A little background first. I had a 1997 Ford Explorer 5.0 v8. It was a good truck, I liked it for the first year or so then it all went to hell. to the point I just needed to get a new tuck. I have always wanted a jeep so I started to look for one but then out of the blue I found this Land Rover Disco 1 with 98,000 miles and really clean. I have always like the look of the Land Rover. I did a lot of research on it, called the guy, looked at everything, test drive and so on. The first time I sat in the divers set I know this was the truck I have been looking for, as I’m a smaller guy at 5 ft and could see everything. But now I’m scared that this maybe a replay of the Explorer. I have had the truck for about a month now. The first few weeks I had it I loved it. It was fun to drive and the looks you get, how you can beat that! But then little things stared to happen like rubbing noise from the back, overheating, the E brake light coming on randomly, it won’t go in to 4 lo (but it will go in to the dif lock). There is more but I’ll save you from the rant. I really do love the truck and I would love to keep it but as of right now I don’t really have the time to work on it due to working all most 90 hours a week during the summer. I’m trying to make time for it and doing the little thing as they come up.
Sorry for this downer of a post but I’m scared I may not be able to keep my baby.

 

They are great trucks but a lot of work. Fix things as they break and don't let them build up is the only advice I have. All the little things become overwhelming. I swear I'm fixing something every weekend, but I stay on top of it and it has been a great vehicle. It's my daily driver and I frequently take long trips in it with no issues. If you let them go, and it sounds like the PO did, they are a handful. Get everything worked out and then don't let things slip you will be golden.

Ps, find out why it is overheating ASAP. Let that slide and you will be out an engine in no time.

 

Divide and conquer. Work on things that are safety and blow up engine first. Then move on to performance, ride quality, comfort, etc. Deal with overheating first. If you owned a Fix Or Repair Daily, this won't be much of a challenge for you.

 

Lol, like just about every car I owned in school. Maybe this is why I don't mind it. We used to be under the hood every weekend for fun.

 

When you think about it, a used Disco is usually disposed of because the PO gew tired of funding repairs and service. We buy them for a song, and in some cases a good bit of the work has already been done by someone who gave up. A middle income household with todays career and bank stresses (aka one of the income earners laid off) can't afford the money pit Rover anymore. So if you have more patience than the previous owner, and are willing to DIY, you can buy previously owned posh pampered sheetmetal of any variety and bring it up to enjoyable standards. Maybe not show car level, but certainly fun level. If you plan to have the dealership do all the work, better have deep pockets, regardless of brand. And I do believe that you can find something to do on a Disco every weekend.

 

Thanks for the advice I plan on doing most if not all the work myself with a little help. I have looked in to the overheating thing; let me know if I’m missing something.
1. I check the coolant it was a little low so I put more 50/50 in it.
2. I check the retarder looks good no mud/bug in it no leaks I do need to replace the plastic blot with a ½’ brass one.
3. looked at the hoses they need to be replaced there soft looks a little old.
4. Cluch fan is good.
5. Water pump works well.
6. A/c fans work well.
The first time it started to overheat I added coolant it worked but then it got really hot where I live 98 -102could that have something to do with it I work swing so I get off at 1130 pm and does not over heat at night as of yet.

 

when you say overheat, how far did the temp guage go, assuming normal running spot of 8:00 to 9:00?

when did it overheat - at idle, going slow in sand, or just rolling down the highway?

You may want to consider flsuhing radiator next time you need to change coolant. If overheat persists, may want to take rad to a shop for heavy duty flush and rod out that removes calcium build up - use distilled water only.

 

Ya it is usually at 8:00 to 9:00 it got up to the top, not to the red just to the line before it. Before I could shut it off. I did turn on the heater that help the a/c was not on. This was about a week ago just driving going up I hill at like 45 mph