Just got a 2001 Disc II SE7. Bought in NJ drove it back to UT. Broke down second day of trip. Blew the bypass hose that goes to the intake. Failed outside of Toledo just as the blizzard hit Friday evening. I could tell it was a hose from the sound, but unfamiliar, and couldn't see it, plus the weather. Called a tow truck. While in the shop decided some new tires and an LOF would be a good idea. $1250.00 later back on the road Saturday afternoon. Drove the rest of that day and the next without a problem. Monday morning woke up to find a dead battery. Got lucky; NAPA close to hotel. Around noon my son was going to through his gum out the window; the window jammed, wouldn't go up or down. Found one of the roller guides broken on the regulator. Finally got home Monday evening, pulled it in the garage and called it a day. Next morning I went out to take a look at it, was going to wash it and clean it up a bit. When I opened the the door I immediately spotted a large puddle of coolant in the area directly below the water pump. It actually ended up being the three way coupling where the three upper hoses join just in front of the alternator. The coupling had disintegrated. How we got home is a mystery and a blessing; it seems impossible as there was nothing left connecting the hoses together. I called Rover to see if the coupling was available; they have discontinued it and replaced it with a fitted three way hose that they want $70.00 bucks for. I opted for a 3/4 inch PVC T-coupling and it works just fine and cost 75 cents. I am waiting for the new regulator I found on ebay for $38. It's a used one but I'll make sure to lubricate the rollers and guide channels well before I install it. Rover wants $185 for theirs. It looks like Rover uses little to no grease on the roller and guides; most likely the reason so many of them fail. I have bought several Rovers on ebay and and always been fairly lucky, but this trip was a real adventure. I could have had it shipped, however this is my son's first car and we wanted to make a trip out of it. I know these Discoveries are tinker toys and will be a good learning tool for my son but this was a little hairier and costlier than I would most generally prefer. I just joined this forum today and have been reading some threads, sounds like everyone has about as good of luck as I have been having. Oh well, live and learn. Seems like I should have know better by now. Brother!!!

 

That tee fitting is the only way to bleed air out of your cooling system. That said congratulations on your new purchase and best of luck. The guys on here are great, and will do their best to help you stay on the road and away from the stealership.

 

d2luvr, thanks for the reply, I don't know if you'll come back to read this but thanks. There must be several different designs of that hose union; as my air bleed valve is actually incorporated on the hose coming up from the water pump. Also while I am at it; hello to all, I am glad to be a member of this forum. It has been a good source of information and I just found the site yesterday. I have read here the u-joints on Discoveries tend to break and knock a hole in the transmission. I plan to check those before driving it again; for sure I could not afford such an expense. From what I gather I should replace them as soon as possible. The 4.0 seems to have plenty of life left in it, it pulls strong and smooth. Did seem to use a little oil, but I was driving it pretty hard the last half of the trip. 75/80 for 1600 miles since the oil change. That is a screwy place to mount the ignition; I wonder what must be going on inside the minds of the engineers at Rover. That and the placement of the cup holders and seat adjust switches; idiots! I am fairly sure the ignition wires are the originals as they are numbered 1 thru 8. I have never seen wires numbered except from the factory. The Disco has 124,000 on it; I am thinking I should replace them soon. I guess thats enough for now, cya.

 

These LR(s) really grow on you; even though they are a pain in the rear/money pit. The beast is parked for now, I'm convinced the block has a bad sleeve or sleeves. Head gasket replacement was no help for coolant loss and system pressurization/over heating. Researching replacement/rebuild engine options. I originally bought this for my son but he is at the age of impatience and doesn't realize he is at the easiest point of his life. He has lost all faith in his Disco II and no longer wants anything to do with it; I admit they are high maintenance and temperamental but I knew this going into it thinking it would be the perfect vehicle for him to learn mechanics as he always gave the impression he was interested in workings of automobiles. Turns out he just likes looking at and driving them. I will hand it to him though; he kept it spotless except for an occasional mud bath here and there. I am not giving up on it, I love it and when it's resurrection is complete I suspect the love for his "baby" will spark back to life as well. If not, I'll keep it for the family; its a great machine and it is literally built like a tank. Its an excellent spare backup/emergency/severe weather/disaster/rugged terrain/ recovery vehicle. Other than a new motor all it needs is an ARB front bumper/winch setup and it would be ready for most anything. I'm excited about it whether anyone else is or not. This is the second truck I've bought for my son that he has lost interest in; he is already pushing/expects me to buy him another but I'm just not going to give into him; its time, way past time he learned just what it takes; the time, effort and discipline required to fork out the cash for one of these "clunkers". Anyway when I've got the plan and get going I will start a thread as a diary of the project. I'll come back and post a link to the thread; maybe it could be helpful to someone. Goodbye for now.

 

were new head bolts used when the HG were redone? ARB bumpers suck. they are too much $$$, and have a crappy reputation and approach angle. check out the terrafirma winch bumper that just came out from Lucky 8 or ones from Hard Labor Creek or Rovertym. Are you sure the engine is shot? what is the CEL codes you are getting for that misfire? did you use 8mm magnecore wires? you might be able to find an other motor out of a wrecked truck if thats what it comes down 2. good luck m8!

 

Cracks in the heads are also known to happen. The upper radiator hose you described is the original. All the newer models came with an updated version. Runs about 250 bucks for the new hose kit. At those miles it could be your throttle body heater is leaking and shorting a plug wire out like happened to me.

 

No have not pinpointed/verified the block leak; I will have it pressure tested what I pull it, the immediate and extreme pressurization of the system at start up make me confident the block is the culprit. I followed the head gasket procedure meticulously and had the heads pressure check while they were at the machine shop. Thanks for the bumper advise, I will check those out if/when I get it back to life. I did install magnecore 8mm and OE Champions. If the block is repairable I am leaning towards the ductile sleeves from Turner Engineering UK but I am still researching and weighing the options.

 

Gentlemen (and women) if you have overheating you are unable to determine the cause; install an after market thermostat. Official announce waiting engineering investigation. Disclosure; this is only my theory/opinion.

Edit Update; see "D2 inline thermostat mod ?" thread of this forum.

 

"I Made a Bad Decision" - Me too

I just bought an 01 Discovery here in Dubai.

I'm also Discovery'ing things wrong with it too. No horn or cruise control, random ABS/TC lights when cruising on highway(speed sensor/wire?), oil/ps leaks, shot interior, outside trim broken/vibrates, mirrors fold in with wind load, failed door seals, saggy headliner, jump seat stuck folded, seeming to run rich, ****ty idle, left rear door requires excess force to open etc. etc.

If I quick let off on the throttle I can feel a bit more of a clunk then I'd expect - probably u-joints too.

But it's soo much fun and was initially cheap.

Sure beats the POS from new rental car.

 

you need some maitenance, first get that front drive shaft rebuilt before the u joint explodes and takes out the transmission and transfer case.

you will need to figure out where the oil and ps leaks are coming from. I would swap all fluids on the truck including diffs, transfer case, transmission, oil, ps fluid, coolant.

then check your fuse box for hte horn and CC issue. If that doesnt help the CC might be a simple vacuum leak.

Your ABS/TC lights is nicknamed the 3 amigos. do a search on the forum.

the headliner can be taken out and painted easily there is a write-up in the how-to section