Honestly if you want a hassle free rover, get an LR3. Expensive things happen to them, but they usually aren't show stoppers. Usually.

I've got nearly 190k on mine and I just towed 7500lbs of rover and trailer for two hours with no hiccoughs. I'd have been afraid my d2 would have coughed up a liner or at least a head gasket trying to do that.

 

I am in love with this light green '03 that I found with 89k on it which they say needs an oil pump. they are asking 3600 but have made it clear that they will make a deal. what if I got it and just did the HG anyway first thing that way I can know the state of the block right away. as much as I want one I wouldn't mind dedicating myself to it's maintenance. did anyone else on here have an '03 or '04 and want to chime in on this?

 

If I could get the 2003 for $2500 or so, I'd personally take the gamble... but realize that it is a gamble.

I'd get a exhaust gas in the coolant test kit from autozone and try to confirm no headgasket or cracked block issues. If that checks out ok, then I'd put a new front cover on it (maybe just the gears), and new water pump, all new hoses, a new thermostat, and a new fan and clutch. Heat is the enemy of these things, and I think sometimes slipped liners are from engines that run just a little too hot for too long, but not so hot the run in the red on the gauge.

 

You'll be busy enough catching up on the high mile service... Wait till the HG fails before you tackle it.

If you are attentive at all you will see it coming long before it damages anything.

Find out how long it's "needed" an oil pump, what the symptoms are and why they didn't fix it.

Presumably low oil pressure and or oil light coming on/staying on at startup.

You'd want to change the timing chain/gears and get a good look at the condition of the cam shaft while you have the front cover off.

 

that's all good stuff! thanks a lot you guys are quick..

 

you mean remove the valve covers as well I assume? what kind of wear am I looking for on the camshaft? I'm thinking you can't see much of it with just the front cover off, right?

 

still curious if the 4.0 block is interchangeable with the '03 4.6

 

The oil pan has to come off to remove the front cover.

Cam wear shouldn't be a problem unless it was ran with low oil pressure and too thin of oil for too long... Or the PO changed the too thin oil every 10k at jiffy lube. Just a good thing to eye ball when you can since you have a known oil pressure issue.

 

Yes. Bare block is the same. Crank/Rods/Pistons are different. Front cover has a couple of versions, usually depending on things like oil cooler or pressure switch type (production date, basically). Heads may or may not be different, depending on with or without SAI.

EDIT: you can put a bosch 4.0 where a bosch 4.6 was or vice versa.

 

First, there are no absolute guarantees in life. Whatever maintenance you do on the truck once you have it can't undo years and miles of neglect. That's why I mentioned the need for as complete a service history as you can get. Carfax is good but it's not the end all in automotive information. Insist on as much history as you can when you're getting down to the brass tacks of buying one of these trucks.

If you're fortunate enough to find a well cared for Rover with a detailed history that you can use as a starting point and you an vigilant about upkeep while you own the truck you may very well see 200K. I've taken apart Rovers with that and more. I'm seeing DII's approaching that mileage and they're still doing their thing. So, it's not out of the question. However, just like someone on this thread already said, buy the truck as cheaply as you can with the knowledge that at any time regardless of your care, something catastrophic may go wrong.

Who knows, you might buy a clean Rover with relatively low mileage and have it for the next ten years. Maybe you're on the verge of becoming a Rover fanatic just like so many of us here on LRF. It might be that all you will see for a long time are small problems that can be solved easily on the weekends and you may derive a great degree of satisfaction from working on the truck.

I'm of the opinion to own one of these trucks, you have to be, at the core, an optimist.