Hey everyone, I bought my 1st Land Rover yesterday. I have several other vehicles, some 2 wheel, some 4. I usually do all my own work and mods unless I absolutely don't have the time or know it's above my skill level. After some research ice realized this truck is a different beast than I've dealt with before and there's going to be a learning curve. She's an 03 Disco 2 se7, 4.6l 129k miles. The story is it was purchased cash for $6,000 2 years ago by a very upper-middle-class parent for their college-age daughter, they put money into O2 sensors and some maintenance to make sure it was reliable period after about a year it started to misfire and run rough, they parked it made no attempt to have it fixed and instead bought her a new vehicle. I picked it up for $500. The dipstick had almost no oil on it, and it was as black as tar. The entire underside of the engine was coated in oil. It idles rough and is definitely misfiring, I change the oil today it only had 3 quarts in it. The filter was barely hand tight and the magnetic Bolt was just tighter then finger tight, about 5 of the oil pan bolts were barely snugged tight. After filling the oil and a short test drive it appears that most of the oil leak is under control. On to the codes and misfires, it sounds like there is an air intake or exhaust leak coming from the top center of the engine below the intake manifold, I sprayed brake parts cleaner the best I could and did not hear the engine Rev at all. The bolts holding the intake manifold wear tight, just looking for a direction to start in. I purchased 8 millimeter wires and Bosch plugs, I'm attaching a couple pictures of the list of codes and the vehicle. The PO said that O2 sensors have been replaced when he purchased it. Tomorrow I'm going to check the electrical connections as some of the leaking oil may have compromised the connections. Sorry for the long first post, I'm hoping to get this Beast running right, I've only had it for 24 hours and love it already. The interior was dirty but all there and everything seems to work and is in great condition other than running rough.

 

Nevermind, another few hours of searching has led me to the conclusion that the head gasket is blown, coolant is bubbling in resovior, luckily no oil/coolant crossing. I debated for an HR or so whether to pay a shop(2500$) quote), drive it til it won't drive anymore ($500 investment w no emotional attachment), or order the parts and take a weekend to change the gaskets. It's way to nice and fun to drive with multiple misfirres, dozen codes and pi$$ing oil like a racehorse to not put another 500$ and labor into to fix. I watched a couple videos on gems hg repair, I'm assuming the Bosch is similar, if there's a diy thread anyone could post a link 2 it would be appreciated. Atlantic British hg kit comes w bolts, the upgraded stud kit costs more than the whole hg kit w bolts, is it necessary? Can heads be reused without rebuilding?

 

There are dozens of threads on here about replacing head gaskets, most of which will answer all your questions. I think Atlantic British have a video series on their site walking you through the process.
This is a relatively common issue with these engines when people don't maintain them.

 

The studs aren't worth it. Don't skip the head rebuild step. Most shops charge a couple hundred or less to make sure they are flat. You can buy a totally rebuilt set with new valve seats for about 500. Depends on your budget.

Search youtube Atlantic British has a Bosch step by step video. It's much the same aside from the intake.

If the truck is in nice shape...do it. It's worth putting a few hundred in parts and a weekend or two in work. Go really slow. Take your time. Don't get angry. Get all your research done before you touch it.

 

get the workshop manual (aka RAVE) from the link in my signature. You'll find it in the 'Discovery 2' folder along with the electrical manual

 

It is in great shape, body's straight, no broken glass, steering and suspension components are tight and charging, cooling, and a/c all work. The only hesitation I have before tearing into it is a slight slip going into reverse sometimes. P/o said it did this from the day they bought it 2yrs 20k miles ago.ill download RAVE today and do more research on transmission issues before ordering parts. ABS and brake light are on, tc light on. I'm assuming those systems are full of wonderfully expensive little electronic sensors and components but it stops regardless and I'll tackle that when I finish top end. Thanks for all the info!

 

You have the Three Amigos (ABS, brake, and TC lights). Usually it's a simple fix called Option B. Info is all over this forum.
The transmission slip may just be that the fluid level is low.

 

Lol, three amigos,huh? Thanks for the direction, there's a learning curve for sure. Most of my experience is with vintage Jap bikes,Ford diesels and Nissan's, most recently a engine tranny swap in a d21 4wd Pathfinder. I'm not too worried about the small issues until I tackle the hg and get a good baseline to diagnose any other issues. At the end of the day it's a 4wd truck w a pushrod v8, Ill do my due diligence this weekend but am curious if there's a preference in gasket type or brand and if there's anything I should replace while that deep in the top end? A local shop said something about the thermostat, even with the bad hg it doesn't overheat at all and water pump doesn't need to come off for hg, should I pull the pump and Chang t-stat while I'm in there?

 

For added fun the thermostat is external on your truck you can change it at anytime. Its on the passenger side about halfway down the radiator. It looks like an artificial Jarvis heart. To answer your question absolutely without a doubt change it with a genuine 180 degree thermostat

 

So funny 'cause it is true!