Hello all. New here, relatively long-time LR owner. Currently have a 2003 Disco SE7 with 145K on the odometer, about 60 on the new short block (factory block, installed by dealer under extended warranty).

Car is currently losing a fair amount of oil and I can't figure out where it's going. I'm losing about 1/2 quart every 1000 miles. This is fairly recent - in the last 5K miles or so.

Recent visit to the mechanic came back with a diagnosis of head-gasket leak a and transfer case leak. And a small value cover leak. This doesn't explain that much oil being gone to me. My concern is that I'm burning it (although it's not noticeably smoking out the exhaust).

I might invest the ~$3K for head gaskets and transfer case seals. I can't see doing another short block if the rings are losing oil. Any opinions? Would a compression test tell me if that's where the oil is going?

One other item: I get an occasional whirring noise near the firewall. It's a small motor running for a 10-30 seconds. I never noticed this until ~15K miles or so ago, so it's either gotten louder or a lot more frequent. I'm guessing it's a vacuum pump but don't know. Sometimes I'll hear it once a day, sometimes it'll run 5 times in a 10 minute period. Is this common? Does it mean I need to replace the pump or perhaps have a vacuum leak?

I like driving a LR, but need to decide if this a truck worth investing in or do I move to something else. This is a commuter vehicle for me and will occasionally (rarely) be taken off road.

Have a few other questions I'll post in appropriate forums.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

yes; a compression test done correctly should tell you where the oil is going.

the noise your hear is probably from the sai pump

 

Thanks. Did some more reading - 90% it's the SAI pump. I'll try replacing the filter first. Otherwise may need to do something with the pump.

 

Also check your PCV hoses and make sure they are all clean and cleared out. These are the hoses coming from the valve covers. Not sure of the exact process with the PCV but was told this can consume oil clogged.

Leaks from the valve cover gaskets will sometimes hit the exhaust manifolds and burn so you don't see the oil on the ground.

Those 2 items in conjunction could account for the loss.

 

Will do, and thanks for that tip. No question I'l losing some out the value covers and burning it - I smell when I get out of the car.

Back when I was a kid I drove a car with a Mopar 383 v8 for a while. I learned just how many places an engine could leak oil. I still hear those lifters ticking.