I purchased my 1998 Discovery in May of last year, and was very excited to finally be part of the Land Rover community...until I was faced with numerous problems. (still love the disco...just getting frustrated with trying to keep it driveable with college stresses as well)

I'll start by listing problems...
Front amber parking lights don't work; turn signals, head lights, side parking lights (all other lights) function fine
Leak from power steering pump
Rear windows don't work (can make one go down only, other front switch has no power over; rear controls work respectively)
When I first bought it, it would randomly overheat (so i'd pull over and let it cool down) and then not want to start. In some cases, if I had to be somewhere, I would have to keep my foot on the gas and force it to not die for about 30 seconds. Then it'd be fine. It hasn't done it recently, but was still a "problem" for a short while.

Another thing, I have absolutely no power while going up hills on the interstate. I understand it's a rather large/heavy vehicle, but I will go from 70 to 55 (ish) up an incline which shouldn't bog me down that much.

There are other problems, these are in no order or severity, I'm sure I left out some other rather important problems...but I can't think of any more currently.
I guess, the main purpose of this thread, is to ask what I should do...

This vehicle was obviously not taken care of prior to my purchase. I've already fixed numerous other problems (oil leaks, brake lights, stereo, blown turn signal "multi-switch", etc...) and in the manual, none of the scheduled maintanence has been filled out.
Would it be best to take it to a dealership and fork out the extra money to get it checked and fixed? (Is there an inspection in which they would do? How do they go about checking over an entire vehicle?)
I want to make sure to get everything fixed correctly, and find any other problems that I may not have noticed thus far.

Thanks for any advice...

 

Check all the 'simple' things that you can, bulbs, fuses etc.. Some of the problems needs answers, the overheating and the power loss. There is a list on here for teh 60k service. that may be a place to start. Print that list and take it to an indy shop and don't be afraid to be specific about plugs and fluids that you want used.

I would find an indy Rover shop with a good rep to inspect the Disco. Have you 'car faxed' to see if any of the maintenance records show up? Mine was maintained until the 60k service and then it must have been let go a bit. So I have been slowly getting it back in shape. A costly venture but it has been worth it to me so far.

 

Sorry to hear about the problems you've been having. Being in school with a college student budget makes it tough when stuff goes wrong. Been there, done that. Had a Toyota Celica in college and thank God it never gave me much trouble.

Whatever you do, do not ever, ever, ever, EVER let that engine overheat. Trying to keep it running to get where you're going will destroy it. Just letting it get hot in the first place can destroy it. These are aluminum engines which do not hold up well to overheating. The steel cylinder liners can displace slightly when the aluminum around them expands faster than they do in an overheat condition, and it's all over...as innew engine time. The coolant will start mixing with the oil and there is no way to simply reset the cylinder liners. Common root causes are coolant level getting low due to a leak (cylinder head gaskets, throttle body gaskets, etc.) or a stuck thermostat. The thermostat is easy to replace.

Have you ever found the source of the overheating problem? Does it still overheat? Is it losing coolant regularly?

Step #1: Have a cooling system pressure test done at an independent Rover shop or a radiator shop.
Step #2: The window problem is an easy fix- just replace the window regulators in the door.
Step #3: The parking light issue can be tracked down with a multimeter. Test for power at the socket when they're turned on and just work your way back in the wiring to the source of the problem.
Step #4: Replace the power steering pump- another relatively easy thing to do on a Saturday.
Step #5: Perform Mike's 60K service. It can be found with a quick search here.

Best of luck,
Dave

 

Where are you? I would suggest you find a local Rover club and get some hands on guidance. Most owners are willing to help others out, and someone needs to look at it.

Your front parking lights are in the headlights. Little 194 bulbs, they are not in the turn signal lenses.

You have a window lift ecu behind the dash. Many times the solder joints on the board will break. If your switches are clean, this is the next step. I think www.roverparts.com sells a kit to fix it if you don't want to try soldering it back...

Look and see where the leak is coming from. You can spray it at the car wash as long as the engine isn't too warm. Just stay away from the passenger firewall. Clean it up and see where your leak is coming from. If it is around one of the ends of the hoses, cut the crappy clips off and put worm hose clamps on. I had to do this to mine, and no leaks now.. Good thing to start with before you throw a pump at it.

Get the 60K list and start knocking things out. Make sure and check you coolant frequently, like every week. Sooner if it is going down. If you have a leak, have a coolant pressure test done. You may have a radiator on the verge of plugging up. They are prone to it.

Shout back if you need help doing something