UPDATE--- Had a sudden massive leak develop yesterday. No leaks before then. PS fluid is coating the entire front undercarriage, so I suspect it's leaking somewhere on the pressure side. One side of the reservoir is empty, the other still has fluid in it. Haven't had time yet to do a thorough evaluation.
--Where is the best place for replacement parts?
--Assuming its the hose, wondering if I need to go ahead and replace the pump... it has been really noisy. 124k miles, and indications are it's the original.
--What else should I consider doing, while I'm in there?

 

Awwwwww man... What a buzz kill. lol
Before my pump purchase, I read many LR forums trying to narrow down a specific brand of power steering pump that actually worked which included a warranty but couldn't find any specific brands. It was a lot of hit or miss between the $200+ pumps to the $50 pumps. I figured at about $100 for the pump I bought would be good enough for my situation just to minimize the groaning noise.
New Power Steering Pump 21-5255 for 99-04 Land Rover Discovery QVB500080
I still have my old pump. I would like to tear into it and see how the innards work and hopefully I can fix it to share with others on the forum.

 

The other side of the reservoir that is full is for your ACE system... if you have it. Definitely refill your power steering side of the reservoir.
IMHO.. I think the leak might be from your steering box assembly. wash down the whole underside area, jack up the front of your Disco, turn on the engine and continuously turn the steering wheel to see where the leak is from. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!

Replacement hoses are easy to find but... IMHO... stay away from the cheap brand ÜRO hoses and parts. They suck!!!!!
From what I had to endure, finding a proper steering pump that won't crap out on me in year is hard to research. If you do find a brand of pump that works great for you, post it on the forum to help others in the future.

Check your steering linkage to the steering box assembly. sometimes it binds up and needs some additional lubrication since it's right next to the exhaust manifold and all that extreme heat.

 

Thanks for the info and advice!
--How do I know if I have ACE? It is an SE model.
--Wondering if the $3xx.xx pump from Atlantic British is worth the investment... anyone have any experience with those?
--If it's the steering box, anything I need to avoid there?

 

How To Tell If Your Discovery II Is ACE Equipped

:-)

 

If you don’t have a D2 with an ACE setup you can convert it to an 00-02 P38 power steering pump setup. You’ll have to tinker with the lines, get a different idler pulley, but it can be done.

 

So, it looks like one or both of the hose connections at the top of the steering box is where it's leaking. The local dealership has 2 of the o-rings, but not the other 2. Said they will have them tomorrow a.m.

The previous owner just had the fluid changed at Goodyear in Feb, and I don't know what they put in it. It also stated on the receipt that the old fluid was very dirty. I do find it interesting that the leak occurred less than 3 mos after the fluid change. I will flush and refill with the "correct" fluid, but I need to find out what the "correct" fluid is. I've read a lot of posts about it, and there are alot of differing opinions. Most of the posts are several years old. The posts that state not to use a fluid with detergents in it makes sense. Does anyone know of a source for, or a comparable fluid to, the Texaco fluid that is listed in the RAVE manual?

Reservoir/filter -- I noted as the reservoir was empty that the filter appeared to be pretty dirty. Could this be the cause of the constant groaning from the pump, that it is starved of fluid? Is there a way to clean that filter? Does anyone know of an inline filter that could replace it?

 

Not much inside the ps pump, some tapered bearings, it's very simple.
I replaced the gasket on mine, and it blew out at the top.
I bought a new pump from Lucky8.

 

Yes. That could be part of the groaning problem.
Suck out all the old steering fluid from the reservoir,
remove reservoir from the truck,
spray brake cleaner inside of the reservoir to loosen up the crap in the bottom mesh screen (be careful you don't tear it!),
shake and pour out and repeat until its all clean in there.

I don't know about an inline power steering filter for our Discos.

 

I got the new pas line orings, and replaced both sides - pump to steering box, and box return to reservoir. The pump to box line just would not seal. I called over to the dealership, where I bought the parts ( Nice guy there in the parts dept., also has an "04 DII) and asked if they knew if there's a trick to it, or something else I need to know. They said that they have never tried replacing just the o-rings, they just replace the lines and hoses. I read several other posts here that experience same thing I am - pressure line would not reseal with new o-rings, so just bought a new line. So, after all of this information pointing me in that direction, I ordered all new lines.
I also removed the reservoir and cleaned it out. The filter was very dirty and there was a lot of black debris in the ACE sump side, which I assume is residue from the hoses breaking down. So another indicator to replace the hoses.
When I got it all back together, filled it with fluid, started the engine, the whine and groaning from the pump was gone, but it was leaking worse than before. So I guess the groaning was the pump starved for fluid.

Any advice anyone can give for replacement of the lines and hoses? What to look out for?
ONly question/concern I have at this point is how much and what I'm going to have to disassemble to replace the high pressure line. I can see where it is routed toward the radiator, but can't see where it goes from there. And the pic of the replacement part shows 2 retainer clips attached to the cooling loop.