Apologies in advance for asking such a big question as my first post.

I have a 2000 Land Rover discovery that I bought brand-new. I really love that truck. I never had a single problem with it until one day several years ago, and haven't driven it since. Three weeks after I made the final payment (120,000 miles on it), my ex-wife was driving it in a terrible rainstorm and did not realize that the engine was overheating. I later learned that the radiator hose sprung a serious leak. She continued driving it until it died, the cylinder heads cracked, and possibly more. It was a pretty severe incident because when I tried to crank the engine, antifreeze pumped out of the radiator hose as though driven by the cylinders. Since it was paid for, I bought another car and essentially put the Land Rover in my garage. Consider it a barn find. It needs some cosmetic work but the body and interior are fine--good, even--for a teenager's first car.

Fast-forward four years. Though covered by a lot of dust, the Land Rover is still in pretty good shape. Now I have a teenager who is very near driving age and I would like to do something with the Land Rover. Where I live (East Texas), Land Rovers are very rare. I have called several shops about replacing the engine and the initial quotes are very reasonable. However, when they learn it is a Land Rover the labor quotes go up by several thousand dollars; most of the mechanics that I've spoken to don't even know what a Land Rover is. I have shopped the Internet for reconditioned engines and radiators and they are very reasonable as long as you don't compare the prices to replacement engines for American vehicles.

All of the original parts are on the vehicle, though I loosened (and kept) some bolts and parts when I got a new tool set and decided I ws going to find out how hard it is to disentagle the engine. I think I moved the throttle body over and gave up.

The question is whether anyone can recommend a good mechanic, who charges reasonable rates, within reasonable towing distance from Tyler, Texas (Dallas to the west, Shreveport to the east--Shreveport is closer but I think Dallas has more mechanics who work on Rovers--no large cities to the north or south). I do not want to spend an extraordinary amount of money getting it running, and my son does have an interest in tinkering with mechanical things, but an engine is beyond our mechanical abilities. It is imperative that it be in sufficient mechanical condition that he can drive it to and from school and work, locally, and he can piddle with finding little pastic parts, seat covers, and whatever on ebay later. I have always thought that the Land Rover was a very durable and safe vehicle, so it is an obvious choice for him. Don't bother telling me that since it is his first car he will wreck it; I know . People ran into me a couple of times from behind and I never had to replace anything other than a bumper cover and a trailer hitch. In fact, I may just give him my recent model pickup and keep the Disco II for myself. I also know I can get one cheap and running on Ebay but it was my trusted friend for a long time, including an extraordinary trip on the real 9/11 when I couldn't get flights for a couple weeks, so I owe it the effort of looking into the cost.

In terms of the scope of repair/replacement, I am sure that the radiator and engine require replacement. The front bumper cover needs to be replaced but I can handle that. I'm not going to bother with the front light washers. Unfortunately, the engine was left with spark plugs out and has been sitting for so long I doubt it will be a simple matter of replacing the cylinder heads, gaskets, and fluids. One of the rear springs seems to be sagging a little bit so that may also need to be done and, if so, I may be generous and put a small lift on the vehicle per advice elsewhere in the forums. Tires, brakes, shocks, and transmission all appear to be in very good shape and were only a few months old when the engine died (unless I should expect hidden damage from simply sitting in the garage).

Anyway, this looks like a super resource for Land Rover Discovery II advice and comment, so I am hopeful that someone will have a good suggestion.

As I sit here I can't remember the model, but it is not the SD (base) and not the HSE (with air suspension and bigger wheels)... it is the middle one with leather seats and moon/sun roofs.

Thank you!

 

Welcome to the Forum. Your best bet is to not to be in a huge hurry, engine replacement on a 11 year LR will require more than just a motor. Your correct with the cooling system that will need improvement but when removing (I'm guessing) a 4.0L V-8 there are other parts that will more than likely need some attention. Roverland Parts - We know Land Rover Parts is a reputable company that can provide used engines at a reasonable cost with carfax certification on mileage of the vehicle it came out of, shipping isn't to bad either. Does your Disco have secondary air? As far as a mechanic, I live in Northern Michigan so I can't help you out there. If you find a motor and need additional parts (new) I have used Atlantic British for all my needs, they have much lower prices than the dealer and sell actual LR parts. The # there is 1-800-533-2210 x233, Dave will answer that extension. Good luck and please post again with updates.

 

You've got a number of options for having parts (even whole engines) shipped to you... In addition to the vendor listed by Wolf (above), I'd recommend trying Will Tillery, (#1 Community For Land Rover Owners - The Rova Guy), PT Schram (P. T. Schram Rover Repair, Indiana's Finest Land Rover repair service), or Marty "Drillbit" Taylor (eBay store "iamthedrillbit" or 270-576-7922), etc. (There are other suppliers out there, but these guys have all helped me out on many occasions.)

As for a mechanic to handle the fix (if you don't do it yourself), I'd suggest reaching out to your local Rover group/club. In your case, I'd try to contact the folks over at Texas Rovers (Texas Rovers). They should be able to help you out with locating a good local repair facility and/or parts.

 

Forget about RoverLand - wildy overpriced and never have anything available.
Check your local CL and ebay, local junk yards etc and the others mentioned.

 

That's not surprising, but absolutely ridiculous. A Discovery is easier to swap a motor into than most newer domestic pickups. The motor itself is nothing more than a 1960s vintage pushrod V8 with EFI upgrades.

 

The hardest part about this engine swap is unbolting the engine from the transmission.

 

My time frame is July so there is no pressure. Is it really an easy process? I have replaced the engine on a four wheeler and have friends who are mechanical, but not mechanics.

Basically I can do most mechanical projects and my thought is that with help and a new engine on a crate to see what needs to be replaced, I can get it done. The reactions of local mechanics is what caused me to be concerned. They all acted like I was asking them to repair a French roadster or something, even when I said I would have the new engine ready.

 

I would venture to say there are 2 reasons that a lot of local mechanics do not want to work on there this are:

1. they never have worked on one before and dont want to start with something like an engine/head gaskets, a starter or alt. maybe;
but and engine or head gaskets on your first time, I dont think so.

2. they have worked on one and know how unforgiving they are compare to a cast iron V8.

It's all a matter of time to a small shop, in order to make money it needs to go in and out as quickly as possible.

A good old american cast iron v8 , pull out the impact guns and air ratches and off you go, same thing putting it back together, now with a Land Rover;
everything has to be done by hand with a wrench or ratchet coming out and going in.

That's manual labor, have you ever tryed to get someone to do manual labor these day's.
Manuel Labor isnt that the name of the guy they deported last week?

The only one that is going to invest enough time to make sure that it is all done by hand and torqued correctly is you.
Or mechanic that is into it for the challenge and pride rather than a dollar and good luck finding him, he's a rare breed today.

Download the rave and read it over and over, the more you read it the more you will understand what's is involved.
Surprisingly the wiring and electronics are a small part, and unlike american cars, most of the wiring harness are just long enough to only go one place, so they pretty much can only go back on one way.

oh and as for model its probably an SE

 

To answer your question: it is an easy job, no special tools or skills required. I installed my engine on my own in about 3 hours. All you need are basic tools, time, space, patience and some helping hands would be good. Download the RAVE service manual if you have not yet, I worked from there. Take this as an opportunity to get to know your disco better, there is just about nothing you cannot fix yourself.

 

Good luck on this project! Before you dive in and find an engine, figure out the rest of your costs and make sure it is all worth it. A few things to consider when a car has sat for 4 years:
Even with new tires, are they now cracking or almost "flat spot" damaged from sitting on the same patch and drying out?
Was the truck sitting with gas inside the tank, fuel pump and lines?
Any mice find their way inside? The loves them some wires!
Has the exhaust rusted, brake parts, etc.

Besides those bigger type items, there will likely be a lot of smaller things you will have to do as well not even under the hood such as brake fluid, gear oil, etc. Also, if you drive shaft was not replaced you might as well do that as well.

As far as the engine, don't forget to look around for totaled trucks. With the value of these so low, it won't take more than a few grand in damage to fine a totaled truck. A hit from behind or something to the side and you could be set, and have parts left to spare to sell and recoup the cost of the entire truck. Just something to think about!