I'm in the market for a D2. I know 2004's have a CDL ready to go. For 2001-2003, I've read some just need a CDL linkage kit while others need the linkage kit plus a transfer case upgrade. How can a newbie figure out what a D2 has/needs prior to buying?

 

1999 and 2000 always have it on the transfer case (assuming it's original), and you can add a linkage to activate CDL. some 2001's do as well. I'm not really sure when the changeover was as I have seen 2001's with the CDL nipple, and some without (but I did not ever look at build dates)

Then, most if not all 2002 and 2003 do not have the nipple on the transfer case. so you have to swap components and add to the transfer case, this is not something I've ever done.

And then 2004 has the nipple on the transfer case and the linkage in the car to activate CDL

(google or search here to tell how you can figure out if your transfer case has the nipple - it's on top, kind of something you need to crawl up under the car and feel on top of the right spot on the transfer case to verify)

 

Ooh, I think this is a topic that isn’t covered very much as I am VERY particular about options.

First, to answer your question re: CDL. You are correct in that it was only offered from the factory in ‘04. However, in typical Rover fashion, the capability was there for some of the early years. A scoshe of history on that is the D1 had it for all years. Rover were awful proud of their traction control system initially and thought they didn’t need a CDL. They were wrong. Anyway, they never removed the internals or even the “nipple” on the t case from ‘99-part of ‘01. For those years, there are zero modifications needed to the T case to add a CDL, and technically you could reach under the vehicle and turn it on. There are kits from Ashcroft and Lucky 8 and probably a couple others that could add it in, but most opt for simply adding in the linkage from a wrecked ‘04. This is what I’ve done in the past and although there is a bit of cutting of the transmission tunnel cover, it’s not that big of a deal. Lucky 8 has a really good video for it. Here are some pics of the linkage and such:





Looks like spaghetti, but it’s really straight forward to get it in.



The best part? Zero wiring and the light comes on the dash. Friggin ridiculous. It’s the light to the left of the TC light. And this is an idiosyncrasy of the addition: you have to disengage it prior to shutting down, or you will get 2 of the 3 amigos if you don’t- despite there being no issue.



There is a VIN range somewhere I think that details the specifics, but it’s not an uncommon question to ask a seller. If they don’t know, you can just reach up from under and feel around for it.

Now the options part on a D2 is what I think is really fun. In my opinion, here are some of the ones that are prevalent and fun to look for:

- Rear AC
- 7 seats
- ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement)
- Harmon Kardon stereo
- Heated seats
- Air bags for the rear suspension
- Navigation head unit
- Heated front windscreen
- Parking sensors
- Towing harness
- Sunroofs
- Rear passenger video setup (exceptionally rare)

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Certain trim levels come with some or all of the above and most of it ends up being quite a la carte for a machine. Also, you will find some has been deleted over the years by cheap owners, or by those who don’t want things like air bags in the rear.

Each of those options has it’s own inherent idiosyncrasies and some are hideously expensive to repair. The best part of all of it is if you know how to wrench, there is a factory service manual called the Rave that is a must have and basically the Bible for D2 ownership. Either that, or you have a pretty massive slush fund for repairs as you WILL have work to do- and I don’t care if you buy a cream puff from Bring a Trailer for $40k.

I’m not going to get into things like cooling system issues, or front drive shafts, or other design flaws and such as that is another book’s worth of information and just use Google fu to find all that stuff out. I have determined if you wrench on your own and have a fairly healthy budget, it will take about a year to get one correct- regardless of condition at purchase- to resolve the ignorance and neglect of all the previous owners. My advice is buy one as close to stock as possible and spend the time to get to know the platform and modify to suit your desires from there. Buying a modified machine is a total crap shoot as the quality of the work could be all over the map. If you find a nut job like me, I keep as close to OEM as possible and am a total psycho for how clean wiring and such are. But many are lazy and just try to keep them running and do very suspect repairs.

I’d focus on your desires for the options above and go from there. Determine what options you can compromise on and those that are hard requirements. The best part is many can be added with nominal effort in many cases as the platform is so well known and documented at this point. For example, if it didn’t come with heated seats from the factory and you have leather, the elements and wiring are already there and you just need to add the switches. I’m not kidding. The heated windshield is similar in that that wiring is all there and the switch just needs to be added and it programmed into the Body Control Module. Air bags in the rear are an area of a lot of contention with folks. I love them, but most hate them. Enter the Rave to learn about the system and it’s components and determine if you want to deal with it, or know if it had it before and has been programmed out.

One last thing to consider as part of a purchase and just how deep you want to get into the platform is getting a high end diagnostic tool like a Nanocom. That will allow to you perform dealer level diagnosis and even do things like program keys. In my opinion, if you are going to keep one for a while, it is a hard requirement.

I’m on my 3rd D2 and have a parts truck that I’m probably going to restore as well. My first was an ‘01, then a ‘00, and now 2 ‘04s. Every single one has been similar but very different. Owning a D2 is a relationship and each machine is different. How it has been treated throughout its life will determine what level of effort is required to get one correct. As I said, a higher price does not denote a better machine. I paid a healthy premium for my latest ‘04, but I have still put a couple grand into it, and I’m about halfway there.

Hope that gives you a bit of insight.

 

My 2002 had the CDL spigot installed and the production date is 9/2001.

 

Just note, if you have to add the CDL and the vehicle you purchase does not have the "nipple", it's not a trivial modification to add the CDL (although it's totally do-able). You're not just adding linkage, but the whole nose cone of the T-case along with some kind of linkage. Here's a YouTube video I made describing how to add a 2004 CDL to a 2003 Disco.