You guys are going to a hell of a lot of trouble to correct something that is not really a problem. The original PS pump only has one significant flaw and one wearing part. The flaw is the OEM rear cover gasket which is easily replaced. The wear part is the front bearing which is also relatively easy to replace and doesn't even usually wear out till over 200k miles. Occasionally people will crack the rear cover by overtightening one corner instead of progressively tightening all the corners, but a used part can correct that.

Kinda like the LS swap....

 

I disagree - it appears to be a problem if Brandon318 has gone through 5 in one year, I’ve gone through 2 in the past couple years, and several other people I know have had nothing but trouble recently with leaks and noisy pumps. Regardless of how the original design was good, it’s starting to become apparent that aftermarket companies do not seem to be able to build these pumps reliably anymore. And since there is no more factory replacements, it starting to look like the only realistic replacement is a common pump that was not for this vehicle.

As for the LS swap, everyone knows that the Rover V8 in these Discos was not the best. It started fine, but by the end of the Disco run they were down to pretty questionable blocks. Head gaskets are basically routine maintenance, the liner issues are troublesome and pinning can hardly be considered much better than a makeshift solution. Top-hat liners are a very expensive way to fix some issues and get the same power out of an inefficient power plant. The LS is an improvement for basically every Rover V8 problem. I’d suggest driving a well-done swapped one - you would be surprised how nice it is to drive.

 

You are probably right, what do I know. I've only sold dozens with engines that run fine and ps pumps that do not leak. But maybe I am just lucky

 

I think everyone is aware that Extinct does a great job at rebuilding them. Not sure I've ever seen anyone question that.

But I wonder, are yours any more reliable long term? Are your repairs going to lasting any longer than the it did new, or probably less? Isn't part of the reason these things have such a terrible reputation, is because of the lack of reliability of the OEM components? Did you find a way to give the OE stuff a 3-5mpg boost, more horsepower, or more reliability? I think your thermostat mod was a step up in reliability, but are you doing anything else to your rebuilds that improves upon the original design in some other way, so as to help eliminate the other myriad of issues? I think we'd all be interested in hearing them if you care to share. But if not, why beat up on those that are, and do?

In all reality, the trucks you sell are going to be just as problematic as they always were, sorry to say it. Others of us look at these Disco's, and see great bones, but with a bad heart and ancillary systems. Besides which, they were a Frankenstein hodge podge of parts from different manufactures and ideas to begin with (BMW tranny, Buick engine, boat style control layouts, etc...).

So, many of us ask the question, why not rebuild better than OE, doesn't this truck warrant it? To me, it does, it's got a fantastic foundation, and just needs a lil TLC and re-engineering to make it better than most anything else out there. When I modify this thing, I kinda feel like I'm carrying on the tradition of borrowing the best available parts, from the best sources, that LR started to begin with.

I'll have to admit, I'm confused by those taking issue with continuing the tradition of building something better, more reliable, more powerful, and more economical. I honestly thought Extinct had missed April fools day, and was trying to crack a joke, until I saw that last post, lol. Haha, Silly me

 

Well I can't tell you all my secrets

Certainly support the concept of improvement in general, was merely attempting to bring perhaps a rational approach to the issue at hand, as well a general perspective on "improvements" that cost significantly more than a simple repair. If not obvious so far I am generally anti-throwing parts and $$ at problems instead of rational troubleshooting and problem solving.

For the PS pump, there are gasket kits available, and replacement of the front bearing will resolve the noisy bearing issue. If it is beyond a persons skills or tools (a press is needed), a competent shop can surely do it.

For the LS swap - to each their own. Is it a power bump, sure. Do I need my Disco to have as much power as my Camaro - eh. Do I want to spend $5k over the cost of the LS rebuild and the cost of a Disco motor to get 80 more HP, not really. That's another whole Disco. More reliable? I guess, but I have two over 230k with original motors in them, so what does "more reliable" buy me for my $5000? I could probably buy 10 good quality LR motors for that amount. Then I have spares. Mileage improvement? eh, maybe. like re-arranging the deck chairs on the titanic. Drove a 2022 Jeep four door wrangler last week as a rental (occasionally I sample the competition). 23 mpg average on round trip down to Charlotte with 260ish hp. Still have the wind noise, rough ride, death wobble of a Jeep, that turbo four got me thinking about better power plants. But it would take a very long time to pay for a 6 mpg mileage improvement, even at $4/gallon (probably close to 100k miles, and even I haven't put that many miles on a single Disco)

I have loads of issues with some of LR's decisions, like the quality of the taillights on 03-04's, the cowl material, the factory SAI tubing, the CPS cover, and many others. But some components should probably be treated as wear parts (radiators, coolant tanks) and were we can't get adequate replacement parts (PS pumps) maybe we need to consider rebuilding them instead of $100's of dollars and hours engineering a replacement.

As far as the trucks I sell, the sunroofs will never leak, the CPS will likely never fail (haven't had one do it yet), the wear parts will eventually wear out but it will be a very long time. Not everyone wants a project, but for those that enjoy a good project I will continue to offer advice on how to spend as little money as possible. Or just throw more money at it, either is good with me.

 

I'm not putting a horse in this particular race, but I would be very curious how you've turned the CPS issue into something that will likely never fail.

 

Thought I'd post some of these numbers, just for fun....industry standard when considering the average parasitic HP and torque loss on passenger vehicles from the power steering pump, while driving at speed down the highway, not turning, is 8-10HP. It's assumed to be a bit more with larger tires and heavier vehicles, especially while turning.

So for less than the cost of a new LR power steering pump (around $250), you can have that power back, as well as it's correlating mpg gains, by upgrading to an electric pump. Not to mention the now peaceful feeling you have knowing you will no longer have to source 3-6 power steering pumps a year (according to some of our forum members).

And for those who are curious, the HP loss from an alternator is 0.4 to 0.6 while at full charge, at idle. That includes vehicles with electric fans, water pumps, and power steering, doesn't matter to an alternator.
A water pump steals 8-10hp, and a clutch fan robs a ridiculous 18-20hp across the power band (and that's just the standard duty ones, not heavy duty).

I have an E-fan installed, and noticed an immediate power and mileage gain. I will make a full write up of it soon as I used a different setup from what I've seen others use, but suffice it to say, it was well worth it.

For most gear heads and classic car guys who are into doing this kinda stuff, the acceptable average for dollars spent per HP gained, is around $20-30 per hp. Anything you can do to gain back HP that is less than that, is considered a cheap upgrade. So with a lil math, even using expensive parts, you are at $25-30 per hp gained for an electric power steering pump, not to mention the reduced wear on the engine itself by freeing up the load, and mpg gains. If you can find an E-pump at a local yard and do the swap for less than $250, your benefits would only get better from there.

An E-Fan upgrade of about $200, would work out to be $10 per hp gained, do a much better job of cooling the engine, with more mpg, and quicker acceleration, as another bonus. That's cheap HP and reliability right there...

 

My guess is that the two original motors of yours were probably early 4.0s. Like I said, the earlier ones are better. The 03-04 4.6s are trash. Sure you could buy 10 used Land Rover engines for $5k, but they still are going to have all the same flaws, make 188 lazy horsepower, chew down gallon after gallon of gasoline, and that doesn’t account for the time loss and frustration from ripping the engine out again to replace some random part. 10 engines doesn’t translate to reliability, it translates to a bunch of wasted time repeatedly replacing something that should have been built better in the first place.

The problem is you say that “some components should probably be treated as wear parts” but in reality, on most vehicles, those would never be wear parts. For example, coolant tanks — not exactly a wear item on most modern cars. A lot of these are flat out design flaws or flawed design decisions — like the radiator in the Discovery which is undersized compared to what it should be. Why settle for parts that have issues at all and require makeshift solutions when better options are available / can be developed?

Point is that with a Rover V8, the Discovery will never be a ‘normal’ automobile. There will always be something broken, about to break, or leaking. With the LS, you don’t even think about it, because it doesn’t even flinch. Just smooth reliable power. Since the install was ironed-out years ago, I haven’t had the check engine light come on once. I disconnected my Ultraguage unless doing something specifically strenuous- its not necessary as the LS has significantly more coolant capacity and doesn’t have the temperature spikes. My Disco is a joy to drive, simply because I don’t have to think about the engine while I’m driving. I can just focus on driving. Piece-of-mind and dependability is one of the best attributes a vehicle can have.

80 more horsepower is a transformation. Driving a lifted Disco with 188 hp in a city on a freeway with 32 in tires and a bunch of gear in the back is not fun. Short freeway on ramps were a disconcerting experience. The 4.0 would simply not have enough torque to get out on the road. In comparison, the LS rarely requires a downshift. Frankly, the Disco always should have had this much power at least for the US market - it’s a much better experience. Similarly before, I’d be lucky to get 12 mpg. With the LS, it’s at 14-14.5 and I bet it will get a bit better when I go to electric fans. And the LS can be setup to run E85 if available. A 20-30% increase in mpg with gas at $4 will actually pay itself off fairly quick. Once again, I’d highly suggest driving a swapped one.

The next generation of rebuilds on Discovery’s are not going to be factory replacement parts unless its something unique (like a low-mileage G4 or Kalahari). Like the Defender rebuilds, they will start to all get better-than-OEM replacements (LS, R2.8 diesel, electric). The days of the “nuts and bolts to exact factory specification restoration” are dwindling. The “restomod” era is here, and rightfully so, because people want to be able to drive their dream vintage car/truck everyday and not worry about all the problems they always had. Not when better options are available.

Alex, you can cover the CPS shield with aluminum foil to reflect the heat. Another better-looking solution might be to use heat reflective paint or heat reflective tape.

 

Sea level or close to (even rural Appalachia) doesn't quite get the struggle of how much lack of power these have at elevation. Running around the rockies is borderline unsafe on the highway with a 4.0 even with a cam as there isn't enough power to get up and pass anyone let alone maintain speed limits up grades. Drove one of my discos back east for the holidays a few years ago and yea that 4.0 did fine, fully loaded it ripped around all over VA and WVA with relative ease compared to home in CO..

That said no dog in this fight but any way to bump power to the rover motor has my attention. I'm curious as to your e-fan set up Mtn, I know it's been done a bunch but I never really cared for most of the solutions I saw.

 

My PS Pump just started leaking. Is this a good source for the gasket/seal kit? (Like Extinct, I’m looking for a low cost east option).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/161492375299
It doesn’t include the bearing. LRCAT doesn’t seem to list any of these parts. Can someone suggest a bearing part number and source?