I'm probably going to have my local mechanic drop my oil pan at the next oil change and have him steam power wash my pan. I'll also have him take a peek in the belly of the beast while the pan is off to see if everything is ok I'm still getting some pastey oil when I do my oil changes, but I think it is more because of all the detergent cleanings I have performed on my '03 disco. (86k for miles, 2nd owner). Is there anything I should have my mechanic look for while the pan is off? FWIW, my vin number in the disco is in the "bad range" and I don't know if the original oil pump is still in the disco. Also, no coolant loss. Performed a t-stat change some 4 months ago and not a drop of coolant have I lost. So HG seem to be tight for now. Whew!

 

Would advise a mechanical oil PSI test at same time. Oil light goes out about 8 PSI. So are you driving on 10, 15, 28.78, or 50 + PSI? Bad range units usually blown up before 50K. Only a portion of those in the range are afflicted, not 100%. Also have PCV system checked out from one end to the other, it allows oil fumes to be drawn off to be burned by engine. Mechanic may be able to do a quick test for exhaust gas in coolant. A test kit is like $60 but does around 15 tests before a refill.