Hi folks, this evening I brought home a new-to-me 2000 Disco II SD. I've liked these vehicles for a long time, but only recently have I begun seeing them in my price range. I enjoy buying used vehicles and fixing them up into something nice and reliable.

I found this one in reasonably good condition-- it only has 107k miles which is outstanding for a 14 year old vehicle. Engine looks squeaky clean, exterior needs a good cleaning and a few things need attention. Needs a headliner, some plastic interior pieces are loose, pretty minor stuff.

Thing I liked most about it is it drives like a dream. Best ride comfort, sitting position, I could go on and on about how lovely it is to drive.

It does have an oil leak at the bottom of the engine. I only noticed because of the hot oil smell while doing the test drive, it doesn't seem like a major leak, but it's coated the bottom of the oil pan pretty good. I know absolutely zilch about these engines or vehicles, so it's a bit disconcerting as it could be a rear main leak for all I know.

So do you fellas think I invested in a money pit, or a nice reliable fun-to-drive vehicle? Keep in mind I don't mind getting my hands dirty-- I don't take vehicles to the shop unless I absolutely have to (which is usually because I lack some kind of expensive equipment).. I also have a second vehicle if I need to tear into this one for some reason.. So give me the straight 1-2 punch and lemme have it. Good car? Bad?

Some of the horror stories about the engines spitting sleeves scares me. Is this a legitimate fear / issue with these rigs? What are the odds of it happening? Any other helpful info you guys can give a first timer would be much appreciated!!!

Also there is a funny looking control switch which I have no idea its purpose-- It's on the right side of the steering column, I believe below the controls for the rear window and rear defogger. It looks like two tires with lines under it? It's at the bottom of that row of switches. I'm stumped.

What is SD trim and how does it differ from the other available trims in 2000? Sorry for all the ?'s!

 

The skateboard looking switch on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel is actually a highway under a bridge and is the cruise control button. If you do not have an owner's handbook/manual that was with your D2 new, you can download a PDF version here.

http://www.discovery2.co.uk/handbooks_Etc.html

You should also download the official shop manual here.

http://www.landroverresource.com/

Additional download information in this link as well.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/ne...er-here-64995/


Welcome aboard! Lot of rover guys on the forum in Colorado.

Rovers are famous for oil leaks, but the valve covers left and right on the top of the engine have gaskets that leak because the bolts come lose. Search for valve cover gaskets on the forum. You need a 12pt 10 mm socket to tighten them. There may be other leaks, but this particular leak is usually an easy fix.

 

Overheating is a big issue with the D2, so ASAP read up on things to help prevent head gasket repairs which cost $$$. The temperature gauge on the D2 is really lame as well, it does not read very accurate, and only tells you things are hot when they are real hot. You can download an Android App called Torque that with an inexpensive OBD2 bluetooth device on ebay can read the temperature on your phone, just to get you some idea of what the real temps are. Not sure if it is available for Iphones. There are other gauges that you can buy to read the temp as well. Ultra Gauge is one. http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/

A 180 degree thermostat is one of the good things to do promptly on this list to allow the engine to allow the cooler coolant in the engine sooner to help keep the temperature from getting too hot before the cooler coolant is allowed to mix in as with the original 195 degree thermostat.

Make sure to search on overheating and also front driveshaft overhaul that are both needed to prevent expensive repairs. Then look at the Major Service Sticky, which is a thread in the D2 section that is at the top of all the other threads. Again, welcome aboard!

As much as I am sure you want to begin to modify your new rover, you need to spend money on these items first!

 

Thanks for all the great info. I have the Torque app and OBD2 bluetooth adapter, so I'll start monitoring temps. How high is too high? Are these 195 t-stats stock? So 220-ish would be the upper normal range?

I know this info is probably in a million places, but can you quickly describe the front driveshaft problem and what happens -- or what is done to correct it? I couldn't locate that when I first did some browsing on the site.

 

195 is stock, there is a 180 now that you can get that is LR and there is a Motorad 180 that you can get, but some folks have had issues with the Motorad not working properly. I have the Motorad 180 and have had no issues.

In regard to the front drive shaft the U-Joints are not serviceable (you cannot lube them) the heat dries them out, and they fall apart and the drive shaft comes loose and takes out the very expensive transmission next to it. You can replace the u-joints with serviceable u-joints, as well as the swivel ball, notes on threads on the forum to do this, or you can buy a heavy duty new front drive shaft with greaseable u-joints from a few different vendors as well.

Check out the Major Service sticky, it may have some notes on both overheating prevention measures and the drive shaft, I cannot recall exactly. Also, do some reading on oil. Lot of opinions, but one things is agreed upon, change it regularly with a quality filter.

I have ordered parts from I believe everyone on this list below at some point.

Parts vendors for new parts & Accessories
Atlantic British - East Coast & West Coast Warehouses http://www.roverparts.com/
Rovers North - VT http://www.roversnorth.com/Land-Rover-Parts/WebHomePage
Lucky8 - NY http://www.lucky8llc.com/ Also on ebay http://stores.ebay.com/OEM-Rover
Rovafarm - AR http://www.rovahfarm.com/
Expedition Exchange - CA https://www.expeditionexchange.com/
Roverland Parts - FL http://www.roverlandparts.com/index.aspx
British 4x4 Centre - TX http://british4x4centre.com/

Plenty of used parts guys on the forum and you can find with Google also
Paul Grant - CT (on the forum)
Abran - CA (on the forum)
Drillbit - KY (on the forum "Marty")
Will Tillery - "Rovaguy" - VA http://stores.ebay.com/ROVAGUY-LAND-ROVER-PARTS
Buckhorn Imports - NC http://stores.ebay.com/Buckhorn-Imports
Shiyco Parts - SC Wilson is a good guy! http://stores.ebay.com/Shiyco-Land-R...nd-Volvo-Parts