Discovery 1 -inherent problems??

[WedWon]

Hi guys and girls

Me again....As in a previous thread I am looking at buying a very late ('99) series one Discovery. I was wondering if there are any inherent problems I should look out for.

I have checked for body cracks around the chassis/body mounts all look good. The shocks and springs are a little tired but an OME replacement would be on the cards straight away. The truck has 124K on the clock and the log book supports that. Engine starts and runs fine, gearbox a little "notchy" but I think thats normal. Interior is in great nick (apart from some sun damage to top of steering wheel and the heater control sticker is blistering). Underneath there is very little stone chip damage etc so I am guessing that she's not been off road too much.

Any other advice would be appreciated

Regards

Jason7001

PS: Is there any advantage to blocking off or over-riding the EGR system on these engines?

[Ralph]

You need to clarify whether you are looking for a diesel or petrol/gas.

I have had a 96 model tdi for 6 years and love it. I bought it with 125k and now just about to tick 400k. The best car I have owned.

[Pavo]

I would check if the windscreen has been leaking by looking at the drivers and passengers footwell to see if it's wet. You won't be able to lift the carpet up on a car that's not yours but check it carefully.

It's obviously not a huge problem, but mine leaks (1997 build). If it has been leaking and never cleaned up, the floor could be a little rusty.

No idea if this is very common with Disco 1s, but I have seen other people on this forum post about it in the past too.

Pete

[JohnE]

Other than oil leaks and the odd other thing a great car to drive. My personal preference is for diesel.

Pavo, if yours is a green, D1, and the leaks are heavy over the drivers foot, the reason it is leaking is because channel aroun the bottom of the windscreen is rusted through, It may have been my mates.He ditched it after he had a new windscreen put in, and went to a D2.



john

[Ralph]

I had that problem - just bought a tube of black mastic from Bunnings (the stuff that never sets hard) and filled the back of the rubber surround of the windscreen along the top and down both sides - cleanup with turps. It's never leaked since.

Check for leaks around rear top safari glass - a friend has had a persistent problem there. Have seen some with rust on the rear wheel arch around the area where the rear door catch is fixed to the body, and the various seems in that area. I don't think it is common though.

[WedWon]

Thanks for the input guys.

Yes its a TDi (would you go for anything other than a diesel out here)
No leaks detected around windows etc, no rust detected....not much beach driving here in Alice Springs!!!

Otherwise looks like a good deal to me!!

Cheers

Jason

[Pavo]

Nup, mine's a metallic blue one. Bought it years ago when it was 3 years old. I know it leaks from the side of the windscreen and need to just put some sealant behind it, but have been lazy. I know, makes me sound really lazy given how easy it would be.

Pete

[Quiggers]

The power steering is a prob. Check for leaks etc. A replacement can be exey.

GQ

[PeterM]

I have a really early 94 ser1 update. Only things I've had to deal with are the mainshaft wear (lack of lubrication holes on output gear), lifting dash (warranty fix). Everything else has been normal consumeables or V8 specific things.

Never leaked a drop either, except for the door deals a bit when you're stuck in a bog hole with water 1/2 way up the door!

[seqfisho]

Hi Jason,

I have a late 98 built 4/99 compliance tdi auto with 173K on it now. These were some of the best that LR produced with very few problems as they were well sorted by this stage. If it has a full history then only the normal tdi problems will occur and these are usually the following,

Alternator about the 150K mark (have done that one)
Splitting coolant tank (the black ones, done this too)
Lift Pump (these are a pain, just had a second one replaced but luckily the first replacement was less than 12 months ago so it was done under warranty)
Check when the timing belt was last replaced as these should be done every 60-80K dependent upon the way it wears.
Head gaskets can be an issue as the temp gauge never reads if the water disappears until its too late.
Make sure the oils have been changed regularly with the correct grades as this can affect wear in the gbox and transfer.
Also get the wheel bearings checked and probably regreased or converted to oil bath as LR changed to greased bearings for some reason and they do need to be checked regularly also check your front drive flanges are not rusty and the splines are not too worn.

If it has always been a local to Alice car then I doubt rust would be an issue but the two most common places to check are the alpine windows and the panel joins at the rear corners with the door open.

Also check to make sue the turbo hasn't been dusted, the pipe from the air cleaner to the turbo should be dust free, if you run your finger in it and it comes out red the walk away as the turbo will be stuffed already or soon to be.

The rest is just stuff you would normally check on any car.

If most of above is ok you should have yourself a pretty neat and reliable truck that is great on fuel and more than capable.

[Jojo]

The latest ones were pretty well made vehicles, by LR standards anyway. Most of the bugs had been sorted out by then. Not that they wouldn't leak water in or oil out, though...

[spudboy]

I agree with all of the stuff SEQFish wrote - spot on.

My 97 TDi has give very little trouble in 10 years of ownership. I've done a head gasket but now have a water level warning buzzer fitted so I can tell when the coolant has gone. The temperature gauge ain't worth diddly squat once the fluid level has dropped.

They are a fantastic car. Take you anywhere in comfort, and pretty cheap to fix when they go wrong.

[waynep]

I've had my 96 build TDi for 4 years and it had a few problems when I first got it, which I have since sorted and it now seems fairly reliable.

1. Alarm ECU had a fault which caused problems with the interior lights and blew fuses. I replaced with a 2nd hand ECU $100
2. Fanbelt pre-tensioners - these cost over $100 to replace the whole thing but you can get new bearings for them I believe
3. Timing belt mod kit fitted - $1500 - but on a '99 you shouldn't need to worry about that.
4. Rear main engine seal is leaking a bit but hopefully that can wait until the clutch is replaced.
5. Recently had to do both the water pump and alternator as they both had stuffed bearings. ( listen for noisy bearings in that area. )
6. Fitted the Enginesaver low water alarm like many others ( good insurance)
7. Oh ---and replaced the plastic filler plugs on the radiator and thermostat housing with brass ones. ( the plastic ones can fail at the most inconvenient times )

Other than that if you give it an engine oil change every 5000km, ( if using non-synthetic oils ) a book service every 10,000km, replace all other fluids every 40,000km and you should be sweet.

[Bubbles]

Interesting post Jason.

The only problems I have had with my 98 300tdi Disco relate to the suspension which is just not up to remote roads and tracks. It is too soft leading to bottoming and wallowing (and I am a granny driver). Be careful of aftermarket kits as I have tried two and both have been too soft. One broke a spring on the Canning SR.

Combine the soft suspension with the standard size tyres (too small) and the vehicle falls into corrugations much than a defender (7.50's). The subsequent rattling frequently triggers the alarm, overheats the shockies amd has broken a power steering reservoir mount.

Another problem is that the standard pancake air filter is rubbish. I have fitted a cyclonic pre-cleaner on the snorkel. I would prefer to fit a good Donaldson or even 200tdi cyclonic filter but there aint much room.

[p38arover]

Umm, if you are looking, check the bonnet insulation.

I didn't and noticed yesterday that it has been stripped through to the bonnet above the fan.

This makes me suspect it's done a bit of off-roading through water and mud and it's been flung upward with enough force to strip the insulation away.

THAT'S why I'm checking the swivels for water! :(

Ron