Hello Rover fans, I am new to LandRover and this forum. I purchase an 04 Disco with 93k on the clock. The car looked clean with a good service history and receipts. I drove it home about 200 miles without issue. I filled it up with premium gas and had the oil changed Mobil One 10w-30 yesterday. That is all. In total have driven 250 miles.

Here is my timeline:
2-20-18 - purchased car drove 200 miles (put in premium gas) - no issues
2-21-18 - drove car to work and back 25 miles (filled tank up premium gas) - Service Engine Light Came on
2-22-18 - Left car at mechanic to change oil and replace low beam headlight bulbs, took car to get emissions tested (failed emissions and they broke the gas door so it will now not close.
2-23-18 morning- Wife drove car 6 miles roundtrip in the morning - service engine light on
2-23-18 afternoon - I go to start car and notice that service engine light has now been joined by the abs, traction control and downhill descent lights. I believe this is the 3 amigo problem. I turned car off and drove my other car.

Would changing the oil cause this problem? What should I do next. I feel like I have made a mistake with the purchase of this vehicle. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am located in Nashville, TN. I think I am going to take it to Ed's British 4x4 in Brentwood next week.

Thoughts??

Thanks,

Corey

 

Not likely that it would.

What codes are coming up? If you don't know pick you favorite auto parts store most all of them will pull codes for free and have them read them.

Let us know what they are.

 

Was this from a dealer or private seller? I am sorry to say but it sounds like this car had issues before you bought it. Unless you are married to this, you should try and get your money back. Seller only gave you the service history and receipts they wanted you to have.

 

The good news is that you didn't mention the truck running rough or overheating. The three amigos is an easy fix, plenty of threads in that, The check engine light could be a thousand different things but until you have the codes its impossible to say what it is.

It was mentioned before that you should have the codes read at an auto parts store, do that. And while you are there just buy a code reader, this will not be the last time you truck throws a code that much I know without a doubt. More good news is that you can work on this truck, they are remarkably uncomplicated. Its just a GM motor from the 1960's. Download the RAVE manual and get a simple 140 piece + mechanics tool set and you will be able to handle just about anything the motor can throw at you. Now if you pay someone to work on it every time the check engine light comes on the bills will stack up quick and it won't be cheap. A $50 part DIY job in your driveway can easily turn into $200+ job at a mechanic. They charge by the hour by "the book". It doesn't matter if it takes 15 minutes to swap a sensor or part, if the books says 2 hours you"ll pay the hourly rate plus marked up parts cost.

 

 

You didn't check for codes before you bought it? And chanced a 200mi. drive home? I guess you had a safety net of money to make sure you got home. You HAD the oil changed? Did you lose your tools? If you think you're gonna be an owner of a D2 who doesn't have a code reader, and you're gonna get by depending on an idiot light on the dash and ask questions on a forum, then you better be prepared to throw a ton of money at a mechanic for every little thing that needs attention, and you might as well get another vehicle for all the time it will spend there. But please don't waste our time.

Since you're here, maybe you are the type who will do your own work, so get a $15 code reader on amazon and the free app for your phone to work with it, and take it from there. 10w30 synthetic is not the best choice for these trucks. It's all covered here. Start doing some reading.

Sorry if I'm not showing enough patience to a new owner, but there are a ton of people jumping in to these trucks b/c they're not holding much value, and then jump on to a forum and ask questions without doing their due diligence first. I get the vibe that this guy is one of them, bc he "feels like he made a mistake" due to a cel on a notoriously high maintenance 14 y.o. truck! Please tell me I'm wrong roverguyintn. If I'm right, you did make a mistake, go get a Jeep and take it to the mall.

I'm also in snowflake overload, feeling like this country is getting ready for the big flush soon, so my apologies..

 

WjSJ69 go easy lots of young guys don't want a jeep, but don't realize how maintenance intensive any new 4x4 is. I don't know about you but I come from the era where tuning dual Webber side draft carbs were as complicated as car got.

But to ROVERGUYINTN you need to get a code reader modern cars early 90's on use the computer for everything. You need to read and lookup the codes to figure out what is going on. Way too much emissions gear and too many computers on a newer car or truck, the gas cap not being tightened correctly can throw a code and turn on the check engine light.

These trucks require regular on time maintenance not 6 months later.

Number 1 biggest thing is coolant temps and the cooling system, the dash gauge is completely useless. And basic bluetooth code module as mention above will give accurate temp reading.

All aluminium engines will suffer greatly from overheat - warped heads and possibly slipped liners.

WjSJ69 although a wee bit rough has a valid point this not a Toyota or Nissan you need to look after it. But that said even if you have never turned a wrench there is tons of room in the engine compartment to work. It easy an easy engine to work on in the grand scheme of things.

Get the RAVE manual and dig in, you may find it both rewarding and therapeutic to do your own work.

 

ROVERGUYINTN, please excuse this guy. He is obviously very unhappy about something and it’s not about your questions. He probably yells at hourly employees at fast food restaurants too, you know the type.

Anyway good luck getting you truck fixed. It won’t be as bad as you think.

 

The codes are going to be key to helping you trouble shoot and you will need to erase the codes after the fix because they will not go away.

I would recommend purchasing a code reader as your next investment for the Disco, there is enough brain power on this forum to walk you through any issues if you are willing to turn some wrenches.

 

Thanks guys for the help, I really purchased this vehicle on a whim. I was looking at new 4Runners which I love, but $42000 compared to what I paid for this is a know brainer even if I spend 5 to 10k to get it right. I have 2 other vehicles, so I can fix this one as needed. I am not the most mechanically inclined, but can do some stuff myself. I am realizing that this vehicle will have gremlins and to expect them. This vehicle is simply a weekend off-roader for me. I appreciate all help in answering my plea for help. I am currently on vacation and will pull codes when I get home...I am going to buy a scanner. I will keep you updated on my progress. I also look forward to meeting some of you guys at events.

Thanks,

Corey