New Owner Needs alot of simple help fast

[formulano63]

Ok, I just got a 2003 LR discovery SE with 28,000 miles on it a couple months ago... since then it has turned from a beautiful all weather car to an expensive nightmare. I'll list the problems i need some help with:

1. Wiper blades, need immediate replacement... i bought some from autozone... wrong ones... bought some from a land rover supply online.... wrong ones... the ones i have measure 20.5 inches, and have a slider clip on them that says "lock->"... nothing i can find incorporates the same mechanism to attach them to my wiper arm.

2. Radiator drainage.... I live in northern new york and my antifreeze right now is only good to +5 degrees F.... i need like -30F protection up here for the winter... i removed all the under-engine shielding (took like 3 hours to figure it all out) and cannot find a single drain plug or anything for the radiator???

3. Brakes... with only 32k on the clock, it needs a total brake replacement... rotors and pads... midas wants $750 to do it all. I could change the brakes on my trans am in like 1.5 hrs but im starting to wonder if im inclined enough to work on this thing at ALL... are the brakes normal and straight forward... or do i have to pay a pro?

4. Window regulators.... both of the front window regulators broke (diagnosed by a shop). bought the parts online for $300... can't figure out for the life of me how to get the door panel off.... every other car ive had i would remove the screws, the panel would get loose, and you could easily undo the remaining snaps to gain access... well i removed the screws in the panel, and it was as if the screws didn't do anything, i can't get the door panel to budge without breaking it now my windows are stuck down and its 10 degrees outside

5. Oil filter post.... both myself and a lube shop cannot get the oil filter to stop leaking (tried 2 different filters with their gaskets) but neither of us can find anything wrong with the oil filter screw post... is this a common problem anyone knows the cure for?


6. Gas milage.... I am very light-footed with the vehicle, and i drive 60 mph highway 10 miles 1 way to and from work everyday... and i average 10-13 mpg on premium for $3.65 a gallon, i replaced the air and fuel filter and had the computer scanned.... no issues. is this NORMAL?? my trans am with 450 rwhp and a 5.7L 350 got 22 mpg highway....


any assistance would be GREATLY appreceiated, theres other issues with the car not worth mentioning on here, but please!!! im about to put a match to this thing and collect the insurance. (j/k........ maybe)

btw: the closest LR dealer is 250 miles away, and i bought the car in texas... so taking it back to the place i got it at is not an option either.

thanks in advance!

Jared

[rovertek]

congrats to your purchace of a fine vehicle with low mi. hope you got it for a good price,to start with your wiper blades you should be able to get these from auto zone or any AP store as long as they are for the application they should have a couple of plastic inserts that accomidate the arms(some one at the store should be able to help you ) as long as they sold them to you,,,,, the radiator should have a drain plug on the lower side of tank (which unthreads) if all fails pull off the lower hose,,,,,the brakes are rather simple as long as you dont need rotors, pull the two clips and pins slide outpry the pad out ,pry the piston back carefully one side at a time install the pad and replace hardware repeat the other side of caliper,,,,,the door panel pops off and has plastic push clips like the newer cars ( get behid and pry out the pnl one clip at a time),,,,,the oil filter is either the wrong one for the application or the rubber oil seal is defective and make sure the old oil seal is not still stuck on the housing, and lube the new seal good with oil before tightening,,,,, as far as your gas mialage you want to have good plugs,wires, air filter and fuel filter and they run better on at least mid grade or better gas and i use techron fuel inj cleaner once a month in tank to assure good operation.....good luck .....

[dcwhybrew]

You either have to buy LR DII specific wiper assemblies (from a LR dealership or LR parts house - like RN) or replace your wiper arms with Disco I wiper arms. The Disco 1 wiper arms will allow you to go to your favorite neighborhood parts store and buy the new wiper blade assemblies. Otherwise, you can buy 20" wiper blade refills, strip out the old ones and guid the new rubber refils in. Personally, I prefer to replace the entire wiper blade assembly.

Brakes are easy, including the rotors. Toughest part of replacing the rotors is the small set screw getting stripped. If so, drill it out and leave it out. If you can unscrew the set screws, leave them out. They don't serve any purpose off the assembly line. The rotors are held on by the bolted on wheels and brake calipers.

For your panels, order a panel popper (from RN preferrably) or go to an autoparts store. Looks like a flatter version of a crow bar with the nail claw slot in the blade.

Your gas mileage is normal

[formulano63]

=]

hey thanks for the replys guys, i'll start looking for that clip tool and some discovery I wiper arms tomorrow!

as far as the radiator drain plug goes... do you happen to know of anywhere i could locate a diagram that would assist me? maybe in some manual or an online installation guide?

sucks about the gas milage though... too bad rover didn't use the ls1... 100 extra horses and better milage sure would be nice...

in case you were wondering i talked em down to 18,500 from 21,000 for it.

thanks again!

Jared

[Thunderhand]

I have an 03 DII and had the same problem with window regulators.

Remove the Trim Casing
You have to unscrew the phillips head screws holding the handle rail, door escutcheon and 4 pocket screws to the door. You may break a few of the plastic trim clips on the inside of the panel as well, so locate a dealer in your area for replacements. The water shedder (interior plastic cover) is another matter. Some say if you are careful it can be salvaged for refitting later, for me it was dark, snowing and I was 1000 miles+ from home; it got tossed.

Remove the multiplug from the door speaker.

Unbolt something to Get the Glass To Move
This is where I ran into problems. I tried to follow the manual and unbolt the glass, but the window was stuck into a position that obscured one bolt head. So I unbolted the motor and wiggled the glass up enough to unbolt it. I then used a couple of wooden sticks to wedge the window closed until I could effect a proper repair.

At 13 m.p.g. your economy is normal.

Wipers
Use O.E. Land Rover replacements from RN or buy the parts from the dealer.

Oil Filter
Try yet another brand like NAPA gold tightening it per the instructions. The oil may be coming from the filter housing seal or further up the engine. Wipe that area carefully and inspect with a flashlight now that you have all the shielding off.

Brakes
I have no experience with the brakes.

Coolant
The coolant can be flushed at any authorized BG products service center via the top radiator hose. Take your own distilled water and make sure they use Organic Acid Technology coolant rated for aluminum engines.

Consider purchasing a shop manual and tool set for the vehicle. It will help with stuff like this and hopefully convert your ownership into one of pride instead of nightmare.

Good luck!

[Tom]

If you don't want to have to keep replacing your wiper blades change them out to Silblades. I changed mine a couple years ago and they're still like new.
Radiator, brakes, window regulators: See RAVE
Oil filter: check to make sure the old gasket or part of it is not still attached... clean/scrape as needed
Your mpg is about right... we didn't buy these vehicles for gas mileage did we?
Download the Landrover RAVE CD from here. It will point you in the right direction.

http://green-oval.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=13&Itemid=29

Good luck with your repairs... now get out there and get that truck dirty

Tom