discovery engines

[siii8873]

I am a series owner and thinking about a discovery for 2nd vehicle. What engine options came with discoveries? What are the major pitfalls with them and are there any models / years that have more problems than others?
Thanks

[spacemutt]

What year Discovery? :)

[siii8873]

Don't have a specific year in mind. Doing a little investigating to decide what to look at and what not to. What kind of MPG do the engines get?

[siiirhd88]

Our 4.0 GEMS D1 never did better than 13 mpg. Our 4.0 Bosch D2 averages 16.5 mpg.

Bob

[joshua.mcguoirk]

I've never had any major pitfalls. This engine is fairly straight forward. I've been able to source parts from both RN and Napa. I have > 160,000 mi. on the odometer.

Like the previous poster... On average I get 11 MPG city and the 15 MPG highway (long duration). I have all wheels under power with the use of a Detroit Tru-Trac in the front diff and a Detroit locker in the rear diff.

Moving from the series to a D1 will make your ride more comfortable with the use of HVAC.

Have fun.

[Rineheitzgabot]

Stay away from the Bosch engines (Discovery II). All kinds of potential issues.

[Wander]

I went this route too-got a 94 with a 3.9 for the reason it still has a dizzy vs coil packs and the 94 DI is the most simple of the Disco's. The scuttlebutt is that the 99 DI is the one to get as it was the last out. The info I got when I was looking was that the DI was the better choice as a overland/camping/wheeling rig as the DII's have a more complex electical system and things like non-greasable driveshafts. If you like the DII's the 04 seems the be the one to get as it has a locking diff. The DII offers a better on road ride and is generally more upscale than the DI however coming from a series the DI is pretty damn cushy. I really like the ride of my DI both on and off road. A lot of the annoying things are window regulators and electical bugs but it's mostly secondary and not likely to leave you stranded. Find an SD if possible-with a manual seats. The SD's (and the rarer XD's) did not have sunroofs-which leak when the drain tubes get clogged. This is a problem as the flooring insulation is a non absorbant thick rubber like pad that also does not breath so the water just sits and rust follows. My cargo floor was an unhappy find-it's rusted around the perimeter and will have to be removed and something fabbed in place. The windshields can also leak so check under the carpet along the cowl. Check also along the seem where the wheel arch meets the rear door pillar-this area is prone to rust. The ideal is a SD 5sp with cloth manual seats. Disco's can be had cheap so sadly many are abused and in need of a full restoration.

[Mountain132]

In 2007 I traded an '03 F-150 on an '03 DII SE7 both with about 60K at the time. The Disco has had no end of problems. Door lock actuators gone bad, radio back light out, throttle body gasket blown, problematic A/C.

This summer, 5 minutes into a 14 hr journey while towing a trailer the engine overheated, the radiator hoses blew off, lost all coolant, and engine effectively **** the bed. Towed to dealership, which said that nothing could be done short of an engine replacement. Stranded and without the cash to front or ship the 14 hr return journey I had to sell it to a scrap yard. I will never again buy a modern land rover (restoring a series IIA)

If you want a disco I would go for a late yr DI (99) with a manual transmission. Gas mileage is horrible. There are a few TDIs floating around in the US however

[kbar-04]

I have a 99 DI and its been a very good vehicle for me. I've put about 80K on it with no issues. I've gotten fairly good mpg, pushing 18 on the highway, around 13 in town. I'd make sure I bought one that has been well maintained, there are a lot of dogs out there.