High mileage high rpms going up steep incline
 

Hello Everyone!

first off I want to say I love this website and the help a lot of you have given. Second is that I'm not good with cars. I keep up with maintenance, service, oil changes, the service engine light goes on and I get it taken care of as soon as possible. That being said, I have started to learn more and more about my 2000 discovery series ii and am slowly learning how to take care of the mechanics of it myself.

question 1: I have been trying to figure out which diagnostic scanner I should buy, I was thinking the AUTEL AL619, will this work for my car out of the box or should I get something else?

second question: I just got my car serviced and about 500 miles later (on Christmas Eve) my service engine light soon came on. My mechanic with the holidays was closed on Monday and with my busy work schedule I haven't had time to see him and get the codes (hence why I want a scanner).

today, when driving up my steep hill to my home in rural California, my car (the 2000 discovery series ii) seem to stay at or just under 3000 rpms even in the straight away. Normally it shifts up and then down when I go back in the incline. I know my car has 156k miles. Anyone know what could be the problem?

Things that I have gotten done to it recently:
- Serviced
- new front brakes 9/30/16
- Transfer case replaced 12/20/16
- Rebuilt transmission (OEM) 9/30/16
- Valve cover gasket replaced 12/20/16
- Power steering pump replaced 12/20/16
- Oil leaks fixed 12/20/16
- Water pump replaced 12/20/16
- And a few hoses 12/20/16

Lastly, I've had her since 50k miles. So reliable and best drives I've had on my dirty road. She has convinced me Land Rover is the way to drive out here. Should I cut my loses and start looking for a new girl, or should I keep her going?

"better the devil you know than the devil you don't"

I just wish I knew what was up with her lately

Who rebuilt the trans? Sounds like there's something not right. There should be a warranty of sorts with it and I'd call and ask them about it. ZF transmissions are typically very reliable, but if it wasn't built properly or filled with enough fluid, it won't shift right.

If your throttle position sensor is not working right, the transmission can't discern the load and shifts at pre set points. It will also shift abruptly and not down shift properly. Is it shifting abruptly?

Down shifting properly. No abrupt jerking. I do have a warrentee for my transmission. It's actually being towed to the shop as we speak.

I tried driving it again and had the same problem going down hill this time. I really do believe it is the tranny. But I'll keep everyone updated

There should be a "sticky" at the top of this page titled...

"How to avoid meeting the disco devil...period."

Brian.

A couple of things spring to mind:

1. You just spent a ton of money on this car. I wouldn't sell it. It is imperative that whoever is doing the work is a reputable Rover specialist so you're not burning money.

2. If you live rurally, with 156k on the car, it may be prudent to pick up a second vehicle if finances allow. It can relieve the pressure of daily driving an older vehicle when you're dependent on a mechanic for service.

3. For the most part any code reader will work for you to get obd2 trouble codes. Many folks on this forum will not drive a Discovery without an ultragauge permanently connected in order to monitor engine coolant temperature. they're about 40 bucks. most auto parts stores will read your codes for you and sell you the reader so you can do it yourself.

4. Shifting issue. Have you looked under the hood to see if you're losing fluid? I had a transmission cooler line blow off early in my ownership and once henfluid level got low there were engine codes and all kinds of weird shifting behavior from the transmission. http://www.roverparts.com/techtips/transmission_automatic_fluid_level.cfm
You just paid for a rebuilt transmission. This feels like it should be warranty work to me.

without the codes it's really hard for us to help. Does the car idle smoothly? If this were me, and I was somewhere without access to a code reader I'd pop the hood, check the fluid levels, look for obvious things like spark plug wires that are not fully seated, disconnected wires etc. You've only done 500 miles since a major amount of work on your car and even good mechanics are human and can make mistakes.

Lastly, you didn't mention what happened that caused you to need a new transmission and a transfer case. As someone said a little earlier, the transmissions are quite tough in these cars, as is the transfer case. The transfer cases leak, but typically just need a reseal.

156K? I got mine similar to your milage and I thought soon I'll loose her but check this post where a rover reached 308K and 225K and still enjoying their trucks
https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...j-81978/page3/

You have serviced/replaced few essential parts and only having 156k, you'll still enjoy that truck for a long while. As the posters earlier mentioned use a scanner and warranty at this time.

R. booth - Checked fluids, read that somewhere a long time ago and whenever something arises. No visable leaks or damage to any hoses. I wish I could afford a secondary car. That is actually the goal of 2017 to help take the driving strain off of this one and have more of a town driver. And the transmission was rebuilt because it started punching into gears and not shifting fluidly. At first I tried replacing all of the fluids and making sure that they were at the proper levels but I still had the same problem. I can't remember exactly what the mechanic said, but the day I drove to him, she enter limp mode and I barely made it there. Transfer case, I slowly over the years felt a vibration increase as I was driving at 60-70mph. My figuring was the strain that I had been putting on it as my daily driver.

I'm on my way to the mechanic now to get the codes. I'll inform you guys when I get them!