What you have
#1
12-17-2017, 09:11 PM
What you have
Just a quick post about what you have if you have a D2.
My many errors and successes keeping my D2 running are well chronicled here. The truth is that if it wasn't for these forums and its generous members I would have gotten rid of my D2 long ago. I bought mine in late 1999, brand new, and paid it off in short order. Then in about 2003, I had a dreaded head gasket blow. I didn't have a spare vehicle so I just relied on my company car and put the D2 in my garage. I don't have a dealership close and none of the local shops would touch it. I was the farthest thing from a mechanic.
Five years it sat in the garage until I found the forum and downloaded the RAVE and took on the big project. It took days and in the middle of it I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get it back together, much less fix it. Now I can change head gaskets in a few hours but I was so proud of my success that first time that the D2 was put back in service full time.
Ups and downs followed, and I have more vehicles now, so the D2 was relegated to weekend jeep status. It is lifted, the tires are way too big, and though I have put some nice driveshafts on it, I never really considered it worthy of more than hopping a curb.
Fast forward to last week. My wife and I bought a fairly huge piece of property, all wooded, with the design of building a weekend place and eventually retirement home. The driveway is a half mile uphill. After years of neglect, it was severely rutted and washed out. So we tried it in the rover. Despite worrying that we would tip over, it made it fine. This was the first time since 1999 that I've ever used 4lo. We tried some other things. We found long abandoned trailers and cars and trucks. I pushed through the woods and dragged 8 vehicles, some without tires and even one suburban, all with a chain and my rover. All uphill. No problems at all. And each day we drove 20 miles home, everything worked great. Now the cars and trailers are gone. What a win!
Last night we had THREE inches of rain. We had to go back out to the property because, well, I had to see how far things would go. Also, our 4wd full size pickup was both stuck and had a punctured tire, so changing the tire and getting it to a shop was a priority. Sure enough, the work we had done with a backhoe less that 24 hours before, all day, was basically ruined, and the mud (clay in some places and sandy loam in others) that had been freshly fluffed up was so deep, it was over my tires and on the wheels. We are talking a steep hill in places. I've had ATVs that would not go through it. I was ready with the winch. Shockingly, we made it right to the top. I got the backhoe to pull the pickup out and it got stuck. So I tried with the rover, amazingly, I got the pickup and then the backhoe out with the rover (apparently the backhoe didn't need much of a nudge).
I guess the point of all of this is that after I have had bad thoughts about the little buggy for years, I know it isn't worthe as much in dollars an an ATV, and my blood pressure goes up every year at inspection time, I have found that my little, old, frayed, Boulevard Queen can do some serious work. Yours can too. I could not have towed cars and trucks with a jeep, and it went places an 8 ton backhoe would not!
The other point is to thank the many members of this forum and the forum itself for many years of help. My rover may **** the bed tomorrow, but if it does I will still feel vindicated for hanging on to it for almost two decades.
And a bit of advice... when you are chugging up a muddy hill, close your windows.
Wishing you luck with yours.
Charlie V
P.S. My wife has been hot on a new vehicle recently, and she now says she wants a land rover. Hmm, maybe I can move up one generation to an LR3?!
My many errors and successes keeping my D2 running are well chronicled here. The truth is that if it wasn't for these forums and its generous members I would have gotten rid of my D2 long ago. I bought mine in late 1999, brand new, and paid it off in short order. Then in about 2003, I had a dreaded head gasket blow. I didn't have a spare vehicle so I just relied on my company car and put the D2 in my garage. I don't have a dealership close and none of the local shops would touch it. I was the farthest thing from a mechanic.
Five years it sat in the garage until I found the forum and downloaded the RAVE and took on the big project. It took days and in the middle of it I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get it back together, much less fix it. Now I can change head gaskets in a few hours but I was so proud of my success that first time that the D2 was put back in service full time.
Ups and downs followed, and I have more vehicles now, so the D2 was relegated to weekend jeep status. It is lifted, the tires are way too big, and though I have put some nice driveshafts on it, I never really considered it worthy of more than hopping a curb.
Fast forward to last week. My wife and I bought a fairly huge piece of property, all wooded, with the design of building a weekend place and eventually retirement home. The driveway is a half mile uphill. After years of neglect, it was severely rutted and washed out. So we tried it in the rover. Despite worrying that we would tip over, it made it fine. This was the first time since 1999 that I've ever used 4lo. We tried some other things. We found long abandoned trailers and cars and trucks. I pushed through the woods and dragged 8 vehicles, some without tires and even one suburban, all with a chain and my rover. All uphill. No problems at all. And each day we drove 20 miles home, everything worked great. Now the cars and trailers are gone. What a win!
Last night we had THREE inches of rain. We had to go back out to the property because, well, I had to see how far things would go. Also, our 4wd full size pickup was both stuck and had a punctured tire, so changing the tire and getting it to a shop was a priority. Sure enough, the work we had done with a backhoe less that 24 hours before, all day, was basically ruined, and the mud (clay in some places and sandy loam in others) that had been freshly fluffed up was so deep, it was over my tires and on the wheels. We are talking a steep hill in places. I've had ATVs that would not go through it. I was ready with the winch. Shockingly, we made it right to the top. I got the backhoe to pull the pickup out and it got stuck. So I tried with the rover, amazingly, I got the pickup and then the backhoe out with the rover (apparently the backhoe didn't need much of a nudge).
I guess the point of all of this is that after I have had bad thoughts about the little buggy for years, I know it isn't worthe as much in dollars an an ATV, and my blood pressure goes up every year at inspection time, I have found that my little, old, frayed, Boulevard Queen can do some serious work. Yours can too. I could not have towed cars and trucks with a jeep, and it went places an 8 ton backhoe would not!
The other point is to thank the many members of this forum and the forum itself for many years of help. My rover may **** the bed tomorrow, but if it does I will still feel vindicated for hanging on to it for almost two decades.
And a bit of advice... when you are chugging up a muddy hill, close your windows.
Wishing you luck with yours.
Charlie V
P.S. My wife has been hot on a new vehicle recently, and she now says she wants a land rover. Hmm, maybe I can move up one generation to an LR3?!
Last edited by Charlie_V; 12-17-2017 at 09:44 PM.
#2
12-18-2017, 02:22 AM
Camel Trophy
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: St. Clair County, Michigan
Posts: 4,567
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Glad to hear that you took her out of semi retirement. Naturally, we need pictures to verify all of this...so you're going to have to put all of the scrap vehicles back in place and tow them out again...lol.
Nice to see you post again, hope you and the rover share more adventures together soon.
Brian.
Nice to see you post again, hope you and the rover share more adventures together soon.
Brian.
#3
12-18-2017, 02:36 AM
Glad to hear that you took her out of semi retirement. Naturally, we need pictures to verify all of this...so you're going to have to put all of the scrap vehicles back in place and tow them out again...lol.
Nice to see you post again, hope you and the rover share more adventures together soon.
Brian.
Nice to see you post again, hope you and the rover share more adventures together soon.
Brian.
I was so convinced we wouldn't make it in the mud I failed to take that crucial step! And in my initial post I failed to mention that we pulled a loaded trailer up the hill on the dry day. Yikes!
But once with the trailer attached I did feel an odd sensation and stopped to snap a photo, and here it is.
And with the old 'hoe next to a shack we found:
#5
12-18-2017, 07:55 AM
Thanks! I still covet a Chevy conversion but I need a new tractor worse. 
Something always stands between me and my Rover dreams.
The guy we were emailing with on that project happily drove his Rover to Florida. It thereafter died. He sold it on the shoulder of the road and bought a convertible corvette. Apples and apples, no? We are a dying breed.
Something always stands between me and my Rover dreams.The guy we were emailing with on that project happily drove his Rover to Florida. It thereafter died. He sold it on the shoulder of the road and bought a convertible corvette. Apples and apples, no? We are a dying breed.
#9
12-18-2017, 11:10 AM
Super Moderator
I've never owned a car in my life. I've always owned a 4x4 since I grew up in the TX Hill Country. I saw way to many people have deer end up inside their little Honda Accords to ever want that plus I grew up on 25 to nearly 100 acre ranches so 4x4's always got us around. I started with Mitsubishi Montero's (Gen 1 2DR/4DR), then I had a HORRIBLE experience with an 01 Nissan Xterra 4x4 (got stuck in the parking lot at Hidden Falls...), I then had a 97 D1 for a short time of only 6 months before it was destroyed in a very nasty wreck (not my fault), so I then got my hands on a very rare 97 Range Rover Vitesse in AA Yellow. I got the Safety Devices Roof Rack, tweaked the EAS into a 1-2inch lift, fitted bigger tires, and then sadly moved to Houston, TX away from Hidden Falls and the Hill Country. I sold it for a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 4.7L V8 model. I then tried 2 05 Jeep Wranglers (Rubicon & LJ Sport) since I couldn't get my hand on a D90. The Jeeps had a ton of aftermarket parts, but omg did they need them. They're built so CHEAP it's not even funny. If you really do start to push them hard off road in stock form they will fail very quickly, hence all the aftermarket parts. I then went to an H3 Alpha (5.3L V8 model) and it was truly an amazing SUV. It's only problem was the small/narrow interior for such a big looking exterior.
Around that same time my brother who had always been a RRC guy wanted to get another one. He finally found a 90 RRC Hunter Edition that actually had leather seats, but no sunroofs or ABS. It had 167K on it and besides one little dent by the fuel filler and some misc interior bits it was all original. Well he got me wanting another LR so I jumped back into it with a 98 LSE 50th Anniversary Edition in Woodcote Green from the original owner with just 117K on it. The interior was mint and the exterior still had the original paint in near perfect condition. After that I was hooked because I had only got to enjoy my 97 D1 for 6 months. I then found my 02 Kalahari, my 99 D2 I got after my 98 LSE was rear ended (fixed it for 200.00 and put the extra $$$$ I had into the 99 D2). I did get excellent used LR's as I knew their weaknesses and I made sure each one didn't suffer from poor maintenance either. Then my wife announced she was pregnant with our second child and I knew the H3 Alpha wasn't going to cut it as a family SUV, so I took a massive dive into the unknown and got my wife an 06 LR3 HSE with the HD Package. It's first two weeks of ownership was insane with a faulty brake switch that caused all sorts of Can Bus faults, an alternator that died, and a battery, but after that it's been flawless. I got it for 10K with 91K on it in very very very good condition. I think the previous owners took it to LR and were given a very $$$$ bill to fix the issues I later discovered. It cost me right around 400.00 in parts including a full brake job as it needed it due to heavy braking. so $10,400.00 in all which at the time was still 5K less than any other clean LR3 HSE for sale in my area. I sold the H3 Alpha for 16.1K so I had some play money anyways.
Yes LR's are unique and do suffer from some flaws, but if addressed and maintained they'll blow a Mitsubishi, Hummer, Nissan, and Jeep out of the water. I've driven them all in snow, rain, ice, and in the LR it just feels like you're driving down a normal piece of highway. In the Jeep's you were barely going 65MPH and if it was windy you were constantly fighting to keep it in the lane you were traveling in.
Off road it seems like you're on a highway once again with a very very nice ride vs say a Jeep that makes a wash board road seem like you're skipping across the earths atmosphere on re-entry. I still prefer the 87-04 LR basic design, but the LR3 with it's terrain response setup is very very good.
When I've gone off road in the LR's I can just go down a trail with very little wheel spin or throttle and the LR will just make it's way down the trail with no fuss. However it's a very common sight to watch Jeeps flooring it up a hill and digging out the trail just to make it up. To me that is so far from Tread Lightly!
I also love how LR's were one of the last vehicle companies up until the end of the Defender that was put together a great deal by hand vs 100% robotic assembly. There is just something about them that I love dearly. Maybe it's the classic looks, or the 87-98 RRC/D1 interior smell that reminds me of a military surplus store lol. Whatever it is I plan on rocking my LR's well into the future and yes I'd go for the Chevy 4.8L conversion before I'd ever consider buying a new SUV.
On a side note about the LR3 it's an AWESOME LR, but if you are interested in one take a long something like the iCarsoft LR2 and read the individual module faults. It'll report some stuff that isn't important, but check the TCM for pending faults, the ABS, transmission, and engine. Lower Control Arm bushings are a common wear item, and the EAS pump. If it runs more than 2min upon start-up expect to do at least a rebuild or replacement of the pump or air bags. You can convert it the OME Springs and sit around 2inches taller, but I honestly love the EAS. The 4.4L V8 is very reliable, check for any coolant leaks, and make sure the glass on the roof isn't cracking. I've seen several that were cracking from body stress (probably were in wrecks).
You can find LR3 SE models basically fully decked out to almost HSE status with NAV/HD Package. If it has NAV that's a good sign, then go to the 4x4 Info and see if you have a rear locker. When I bought mine they were 100% clueless.
Around that same time my brother who had always been a RRC guy wanted to get another one. He finally found a 90 RRC Hunter Edition that actually had leather seats, but no sunroofs or ABS. It had 167K on it and besides one little dent by the fuel filler and some misc interior bits it was all original. Well he got me wanting another LR so I jumped back into it with a 98 LSE 50th Anniversary Edition in Woodcote Green from the original owner with just 117K on it. The interior was mint and the exterior still had the original paint in near perfect condition. After that I was hooked because I had only got to enjoy my 97 D1 for 6 months. I then found my 02 Kalahari, my 99 D2 I got after my 98 LSE was rear ended (fixed it for 200.00 and put the extra $$$$ I had into the 99 D2). I did get excellent used LR's as I knew their weaknesses and I made sure each one didn't suffer from poor maintenance either. Then my wife announced she was pregnant with our second child and I knew the H3 Alpha wasn't going to cut it as a family SUV, so I took a massive dive into the unknown and got my wife an 06 LR3 HSE with the HD Package. It's first two weeks of ownership was insane with a faulty brake switch that caused all sorts of Can Bus faults, an alternator that died, and a battery, but after that it's been flawless. I got it for 10K with 91K on it in very very very good condition. I think the previous owners took it to LR and were given a very $$$$ bill to fix the issues I later discovered. It cost me right around 400.00 in parts including a full brake job as it needed it due to heavy braking. so $10,400.00 in all which at the time was still 5K less than any other clean LR3 HSE for sale in my area. I sold the H3 Alpha for 16.1K so I had some play money anyways.
Yes LR's are unique and do suffer from some flaws, but if addressed and maintained they'll blow a Mitsubishi, Hummer, Nissan, and Jeep out of the water. I've driven them all in snow, rain, ice, and in the LR it just feels like you're driving down a normal piece of highway. In the Jeep's you were barely going 65MPH and if it was windy you were constantly fighting to keep it in the lane you were traveling in.
Off road it seems like you're on a highway once again with a very very nice ride vs say a Jeep that makes a wash board road seem like you're skipping across the earths atmosphere on re-entry. I still prefer the 87-04 LR basic design, but the LR3 with it's terrain response setup is very very good.
When I've gone off road in the LR's I can just go down a trail with very little wheel spin or throttle and the LR will just make it's way down the trail with no fuss. However it's a very common sight to watch Jeeps flooring it up a hill and digging out the trail just to make it up. To me that is so far from Tread Lightly!
I also love how LR's were one of the last vehicle companies up until the end of the Defender that was put together a great deal by hand vs 100% robotic assembly. There is just something about them that I love dearly. Maybe it's the classic looks, or the 87-98 RRC/D1 interior smell that reminds me of a military surplus store lol. Whatever it is I plan on rocking my LR's well into the future and yes I'd go for the Chevy 4.8L conversion before I'd ever consider buying a new SUV.
On a side note about the LR3 it's an AWESOME LR, but if you are interested in one take a long something like the iCarsoft LR2 and read the individual module faults. It'll report some stuff that isn't important, but check the TCM for pending faults, the ABS, transmission, and engine. Lower Control Arm bushings are a common wear item, and the EAS pump. If it runs more than 2min upon start-up expect to do at least a rebuild or replacement of the pump or air bags. You can convert it the OME Springs and sit around 2inches taller, but I honestly love the EAS. The 4.4L V8 is very reliable, check for any coolant leaks, and make sure the glass on the roof isn't cracking. I've seen several that were cracking from body stress (probably were in wrecks).
You can find LR3 SE models basically fully decked out to almost HSE status with NAV/HD Package. If it has NAV that's a good sign, then go to the 4x4 Info and see if you have a rear locker. When I bought mine they were 100% clueless.
Last edited by Best4x4; 12-18-2017 at 11:47 AM.
#10
12-18-2017, 12:07 PM
I knew I forgot something. Damn. I have the albatross CDL with no lever but I had a set of wrenches with me. Next time, maybe.