2004 Discovery / 4.6L engine regarding longevity
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Drifting
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
2004 Discovery / 4.6L engine regarding longevity
Hello!
I recently picked up a 2004 Discovery that was in good overall shape and had been pretty well maintained throughout it's life but had a broken front prop shaft and the previous owner decided to sell it and upgrade into something newer with better fuel economy. I've replaced the front prop shaft and have it back up and running. Besides a few little small issues the truck is really in pretty great shape with only a minor oil seep from the valve covers. The head gaskets were replaced at the dealer when it had 80,000 miles as well as the water pump / throttle body heater etc.. The engine now has 136,000 miles and I hear no abnormal sounds or ticking from the engine indicating any problems and the coolant system pressure is good. I really like the truck and want to turn it into a weekend camping rig but am worried about some of the engine problems I have heard about, mainly cracked / porris block and issues with slipped liners. I am a VW / Audi technician and also have access to a shop so maintaining the vehicle is no problems even if I need to change the head gaskets every 80k. The cost of a good top hatted engine however is a bit much for me to swallow cost wise. So my question is, is it a matter of if or when when it comes to some of the problems the 4.6L engine block can have? It looks like the truck was built in late 2003 so not a late model 2004. I am trying to decide if I should sell the truck for a profit as it is currently in great shape or turn it into a weekend camping rig. I'd hate to put $3,000 worth of off road / camping accessories just to find out later that I will need to replace the engine.
Thanks for any input or advice!
I recently picked up a 2004 Discovery that was in good overall shape and had been pretty well maintained throughout it's life but had a broken front prop shaft and the previous owner decided to sell it and upgrade into something newer with better fuel economy. I've replaced the front prop shaft and have it back up and running. Besides a few little small issues the truck is really in pretty great shape with only a minor oil seep from the valve covers. The head gaskets were replaced at the dealer when it had 80,000 miles as well as the water pump / throttle body heater etc.. The engine now has 136,000 miles and I hear no abnormal sounds or ticking from the engine indicating any problems and the coolant system pressure is good. I really like the truck and want to turn it into a weekend camping rig but am worried about some of the engine problems I have heard about, mainly cracked / porris block and issues with slipped liners. I am a VW / Audi technician and also have access to a shop so maintaining the vehicle is no problems even if I need to change the head gaskets every 80k. The cost of a good top hatted engine however is a bit much for me to swallow cost wise. So my question is, is it a matter of if or when when it comes to some of the problems the 4.6L engine block can have? It looks like the truck was built in late 2003 so not a late model 2004. I am trying to decide if I should sell the truck for a profit as it is currently in great shape or turn it into a weekend camping rig. I'd hate to put $3,000 worth of off road / camping accessories just to find out later that I will need to replace the engine.
Thanks for any input or advice!
Last edited by Joelhimself; Mar 16, 2017 at 04:42 PM.
TReK
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,186
Likes: 200
From: Linden, NJ
Well, finding out later is the risk all of us are taking. Its an old truck. It also depends on how you will maintain it from here on. Like what you said that its in pretty good shape. Adding more accessories and off road stuff is much on your preference. I dont think you need all those stuff just for camping unless you are really going to extreme places but you need another rover to back you up.
Gerry
Gerry
Mudding
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 161
Likes: 17
From: Atlanta, GA
I've got an 04 with 204,000 miles on it that I bought 14 months ago with 165,000 on it. If they are properly maintained then you can have a solid vehicle on your hands. People will tell you that maintaining them is the key. It's what most of the second and third owners neglected to do and then you wind up playing catch up. I use mine as a daily driver and it's never left me stranded. BUT...
The caveat is that even if it's been properly maintained you have a 13 year old vehicle on your hands. Over the past year I've rebuilt and replaced all of the parts that wear on a car. Battery, starter, alternator, brake pads, rotors, springs, shocks, the entire cooling system (hoses, thermostat, radiator, overflow reservoir) plus a dozen other things that I can't recall at the moment.
Was I surprised by any of this? No, I knew the rover was 13 years old when I bought it and knew I would do those things proactively so that it wouldn't leave me stranded. You are a tech so I'm guessing you know this already. If not then welcome to some reality. That's why people have problems, they want to pay for the vehicle and then not worry about maintenance. It comes with these vehicles, you can ignore it but at your own peril.
I decided when I bought it to bring the mechanical side of it back to spec before I started in on the fun stuff. And I'm plugs, wires, coils and valve gasket covers away from being there. I like working on cars so this has been fun for me. Plus I have one freaking cool *** vehicle and a ton of first hand experience in working on it. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Most of the questions and repairs you will ever have can be answered by downloading the RAVE manual and using the search function on this forum. Most of it has all been addressed before and if not then this is a great group willing to answer questions.
But my 2 cents and 14 months and 40,000 miles of experience is that your 04 Rover is one solid vehicle that won't let you down. Provided you keep up your side of the bargain by maintaining it beyond just changing the oil. Make up a list of engine/vehicle perishables. You know, like the hoses, belts, and mechanical items that wear with time (starter, alternator, water pump, brakes, shocks, etc). And then buy and install new parts every month at a pace you can afford. Do this for a year and you have an extremely reliable vehicle.
I'm really looking forward to this year. 2017 will be my year of bumpers & rock sliders & winches & roof rack & lights (oh the lights!). By the time December rolls around I'll be set up exactly as I want. And I'll have the pride of knowing that I've done 90% of the work on it.
I think at 136,000 miles that if your block were going to crack it would be cracked by now (liner slip, call it what you will). Get it pressure tested and then you will know for sure.
Other than that, have fun with it, maintain it, put some gear on it and be 50 times cooler than those Jeep guys could ever hope to be. Oh, and if I could only get you to do two things it would be to replace the thermostat with a factory 180 thermostat and change your oil and filter on a regular basis with a quality oil.
The caveat is that even if it's been properly maintained you have a 13 year old vehicle on your hands. Over the past year I've rebuilt and replaced all of the parts that wear on a car. Battery, starter, alternator, brake pads, rotors, springs, shocks, the entire cooling system (hoses, thermostat, radiator, overflow reservoir) plus a dozen other things that I can't recall at the moment.
Was I surprised by any of this? No, I knew the rover was 13 years old when I bought it and knew I would do those things proactively so that it wouldn't leave me stranded. You are a tech so I'm guessing you know this already. If not then welcome to some reality. That's why people have problems, they want to pay for the vehicle and then not worry about maintenance. It comes with these vehicles, you can ignore it but at your own peril.
I decided when I bought it to bring the mechanical side of it back to spec before I started in on the fun stuff. And I'm plugs, wires, coils and valve gasket covers away from being there. I like working on cars so this has been fun for me. Plus I have one freaking cool *** vehicle and a ton of first hand experience in working on it. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Most of the questions and repairs you will ever have can be answered by downloading the RAVE manual and using the search function on this forum. Most of it has all been addressed before and if not then this is a great group willing to answer questions.
But my 2 cents and 14 months and 40,000 miles of experience is that your 04 Rover is one solid vehicle that won't let you down. Provided you keep up your side of the bargain by maintaining it beyond just changing the oil. Make up a list of engine/vehicle perishables. You know, like the hoses, belts, and mechanical items that wear with time (starter, alternator, water pump, brakes, shocks, etc). And then buy and install new parts every month at a pace you can afford. Do this for a year and you have an extremely reliable vehicle.
I'm really looking forward to this year. 2017 will be my year of bumpers & rock sliders & winches & roof rack & lights (oh the lights!). By the time December rolls around I'll be set up exactly as I want. And I'll have the pride of knowing that I've done 90% of the work on it.
I think at 136,000 miles that if your block were going to crack it would be cracked by now (liner slip, call it what you will). Get it pressure tested and then you will know for sure.
Other than that, have fun with it, maintain it, put some gear on it and be 50 times cooler than those Jeep guys could ever hope to be. Oh, and if I could only get you to do two things it would be to replace the thermostat with a factory 180 thermostat and change your oil and filter on a regular basis with a quality oil.
Thread Starter
|
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
I've got an 04 with 204,000 miles on it that I bought 14 months ago with 165,000 on it. If they are properly maintained then you can have a solid vehicle on your hands. People will tell you that maintaining them is the key. It's what most of the second and third owners neglected to do and then you wind up playing catch up. I use mine as a daily driver and it's never left me stranded. BUT...
Nice see
The caveat is that even if it's been properly maintained you have a 13 year old vehicle on your hands. Over the past year I've rebuilt and replaced all of the parts that wear on a car. Battery, starter, alternator, brake pads, rotors, springs, shocks, the entire cooling system (hoses, thermostat, radiator, overflow reservoir) plus a dozen other things that I can't recall at the moment.
Was I surprised by any of this? No, I knew the rover was 13 years old when I bought it and knew I would do those things proactively so that it wouldn't leave me stranded. You are a tech so I'm guessing you know this already. If not then welcome to some reality. That's why people have problems, they want to pay for the vehicle and then not worry about maintenance. It comes with these vehicles, you can ignore it but at your own peril.
I decided when I bought it to bring the mechanical side of it back to spec before I started in on the fun stuff. And I'm plugs, wires, coils and valve gasket covers away from being there. I like working on cars so this has been fun for me. Plus I have one freaking cool *** vehicle and a ton of first hand experience in working on it. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Most of the questions and repairs you will ever have can be answered by downloading the RAVE manual and using the search function on this forum. Most of it has all been addressed before and if not then this is a great group willing to answer questions.
But my 2 cents and 14 months and 40,000 miles of experience is that your 04 Rover is one solid vehicle that won't let you down. Provided you keep up your side of the bargain by maintaining it beyond just changing the oil. Make up a list of engine/vehicle perishables. You know, like the hoses, belts, and mechanical items that wear with time (starter, alternator, water pump, brakes, shocks, etc). And then buy and install new parts every month at a pace you can afford. Do this for a year and you have an extremely reliable vehicle.
I'm really looking forward to this year. 2017 will be my year of bumpers & rock sliders & winches & roof rack & lights (oh the lights!). By the time December rolls around I'll be set up exactly as I want. And I'll have the pride of knowing that I've done 90% of the work on it.
I think at 136,000 miles that if your block were going to crack it would be cracked by now (liner slip, call it what you will). Get it pressure tested and then you will know for sure.
Other than that, have fun with it, maintain it, put some gear on it and be 50 times cooler than those Jeep guys could ever hope to be. Oh, and if I could only get you to do two things it would be to replace the thermostat with a factory 180 thermostat and change your oil and filter on a regular basis with a quality oil.
Nice see
The caveat is that even if it's been properly maintained you have a 13 year old vehicle on your hands. Over the past year I've rebuilt and replaced all of the parts that wear on a car. Battery, starter, alternator, brake pads, rotors, springs, shocks, the entire cooling system (hoses, thermostat, radiator, overflow reservoir) plus a dozen other things that I can't recall at the moment.
Was I surprised by any of this? No, I knew the rover was 13 years old when I bought it and knew I would do those things proactively so that it wouldn't leave me stranded. You are a tech so I'm guessing you know this already. If not then welcome to some reality. That's why people have problems, they want to pay for the vehicle and then not worry about maintenance. It comes with these vehicles, you can ignore it but at your own peril.
I decided when I bought it to bring the mechanical side of it back to spec before I started in on the fun stuff. And I'm plugs, wires, coils and valve gasket covers away from being there. I like working on cars so this has been fun for me. Plus I have one freaking cool *** vehicle and a ton of first hand experience in working on it. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Most of the questions and repairs you will ever have can be answered by downloading the RAVE manual and using the search function on this forum. Most of it has all been addressed before and if not then this is a great group willing to answer questions.
But my 2 cents and 14 months and 40,000 miles of experience is that your 04 Rover is one solid vehicle that won't let you down. Provided you keep up your side of the bargain by maintaining it beyond just changing the oil. Make up a list of engine/vehicle perishables. You know, like the hoses, belts, and mechanical items that wear with time (starter, alternator, water pump, brakes, shocks, etc). And then buy and install new parts every month at a pace you can afford. Do this for a year and you have an extremely reliable vehicle.
I'm really looking forward to this year. 2017 will be my year of bumpers & rock sliders & winches & roof rack & lights (oh the lights!). By the time December rolls around I'll be set up exactly as I want. And I'll have the pride of knowing that I've done 90% of the work on it.
I think at 136,000 miles that if your block were going to crack it would be cracked by now (liner slip, call it what you will). Get it pressure tested and then you will know for sure.
Other than that, have fun with it, maintain it, put some gear on it and be 50 times cooler than those Jeep guys could ever hope to be. Oh, and if I could only get you to do two things it would be to replace the thermostat with a factory 180 thermostat and change your oil and filter on a regular basis with a quality oil.
Last edited by Joelhimself; Mar 16, 2017 at 04:21 PM.
Mudding
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 161
Likes: 17
From: Atlanta, GA
You won't have any issues then. They really are work horses when you get them back up to date on maintenance and a lot of fun to drive.
I envy you having a lift! It will definitely make your life easier.
Mudding
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 126
Likes: 7
Not speaking on the 4.6 variant, but my 99 has 313k miles on it and still runs strong with no odd noises to speak of. The last owner had it since 160k and never did the head gaskets and it shows no signs of needing them even with at least 150k miles on then. It may be a unicorn, but when I bought it, it was 3 quarts low on oil and had burnt crust on the dipstick. Some Rotella in it and it's back to fine health. Best of luck!
Thread Starter
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Drifting
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Not speaking on the 4.6 variant, but my 99 has 313k miles on it and still runs strong with no odd noises to speak of. The last owner had it since 160k and never did the head gaskets and it shows no signs of needing them even with at least 150k miles on then. It may be a unicorn, but when I bought it, it was 3 quarts low on oil and had burnt crust on the dipstick. Some Rotella in it and it's back to fine health. Best of luck!
Rock Crawling
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 469
Likes: 193
I'll pretty much backup everything else that has been said. Once you get up to date on the maintenance, these are really solid trucks. The only time I needed a tow truck was when my crankshaft position sensor went out, but it was my fault. I had known it needed one for a month or so and had a spare in the box, but hadn't gotten around to changing it yet.
I spent the year replacing mechanical items and just got to the "fun stuff". We just got back from our first big camping trip and it was definitely worth it. For a camping / off-road weekend rig I am firmly convinced that you can't beat a Disco.
As for the 4.6 engines, if it hasn't had a problem to this point, it probably won't.
I spent the year replacing mechanical items and just got to the "fun stuff". We just got back from our first big camping trip and it was definitely worth it. For a camping / off-road weekend rig I am firmly convinced that you can't beat a Disco.
As for the 4.6 engines, if it hasn't had a problem to this point, it probably won't.
Thread Starter
|
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
I'll pretty much backup everything else that has been said. Once you get up to date on the maintenance, these are really solid trucks. The only time I needed a tow truck was when my crankshaft position sensor went out, but it was my fault. I had known it needed one for a month or so and had a spare in the box, but hadn't gotten around to changing it yet.
I spent the year replacing mechanical items and just got to the "fun stuff". We just got back from our first big camping trip and it was definitely worth it. For a camping / off-road weekend rig I am firmly convinced that you can't beat a Disco.
As for the 4.6 engines, if it hasn't had a problem to this point, it probably won't.
I spent the year replacing mechanical items and just got to the "fun stuff". We just got back from our first big camping trip and it was definitely worth it. For a camping / off-road weekend rig I am firmly convinced that you can't beat a Disco.
As for the 4.6 engines, if it hasn't had a problem to this point, it probably won't.