dealership let me take the truck overnight. It's a 2002 Kalahari Edition (appears to be it has a bunch of bolt-on guards, etc.). anyway, 112k miles.

first question; there is a engine noise (occurs in neutral/park) that sounds like it's coming from the firewall area perhaps where most heater cores are typically located...just off-center to the passenger side. the sound is kind of a high-pitched whine. not really, very high-pitched but not low either. almost like a power steering pump, but that's not where it's located is it?

second; how can i determine if the head gaskets have been done?

third, the car spent life up to this point in ohio and shows rust underneath. are there certain areas to check throughly or is the surface rust on things under there okay. the body is spotless and the interior looks brand new.

i also smell coolant, you know, that sweet smell, a little bit when i exit the vehicle. but, my wife's bmw does this too. so i guess a small leak somewhere?

thanks much guys! i hope to be joining the club soon...

Brian

 

How much and what kind of warranty are they giving?

Service records are the only way to tell about the head gaskets. Even a small coolant leak is a bad one. It can blow out at any time. Look at the throttle body heater plate for leaks. If it is ok, you are looking at head gaskets.

The whir could be from your secondary air injection leaking. Could be cam bearings as well. Take a fat plastic handle screw driver and put it on all of your accessory drives and move it around the block to see where it is the loudest. (put your ear on the handle and watch out for moving parts)..

Light surface rust is ok. I will let a D2 driver answer about problem areas. My D1 is prone to it in the rear doors by the strikers.

 

every other discovery i looked at besides the one i bought smelled like coolant when
turned off.some blew white clouds of smoke from engine area .you should pass on that one for sure unless its a killer deal and you dont mined fixing it right off the bat

 

That whirring sound is the secondary air injection pump. (SAI)
If it is really noisy it could be a clogged air filter or the bearings are going out on it.
The way to tell if the head gaskets have been done is with a receipt.
Smelling coolant is not normal for any car.

Have it inspected by a 3rd party, have everything wrong written up with how much it will cost to fix.

 

My 01 does not make that noise, and does not smell of coolant, ever. I had the head gaskets done a few weeks ago, and every other cooling seal done as well as they all started to fail at the same time. Around 114K to be exact. My secondary air pump sounds just like air pump cycling on and off every so often, very quite, just a "click" noise when it turns on.

You could be into this car for head gaskets, water pump, front cover seals, hoses and the throttle plate gasket as mentioned above. Also important to know is if the front drive shaft has been rebuilt or replaced, it could cost you a transmission.

Also, does it leak anything? Transmission fluid? Gear oil? Regular oil? All of these can be expensive if neglected.

 

thanks for the info guys. i've been poking around and upon opening the hood and actually listening to it from the outside the sound seems to come from somewhere around the front center/left side of the engine (as you face it from the front).

im not sure if its just a idler pulley or if the water pump has started its death march (perhaps reason behind coolant smell?).

i'll have the dealer address it today and report.

 

Every used DII at a dealership has issues, you just have to narrow them down and eliminate them. Bring a OBDII scanner with you. No one trades in a perfectly good Disco, only ones with issues that the prev owner does not want to deal with. Even if it is in pristine condition, the HG will need to be done sooner or later, as well as many other items for a vehical of that age and mileage. You can tell if the HG's were done recently because the head bolts and others will look brand new and so will the Heads. If they look like they are old and full of corosion, oil etc..they haven't been done..It pays to have an independent person evaluate the vehical, like an inspection service. Then, be prepared as it will need work either way...or should I say ..as always.

 

X10.....get the service records from Rover, it's amazing what Armor-All, Tire black and a shop vac can do to disguise a lemon.

Also make sure to verify it's a true Kalahari, and they aren't trying to overcharge for a clone. : There will be a "Special Vehicles" badge (not a sticker) on the back door to the lower right of the spare. There will also be a badge riveted to the radiator shroud.

What are they asking for it? What color?