No, this is not a restaurant review.

I have a '99 Disco II w/ 107,050mi. I've owned it since last July.

Almost every time I refill the gas tank (and I always check the gas cap) I will get the Service Engine Soon (SES) light for a relatively short time then it goes back into hibernation. The other day I drove over to Mountain Home, AR, (60 miles west of us) and because I was a little under a 1/2 tank, I stopped at a mom 'n pop gas station (although it was on the main road) and pumped 14+ gallons of premium. I stopped because it seemed convenient but once I filled the tank and went inside to pay I could see that it was not a very popular gas stop. Anyhow, I did my "big city shopping" and headed back using a different and less travelled route.
About 15-20 minutes down the road, I could feel the vehicle bucking and hesitating slightly, and sure enough, the SES lit up. Another 5 miles and the engine began running even more roughly and the SES began to blink. Well, I'm in the stix here and there is no place to stop...plus it was cold! To make a very long story into just a long story, the SES went from blinky-blinky to constant-on and back to blinky-blinky all the way back home and I was barely able to coax it in the last 10 miles (this return route was 68 mi). My assumption was that I filled it with bad/old/wrong octane gas (pump was marked 93). The next day I decided to drive it down to the nearest store (4.5 miles) and buy octane booster
but I was only 1+ mile when out SES which wasconstant-onwent back to blinky and the engine began running more roughly than ever. Then my overheat light lit up and the temp gauge nearly pegged! I had already decided to abort when the SES went back into blink mode and the engine was barely running, but it was the overheat light that shocked me. The day before, the engine temp was perfect to Mountain Home and and back even with the misfiring (I can't swear to the final 10 miles as I was sweating getting it home--the temp may have gone a little high but I do know that the overheat light did
NOT light up). Obviously, I was out of coolant but I couldn't see any on the ground, although I'd parked on a dirt/gravel part of my driveway and the ground was very wet so it is hard to tell.

So, what happened? Will bad gasoline do this? Did the misfiring blow a water jacket or head gasket? Will draining the tank, purging the fuel system (and how do I do that?), and refilling fix it? I live in the stix and the nearest Land Rover techies are almost 3 hours away (Memphis or Little Rock). Also, I don't really have a place to drain 20-some gallons of gasoline. Is there an easy way to have the gasoline tested.
Do you know any good lawyers?

This is really bad timing as I have to head to Florida for a week (not a
vacation trip). When I return, I'd love to see the perfect solution for
my situation here.

No, I'm not taking Rover...and I just put $700 of Nitto Terra Grapplers
on him last Thursday!

Sorry for the long chatter but the more you know the better the answer
will be.

Thanks in advance...

 

I can't help you with all of your questions, but I can start the process of elimination:

-Get realistic and focus on the real issues. A lawyer for what? To sue a "mom and pop" station? You think they have any money or insurance to cover this? That's not an option for you in this situation especially since any resolution from this route would take a very long time.

-Obviously taking this to a Rover shop is also not an option. Can you find a reputable independent shop for all makes locally?

-Can you find or buy a siphon at a hardware store? That's the easiest/cheapest/quickest way to get gas out of the tank.

-Unless you put diesel or water in your tank the results you got are not from gas. I just saw a story about a gov't org. that does gas station random testing for octane and dispersion rates. Somebody does it, just not sure who you could call.

-Bottom line-you need to find a shop to pull codes first!

 

Go get your codes read at a local auto parts store, then call me with the 4 digit numbers and lets talk.
303-862-7680
Colorado any day before 8 pm

 

Could be the tanks were rusting through, getting moisture in them. A can of iso heet should kill the bad gas issue after you siphon out the old stuff.

As for your overheat and misfire condition, that's gonna be Mike's expertise with the codes!

 

IF you got bad gas you need to buy fuel stabalizer and put that in your tank, it will freshin the gas. Top off with new gas when you put the stabalizer in.
There was a recall on the LR gas tank and they were replaced with plastic ones, so rust should not be a issue.
If you were low on coolant and it overheated my money is on a blown head gasket. The coolant is getting into your cylinders and the internal combustion engine likes to run on gas, not gas and coolant mix.
I know that you were in the middle of no where, but when your check engine light flashes at you you need to stop and investigate before you blow something up.
If its going to be cold out then you need to pack a blanket, flashlight, cell phone car charger, hat and gloves. I dont know how cold it gets in AR, but you have storage pockets in the back of the trk for a reason.
12 mo of the year we have a blanket, Mag-Lite, machete, fox-hole shovel from the Army surplus store, recovery strap, 1 quart motor oil, phone charger, empty 1 quart water bottleand a umbrella. In September we add a hat, gloves and snow brush.
Hind sight is 20/20, you need to be prepared.
But I think that you have a coolant leak.
Have fun in Flordia, even though it is a buisness trip at least it is warm. It is 12 here, but the sun is out so it is a warm 12 degree's.

EDIT:We carry a first aid kit also.