Major Rover Anxiety
#1
11-27-2013, 05:00 PM
Major Rover Anxiety
Just aquired this 2004 disco II 2e7 in October and already having problems. She has 75k and looked excellent. Immediately my rear door wouldn't open, fixed that. Now that it has gotten cold my heater blows cold when sitting idle and made gurgle noises... coolant was low... added more... still no dice. Cold as hell. Windshield wipers won't work if it's too cold out either. After it heats up, the wipers will work. Now my CD player won't work... wtf!??? I seriously have buyer's anxiety right now. Bought it for 10 grand and now I am regretting it. Anyone have any clue as to wtf is going on here???
#2
11-27-2013, 05:41 PM
Welcome to the board!
First things first. Did you get your Disco from a private party or from a dealer? If the later, take it back and have them fix the issues.
If you got it private party:
1. Are you mechanically inclined if not do you have a trusty indie mechanic?
2. How low was the coolant?
3. Do you have a service history on the vehicle?
The gurgling sound probably means you have air in your coolant system and needs to be bled off.
There is a sticky article on the Disco II section on 60k service. Are you aware if any of the items there have been done?
First things first. Did you get your Disco from a private party or from a dealer? If the later, take it back and have them fix the issues.
If you got it private party:
1. Are you mechanically inclined if not do you have a trusty indie mechanic?
2. How low was the coolant?
3. Do you have a service history on the vehicle?
The gurgling sound probably means you have air in your coolant system and needs to be bled off.
There is a sticky article on the Disco II section on 60k service. Are you aware if any of the items there have been done?
#3
11-27-2013, 06:07 PM
Heat, make sure you are full of coolant and the system is bleed. what that means is their is air where coolant is suppose to be and that air is blocking the coolant from flowing through the heater core. Thus, you have to bleed off the air, you do that by raising the coolant res. and opening the air bleed screw. Then topping off your coolant. It is a 10 min job. remember to watch the coolant level on your discovery all the time.
Wipers, no clue.
10k was a very good price for the seller
Wipers, no clue.
10k was a very good price for the seller
#4
11-27-2013, 07:30 PM
That price wasn't horrible; there's a used car dealership locally asking $8500 for a '99-'02 in nice shape.
The wiper problem is very likely the wiper relay. It's under the hood in the relay box next to the coolant reservoir. Relays tend to act up when cold.
Here's an ebay search for them.
Here's a guy selling them for $5.50 used, which is quite possibly what I'd buy, especially since we aren't 100% certain it's the problem. I'd probly buy a couple and throw the extra in the glove box.
And BTW here's link to the shop manual for your rover. It's in the Discovery II section and called the "Discovery Workshop Manual" but you should also download anything with "Electrical" in the title. Just keep a copy in case your mechanic needs them.
The wiper problem is very likely the wiper relay. It's under the hood in the relay box next to the coolant reservoir. Relays tend to act up when cold.
Here's an ebay search for them.
Here's a guy selling them for $5.50 used, which is quite possibly what I'd buy, especially since we aren't 100% certain it's the problem. I'd probly buy a couple and throw the extra in the glove box.
And BTW here's link to the shop manual for your rover. It's in the Discovery II section and called the "Discovery Workshop Manual" but you should also download anything with "Electrical" in the title. Just keep a copy in case your mechanic needs them.
Last edited by dr. mordo; 11-27-2013 at 07:41 PM.
#5
11-28-2013, 06:34 AM
Welcome to the board!
First things first. Did you get your Disco from a private party or from a dealer? If the later, take it back and have them fix the issues.
If you got it private party:
1. Are you mechanically inclined if not do you have a trusty indie mechanic?
2. How low was the coolant?
3. Do you have a service history on the vehicle?
The gurgling sound probably means you have air in your coolant system and needs to be bled off.
There is a sticky article on the Disco II section on 60k service. Are you aware if any of the items there have been done?
First things first. Did you get your Disco from a private party or from a dealer? If the later, take it back and have them fix the issues.
If you got it private party:
1. Are you mechanically inclined if not do you have a trusty indie mechanic?
2. How low was the coolant?
3. Do you have a service history on the vehicle?
The gurgling sound probably means you have air in your coolant system and needs to be bled off.
There is a sticky article on the Disco II section on 60k service. Are you aware if any of the items there have been done?
#6
11-28-2013, 06:35 AM
That price wasn't horrible; there's a used car dealership locally asking $8500 for a '99-'02 in nice shape.
The wiper problem is very likely the wiper relay. It's under the hood in the relay box next to the coolant reservoir. Relays tend to act up when cold.
Here's an ebay search for them.
Here's a guy selling them for $5.50 used, which is quite possibly what I'd buy, especially since we aren't 100% certain it's the problem. I'd probly buy a couple and throw the extra in the glove box.
And BTW here's link to the shop manual for your rover. It's in the Discovery II section and called the "Discovery Workshop Manual" but you should also download anything with "Electrical" in the title. Just keep a copy in case your mechanic needs them.
The wiper problem is very likely the wiper relay. It's under the hood in the relay box next to the coolant reservoir. Relays tend to act up when cold.
Here's an ebay search for them.
Here's a guy selling them for $5.50 used, which is quite possibly what I'd buy, especially since we aren't 100% certain it's the problem. I'd probly buy a couple and throw the extra in the glove box.
And BTW here's link to the shop manual for your rover. It's in the Discovery II section and called the "Discovery Workshop Manual" but you should also download anything with "Electrical" in the title. Just keep a copy in case your mechanic needs them.
#7
11-28-2013, 10:40 AM
Rock Crawling
#8
11-28-2013, 10:49 AM
where are you located? those in your area can post up trusted rover mechanics
check stickies for required services... front driveshaft have grease nipples? Are you using rotella dinosaur oil? maybe keep a spare brake switch in the car. Get an "ultragauge" and keep an eye on the coolant temp, don't let it get higher than 225F or so or you could cook the head gasket. this forum is great... ask here and you should get some good answers
all the best
scott
check stickies for required services... front driveshaft have grease nipples? Are you using rotella dinosaur oil? maybe keep a spare brake switch in the car. Get an "ultragauge" and keep an eye on the coolant temp, don't let it get higher than 225F or so or you could cook the head gasket. this forum is great... ask here and you should get some good answers
all the best
scott
#9
11-28-2013, 12:16 PM
Sandee - this forum is focused on vehicle maintenance and repair. So we could give you a million tips on what you should do. But there are two very important things that will kill your truck if you aren't proactive about them.
#1 The Front Driveshaft - these trucks have two driveshafts, and the front one has joints that cannot be lubricated. When these joints finally fail due to a lack of grease, the driveshaft flies apart and can tear a hole in the transmission. The previous owner of my truck had the shaft come apart and luckily it missed the transmission but tore a hole in the floor. So you really need to either A) take the truck to a driveshaft shop and have them rebuild the front shaft (VERY IMPORTANT make sure they replace the 'centering ball' ) or B) buy an aftermarket driveshaft and have your mechanic install it. This is the cheapest aftermarket shaft I personally have seen. You need to see to this ASAP because you have no idea what is under there now, but it's likely the original shaft and is old enough to fail at any moment.
#2 The Cooling System These trucks are very prone to head gasket and/or block failure if they overheat, and either will cost you >$2000 to have fixed. So it is very important to make sure the cooling system is working perfectly. The fact that your truck was low on coolant means something is wrong, and you need to get it looked at immediately. You should have the coolant flushed and replace the fan clutch, thermostat, and all hoses. The stock thermostat is 195 degrees, and they make the truck run very hot, so . You should consider replacing the radiator as well, but it's probly fine for now if the truck isn't overheating. Have the mechanic flush your cooling system and change the coolant to green antifreeze because the orange stuff causes lots of problems. The water pump itself is probly fine, but have the mechanic check it out to be sure. The last thing to get, as mentioned above, is an http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/. The temperature gauge on our trucks is literally useless. It doesn't move at all from the middle of the gauge until the engine is already overheating. So most of us run a separate gauge called an ultragauge that you just plug in under the steering wheel and it will tell you the actual temp (plus a bunch of other stuff).
The things I've listed here are the minimum things you need to do in order to keep your truck on the road long term. Many of these trucks end up in junkyards because people don't do the preventative maintenance I described above. I'd start with the cooling system because it is already leaking, and then do the driveshaft as soon as possible. I know it sucks to have to lay this money out around the holidays, but in this case it really needs to be done.
BTW, one of the quirks of these trucks is it's always hard to find parts locally, and if you do find them they tend to be expensive. That's why I posted the parts from Amazon and Ebay, which are good places to get reasonable prices on parts. Also rockauto.com has good prices.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to post questions on this forum if you have them.
#1 The Front Driveshaft - these trucks have two driveshafts, and the front one has joints that cannot be lubricated. When these joints finally fail due to a lack of grease, the driveshaft flies apart and can tear a hole in the transmission. The previous owner of my truck had the shaft come apart and luckily it missed the transmission but tore a hole in the floor. So you really need to either A) take the truck to a driveshaft shop and have them rebuild the front shaft (VERY IMPORTANT make sure they replace the 'centering ball' ) or B) buy an aftermarket driveshaft and have your mechanic install it. This is the cheapest aftermarket shaft I personally have seen. You need to see to this ASAP because you have no idea what is under there now, but it's likely the original shaft and is old enough to fail at any moment.
#2 The Cooling System These trucks are very prone to head gasket and/or block failure if they overheat, and either will cost you >$2000 to have fixed. So it is very important to make sure the cooling system is working perfectly. The fact that your truck was low on coolant means something is wrong, and you need to get it looked at immediately. You should have the coolant flushed and replace the fan clutch, thermostat, and all hoses. The stock thermostat is 195 degrees, and they make the truck run very hot, so . You should consider replacing the radiator as well, but it's probly fine for now if the truck isn't overheating. Have the mechanic flush your cooling system and change the coolant to green antifreeze because the orange stuff causes lots of problems. The water pump itself is probly fine, but have the mechanic check it out to be sure. The last thing to get, as mentioned above, is an http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/. The temperature gauge on our trucks is literally useless. It doesn't move at all from the middle of the gauge until the engine is already overheating. So most of us run a separate gauge called an ultragauge that you just plug in under the steering wheel and it will tell you the actual temp (plus a bunch of other stuff).
The things I've listed here are the minimum things you need to do in order to keep your truck on the road long term. Many of these trucks end up in junkyards because people don't do the preventative maintenance I described above. I'd start with the cooling system because it is already leaking, and then do the driveshaft as soon as possible. I know it sucks to have to lay this money out around the holidays, but in this case it really needs to be done.
BTW, one of the quirks of these trucks is it's always hard to find parts locally, and if you do find them they tend to be expensive. That's why I posted the parts from Amazon and Ebay, which are good places to get reasonable prices on parts. Also rockauto.com has good prices.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to post questions on this forum if you have them.
#10
11-28-2013, 02:14 PM
Recovery Vehicle
first of all welcome to the Forum ! I bought a zambezzi silver 04 SE7 for 10K this time last year with what turned out to be more of the problems that you describe so while there are many frugal folks on this forum that feel like you paid a lot, you're right there for a clean , low mileage SE7 with the CDL.
ok so you can pretty much divide rover issues into "Annoying ****les" and "stop driving and service immediately" problems.
the wiper blade control thing is relatively easy, there's an awesome "howto" on this forum that I followed, saved me from buying a new switch! It's worth trying the wiper relay before you pull the switch apart as Dr Mordo suggests, but i disagree that this is likely to be the root cause. With the same 10 year old truck as yours, the product used to lubricate the inside of the switch becomes hard and non conductive over time, especially in the cold. you pull the switch off , clean it out with a wire brush and put it back together. I also had the rear door problem, my door actuator was full of sand
Cooling issues are another thing entirely. My 04 has 130k on it, but 70k on an 02 Range Rover replacement motor due to a blown headgasket - overheated - dropped sleeve issue that you'll see many folks talk about here.
At the grand old age of 10, the cooling hoses to and from the radiator were all brittle, the coolant cap was leaking and i had cracks in the coolant reservoir. I had my mechanic replace the radiator, hoses, thermostat and flush the remains of the DEXCOOL from the system before i felt like i could trust my truck.
It's expensive to do all of that, but look on the bright side, once its done properly you can begin to build trust in your truck. It took me a year to get my truck running to the point where i "trust" it.
ok so you can pretty much divide rover issues into "Annoying ****les" and "stop driving and service immediately" problems.
the wiper blade control thing is relatively easy, there's an awesome "howto" on this forum that I followed, saved me from buying a new switch! It's worth trying the wiper relay before you pull the switch apart as Dr Mordo suggests, but i disagree that this is likely to be the root cause. With the same 10 year old truck as yours, the product used to lubricate the inside of the switch becomes hard and non conductive over time, especially in the cold. you pull the switch off , clean it out with a wire brush and put it back together. I also had the rear door problem, my door actuator was full of sand
Cooling issues are another thing entirely. My 04 has 130k on it, but 70k on an 02 Range Rover replacement motor due to a blown headgasket - overheated - dropped sleeve issue that you'll see many folks talk about here.
At the grand old age of 10, the cooling hoses to and from the radiator were all brittle, the coolant cap was leaking and i had cracks in the coolant reservoir. I had my mechanic replace the radiator, hoses, thermostat and flush the remains of the DEXCOOL from the system before i felt like i could trust my truck.
It's expensive to do all of that, but look on the bright side, once its done properly you can begin to build trust in your truck. It took me a year to get my truck running to the point where i "trust" it.