Hey Everyone,

I have an 03 Disco w/ 36,000 miles. Warranty was up last april. Driving home off highway and heard a bang. Oil light than came on shortly (bright red). Got home (live right of highway). Oil was full, but light was still on. Engine sounded different, but not knocking. Towed to a repair shop and they said the oil pump blew a how in the engine, major work & possibly a new engine. I called my dealer and he said tow it to Land Rover. They may seek some assist from Land Rover the company for the repair. Our last oil change was at or dealer about 3-4 mos ago. Has anyone heard of Land Rover covering out of warranty for such a huge problem.I have noticed there have been some oil pump problems which they attempted to improve on the 03 Disco?

Thanks

 

There is a TSB (technical service bullitin) on this issue. It is a VERY COMMON PROBLEM on '03 Disco's.
Land Rover knows about this problem and that is why there is a TSB. If you go to the dealer and tell them that you know about the TSB and you start out nice and insist that they fix it.
If that doesnt work then get nasty. DO NOT TELL THEM THAT YOU DROVE IT WITH THE OIL LIGHT ON!!! You put it into neutral shut the engine off and coasted to the shoulder and then had it towed home and then to the dealer.
But you need new engine, there is no fix, just a replacement. If you search this forum you will see a million posts on here about this same problem.
You can also search for other common questions, grade of gas, type of motor oil, the "three amigos", most of your questions can be asnwered if you just do a search.
Good luck.

 

they can and might fix it out of warranty. Oil pumps were a known issue on the 03. Make sure it wasn't a piece of road debris, if they won't pay for it. Driveshafts are a common failure as well, and someone just found that they hit something on the road, rather than the shaft just failing.

When dealers fix stuff out of warranty, it is calleda goodwill gesture..(I think)_

 

yea, just replaced my timing cover due to failing oil pump
guess what year discovery? yes 2003!

 

When you talk to the dealer, remember to tell them that you love the car and have always been happy with Land Rover service. Remind them that if they can fix this problem for you, it will keep you a loyal Land Rover customer. Honey is sweeter than vinegar.

Dave

 

The sad part is that had you known about this problem before the failure it could have been fixed for around $500, now it has to be fixed for around $7000.

 

Has anyone inspected one of these failed oil pumps? What condition are they in when they fail?

There is always the option of removing the engine driven pump in favour of a belt driven, or electric pump as well. A secondary electric pump turned on only if oil pressure drops (which is also true before engine start) might be a good answer.

 

Not to thread-jack but I've been searching and can't seem to find anything as to production dates most likely to be affected..... Anyone heard anything???

 

Go to www.edmunds.com and look at the top of the page, TONS of info on there about TSB, maintenace schedules and so forth.

 

If anyone's interested, here's a link to the tsb

http://home.comcast.net/~bhcmbailey/lrna_tsb.pdf

VIN range affected is 3A771801 – 3A808362