Prospective N00B .....*hangs head in shame*

[qadhafi]

Prospective N00B .....*But I'm getting better*

Hi all, I hate to duplicate Wh00t's thread but I have some questions also and didn't want to jack his thread. Let me open up with the fact that I know nothing about Discos but I'm learning more and more every hour. I found your forum to be the most apealing becasue you don't skin your noobs alive and you try your best to answer any questions that they may have. I'm a regular on a couple of Jeep BB's so I'm going to try and make this as painless as possible.

Background:I currently reside in Rome, GA and I own a '94 Jeep YJ. <--- Clicky. I run a Jeep club with a buddy of mine in VA and we currently have three chapters. I'm pretty good with a wrench and can do basic repairs (oil change, tune up, cooling, lighting, stereo, suspension) but I've never done anything major (axle swaps, engines, trannys).

Looking to buy: A Late model (2000-2002) Discovery II for use as a Daily Driver + some offroad use. Price range is 11k-15k and I've found quite a few around here. I'll be holding on to my Jeep for trail rides etc. but would like the Disco to be capable if I needed to recover one of my idiot friends (or myself ). Plans would be a 2" lift or so and some MT/R's (along with scraping the soccer ball off of the back window). Don't be worried though, I personally guarantee it will see mud. (I can't stand 4WD vehicles that don't offroad, what a waste).

Questions: I've already read wh00t's post and I know to look for Gremlins (which I am assuming are electrical shorts) and the O2 sensor (How do you check an O2 sensor?). Is there anything else major to look for?

A few more things: My brother in law is convinced that Discos come with ARB air lockers in the front/rear diffs standard. From what I've read I don't think that this is true. What is a locking center differential? It may jsut be a technical term that's not translating. Jeeps have a vacuum shift motor that engages the front axle, is this similar, or something totally different? I have read to make sure that it will shift, and to check the linkage, but is there anything else to look for in the 4WD system? I've read about the Hill Descent Control, but is there supposed to be another traction system on these trucks? (Or is Land Rover trying to call 4WD something else?)

Axles: Is either axle known to be weak? The reason I ask is because the Jeep Wrangler rear axle (Dana 35) is known to be the weak link in the drivetrain. I am also assuming that one could install sway bar disconnects on the front axle for artriculation.

Thanks for reading all of this, I really do appreciate any help that someone might give me on this. Hopefully I'll be coming over to the Dark ...I mean Green Side soon.

 

[Moose]

I'll jump back into the shallow end of the pool :

1. Rovers are (in?)famous for little electrical glitches -- bad grounds, loose connections, etc. These are the "gremlins" I alluded to in the other thread.
2. There is no standard locker on a Disco (or other Rover product, IIRC). You have to add Detroit-style mechanical lockers or ARB air lockers if you want that feature.
3. The center diff lock locks the front and rear driveshafts together, so that you split engine output 50/50 between the front and rear axles. Because of the open diff design between front and rear, and because there is no front or rear axle locker, you are only "guaranteed" 1 wheel drive if the center diff remains unlocked. With it locked you are "guaranteed" 2 wheels with power. This makes getting cross-axled a problem...
4. To my knowledge, Rover axles out of the box are just fine. I've never heard of either the front or rear being weaker than the other. If you start to build the truck up, adding for example a rear locker, upgrading the halfshafts becomes an attractive option.

All that said, these are marvelous trucks to work on (particularly older Discos) -- there's plenty of room under the hood to get to things, and most problems can be cured in the field.

Good luck in your search for a Discovery! Hope to see you around here again soon!

 

[discomike]

Derek,
I go along with what Moose has said.
I own a 99 Disco 2 that I have heavily modified and I can tell you, it is a real thrill to pull at stuck or broken Rubicon out of harms way.
As for your model year, try and stay with a 99 or 00 so you will be able to get the center diff. lock, CDL. This is a huge plus when it comes to crawling around in the rocks and mud.
As for the O2 sensors, we have no more problem with them than anyone else. What happens though is our trucks are really heavy, and only carry around 188 H.P. and whn the O2 sensors start slipping out of their operating range we feel it. Not a big deel. If you drive the truck hard plan on changing them out every 70 to 80,000 miles and you'll be fine.
Mike J.

 

[slappy]

Try to buy a Rover that has only been driven around town. If you do serious off-roading all of the time the 02 sensors will go bad faster. No real good way to check them though....

The 01 and 02 don't have a CDL!!!??? REALLY? I didn't know that!

 

[discomike]

Chris,
Wrong,
D2's in both 99, 00 and a very few 01's have the CDL in the t/case, they just need a conversion to make them work, no big deal.
Mike J.

 

[qadhafi]

Chris,
Wrong,
D2's in both 99, 00 and a very few 01's have the CDL in the t/case, they just need a conversion to make them work, no big deal.
Mike J.

Thanks a lot guys, so to get the CDL in the T case I need to get a 99 or a 00 (possibly an '01). Is there a way to check this on a lot or in a person's Driveway? Could I tell by crawling underneath it?


Oh, and for the record I'm not the biggest fan of Rubi Owners. I've seen a few of them built up and they can literally go anywhere, but I've seen even more bought and never taken offroad. Posers.

Thanks again guys, and if anyone has anything else to add, I would still appreciate it.

 

[discomike]

Derek,
It is nearly 100% on the 99 and 00's. There is away to look and see if the shift link has a ****** plug covering it, but if you don't know what to look for it would be a little hard.
Mike J.

 

[qadhafi]

Derek,
It is nearly 100% on the 99 and 00's. There is away to look and see if the shift link has a ****** plug covering it, but if you don't know what to look for it would be a little hard.
Mike J.

Sorry for the continuing barrage of questions, but do are the models without the CDL said to have All Time 4WD? I'm guess that there is a difference between the CDL and AWD.
I just got off the phone with a guy who said that all 4 wheels turn all of them time and that he didn't know what I was talking about when I tried to explain the CDL to him.

Here is the Disco that I called about (Private seller, and I've just started looking)

2001 Disco II SE (Leather, dual moons, etc)
28k miles
New tyres.
14500 negotiable

Now with the other stuff:
The guy I talked with totally knoew his vehicles. I could tell by talking to him that he was one of those individuals who knew what he was talking about in regards to this vehicle.

It was in an accident that affected the front end/drivers side. The frame was bent (not severely) and has been pulled back into line 2 times. All panels and the grill and both bumpers were replaced and new paint put on. The front and rear driveshafts were replaced.

The cd changer is stuck (easy fix?) and it does not have the rear jump seats.

There is some vibration at 70-85 mph. He said that it could be a motor/tranny mount or the motor alignment.

He said that after all of the repair work that the state of GA inspected it, certified it and gave it a clean title (not a salvage title). It has the same title as any Disco it's year.

I ran it on kbb.com and here are the results:
In FAIR condition it listed at 19k, in GOOD condition it listed as 20k.

Any opinions? It only has 28 thousand miles on it, and I've driven vehicles that have had reapair work done on them before. What about the vibrations? Are the mounts usually the culprit or could it be any number of problems?

Again, thanks everybody.

 

[discomike]

Derek,
Why don't you call me!!
Cell 805-896-1550
We need to talk.
Mike J.

 

[qadhafi]

Derek,
Why don't you call me!!
Cell 805-896-1550
We need to talk.
Mike J.

Thanks.

dialing now.....