As I persisted, the seller of my Disco finally got her hands on all the service records whilst the vehicle was in her possession. She scanned everything over to me in PDF format (see below attachments). A fair amount of work was done through the year of 2011, in a way I feel relieved but I'm slightly worried as to why someone would have to replace the water pump.... could that mean the engine overheated? What do you guys think of the truck in light of this newly obtained information? As always I'm very interested to hear what DiscoMike and Spike have to say about everything. Be sure to look over the attached PDF files. Also note that I still have had no luck obtaining the service records from the previous owner, but this is a good start. Again my Disco currently has 130k.

1.) Breaks done: no specifics but it cost $267
2.) Replaced water pump
3.) New tires $632.34
4.) NGK Plugs
5.) IGN coils
6.) Wire set: presumably a reference to spark plugs wires
7.) 234-4694 Oxygen Sensor
8.) Pulled up intake and repaired gasket.
9.) New antifreeze
10.) Cooper sealant
11.) Serpentine belt
12.) R/R Serp belt?

 

How many miles on the truck?
Coolant sealant!!! There is a real problem, you are probably going to be needing head gaskets and or a radiator real soon.
The rest of my ideas are based on my major service list that you should also be doing.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

It might have been overheated. However the good thing is that you have a new water pump. If it runs fine and it's not leaking do not over stress yourself. But Mike is right, head gaskets might be in your future. Preparing for a radiator replacement might help prolong your head gaskets a little while longer.

Would you agree Mike that the cooling efficiency of his radiator is reduced now?

OP, I get that you love your Disco as much as the rest of us. However if you end up with a head gasket leak, tear it down, machine the heads, replace gaskets. You'd be shocked at how capable you will become as a shade tree mechanic working on this thing(and i say that not knowing your experience). But don't be over concerned with replacing every nut and bolt. Despite the cooling problems these engines are a lot tougher than they are given credit for in my opinion.

Good to see you have new plugs, belts, wires and a brake job.

I'm sure you've grown accustomed to watching the needle on the temperature gauge. Just don't let it get hot, do whatever you have to do to pull over, and turn your heater on high as well. Is this your daily driver?

 

Mike the truck has 130k so I'm not half surprised about the near future head gasket job... I've seen discos get new head gaskets at 100k OR LESS! So with a solid 130 on the clock, and all routine service jobs performed by both previous owners, I'm confident that my Rover with still be alright.


DiscoRover: The priorities on my near future to do list are Rotella Diesel oil, Radiator, head gasket kit, thermostat and updated front and rear drive shafts. I'd love to wrap my brain around a DIY head gasket replacement job, but I've never performed any mechanical job of that level before, but I'll eager to learn! If I decide to replace the head gaskets myself then I'll have to do a lot of research to see exactly what tools and supplies will be needed, and see if I can't find any videos or pictures of other members performing the job on their Disco... otherwise I'll pay the $$$ to have DAP Enterprise do the job. Luckily I have a second vehicle in any case.......

 

Ohhh by the way DiscoRover007..... I love the color of your Disco! What's the color name?

 

buy this dvd and if after watching it you do not think you can replace the head gaskets fine, hire someone. But i'll bet after watching theses two guys you will say "I CAN DO THAT". DVD - In Search Of The Experience - The American Land Rover Family (8997 Same Fit As Part # DVD) - Land Rover video from Atlantic British $30 is a cheap investment if it will help you make the right choice.

 

The color is Oslo blue. 2003 was the last year for it before they changed it. By all means if you are not ready to do HG's yourself pay to have them done. I just mean that the old "if aint broke, don't fix it" does sometimes apply to these trucks. Start with the small stuff like fluid changes. Eventually you might have to replace an O2, then a purge valve, a throttle body gasket, etc.. The how to threads are amazing help for learning how to fix these things.

 

There are a couple great HG threads with pictures, part numbers, tips, tricks, advice and input from other members. Plus, of you run into problems, you can always get more help here. I'd do the major service items from Mike's sticky and abide by "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra

 

Very true, and I'll try not to suck myself into the bad habbit of replacing every single bolt.... my only concern here is that the engine could **** the bed on me at thee mist inconvenient moment.... and I'll always be paranoid about my engine overheating or failure, so at the least I'd rather just get the radiator, thermostat, and HG job done and out of the way so I don't have to worry about that anymore. But we will see how everything goes come inspection time in November.