Help me with my 2003 Discovery!!!!!

[dzd300]

I have had my 2003 LR discovery back for 7 months now. Like I posted earlier, the tapping was still present. A few weeks after getting it back i filled up with shell high test gas, never used this before, an hour or so later the tapping stopped. I have been using this ever since. I did one week fill up with something different and the tapping and low oil pressure light again came on. I was stunned, been driving that truck for months without the tap. I blew through that tank of gas and again filled it back up with the shell high test. Within minutes that tapping disappeared. Truck has been running great, very quiet.

 

[alzerom]

THAT is unusual, but at my age of 67 I cease to be amazed by things that happen in the world around me! Stick with the Shell High test and Thanks bunches for the follow up. Followups are rare!

 

[wolf]

I am wondering if the so-called 'tapping' that you refer to has not been 'pinging' or pre-ignition all along? These engines are mapped out for the highest test gas you can throw at them (i.e., think in terms of Chevron 94 Octane as oppossed to Shell 91 or 92) as Brit/Euro fuels are much higher in octane than ours. The problem with running el-cheapo 87 or 89 octane is that in the mid-range rpm's, the fuel mapping will be very weak and raise internal engine heat substantially (not to be confused with ECT) and that can lead to all kinds of nasty things - the most common being slipped cylinder sleeve-liners.

If your engine runs as it should without noises or lights coming on - as a result of the use of high octane - I would say you have dodged some serious engine expense 'bullets.'

 

[kingkev]

Hello fellow Land Rover enthusiasists. I currently own a 2003 LR Discovery 2 SE. I bought this truck in Dec. of 2010. This past june i was driving, and heard a tap coming from the engine. I immediately took it to my mechanic. After some testing he discovered that the cause of this was low oil pressure. He then decieded we should start off with replacing the oil pump, $600. This did not resolve the issue. He then returned the pump to vendor thinking it may be a bad one. Once again replaced it. Same senario. No oil pressure. We then decided to tow it to my local LR dealer. After a couple of days they informed me i needed a new engine, cost $14,000. What a joke that is. They would not cover a thing with this engine at 57,000, why would i pay that much for a new one. Three weeks or so go by and I find a independent LR mechanic 60 miles away. I decide to give him a shot at it. He thus far has replaced a radiator, thermostat, hydraulic lifters, rocker arms and a few other things! He has done so much, I can't keep track anymore He has performed a block test, which was fine, ran a cleaner through to pistons to determine if they could have been causing the tap and dropped the oil pan and inspected it, everything in there was clean as a whistle! He has never come across a LR that he couldn't fix, he is totally stumped, this may be the first one he can't figure out! After all of that, it is still TAPPING! The previous owner followed all of the recommended factory maintenance, all of which were done at his local LR dealer, I have the service records to prove it! So after 3 months, and God knows how much $$, I am no closer to having my truck back and running properly. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated!

I had the exact problem, I removed the thermostat and never had the problem since, no more tapping or annoying knocking.

 

[Jack Cochran]

"Hello fellow Land Rover enthusiasists. I currently own a 2003 LR Discovery 2 SE. I bought this truck in Dec. of 2010. This past june i was driving, and heard a tap coming from the engine. I immediately took it to my mechanic. After some testing he discovered that the cause....."

I'm sure you've moved on but I wanted to tell you what the issue was/is...for anyone with a new sound. This is only caused by one of two things: 1) Lifters, or 2) A Pushrod that has been "tamped" down too much.
You can change out all the lifters and pushrods and the sound will disappear.

 

[chazmuffin]

I,m not a mechanic. I only work on my own cars. I read a thread somewhere and it had tobdo with a tapping in the engine. The problem came from an aluminum block with cylinder sleeves. Cylinder sleeves of course have to be steel. The sleeve was sliding up and down along with the piston. The fix was to have the sleeve tension pinned to the block thus keeping the sleeve from bottoming/topping out. I know this is late but... What the heck?