I Thought My Disco Engine was Miraculously Healed - Wrong!
#1
I Thought My Disco Engine was Miraculously Healed - Wrong!
Here's the background. I have a 2003 SE with about 60k miles on it. I bought it in January of this year, and after driving it for about 500 trouble free miles, I did an engine flush, Seafoam treatment, and changed the oil. Soon after that, I started getting a pretty good engine knock at idle once the engine would get hot. I added an oil pressure gauge to rule out oil pressure issues since it is a 2003 (the VIN does NOT fall in the troubled range). The gauge showed good pressure at all times - never below 15 psi.
After driving with the knock for about 1500 miles, I took the Disco on my first extended trip and drove it about 350 miles one way. When I arrived at the destination, the knock was gone! I drove around for about 2 more weeks and probably about 1000 miles with no knock. I thought something miraculous had happend. However, yesterday the knock resurfaced. Same as before, only there when the engine is hot and it goes away when engine speed increases above idle.
My thought after all this is lifter noise. The knock seems to come from the top, driver's side of the engine. It is goes up and down with rpm, but either goes away or cannot be heard above 1200 rpm or so. Other than the knock, the engine runs smoothly and performs great. Is it possible for a lifter to stop pressurizing and cause a knock. And then over an extended period of operation (i.e. the 350 mile trip), the lifter starting pressurizing again? But now after a few hundred miles of city driving (probably 10 miles per engine start), the lifter is failing again?
After driving with the knock for about 1500 miles, I took the Disco on my first extended trip and drove it about 350 miles one way. When I arrived at the destination, the knock was gone! I drove around for about 2 more weeks and probably about 1000 miles with no knock. I thought something miraculous had happend. However, yesterday the knock resurfaced. Same as before, only there when the engine is hot and it goes away when engine speed increases above idle.
My thought after all this is lifter noise. The knock seems to come from the top, driver's side of the engine. It is goes up and down with rpm, but either goes away or cannot be heard above 1200 rpm or so. Other than the knock, the engine runs smoothly and performs great. Is it possible for a lifter to stop pressurizing and cause a knock. And then over an extended period of operation (i.e. the 350 mile trip), the lifter starting pressurizing again? But now after a few hundred miles of city driving (probably 10 miles per engine start), the lifter is failing again?
#2
hahaha. I have had the same problem with my 96'. I can't figure it out for the life of me. the only thing that i could come up with is that there is gunk on the bottom of the oil pan (from the flush) and on occasion it sucks up some of that gunk and plugs the pick up tube.
if you want you could drop your pan and check the pick up tube.
wish i had more info for you
if you want you could drop your pan and check the pick up tube.
wish i had more info for you
#5
The dealer's solution was to replace the engine. They said they'd check the top end, but digging deeper than that wasn't worth the diagnostic cost. With that in mind, I picked up a used engine out of an '04 that was wrecked. That's my insurance policy and also the reason why I'm still driving the vehicle and at the same time trying to figure out why the problem I described was temporarily fixed with an extended trip.
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on most "engine flush" type treatments they even recommend cleaning or changing the pick up tube from the oil pan to the oil pump. if you do a flush and all that crap that you flushed out doesn't come out the drain hole, it can cause a knock/tap. either change the oil again or clean out the pick up tube (which means and oil change anyway). This is not specific to Land Rovers.
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