Brand new to here, just signed up today. Was given an 03 discovery for free.. knew it had problems but not this many. First time tearin into a rover.... little different than ford and chevy! Put a scanner on it, threw 9 codes and what i have found to be the 3 amigos on the dash. Tore of the intake manifold, valve covers, fuel rail, injectors, alternator, ac, waterpump, and oil pump today. Major oil leak at the front pan. I have a new oil pump, water pump, injectors, coil packs, plugs, wires, all gaskets i could think of. Main question is do i need anything special to pull the timing chain while im there? Figured if i was already there might as well change it out. The VIN fell in the bad portion from what ive found.Going to put the new oil pump on without the dowels and make sure it bolts up freely. Also replacing crank seal... does that just slide off? Im sure i'll have more questions. Just have everything tore down waiting on parts and wanted to see if i was missing anything or needed special tools while i was waiting. Thanks!

 

Sorry, haven't purchased the oil pump/cover yet. Anyone know a good place to buy? Cheapest ive found so far was $600 . Cover looks a little beat and dont want to chance just doing the gears.

 

Its a old Buick motor, nothing special or different about it than a old GM pushrod V8.

 

A) DOWNLOAD the Rave manual. B ) Why not do the head gaskets while your already half way into them?? Just a couple hundred more. (save time in future??)
C) With the oil pump front cover i'm not sure what you should do. Do a search before you buy one unless its brand new/ how do you know its not a "bad" one?? Did they ever remake the front covers/ would you have the same luck with your current one with a new one? (Hope you see what I'm trying to say??) Did it have any oil psi issues? Maybe do cam position sensor and new belt too... Its a pain to do with everything in there but is do able. Its on the drivers side (usa) front of engine. What codes was it throwing?? The 3 amigos need a special code reader but you can fix the amigos with this: ABS Mod - LAND ROVER CLUB V.I.
or this:
ABS SVS Seals - LAND ROVER CLUB V.I.
Do this to save money when you need new windshield wipers: DI wipers - LAND ROVER CLUB V.I.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to have one of these: (stock low oil light comes on at 6-8psi. That will still kill it)
Oil gauge - LAND ROVER CLUB V.I.
Get a ultra gauge because the stock temp gauge reads three levels. Cold, Normal and YOU JUST BOUGHT A NEW BLOCK. It can be 230F and be "normal". Obviously 230F is not good for it EVER.
Go with peak 50/50 anti freeze. Open coolant cap and see if its orange. If orange you have DEX COOL, which is what LR used.. Its bad because it gunks up the radiator and then bam your over heating. Most use (me too) Shell Rotella 15-40 oil. (Depends on climate) but most are liking the Shell oil. Some (me too) use a Mobil 1 301 filter to allow extra filter capacity. Yes it works but the auto parts guy will be confused. Just tell him you need a Mobil 1 301 filter. (Trust me)
Oh and welcome to the forum!

 

Crank seal is circular if I remember right, and yes it just slides on/off. Don't forget to put oil in the oil pump gears when you put them in... Some people have forgot and when they crank it the first time after restart CRAAACK they snap for some reason... I normally put a little oil in the filter when I change the oil. That way it lessens the no oil time. Very rarely does the oil light stay on for more than 2 seconds (literally) after I do a complete drain and refill on oil.

 

Thanks for the help...three amigos write up is excellent, think i'll try option b. Oiling the pump gears....just dump engine oil over them before installing? Im thinking hard about the head gaskets as well. Do most use stock headgaskets or is there a better option? Thanks again

 

How many miles on the engine? you may want to go further and look at the cam and lifter, Rovers has a soft cm and wears out quickly so at 100,000 miles or more you may want to consider replacing them.
As for the front cover, I would not jump into one before removing your's, may not be needed and if so look at British Parts of Utah-Land Range Rover Sport LR4 LR3 LR2 Discovery Defender Freelander Genuine OEM Accessories Parts for an after market one.
Plan on rebuilding the front drive shaft if it has not been done yet.
By the way, what will you be using this Disco for, if you plan on a lot of wheeling, you may want to convert the t/case to a CDL for a lot more traction.
If you have over 100,000 miles on it, consider replacing the radiator and up-grade to a soft spring t/stat and don't forget to replace the plug wires with 8 mm silicone wires like STI's or Magnecor's.

 

When you have the cover off and you put the oil pump gears into the cover, put some oil on them and spin them around. Get your codes read/reset first because option b might not be the reason. I did option b myself and its easy. Just make sure you bleed the breaks after. As for headgaskets most use the Atlantic British kit. It includes everything you need for it. What about coolant hoses?? Do they look good? Now is the time to spend a little more $ and this way you won't have any issues in the middle of January. Winter is coming...