Moving this here in hopes of more response. ok, so im new to LR and need you pro LR guys and gals advice. Im looking at either buying a high mileage Tahoe or a 97 to 04 LR discovery or Range Rover. There are many in my area for under $4000 but I don't know which to choose and what to steer clear of. Theres a nice clean 03 Disco se for $3500 and IS on the oil pump sh*t list. Is there a recall that I could possibly take it in to get fixed or engine replaced? not sure how that works. Then theres an 04 discovery 4.6L that the owner says he loses a little water but not sure where its going and thinks it will need a water pump. Also, theres a 2001 Disco s2 se7 that's had head gaskets and radiator replaced. All of these are under 150k miles. Any help or info on what I should go for or stay away from will be greatly appreciated. Plus any help with the oil pump situation on the 03. If needed I will post links to the vehicles.

 

Start here. Search google. There are tons of threads about this

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...scovery-21328/

 

Thanks, VERY helpful. Here is a link to the one I want to buy. I love the black on black, but fear the oil pump problem. 2003 land rover discovery se
It starts and runs, has no leaks or noises. However he did say the dealer said the oil psi was supposed to be 7psi at idle but was only showing between 3 and 4 psi. If I get it, how often will I be replacing/rebuilding the oil pump? I do all my own work, so my only concern is cost of frequent replacement/rebuild.

 

Wrong number. It is supposed to be above 10 PSI at idle. The switch operates at 7.

So was this a Rover dealer? They should have the same RAVE shop manual linked on here.

Low PSI would indicate weak pump - or less resistance because bearings are worn. Test should result in above 10 at idle, and 50+ at 2500 rpm. Would not buy without an inspection that included the mechanical oil PSI test. Could be mains, rockers, or combination of both; oil pickup problems, etc.

 

It's got less than 120k miles on it. Are the engines in these THAT big of a p.o.s. they wear out the main bearings this quick? If so, I'd much rather take my chances spending the samemoney on a 250k mile Tahoe.

 

They have there notorious issues. It seems a lot of these trucks have been neglected, proper maitainence. Hit and miss, some last a good long while some do not. Good luck with your pick, IMO go with the vehicle that best suits your needs. I have lr because I love them. Comfy and capable, love the look as well. That's just me

 

I would love to get it and all it turn out to be is a bad sending unit. Like I said, there wad no valve/lifter chatter and no rod knock. Also, no bad oil leaks. However, when I checked the oil after it had been idling for 5 minutes the oil was half way up the dipstick(before I wiped it off) and very clean as if were just changed. So it would be impossible to see any metal flakes in the oil if it were indeed worn bearings.

 

Mr. Jason,

These vehicles were pretty expensive when new, and a lot of urban professionals bought (leased them). Then more kids came into the family, mom stayed home, dad got downsized at work. Maintenance suffered. You are not going to "see" with your naked eye the metal particles in the oil and know which part of the engine they are from.

It might be a bad sending unit, why not pay a mechanic to test it?

 

I beg to differ. One CAN "see" metal particles in the oil. True there is no guarantee where the particles come from, but that really wouldn't matter where they came from as it would turn about anyone away from purchasing the vehicle.

 

I would agree if the oil has not been changed, and the damage is severe you can see particles. But someone wishing to conceal that simply changes the oil and parks it. Plus, you can have so much wear that oil pressure is not being maintained, and those particles were long ago washed out with past oil changes. And there are firms that send their fleet oil off for anaysis to detect various metals in oil as part of predictive maintenance.

The point I am trying to make is that previous owners in many cases are not up to your standards of maintenance. You only have to look at photos of our engines at high miles to get a glimpse of that. And owners wishing to unload their money pit have done it all, including removing the dash clsuter and painting over warning lights on the back side.