My buddy is looking at a 95 Disco. He test drove it and said it drove great but has a few problems. The truck has 69,000 miles on it but the engine was just rebuilt about 2500 miles ago. The previous owner had let the truck sit for 4 years before finally selling to the current owner.

There are two that he mentioned that really raised flags in my mind.

1. SRS light stays on. I know that indicates a problem with the airbag system. Will a code reader diagnose a code for the airbag? What kind of things cause that light to stay on?

2. Seller says the power steering bushing just went out and is causing it to leak power steering fluid. Is there such a thing as a power steering bushing and if so where would it be located?

He is taking it to a mechanic tomorrow to find out any other problems but thought I would get some insight from the Disco gurus so I can givve him an idea what he can expect.

 

Only the dealer can read the air bag codes. Could be as simple as needing new sensors in the bumper or as bad as needing new air bags.

As for the power steering leak...I do not know what bushing he would be talking about. At least not one that would cause a leak.

 

Unfortunately my buddy is not very knowledgeable when it comes to details like the power steering bushing. I have never heard of a power steering bushing and he couldn't give me much information. I'm thinking it is a seal in either the pump or the gear. He has limited mechanical experience and since he is in Phoenix I was not able to go with him and check out the vehicle.

I kind of thought that the SRS would be require dealer intervention.

 

It always makes it harder to help when they dont know much, you kinda have to "dumb it down".
It is probally a leaking PS hose, very common on Rovers. But when he has it looked at they will beable to tell him for sure.
How much to they want for that truck, did he say?

 

a vehicle can function with the airbags removed if it comes to that... i'm sure replacing them would be expensive... but more than likely its just a sensor or something unless the vehicle hit something and was repaired... improper repairs could cause a code to show up...

my power steering has leaked since i bought my rover... found a loose connection and tightened it up... it still leaks but its a manageable one... if the truck only has 69k miles and the motor was just rebuilt then he probably wont have the issues common with the higher mileage rigs like most of ours...

 

It is listed for $3500 but the seller said he would lower the price because he had a blow out and now needs at least one new tire.

 

Well because of the SRS issue I would offer them $2500. I do not think it would pass state inspection with bad air bags.

XD-Buy a quart of ATF with a stop leak, as you need to *** power steering fluid add the ATF with stop leak, the leak will stop.
Just dont use any more than about half of the quart though.

 

I found out that the engine was rebuilt because the wife of the previous owner, who was the primary driver, did not bother to change the oil. I was curious why a engine with 69,000 miles needed rebuilt but that explains it.

Looking at Arizona title and registration rules, a vehicle purchased in the state does not require anything other than an emission test. When I lived down there and had my emission test done I never even had to get out of the vehicle. I could have had every indicator light on the dash illuminated and they wouldn't have known. I really don't think that the SRS light will be a problem for registration. My buddy did mention removing the air bags if he decided to use it as an off-road toy in the future which I will try to talk him out of anytime he mentions it. He seems to think that air bags are bad things. He still thinks that a Rover is just like a jeep but he'll learn eventually if he buy it. I have actually seen airbag module being sold online for reasonable prices. I'm figuring by the fact that the airbag isn't deployed it is probably a sensor.

 

Just heard from my buddy that was looking to buy the Disco mentioned here. He said the mechanic found a lot of problems and strongly recommended against buying it. He said the power steering was spraying fluid, not just leaking. One of the steering linkages was bent and made turning to the left difficult at best. And there was a lot of play in the rear driveshaft. I told him that the play was probably caused by a bad roto-flex coupler and would be an easy fix but with the other problems it wasn't worth it. The seller must have ben feeling generous and said he would come down to $3000 after he found out what was wrong with the truck.

This is the third Discovery he has looked at, 2 96s and a 95. All of them turned out to be junk but all were asking top dollar. Must be an Arizona thing, trying to get top dollar for junk just because it is four wheel drive.

 

I do not even remember how many I looked at before I found the right one, but I know that I cannot count them on two hands.
9 months I searched, tell him to just take his time and hold out for the right one.