disco ll (03) questions...the notorious leaks....

[arg0naut22]

this is my first post after joining and introducing myself last night. glad to be part of the forum.

i have dug around a little looking for both general and specific tips of the 03s, and am generally wondering what to look out for most, as i get to know this land rover and see to its overall health.

i'm currently having a mechanic (who has not done a lot of work on these but has a lot of other foreign car experience), but am hoping to learn more over time and start doing maintenance and maybe some repairs myself. i'm not a mechanic, have virtually no experience beyond the simplest stuff, but i am somewhat mechanically inclined, good at problem solving, and patient.

general questions would be, what should i look out for most assiduously on these so as to keep minor issues from becoming major issues.

here's where it is at the moment: the three amigos have been lit up since i bought it, as is the brake light and the service engine soon light. the oil light comes on intermittently (from a cold or mostly cold start). mechanic and i were looking at it the other day. there is a small leak around (i think) the head gasket on the passenger side. he IDed it as a small leak, basically not to be worried too much about (though the oil light comes on at startup, there is plenty of oil in the pan when i check it-- pump problem, perhaps??), as long i keep a close eye. he is, however, right now doing an oil pressure check on it from a cold start this morning to see what's what. i've read that if there's a seeming head gasket issue with these, often the gasket does need replacing but the problem is really due to a crack in the liner or sleeve that needs fixing/replacing to really address the problem.

naturally, i'm assuming a lot here before i even hear the results of the oil pressure test. i'm trying to understand the potential problems, and which problems cascade from other problems, etc.

i also have a steering fluid leak. he thinks it just the high pressure hose leaking (though from what i've read, it sounds like the three amigo problem is typically from either a shutter valve needing replacing and/or the pump (and abs mod?) needing replacing.

i'm probably putting the cart before the horse here, but i wanted to put these out there, and hear what you all suggested. thanks.

 

[joey]

oil light is probably due to the oil pick up being clogged, Drop the oil pan and clean it out.

Brake light, check to make sure it is full of fluid and that the Parking brake is not pulled up slightly.

Three Amigos is normally either a ground issue on the ABS Modulator or the Small sensor under the ABS modulator is leaking and got dirty. Try grounding the ABS modulator first.

Head gasket if leaking on a Rover FIX IT NOW (sorry for yelling, but don't let it wait or you will be fixing a lot more issues than just a gasket). Call Nathan in my signature and he can get you the correct gaskets and proper bolts or studs that you need. He works on Rovers for a living and buys and sells they daily.

Hope this helps.

 

[arg0naut22]

oil light is probably due to the oil pick up being clogged, Drop the oil pan and clean it out.

Brake light, check to make sure it is full of fluid and that the Parking brake is not pulled up slightly.

Three Amigos is normally either a ground issue on the ABS Modulator or the Small sensor under the ABS modulator is leaking and got dirty. Try grounding the ABS modulator first.

Head gasket if leaking on a Rover FIX IT NOW (sorry for yelling, but don't let it wait or you will be fixing a lot more issues than just a gasket). Call Nathan in my signature and he can get you the correct gaskets and proper bolts or studs that you need. He works on Rovers for a living and buys and sells they daily.

Hope this helps.

thanks, joey.

i was wrong about the head gasket. not a head gasket issue, just a leak around the valve cover(s). oil light actually went off after the oil change, which i thought was a little odd because the oil level prior was fine and the condition of it was somewhat dirty but not horrible. anyway, my mechanic did some stuff, including an oil change, and i think it might have lit up once after he changed it (i checked the level, and he had actually put slightly too little oil in for a disco ll so i added roughly half a quart). after i added a little, no further oil lights. at this point, i check most fluid levels in the morning before i start it up, and everything's holding steady, even with the small leaks, so i'm not too worried, particularly now that the oil light is off.

i'll see what i can find with the three amigos and the grounding factor.

thanks again.