I REALLY DONT KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN..... Not to long ago i ran into a problem with my MAF sensor. I took it to my Land Rover mechanic and all was fixed, (replaced MAF sensor) . Then I had a problem with the 3 amigos going on, (ABS, BRAKE, Traction Control, and also Hill decent control) so really its the 4 for me. Which was fine, with coming onto the forums i had an idea of what to expect but my guy told me to take it to the dealership to pinpoint the problem rather than guessing and wasting money. The bill of $120 wasnt bad to find out that the rear hub assembly is bad and has a broken sensor, est cost of dealer repair of $1011.67. I still have yet to repair it because it was only 2 weeks ago. Once again then my service engine soon light went on, so when i was close to the dealer I once again stopped in to see if they could pinpoint the problem for me. Once again the repair bill was $120 but this is where I start to get lost. They stated that my airbox which houses the air filter is warped. is that possible? (codes P0171 and p0174) with that having warped, my new MAF sensor that cost $400 to install is now shot and needs to be replaced again. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? It just happens to have happened now 1 week before i have to pass emissions.
Thats not even the best part, when they were diagnosing the service engine soon light they looked at everything else. They came back and stated they I have major oil leaks in the head gaskets ($2480.52) also my front cover gasket is 'pissing' coolant ($848.54) and that my throttle body gasket is leaking coolant ($105.04) The last thing they stated that was wrong was that my rear diff pinion seal is leaking ($352.69) I guess the point of me posting this info is to get advice, i know the dealership costs are astronomical but i have gotten burned in the past on my previous rover from a 'rover professional'. he was a british import know it all. I wanna make sure that the work is done right. But is it worth it? I am debating on upgrading to an 07 Range Rover that they have at the dealership but with trade value on the disco i would be left 11k upside down on financing, what would you do?

In the mean time though, im not the type to drive it and overheat the engine. It has been sitting now since i got the news and if i need to, I drive it minimally but only if it snows more than a couple of inches. i brought my summer car out of storage to drive and it has summer sport tires which suck in the snow. PLEASE HELP!!!! should i just trade it in and start over? or is it worth the fix?

 

If you are mechanically inclined what you have is doable for under $1000 if you DIY. You can get a nice used hub with sensor from any of the usual suspects (will tillery, paul grant, lucky 8 all have them lined up reaedy to go) for $125 shipped and installation is pretty easy. Head gaskets, front cover and oil pan are all done in one shot. You can get a used air cleaner box too. Sounds like you may need brakes too.

 

I am somewhat and would be willing to do the job, but for me its an issue on time. I have been working 11 hour days and my weekends are never free. i have been looking at replacing the hub, it doesnt look like it would take long, but tearing apart the engine to do the gaskets is another thing, that i cant do, i dont trust myself. the air box though, any reccomendations on where to find one. i was looking on ebay and they only have them for the first series, have you heard of that problem before? Is it worth it though for cost or should i just dump it, what would you do?

 

Whether or not it is worth the cost is up to you. If it were my Rover --- It would be worth it. Then again, you have an '03. Are you in the VIN range for the oil pump issue? That may be the deciding factor.

 

i am one of the lucky ones that isnt affected by the oil pump, thanks tho for the imput

 

The warped box could deff. make those codes come up, thats common. The MAF they could cover under a part warr. technically. Just make it sound like your gonna come back and fix some of the other stuff they should work with ya. As for the leaks...Ha welcome to the Landrover world! Make sure all your fluids are full (coolant, oil, etc) run the truck for awhile and warm it up. put a piece of cardboard under it and see how big any leak spots get and send info on results. If it is coming out fast enough that it's a stream then shut it off and the cover gasket will have to be done. As for the ABS look on the estimate and tell me what codes you have. Then I could give you a better suggestion on that. I have a 03 Disco and the Series II is deff. my favorite model. (Personal opinion). Also if they are gonna do your head gaskets the throttle body gasket shouldn't be that much. That takes 2 seconds with the upper intake off. Dont panic yet they almost all leak. In the meantime keep the fluids full!

 

Are you seeing any drips of coolant loss? Watch the leaks like a hawk. Take it to a car wash and rinse off your block. No chemicals or soap, just water on a cold engine to watch the development of leaks. The TB heater plate gasket is easy to fix, and a checp kit from Atlantic British.

Watch your fluid levels, and if you have a leak, take a pic and post it on here. Most things are easily done on a weekend. The easiest is staying on top of your fluid levels.

 

DIY. you can take care of the hub and the air intake problem in an hour. keep the fluids full until you get one free day and then you can knock out the gaskets. just get all the parts ready, get the HG kit from AB with some new head bolts and the throttle body gasket kit. if i can do it you can.

 

so i had a chance to replace the hub and found that it wasnt all that difficult, to get the three amigos cleared, is the dealer the only option on clearing them? next is the air box and also mass air flow sensor, which i checked, is still under warranty. in regards to the leak, i had my truck runnung for 30 minutes with cardboard underneath and nothing dripped.

 

If you ran it for 30 minutes and nothing dripped out of it, I wouldn't worry too much about the gaskets right away. Check out the air box. Can you see where it is warped and leaking ? If so, get a good used one. If the MAF is shot - you could try cleaning it, although some say not to - or try the warranty route. I'm not sure about the amigos lights, I have a DI, but if you have replaced the hub and the lights don't go out, you probably have to take it to the dealer or a LR specialist shop to get the codes reset and lights turned off. If you take it back to the same place, they should be able to reset the codes/lights, but f they come up with another fault, I'd be quite peeved. They may just be trying to scare you into emptying your wallet. But definitely keep an eye on the coolant and other fluids.