Sounds like you need to go invest in some degreaser and start with a clean motor. That way you can actually see where your leaks are coming from.

Like mordo just pointed out, I've yet to see anything wrong in your post besides the engine being nasty.

 

As far as how she drives, she feels great. Like REALLY great. The only things you notice as a driver are the oil leaks and rasping sound that sounds like the fan and it increases as the RPM's increase. Other than that she's great. I'll degrease the motor as soon as I get free time which should be tomorrow.

One thing I noticed was odd...when the garage I took it to called me with all this news, even I told them to wash down the engine with degreaser to actually see where the leaks were...the man on the phone said "We cant do that because we don't want to ruin any sensors, plugs or wires. Now that sounded like crap even to me.

 

Certainly could cause problems with connectors for O2 sensors, and plug wires if you go that high on the motor. Spark wires frequently develop small cracks in the insulation, water then grounds them out. When washing off an engine one method is to have the truck idling, then if you hit a sensitive spot you will know what you hosed, or it will start running rough and you can back off.

Was my pal Robin Bastid one of the mechanics?

 

You should get a cheap crap car to use as a student car and not drive the Discovery to school / class.
Waste of fuel and kills off the Discovery.

 

I haven't washed my engine for fear of water getting into the electrics. So, I think it's a legit concern.

If it's running fine, not blowing smoke, not leaking a ridiculous amount (like adding fluid once a week), I'd just drive it as is.

That said, the rasping noise that increases with RPM needs to be fixed. It's probly an idler pulley, but it could easily be the water pump, alternator, or even possibly harmonic balancer. I'd fix whatever's making the rasping noise, probly the harmonic balancer, and the water pump if it's leaking.

Everything else I'd put off til it needed fixing.

Until you get the rasping noise fixed, BE CAREFUL. If you are driving and get a battery light or see the temp gauge shoot up pull over immediately and shut it off. You can cook the motor in literally minutes if you keep driving. Get it towed to the shop.

 

I'm thinking of just fixing the alternator, tensioner, harmonic balancer and waterpump. Then just monitering my oil level like a hawk and maybe even getting a gauge. No money for all the other stuff but the above stated seems doable from our indy mech. What do you all think? Fix that stuff and just use that oil leak additive and add oil whenever needed? It's our third vehicle so we will only use it if necessary if need be...but obviously keep it alive and run it every now and then.

 

Water pump, if changed, should be done with viscous clutch if that hasn't been touched.

Alternator - are you not charging battery? Are bearings inside it noisy (listen thru a stick). Tensioner - same (pulley is about $13, whole unit is $70 ish)

 

Sorry for the mega late reply. Very busy recently. The battery is charging. I'm not exactly sure why the shop said I need one but he said it was about to go out. Aiming for Wednesday to get it to the indy mechanic. I really hope this pans out. I love this Land Rover and it truly drives incredibly. I hope my small plan can work. I will trust this indy mechanic much more so lets see what happens.

 

Shop may have listened to alternator with a stick or screw driver and heard bearing making noise inside. You can do the same thing, just grab a broom handle. I know that the feeling of a broom in your hands will be new to most students; but your education should expand your horizons.

 

How much oil are you leaking? I don't recall reading. Is it like a quart a month or a few weeks?

If you are considering a new motor due to leaking oil, the Rover may not be for you. What I've learned really quickly on my Rover is that they leak where they shouldn't. The Brits love loose seals I guess, and it seems cheaper to just put in a bit of Rotella (or better yet change the oil) then spend hundreds of dollars and/or labor on swapping out seals which will just leak again.

Mine dribbles. It's good under-carriage corrosion protection (which you will need). After 4,000 miles and 5 months I've moved from "full" on the dip-stick to a little under 3/4. It's a ton more than my US cars, but not overly excessive and reminds me of my old 1979 CJ-7. You have to remember, the Rover V8 is 60's tech to begin with and their factory was notorious for not replacing tooling, which means the tolerances became nearly out-of-spec from the factory by 2003.