LR Servicing in the Fraser Valley

[philchan1974]

Hi - new here - pleased to be in the community.

First up - I've just obtained a 2003 Disco - great condition but will need attention to it's leaking issues (I don't think it's the head gasket - yet - fingers crossed) but I know it's leaking some sort or oil and some coolant - throttle heater. Documented history - which is good and I'll also get all fluids redone to be safe.

So - main question here - can anyone recommend either a good shop or individual who can be trusted to work on these? I'm not talking a general shop, but one that specializes on LR's.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks.

[vernbLR3]

HESP in North Vancouver is really good. Not sure about up in the Valley it's self but I have used both shops in North Vancouver and while both are technically good I trust HESP more than the other shop.


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[bsa_m21]

Ask for Fred at Key Imports.
2397 West Railway St, Abbotsford, BC V2S 2E3
604-853-5171
http://www.keyimports.ca/

[acg]

Philchan,

Welcome to Disco ownership. The throttle heater body gasket replacement is a relatively easy repair which takes about an hour:



Feel free to contact me if you have any question on your new baby.

[swamijake]

YOU CAN DO IT!

Seriously though, of all the vehicles I've owned, and I've owned a lot of crap and nice cars, the Land Rovers are the easiest to work on. Here is a link to a workshop manual. http://www.landroverresource.com/docs/D ... Manual.pdf

If you run into a wall, post here and you will find you usually get a knowledgeable response within a day.

As for actual mechanics, I don't know Key Imports at all, but can vouch for Don at Rovalution and many on here like Hesp, both of which sponsor the club.
If you do go to Key Imports and you like the service, can you recommend they buy some ads here?

And as for leaks, I use a hunk of old carpet in my parking spot. If it stops leaking it's empty.

[philchan1974]

Thank you for your Reponses! For peace of mind, I had someone look over it and this is what they discovered...

Some of this I feel comfortable doing - some not so sure. Can anyone advise what would be a good project to tackle being new to LR and which may require special handling and tools?

1) Throttle body coolant leak (i think I can do this one)

2) transmission pan gasket, fluid and filter and engine oil pan gasket (can probably handle this too - but any advice on what to look for / issues?)

3) timing cover gasket / transfer case input seal / output seal / rear differential pinion seal (this freaks me out a bit)


Since I don't know when the fluids were last changed, I was going to get the oil and coolant done regardless. Also, if the transmission seal needs doing that will be changed as well.

The LR has 128k on it. Should I look at also replacing the cooling pipes / pump etc at the same time?

Thanks.

[swamijake]

All is doable.

TB leak should be easy.

Dropping trans pan and changing the filter and oil is easy. 2 hours and some atf and gravel in your hair.

Transfer case output seal and rear pinion seal is easy. 1/2 day and a couple skinned knuckles. You will need a big breaking bar and a long pipe. The nut that holds the flange in is on very tight. I'd replace the bolts that hold the ujoint on while you're in there and fix up your parking brake at the same time as it all has to come off.

Timing case gasket is a lot of work as I think all the accessories have to come off the front of the engine. Might as well do the front oil seal while you are there.

I think transfer case input seal will probably need you to drop the transfer case. If you are doing that change the transmission output seal at the same time and wait to do the the rear seal with the transfer case out. Easier to get the seal in straight and clean on the bench.

[acg]

Here is an excellent video from Atlantic British for learning to replace the transmission filter and gasket:


In fact, Atlantic British has some excellent videos for Disco DIYers.

[philchan1974]

So six of one half dozen of the other here.

I ordered supplies for the repairs from LR Parts in the UK. They ran about 20 precent cheaper after shipping and duties were figured in.

However, I was hoping that in buying everything that I needed, my local shop could put them in. No so!

I'm all for doing this myself - but the more intensive stuff - ie) the pinion seals etc...I'm not sure I want to tackle!

Does anyone have experience providing parts for someone else to put in without issue?

[DaveB]

Hi Phil, Welcome to Land Rover ownership!

In my experience shops tend to want to supply their own parts, so unless its a shop familiar with Land Rovers they won't be able to find the parts. Bit of a Catch-22.

I've worked with Hesp and Rovalution quite a bit, and both are great, except they're in North Van, a bit of a drive for dropping your truck off for the day.

Fred at Key goes way back to my days as a mechanic 30 years ago. I'm surprised he's still doing it. Fred knows all imports well and isn't afraid of much.

I think you'll find that Land Rover repair shops want to supply their own parts even more than your average general shop. That's because there is such a huge aftermarket for parts, and frankly some of it is just junk. I like to save a buck where I can but have learned the hard way that often parts by Allmakes, Britpart and other no names you can buy online for cheap just don't last.

As a rule of thumb I'll buy accessories from thrid party suppliers, and non-drivetrain components, but I try and buy genuine for all drivetrain.

The Rover shops are of the same opinion -- if they don't supply the parts, they cannot guarantee the quality or the labour to install and if all goes wrong its often them theat ends up with a black eye to their reputation.

A few other mechanical suggestions, since I've owned a couple of D2s:

1. Often the leaks that look like oil pan or timing cover gaskets are actually the valve cover gaskets and valley gaskets above. I've actually discovered what I thought was head gasket failure to be vally gasket failure, but of course once you're that far in its not a bad idea to replace head gaskets. My D2 has 442,000 km on the original engine. I've had to do the head gasket 3 times during its life but the bottom end is all original, never been opened up. So you can depend on doing head gaskets every 150K or so, based on my experience.

2. If its antifreeze, deal with it now. If its oil, generally its only marking its spot.

3. A south African Land Rover mechanic that I've now lost touch with, Keith Robinson, used to work out of his home in Langley. He said there had been a bulletin from Land Rover when he worked for a dealership that indicated that the initial torque on the head bolts was too low (IIRC around 40 ft. lb.) and should have been about 20 ft lb higher. When I did my head gasket replacement the second time I follwed this advice and it lasted much longer. The 3rd time I'm sure it was only the valley gasket that was the problem.

4. On a Disco 2, check your front driveshaft. This shaft has a double-cardon joint at the end that goes into the transfer case. Unfortunately the Air Conditioning drain exits about 6 inches directly above this double cardon joint, and the result is that it rusts prematurely and the u-joints can wear out with catastrophic results. If it fails it will take out the side of both the engine and transmission. I have seen 2 examples of this, thankfully neither were mine. The solution is to replace the 2 universal joints in the double carden unit with greasable joints and grease it religiously. Many D2s have had this done, but carefully check yours and if it hasn't been done, deal with it.

5. If you take the truck off-road, there are 2 solenoids on D2s that are worth being aware of. Both have cause me problems over the years, and both are fairly easy fixes.

5A. The Park lock solenoid under the shifter. Basically does what it says, and if you ever get locked in park, you need to remove the shifter knob (pull straight up and it will come off, avoid having your face in the way!), then pry up the shift indicator unit, and the solenoid is under there. Unplug and you can then shift.

5B. There is a solenoid sitting on top of the transfer case to lock out the shift from high to low unless you are in neutral. This one is in a very hot spot underneath the vehicle and is a known failure point. If you are stuck on the trail and cannot shift between high and low, this solenoid has failed. To get at it you have to remove the console, drill out the dozen or so rivets below the console and remove the aluminum cover plate, and you will see a dirty square plate of about 3" on top of the transfer case, close to the front output pinion, with a wire exiting it. Clean the area, then remove the 4 x 8 mm head bolts, and the cover, which is siliconed into place. You can then replace (or totally remove - my personal choice) the solenoid and silicone the cover back in place. This solenoid is a "feature" in the newer trucks but earlier models didn't have this extra lockout so if you are experienced enough to not shift between high and low while driving then you are probably experienced enough to do without the solenoid...

Have fun with your truck! cheers, Dave

[philchan1974]

Thanks for all your input.

One question on the front drive shaft - I am contemplating buying a new unit and just bolting in - saves me messing about on the bench with it.

If I am taking this out, does it make sense to do anything else while it's out? Not knowing this vehicle yet...should I also be replacing/removing/changing a seal etc. before placing the new drive shaft in?

Phil.

[philchan1974]

Well, hey...would you look at that. This afternoon in the bitter cold i replaced the throttle heater and the shuttle valve...well on my way.

I thought i would check my front drive shaft as this is something i was going to get to given the catastrophic results if not dealt with...i had a peek under and saw my drive shaft has a grease nipple (and some newer looking bolts...). Does the appearance of this nipple indicate it's a replacement and that i don't need to worry about changing it out ?

[rgallant]

Well, hey...would you look at that. This afternoon in the bitter cold i replaced the throttle heater and the shuttle valve...well on my way.

I thought i would check my front drive shaft as this is something i was going to get to given the catastrophic results if not dealt with...i had a peek under and saw my drive shaft has a grease nipple (and some newer looking bolts...). Does the appearance of this nipple indicate it's a replacement and that i don't need to worry about changing it out ?

You need to have a bunch of grease nipples, I mine has 4,one on the driveshaft itself and one on each u-joint. I got lucky the PO had put it in.

As for checking for failure 2 things check the roto-flex the big rubber isolator at the back end it should not have any missing chunks or significant cracking.

This beasty https://discoweb.org/oldsite/rotoconversion/3roto.jpg

Checking the drive shaft and u-joints is a little trickier but if you have no odd vibrations or clunking when shifting it is is not "likely" bad.

I would suggest taking your Disco to a drive shaft shop and have them check it out, but you can do some tests yourself :

The problem as you may be aware is the front U-joints rust and lube dries out. As result you may not get any major symptoms before failure but there are some checks you can do yourself, before you go all nuts and do all those tests be aware if you have any iffy u-joints they could fail as a result. : https://www.howacarworks.com/transmissi ... k-u-joints.