Land Rover Discovery: 3000 miles in

Been driving the beast now for the past 3000 and miles and almost 3 months. I have to say I have really gotten to liking the big SUV and so far the problems have been very minimal.

So far they consist of:

Starter - It was bad when I bought it, dragging and finally died a week after I bought it
Key Fob - rubber buttons broke through: I replaced them with an ebay kit
Drag links - Front steering is -very- loose. I have the parts, need the time to put them in.
Rear Taillight - Cracked and letting in water. new one cost me 149.00
Tyres - I needed to put 5 new tyres on it due to wear, dryrot, and a bolt

That is it. So far so good on the Brit tank. It towed my boat back from Lake Champlain without a hiccup, (400+ miles). I have been averaging almost 18mpg in daily mixed use driving and nothing this big and heavy should handle and brake the way the rover does. I have been fairly impressed with it.

If I could change two things: Manual Trans and Diesel engine

I want one worse than anyone I know. I just can't get past the head gasket issue that seems to be a matter of when, not if.

Oh how I want one!

Keep us informed. How many miles on it now?

From what I read on the interwebs the head gasket issue is 90K miles and is a head gasket problem.

Turn it into a maintenance item around then and replace it with a better gasket and never worry about it again.

I would love a battle wagon and since Gen 1 Bronco are expensive and rare, RR Disco/2/LR3 have been on the watch list.

Truck has 73,000 on it. Came to me with a rebuilt engine too, so I am probably good for another 87,000 miles before a HG goes. Thing does not leak a drop

Probably won't have an issue. the problem was the actual gasket. I doubt the rebuild came with the crap one.

Bought mine from Sonic Last year, jumped in it and drove straight from Philly to OKC. The next week, drove it to Colorado and then from OKC to Atlanta, the Carolina and back. Wife made multiple trips to Omaha and moved us out of our house.

Currently she sits in storage awaiting my return. I was planning to sell it as soon as I got to OKC, I'm really glad I didn't.

Drinks gas like a State University frat boy majoring in Phys Ed, but aside from that, its just a damm good machine. Sonic addressed all the big issues, (head gasket and UV joints) and there are a hand full of electrical gremlins that need a weekend's worth of attention right now, but I plan on keeping it for some time. It looks good, is comfortable and with the brush guards, no one cuts you off.

Plus, my dogs LOVE it.

For future reference, you can apply either clear tape or a spray such as clear PlastiDip to the inside of the rear taillight if it leaks.

When you do the headgaskets, give it a mechanical overhaul- water pump, etc. The installation is practically labor free when you already have the engine apart and can save you a lot of time and money down the road. The head gaskets are much easier to do in the comfort of your garage than 500mi. away from home so if they haven't already been done, think about doing them at your convenience.

the taillight had a nasty crack in it.. it definatly took a hit from something

As for the rest.. with a recently rebuilt engine, I am none too worried about the engine yet. If it goes again, I will look into a GM 4.8 Gen IV engine to replace the 4.6

Not head gasket. Problem with casting of block.

the biggest issue with the block is the oilpump and the mounting studs to the front cover. The cover does not fit right and strains the oilpump until the gears crack

It is a 4.6 right? Some had issues with the sleeves seperating from the block causing a coolant leak. Makes it aeem like a head gasket but is actually a casting issue. And why a 4.8? Might as well do a 5.3 or bigger.

4.8 I can keep the same injection system. Basically will slip the 4.8 in and make adaptors for all the sensors and other ancillaries. This will keep the computer happy and will make it easier to inspect.

I have also heard that the trasfer case does not like a lot of torque

I've been watching waaaay to many old Camel Trophy videos lately.

Makes me want to paint my Protege5 tan with sand tracks bolted to the roof rack and put my spare on the hood (bonnet?)!

Maybe a stupid question, but did we get the Discoverys with the diesel in the US? Is that motor any better than the gas one?

And as far as swaps go, is there a common/easy motor swap?

Same questions for Range Rovers. I see tons of those for sale for cheap. I assume current owners get fed up with fixing them.

Sadly the answer to both of those questions is no