - around 200k
   2. Door lock actuators (lifetime is cycle limited). - usually start having issues around 140k
   1. Idler pulley bearings
   1. Water pump - bearings wear out and then it leaks coolant - these only last about 50k or so. Either change regularly or keep a close eye on the coolant level and under the truck for coolant leaks
   1. Alternator brushes, slip ring, and bearings – good for about 225k
   2. Starter – dc motor brushes wear out about 200k
   3. HVAC fan – dc motor brushes wear out about 200k
   4. PS pump bearing wears out – 250k+
   1. AC compressor bearings - 150-200k. Salt exposure affects this.
2. Design related issues - these can potentially be prevented.
   1. Oil leaks due to plugged valve cover baffle. Do PCV mod in sticky
   2. window regulators - lack of lubrication - remove door panels and grease
   3. sunroof leaks due to pan design gaps and resulting headliner and sunroof motor issues
   4. Blown head gaskets and slipped cam bearings - most likely related to overheating related to the plastic cooling system components leaking all the coolant out.
   5. Overheating due to faulty thermostat - no Land Rover design is immune, inline mod is the most reliable.
3. Age related issues - due to environmental degradation
   1. Brake master cylinder reservoir leakage
   2. Plastic cooling system components - res tank, radiator tanks, plastic lines, hoses
   1. Ignition coilfailures
   1. Spark plug wires
   2. Interior fuse box circuit
   3. Sunroof leaks related to cracked tubes
   4. PS pump gasket leakage
   1. Brake booster
   1. Power seat switches
   2. Cracked cowl panel
   3. cruise control hoses
4. Maintenance related issues - totally preventable
   1. Rusty frame
   2. Stuck rear door handle due to rust
   1. Oxygen sensors- these are almost always related to blown headgaskets

 

Good concise write up. This list would be a good sticky post.

 

On the frame rust - use a magnet I discovered an epoxy repair on my rear frame. If it had been patched I would not be looking a dropping the gas tank. It is small but annoying.