I recently acquired a 2003 Discovery that belonged to my cousin. He unexpectedly died at the age of 31, and the truck has just been sitting in my uncle's driveway for the past 4 years. I recently got a promotion at work and wanted a 4WD vehicle, so I asked him about buying it. To my surprise, he just gave it to me.

https://imgur.com/gallery/kv5wT

It's covered in 4 years of Alabama pollen, but the paint is actually in pretty good shape underneath that. It also has some issues:

• It has the 3 amigo lights + plus the BRAKE light.
• The brakes also require you to pump them to build up good pressure when you're trying to stop, and the handbrake doesn't appear to do anything at all.
• It also has an electrical short somewhere that slowly drains the battery when the truck isn't running.
• The only code the OBDII reader gave me was P1590.
• The snake belt appears new, but the pulleys are clearly original and they make a bit of clicking noise while the engine is running.

I'll be retrieiving the truck in 2 weeks, at which point I can start working on it. Here's my plan of action:

1. Change the engine, differential, and gearbox oil
2. Use a multimeter to try and figure out which circuit is drawing power. If it's something unimportant like the cigarette lighter, I'll just pull the fuse and call it a day. I suspect it's something in the ABS module.
3. Inspect the ABS modulator for corrosion and faulty wiring.
4. Replace the ABS shuttle valve switch (and possibly the entire modulator unit if necessary), replace the rubber brake hoses, and fully bleed/refill the brake system. (I'd probably just pay a mechanic to do this part, and have him check the handbrake cable while he's at it.)

Beyond that, it could use lots of little things, like a new passenger side mirror, Disco I wiper arms, a rear wiper arm, steel bumpers, etc. I'm new to this whole Land Rover thing, so is there anything obvious that I'm missing?

 

Are you in Alabama as well? I'm up North near Huntsville and there is another user from the Birmingham area.

Go ahead and buy an Ultraguage to keep an eye on temps. When I purchased my '01 the previous owner had very recently replaced the master cylinder. However I haven't dug into the 3 Amigos/brake issues yet. My 3 Amigos come and go on their own.

I've always felt keeping the cooling system in top shape is a big priority for these vehicles. Ensure the system is bled so no "waterfall" noise, keep it topped off and keep an eye out for leaks.

 

For that brake light, you could just be low on fluid. To see if that's the case obviously you could add fluid, but the sender in the reservoir could be bad. If you look on the brake fluid cap you will see where 3 or so wires plug into it. If it's fluid level or fluid level sender related, unplugging that should make it go away, if not it's probably the micro on the parking brake handle. My 02 disco had the problem with the low fluid sensor and it would go away if I unplugged it

 

You have a whole list of chores for this truck that sat so long. Review the link in my sig; you are on track with changing the fluids first.
1) be careful changing the trans fluid & use the procedure listed in the W/S manual. There is no dipstick & it must be drained & filled from underneath. You can get a filter/gasket kit for the trans from just about anywhere for $20 so replace that @ same time. Do some research on the trans filter: you need the unit with the little downpipe/spigot built into it. Some big box parts stores sell a unit with out that piece & you will F-up your trans using the wrong 1.
2) don't use synthetic motor oil unless you want to find some new oil leaks to fix. Shell Rotella T4 15w/40 has served me well for 2-years now. You need a quality filter as well.

3) for the diffs & TC use a 80 or 90W synthetic blend. StaLube @ NAPA is a good brand but I'm sure there is better depending on what you want to spend.

4) you have a game plan for the ABS, apparently you have used the search function. Props there. Just try different terms with 3-amigos if you continue to have faults after the shuttle valve repair. You will need a OBD capable of clearing the ABS fault codes to switch the warning lamps off & render the traction control, anti lock brakes & hill decent operable again. I don't have a lot of experience with ABS codes but I'm pretty sure you will need to clear them out after the fix so don't get discouraged if lamps don't immediately go out after attempted repair.

4) the handbrake is connected to a drum assembly @ back of TC. It could be the cable, or more likely a faulty rear output seal of transfer case so you will need 1 of those and a set pads for the drum which comes in a kit. Don't replace the pads before fixing the leak, if present, as they will be ruined. If you don't find any gear oil under that drum then disconnect the back driveshaft and pull it off to verify oil leaking within. If you do find a leak the TC is low on oil so don't drive too far or too fast. The trans & Tcase are the stronger components of this truck. The only way you are going to destroy or compromise either is to run them while low on fluid or overheating the trans due to loss of fluid or blocked cooler. You either replace the faulty seals or spend 1/2 hour crawling under your truck each month to check the fluid levels. If you screw up 1 of these it's strictly your fault & purely from neglect.

5) you will need to replace the Ujoints & couplings in both driveshafts. They are for sure compromised/degraded & the trans will be destroyed if the front unit fails @ UJ within CV. This is not uncommon & many a D2 turned into a Parts-truck/recycler due to this anomoly. Not to be taken lightly.

6) if your OBD doesn't have a "live data" or similar type of function that displays the coolant temperature then you will need to find a product that does or install an aftermarket temp gauge. The D2 runs hotter & hotter as the components age. You will def need to do a search on this as most D2s fail from overheating as the orig gauge within the dash cluster doesn't indicate the overheating until 240F when the gauge begins to move. You really don't want temp over 200f. This engine was not manufactured nor designed to handle heat so you will need to investigate soon as you get the engine running. I will say it again, the orig cluster gauge will read "normal" temp & the engine could be running way too hot so have your device ready so that you aren't replacing the headgaskets(best case scenario) before you ever get it out of your uncles driveway. The Rover V8 blocks can & will develop cracks resulting in your newly acquired scrap-heap. Good luck & do your research on the D2. There is a lot that can go wrong if you aren't aware of its weaker points & there are plenty of them.

Here is your new bible. My sig' isn't showing up and the link for workshop manual isn't working at the moment but I have never had trouble with it before

http://www.landroverresource.com/
https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...service-29020/

 

Welcome aboard.

Don't forget to change transfer case fluid, for some reason...this usually gets overlooked (did on both of mine).

If you have to pump the brakes to build pressure, most likely the master cylinder has gone bad from sitting so long. I've replaced the master on my 03 and my 01 needs one, google info for master and you will find videos on replacement, and the commonality of them going bad.

A lot of good info already, good luck.

Brian.

 

I'm in Atlanta and the Disco is currently down in Mobile.

Thanks for the tip on the ultra gauge.