Hello all first post on the site. Stoked to be a new member here.

I just picked up a 2003 Disco 2 currently sitting a bit above 39k miles. It is in incredible condition and I haven't found really any major flaws.

That being said it is a 20 year old car. What is my checklist to go through and make sure everything is up to speed. Wondering what should be rebuild, fluids checked and changed, etc...

Totally new to land rovers so would love to know what you guys think.

Thanks!

 

Now is your chance to post your first photos. Congrats on the find!

The LR Shop Manual has an excellent check list of general maintenance items, as well as previous threads on this forum (it is a fairly long list with lots of details).

 

I'd start with changing the oil, unless you know when it was last changed and how many miles ago. Coolant and brake fluid deteriorate with age, so they should be next. The other fluids - transmission and the lube for all three diffs (front, rear and center) are less susceptible to deterioration with age.

 

Congrats on getting one before it really needs any maintenance and you do the preventative on the things that will go bad. Read the stickies at the top. Do the PCV mod and inline thermostat mod first. Suggest you read all the blog post on Extinctmotorsports.com, especially the pressurized cooling system post.

D2 issues mostly come down to these:

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
   3. Idler pulley bearings
   4. Front driveshaft ujoints - lack of grease zerks and heat shield on the ps converter cooks the grease. Failure mode is chirping at low speed at first that eventually progresses to flying apart and breaking the transfer case and transmission housing ruining both. Replace DS with one that has grease zerks and remove every oil change and grease zerks as well as centering ball.
   5. 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
   6. Alternator brushes, slip ring, and bearings – good for about 225k
   7. Starter – dc motor brushes wear out about 200k
   8. HVAC fan – dc motor brushes wear out about 200k
   9. PS pump bearing wears out – 250k+
   10. AC compressor bearings - 150-200k. Salt exposure affects this.
   11. Valve cover leaks - for some reason the bolts work loose with miles - install blue loctite and tighten.

1. 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 - remove headliner and drive for several weeks with it out to find and seal all the leaks.
   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. Inline thermostat and running the cap one full turn loose from full tight and you should never have a problem
   5. Overheating due to faulty thermostat - no Land Rover design is immune, inline mod is the most reliable.
2. Age related issues - due to environmental degradation
   1. Brake master cylinder reservoir leakage - seal ages, cracks, and leaks. Anything other than DOT 4 fluid accelerates it.
   2. Plastic cooling system components - res tank, radiator tanks, plastic lines, hoses
   3. Ignition coil failures
   4. Rubber boots - axle, ball joint, tie rod end - spray with fluid film to prevent drying out and cracking and tearing
   5. Spark plug wires
   6. Interior fuse box circuit
   7. Sunroof leaks related to cracked tubes
   8. PS pump gasket leakage
   9. Brake booster
   10. Power seat issues - crap in the tracks results in thermal overload on the motors and switches.
   11. Cracked cowl panel – paint with bedliner to prevent degradation
   12. Cracked A and C pillars – paint or wrap with vinyl
   13. cruise control hoses
3. Maintenance related issues - totally preventable
   1. Rusty frame
   2. Stuck rear door handle due to rust - coat with Maxima chain wax
   3. Door check straps popping - lubrication related - lube with Maxima chain was to prevent.
   4. Oxygen sensors- these are almost always related to blown headgaskets

 

great list! thanks for putting that together. it may need to be moved to the Sticky Section.

 

congratulations! and, welcome to the club.

 

It's a 2003. What was the mileage range for the oil pump destruction issue for that year?

 

It's funny....I dream of finding one like this and what I would do. I would take the heads off and surface them and also raise the compression a little. machine the valve seats properly and clean up the valves. Both of these were totally botched at the factory. You wouldn't believe how much better it will run with a little more compression and proper valve sealing. With the valves sealed and properly you won't get carbon on the stems and they won't stick also. The heads develop leaks because the aluminum shrinks. That's what alum castings do. they should be shrunk before machining but they shrink over time and heat cycles. once you fix them, they are good for life. What color is it and how much did you pay for it?

 

Good catch! Add that to the list Extinct put together, and you should be set.

Lastly, it is absolutely critical to get an Ultragauge, scan gauge, phone application, or whatever to read coolant temps. Aside form the ‘03 having oil pump explosion issues, temps are the #1 killer of engines in the D2.

 

This is great. I also have an approx 40k mile D2 (2000) after owning a bunch of them with tons more miles. Mine had a good service history (in writing) so I knew what had / had not happened. All great advice above in the thread. I you are really curious, I could pull the list of what I actually did but ... my recollection is here is what I did to mine as soon as I bought it:

- New thermostat
- Replaced all cooling lines and clamps w/ new genuine LR except the 2 heater core hoses in the rear. New coolant in system. You may even still have the original upper radiator hose with the old style breakable / super crappy bleed screw. Mine did. Eek.
- Replaced throttle body heater unit and 2 small rubber in/out hoses with upgraded parts (brass heater instead of the stock pot metal JLR crap one)
- New hood/windshield cowl (cracked plastic, a trim item)
- oil change
- brake fluid flush
- Used my Nanocom to go in and 1) disable super locking and 2) code in an EKA code so I could get in the car if remotes died
- Replaced drivers door latch as it was making a weird noise after unlocking, preventative as I know that noise means it's about to fail
- Replaced rod between drivers door key hole and latch with metal Carrs 4x4 rod
- Replaced both rear air suspension airbags (mine has SLS)
- Replaced ACE block filter and replaced power steering / ACE fluid (syringe method from reservoir)
- Replaced PCV valve with "mod" (google it on here ...)
- Replaced 2 rubber exhaust hangers
- Replaced rear step (7 seater) shock absorber (it was falling down)
- Replaced upper tailgate seal (leaking when parked)
- New sunroof seals on both sunroofs (preventative for water leaks)
- Replaced all 8 foam rubber seals on the roof bars attachment points left and right with new seals I had on hand (preventative for water leaks)
- Removed both sunroof units and resealed between plastic frame and roof body with sikaflex
- New genuine LR shocks front and rear, mine were sloppy from age (big improvement, I was surprised that they'd be bad with only 40k, but apparently the age has a similar affect to road mileage)
- Removed headlamp washer bottle and cleaned it out, needed a new washer pump. Gunk from sitting around at the bottom clogged it up. Headlamp washer pump still worked.
- Replaced windshield washer nozzles on hood (heated I believe?) and new washer tubing unit genuine from LR from bottle all the way to washers
- Pass side Idler pulley under belt tensioner making noise - Idler Pulley Discovery II & P38a Rr 70mm - PQR500060 genuine
- New serpentine belt

What I did not do due to low mileage...but checked / was fine in service history:
- Front Driveshaft
- Trans oil change
- Front and Rear diff changes

If you ever have questions or want to chat, I know these trucks inside and out and have a recent special focus on the low mileage one. Happy to help. DM me.


When I got it had California chrome wheels.

I've since put on accessory Mondial wheels that I sourced and had refinished to stock color.