Land Rover Discovery 2002

Hello, I have the pleasure on owning a Land Rover Discovery 2002 and have been facing a problem. My car has been having issues so I went to get it checked out, they say I need a 1,200 tune up replacing wiring and coils and spark plugs. But that might not fix the issue, there could be oil leaking into the engine and that could cause me to have to get a whole new engine costing 10,000+. Would it be worth it to risk the few thousand at first, to see if there is a further issue with the transmission, spend the money on a new engine, or just sell the car and give up on it. I love my car very much, and not sure what to do. When it started having problems the car was very jerky, engine, and oil lights on along with battery light. I'm just out of high school, I'm in the orange county area and would appreciate any advise. I don't want to drain out all my money and cant see myself driving anything else.*** If I were to put another type of engine into my car, what would be the best non land rover engine to put in ?

 

The first thing you should do is get another opinion. Ideally from a Land Rover specific shop not a dealer or “foreign car” place.

$1200 is a lot for a tune up.

$10000 is a lot for a replacement engine.

do you have a code reader or other diagnostic tool like an Ultragauge?

have your battery checked for free at a parts store… a weak battery or one with poor connections will cause all kinds of issues.

you likely have multiple issues.

oil light flickering could be bad but also could be from running thin oil. 15w40 Rotella is what you should be using.

Know as much as you can before going in to any shop or you risk being seen as an easy mark with one of these trucks. And it’s just better to learn about all of this yourself now or you will be broke soon.

best of luck. Ask questions and keep us posted.

 

Thank you! Yes I have taken it to two separate land rover shops. There are multiple issues. Multiple tests have been done on my car and I got a new battery last year. 10,000 would be for labor and the engine is what my main mechanic said.

Much Thanks,

Hannah

 

@heyhannah ok what you posted makes no sense.

You could need spark plug wires, plugs and coils it is a pain but you can do it yourself parts are about 300.00 I think.

Oil pressure light too light an oil will do that instantly, as can a failed oil pump - did it only flicker at idle or always.

What exactly is your Disco doing ?

 

coils, plugs and wires should be sub $200 in parts and it can be done with minimal skills though it is not fun.

 

Hay Hannah,

No disrespect but your answer lacked a lot of detail to specific questions. Chalk that up to being young and inexperienced with cars.

You will need to learn the answers, and all of the other specifics to be a good Rover owner. If you really do love your truck that should not be a problem. Anything less and you will be taken advantage of… especially being young and female.

This forum has a lot of very helpful people who can help steer you in the right direction.

Don’t throw all your money at this yet hoping for a quick fix as shops with quotes like that will just keep finding over priced “solutions”.

nothing you have mentioned suggests you need a new engine. Lack of proper maintenance is likely what’s going on here. Things pile up fast when you don’t stay right on top of them with these trucks.

There is a Forum member here Abran with a shop in your area Carrs 4x4 I believe. Maybe look him up an tell him you’ve been referred from here.

Otherwise don’t be afraid to ask questions here and give as much detail in your answers as possible. If you don’t know just say so and ask how to get the answers before spending all your money.

 

Hannah, where are you located? There may be a trustworthy, experienced forum member nearby who can help you out onsite.

 

Hey Hannah, welcome to the forum. I can't speak for others but I know for me there is nothing I would rather do than help out a person new to keeping their vehicle on the road.

I have had 17 Discos and am happy to help diagnose remotely and get the issues sorted. If you give us the right information we can tell a lot without ever seeing the truck. I have helped a lot of forum members diagnose their trucks remotely.

Lets start with the basics. We know the year, how about the mileage? How long have you had it?

Will the truck run right now? If so, start it up, take a video of the engine with the hood up, and send us a photo of the dash gauges with the engine running. Video doesn't need to be longer than 30 seconds. Whole process can take a minute.

I have two personal D2's with over 225k on them, original transmissions, still trying to fnd out how long those last with normal use.

You can get good used engnies for a 2002 for less than $600 plus shipping. Then there is install.

Use the forum to get good answers to your issues before spending money, if you don't you will likely waste money and no one has enough to waste.

Looking forward to a new Disco puzzle to solve (yours).!