Just bought a 2003 Discovery II. Got it at auction for $700, so I have no idea what has been done on it or not. It has some issues but runs and drives. I drive a 6.4L Ford Diesel so I am no stranger to engine issues and understand that each vehicle has their known problems. Just wondering what I should be looking to change/swap right off the bat. I would rather get out ahead of known issues and go ahead and replace those while I am digging into the engine anyways. Good with doing work myself and have a trusted mechanic for things above my skill level.

Thanks in advance and happy to join the club.

 

1. Buy an ultra gauge

 

The power steering pump seals leaking are common on the DIIs so you may want to look it over closely. That and the throttle body gaskets are prone to leaking (inexpensive fix).

Congrats on your fun new project.

 

FV308 PCV mod here on the forums will stop most of your oil leaks, not that it is a major issue. Look the coolant hoses over very closely, I would consider changing the hard plastic coolant lines with ATF fluid hoses asap - they get brittle and break. Check the waterpump weep hole closely for signs of leaking, depending on mileage you may want to queue that up. Driveshaft - if the u-joints fail the DS normally takes out the transmission and transfer case. As long as it has greasable u-joints in all locations you may be able to get away without changing it, but definitely keep in well lubricated.

 

I'll add coils, wires, and plugs. Look at my signature. I'm about 2 months in and $2200 with all my own labor.
Mine is now driven daily. Very reliable, but still has its quirks. Welcome aboard the crazy train.

 

Look over all coolant carrying components of the cooling system real good-mine had leaks all over: plastic T under the thermo,plastic T over fan shroud,TB warmer,TB warmer hoses,and bad water pump at ~114,000...Also mine had a few areas of the engine harness that had fallen down and chaffing through in a couple areas....Do not use the dash gauge as a reliable monitor of cooling system action-gauge works as well as any other out there-but if these Rovers get low on coolant you get hot spots in the head and block and still have "normal"coolant temp at the gauge sender...Pay attention if the Aux. fan in front of the condenser starts coming on when coolant temp reads "normal"...

 

Thanks everyone for the great information. I think that's a good start to the To-Do list. Looks like I'll have some bloody knuckles in my future, but compared to the room my Ford gives me to work on the engine, I am actually looking forward to some of this.....for now.

 

 

The 3 big items I replaced after I bought my used Disco 2:
1) I didn't know how well the previous owner (PO) took care of Myrtle before I bought her so I replaced all filters and fluids... engine oil & filter, both diff oils, transmission fluid and filter, gearbox oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, windshield wiper fluid (the PO had straight water in the reservoir), and coolant flush after installed a 180 degree thermostat.
3) Bought an UltraGuage Blue to monitor temps and other sensors on my iPad. Don't wait for the temp gauge to hit red on the gauge cluster to tell you your engine is running hot. It'll be too late.
2) Replaced the front driveshaft. My original front driveshaft looked physically good and with no play from the universal joints but I didn't want to take a chance on it grenadeing on me.

 

Get a repair manual, or download the RAVE manual.