Hey everyone, I'm not new to Land Rover ownership, I sold a 96' Disco 5 spd a year ago and have missed it ever since. I spent a lot of time working on it and loved driving it. Did lots of off-roading, good fun.

I just bought a 94' RRC, nice and cheap, for what I sold my dirtbike for. The body is in great shape, minimal rust, great interior. Has all the usual quirks, crappy headliner and the like. I drove it 100+ miles yesterday no problem. It has a few mechanical quirks, and it obviously has had a rough life. Oil looks great, had to add some coolant today.

The main coolant hose on the top of the radiator expands when the motor gets warm. It seems like there is some sort of blockage in the radiator. Truck does not overheat. Has anyone experienced something similar?

It developed a misfire today, and check engine light is on. The spark plugs are rusty looking and the coil wires look really old. I'm planning on replacing the plus, does anyone have any experience with plugs on the 3.9 motor? Are any better than the rest? Should I replace the coil wires and/ or the distributor cap when I do the plugs?

It ran great before it developed the misfire and the motor makes a gentle tapping noise while running but no knocking of any kind.

Thank you for your input!

Andrew

 

plain old champion copper core plugs and kingsborne wires. A stuck thermostat can cause the hose to do that as well

 

Thanks! I've ordered plug wires and plugs, I'm sure that will do the trick. Does anyone know the socket size for the plugs? I know its bigger than a 19mm metric, or a 3/4 standard.

 

New plugs and wires are in, it sounds a little healthier. The main issue is that the top coolant hose pressurizes and "inflates" after the motor gets warm. You mentioned it could be a thermostat problem, could it also be some sort of blockage in the radiator?

Thanks so much!

 

stuck thermostat, blocked radiator or blown head gasket pressurizing the cooling system

 

pop the t-sat out and start it up again

 

I drained the radiator and put in new coolant and a headgasket sealer. The motor is running really well, the only remaining issue is a very low idle (300rpm or so), and it has a hard time accelerating from idle, but still easily drivable. It seems like it's either the MAF, IACV, or a clogged fuel filter. I plan to clean out the MAF and IACV, and if that doesn't do it replace a filter.

The transmission is also very clunky, and today started acting strangely at about 70mph. Don't know how to describe it, car runs fine since and it doesn't seem to have gotten worse.

Does anyone have any experience with any of the above symptoms? When I had idle issues on my disco I replaced the IACV and it seemed to cure it. Also, where is the fuel pump located and could it be the source of the problem I'm experiencing?

Thanks again!

 

fuel pump is in the tank the filter is inside the pass rear tire on the frame