Land Rover Info?

[DeLorean]

Trouble with the full size vans is usually the people driving them. Frequently they are driven by people unfamiliar with their handling and capabilities, or are just bad drivers. Then load with 15 people... When they roll fully loaded and roll, they are a meat grinder. I know that the IIHS has an agenda of it's own, but you can't deny the factual results that they obtain, at 40 MPH some cars come to bits like the astro and some cars almost look repairable.

[max]

If you get a Disco, stick with the first gen model. That's what I'm after when I go to buy one someday. Less electronic crap to go wrong. I heard the Disco II's have problems with ABS sensors, hill descent control, etc going wrong a lot. Also, all the Disco I's have a manually locking center diff. On the Disco II's LR decided to phase out the locking diff. The first Disco II's did have the diff with the linkage in the cabin. One model year, I think 2003, had the locking diff, but NO linkage in the cabin so you couldn't lock the diff without a retrofit linkage anyway. I believe later models like 04's and up had no locking center diff at all, as Land Rover had decided "our customers don't need locking diffs, so we'll give them some electronic traction control garbage instead". That didn't last long. I believe they reinstated the locking center diff on the latest model but I could be wrong.

[DrewP]

I have been reading about the really weird engine mechanical problems the Discos and RR's are having on the technician forums I read.

The steel sleeves will either corrode away from, or fatigue away from the aluminum block at the cylinder head mating surface and bleed coolant into the chambers, or cylinder pressure into the water jacket. Once that happens, it's basically new motor time since the sleeves have to be replaced with updated ones.

They are big electronic nightmares. My room-mate was a writer at a Jag / Rover place near my shop for about a year, and said they had Discos and RR's about once a week in with one corner of the auto-leveling suspension collapsed, because the owner had tried to drive over a parking barrier, or a curb and overtravelled one of the wheel height sensors, which throws the leveling into 'limp-mode.'


Drew

[Crazyswede]

I have been reading about the really weird engine mechanical problems the Discos and RR's are having on the technician forums I read.

The steel sleeves will either corrode away from, or fatigue away from the aluminum block at the cylinder head mating surface and bleed coolant into the chambers, or cylinder pressure into the water jacket. Once that happens, it's basically new motor time since the sleeves have to be replaced with updated ones.

They are big electronic nightmares. My room-mate was a writer at a Jag / Rover place near my shop for about a year, and said they had Discos and RR's about once a week in with one corner of the auto-leveling suspension collapsed, because the owner had tried to drive over a parking barrier, or a curb and overtravelled one of the wheel height sensors, which throws the leveling into 'limp-mode.'


Drew

The rover engines are all Aluminum blocks with steel sleeves. When the engines get older they can drop a sleeve. Some of the engines seem to be more prone to this than others. The 3.5 litre and 3.9 litre blocks seem to be fairly robust and the biggest thing you want to watch out for is overheating. The rover engines tend to have issues if they are overheated...perhaps more so then other engines.

Some of the range rovers used an airbag suspension system that could adjust the ride height of the truck based on speed. Great idea that of course eventually failed and was costly to repair. There are however coil suspension conversions available to replace the air bag systems.

The biggest things to watch out for on the older disco and rangies is of course rust. They like to rust in the foot wells and wheel wells and floors etc. The bodies are very good at hiding rust...I have an 87 range rover with a perfect chassis and a body so bad that when you open the passenger door the fender hinges. The truck will donated its chassis and drive train for a platform and a simple series cab at some point.

[airsweden]

so we are in the keys with a 2002 disco.... despite all the warnings. its really nice only 70k mi should be great for getting the racecar/trailer on and off the lakes this winter. or maybey ill just try to sell when i get back home

[airsweden]

so we are in the keys with a 2002 disco.... despite all the warnings. its really nice only 70k mi should be great for getting the racecar/trailer on and off the lakes this winter. or maybey ill just try to sell when i get back home

[airsweden]

so we are in the keys with a 2002 disco.... despite all the warnings. its really nice only 70k mi should be great for getting the racecar/trailer on and off the lakes this winter. or maybey ill just try to sell when i get back home

[Crazyswede]

so we are in the keys with a 2002 disco.... despite all the warnings. its really nice only 70k mi should be great for getting the racecar/trailer on and off the lakes this winter. or maybey ill just try to sell when i get back home

cool

[99Super]

I was just reminded of this:

http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr4204.pdf

Notice the Astro has the lowest deaths of *any* vehicle tested at 7 per million vehicle years. The disco has 111...

I want the 1963 109 on this site...

http://www.eco-offroad.com/home/for-sale

though the price is a bit steep

john