2003 LR Disco II. 150k miles. Recently the "SES" light came on and began flashing. Used my OBD II tester to pull codes:
P0302
P0300 pd
P1668 pd

Replaced old plugs and wires with Bosch Iridium plugs and Magnecor 8.5mm wires. Ran fine for a week and then... "SES" light flashes at 2K RPMs, slight ticking noise in engine bay. After RPMs exceed 3k ticking stops but "SES" light remains on. Checked oil level and it is fine. Pulled cylinder 2 wire and plug. No sweet antifreeze smell or blackened ends on plug or wire. Just spent the weekend replacing the coil pack and putting everything back together.

Test drove tonight and as soon as RPMs hit 2K "SES" light flashes. I swapped wire from #1 and #2 coils still got P0302 code. Swapped wires from #2 and #4 got P0304. I am certain the issue is cylinder #2.

What else could this be? The vehicle is meticulously maintained per LR standards, always use premium fuel from reputable stations. Trying to avoid a $1800 service bill from our LR dealer but running out of ideas/options.

 

Some add green dye to coolant and this shows up as flecks of green on the spark plug if small HG leak. Here are some pages from the Bosh ECU manual, which show that once multiple misfires are reached the MIL light comes on right away, rather than waiting for up to two drive cycles.

$1800 at dealer - isn't that just an oil change and tire rotation?

 

Fault Code P1668

Ticking on a Disco II is not always a good thing, especially an 03'.

If ‘Service engine soon’ flashes and/or the
vehicle does not drive normally:
• Avoid high speeds and seek immediate
assistance from your Land Rover retailer.

Guess your heading to the dealer......

 

Is there anything else I can do or check myself before taking it to the dealer? Christmas is comming up and I would much rather invest my time and a little money to fix this at home than break the bank taking it to LR dealer. Could it be an O2 sensor, fuel pump,etc?

 

I don't think your P1668 issue has a work around, at least with the BCU reprogramming and I would suggest you have that done, might be at no cost. Check on that with the dealer first. Your may find your P0300 misfires disappear, might not. To have the P0302 misfire follow your plug wire to #4 is telling though, it's the wire. The tick I would surmise is because of a fouled wire.

 

I just got the call from the LR Dealership in Nashville, TN. They have determined that it is not the plugs, wires or coils. They doubt it is the HG but want $500 to tear the engine down to diagnose the problem because they have concluded it is internal. Anyone out there know what that could mean? Cam, lifter,etc.? And the BCU reprogramming cost $100 so I am looking at paying LR $600 to tell me what is wrong with my truck and how many more bills I will have to throw at it to keep it running.

There are a few "specialty" shops that work on Rovers. Would it be worth it to have the truck towed somewhere else or should I bite the bullet and let LR do the work and drain my wallet?

 

It's gonna cost you way more than $600 by the way it sounds. Is any of the work covered under LR warranty? If it's the block it's gonna hurt a whole lot.

 

The warranty for the new engine we purchased 25 months (only 16K miles)ago from the dealership just expired so nothing is covered under warranty. That is why I am thinking it might be time to get away from the dealership and find a private shop that isn't going to charge $100/hr for labor.

I know this is going to cost a lot to fix but $600 just to find the problem seems high to me.