First of all I want to thank you all for the guidance and advice you’ve given in the past. This is a great forum and an invaluable resource.

I have a bit of a dilemma right now and I’m wondering if anyone can provide any advice (you can skip to the bottom if you want to avoid the back story):

I bought a 2004 Discovery S (105,000 miles) from a dealer back in February. The car made (and still makes) a ticking noise (which seems to come from the top, driver’s side of the engine) and the check engine light is on (sometimes it’s solid, sometimes it flashes).[/B] The car passed inspection though, so I bought it anyway, thinking I would get it repaired myself. I paid $4,000.

After purchase I took it to a LR mechanic to see if the ticking and engine light issues could be addressed (yes, I should have gone to the mechanic BEFORE purchase, and this is the lesson I learned..). The LR mechanic ran a compression test and found that cylinder 7 was misfiring (which explains the slow pick-up on highways), and as such he questioned the legitimacy of the inspection that the dealer had just had done on the car. He also pulled out the spark plugs and they were covered in soot. He then told me that he couldn’t accurately diagnose the problem without taking apart the engine, and instead urged me to return the car to the dealer.

Long story short: the dealer refused to refund my money, so I initiated a DMV investigation. This was back in March, and I was told at the time I opened the case that my chances of getting my money back were slim. Since then I’d more or less resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck with this car, and my plan had been to hold off on repairs until I heard the official result of the investigation.

I just heard from the DMV (finally) and to my surprise they were able to negotiate the terms of a full refund. So I can return the car and get my $4k back.

Thing is: I’ve sort of fallen in love with this car. It’s the exact model, color, condition that I want. Everything’s great except the minor (ha) issue of the engine.


MY QUESTION IS THIS:

Is anyone familiar with this set of symptoms on Discovery 2s? Given the limited description I gave above (which is all I know, unfortunately), does anyone have a hunch about what the problem might be, and what would be involved (ie how much money) in getting it fixed?

If I decide to return the car and get back my $4k, my plan is to search for another car that’s identical (but without the engine ticking, cylinder problem, check engine light), and of course pay a little more for it. But I’m trying to decide if it makes more sense to try to get this one fixed.

Basically, if I could get this repaired for under $3,000, I’d rather do that because I love the car. Anything more and it’s probably not worth it.

Any thoughts or insight or even guesses would be very helpful.

Thanks, as ever!

 

"The LR mechanic ran a compression test and found that cylinder 7 was misfiring"

This bit makes no sense. A compression test would tell you if a cylinder is down on compression, which is generally a very bad thing. A misfire can be caused by numerous causes including compression, but also others like bad leads, spark plugs, etc.

So what were the results of the compression test? If 7 is down on compression, yes you'd probably have to take the engine apart to fix it.

 

Did the mechanic replace the bad plugs?

Try the simple stuff first, plugs and wires.

See if the SES light goes out, if not then start looking deeper.

It would be best to know what you are actually up against before making this decision.

 

Chances could be that it has or will have a slipped liner. This means new motor to me...expect 5-9k for a good Tophat lined shortblock/longblock. ....you decide. I would take the money and run myself...

 

Return the car. Now armed with your new knowledge look for the car of your dreams. You will find the exact color and model you want if you are patient.

A ticking noise is not good. Could be a bad oil pump or slipped liner. I don't think an oil pump would show in the form of a misfire. A head gasket could cause a misfire, but then you have the tick noise.

My guess is slipped liner which is going to cost a lot more than 4k.

But as noted, all guesses until you take it apart.

 

listen to yourself:

I’ve sort of fallen in love with this car. It’s the exact model, color, condition that I want. Everything’s great except the minor (ha) issue of the engine."

return the truck asap get your money back and bless the Rover Gods for letting you out of this one.

 

Return it. Find the same model. color etc. that has a blown engine or head gasket that someone is scrapping you could install a long block with top hatted liners, performance cam, gas flowed headers and be better off. You could have fun researching which engine to go with and find a mechanic willing to do it for you.

I would almost rather go this route than buy one with low miles and the original engine which will be slipping a liner eventually.

If mine rusts out I will probably try to find a Buckingham Blue HSE I can swap my Turner V8 into.

 

Duuuuude, 100X, return that truck and find another 1.

 

I think the answer is obvious, return it since you have nothing to loose other then having to go look for a similar vehicle. LR engines from this period have a variety of reasons for engine noise from ticking to downright knocking. Sometimes just simply changing the oil can help but you won't know until you get put some money and sweat into it. Get your money back and try again.