What year

Humvette

Adventurer
Guys,
I know this has been talked about several times. Can someone point me in the right direction? This vehicle is for one of my best friends :smiley_drive:. What is the best year for the Disco II? Engine sizes, Common Problems, Center Locking Diff, Gearing, cool factor?, and anything else important.
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
He wants to buy it with less than 100k miles. This will be a truck he drives one and off with his stage II Subaru STI. He was looking at 4runners. Lets save him form toyota and get a Land Rover!!!

:coffeedrink:
 

Dave Legacy

Adventurer
You could read about this for days on end and get far more information with the search function than what you'll get out of this thread. It just comes up too frequetly to debate in great detail every time, but there have been some great discussions on this topic in the past so seek them out.

2004 is the best choice. Bigger displacement & CDL
2003 had a whole range of botched motors; search "2003 Oil Pump Failure". Also no CDL in 03.
All D2s will get "3-Amigos", but the CDL makes it less of a big deal.

Good luck!
 

Humvette

Adventurer
Thx,
What are the 3 amigos?

Also with 285's what kind city/hwy mpg's are we talking while driving at speedlimit?
 

Scott Brady

Founder
The three amigos are an electronics fault common to the DII, which involves a sensor failure (or otherwise) in the traction control, hill decent and abs functions.

285 will fit no problem.

Gas mileage must not be a consideration if you are looking to buy a Land Rover. A DII with 285s will be lucky to see 14 mpg on average. They barely see 16 mpg average when stock.

Good luck with the search!
 

Humvette

Adventurer
WOW i am shocked by the MPG numbers.


I read somewhere that 300TDI swapped DII can get mid twenties???

Hell my H1 can get 14mpg on 37's (non factory wheels)
I am hoping to get 12mpg's with our regearing and 42's
But i have 42gal tank (stock). So my range is ~450miles. I guess that is why you always see soo many gas tanks on the LR's... Do not take my comments above as braging... Just a comparison. I thought if my friend built this rig he would be crushing me on fuel economy. I am really pushing for him to get a 2004 DII. I think they just look awesome. The Locking Tcase is a must in my book. Plus this would be a real fun truck for both of us to work on. Heck i want to ride in it. It will ride much better on the road than my ol H1.

Keep the info coming guys.
M
 

Howski

Well-known member
i am getting about 10-11 mpg around town with armor front/sides, 2" lift and 33's. that's taking it easy on the gas as well. i have gotten close to 17 mpg with this setup on the interstate keeping it at the speed limit. 255/85's may be an option to consider to aid in gas mileage some (taller, skinnier 33). i am considering that route for my next tire purchase. i have an 04' and have been pretty pleased with it. just need to keep with with preventative maintainence religiously (as with any rover)
 

Humvette

Adventurer
Okay so it sounds like a 2004 gets better gas mileage?

The Hwy is what i was mainly wondering.
M
 

Dave Legacy

Adventurer
My absolute max MPG with 32s and SD Rack was 16 and that was 65mph all highway. The 03/04 has a 4.6L and a little more power so it'll pull the weight of the truck better. It was more common for me to get around 10-11mpg and not unusual to go as low as 9mpg.

These trucks are gas hogs. Heck, my LR3 is almost completely stock and only does 13.5 city mpg.
 

Chazz Layne

Administrator
2004 - there is no better year for a D2. :D


I see gas mileage varying greatly from person to person, so much it seems to be more than just driving style. When stock on 255/55R18 I averaged 18 MPG and I have a heavy foot.

Lifted with armor, gear, roof rack, etc on 265/75R16 and steelies (heavy) I average 16 MPG highway doing 70. That drops to 12 MPG at 75. Off-road, about 14 MPG. Off-road with the trailer... 10 MPG.
 

dcarr1971

Adventurer
If you check around in posts of similar questions on other forums, you'll see that the '04s consistently get everyone's vote of confidence because of the CDL, 4.6L v8, and the somewhat 'freshened' appearance.

The problem is that while certainly better than the 2003's (oil pump failures), the later D2 engine blocks apparently suffered quality issues that has led to higher numbers of block failures. There has been speculation that this was caused by degradation in the casting dies/equipment used to make the blocks. (Don't get me wrong, the 2004's are still the most sought after...)

That said the next best years were the 1999-2000s as their blocks were less prone to have the above mentioned defects, and they had the CDL nipple on the transfer case (so the Center Diff Lock lever can be easily added), and you'll find that they are dramatically cheaper than the 2004's when you find them in comparable condition. (i.e.- '99 w/95k for $5500 versus '04 w/95k for $12000+)

In any case you need to make sure your friend gets full service records, has the truck inspected by an independent Rover mechanic, and understands that the D2's all have head gasket issues so replacing a HG will be in his future if it hasn't just been done...
 

Chazz Layne

Administrator
...the D2's all have head gasket issues so replacing a HG will be in his future if it hasn't just been done...

Not sure why I didn't ask this the last time around, but it just hit me - wouldn't it be in the future regardless of whether or not it has been done? Are we all doomed to do this job every 100k, or are the replacement parts somehow better and last longer?
 

Humvette

Adventurer
Guys what is the issue with the heads...? Ist it TTY (torque to yield) bolts, bad heads, bad gaskets, ...

I mean my F350 is known for head gasket failure, but it stems from the coolant having high silicate that clogs up the oil coooler which flashes the radiator fluid to steam in the egr...

Just curious. OMG the more i research the more i want one too... The best projects are the ones you don't have to pay for :wings:
M
 

TeriAnn

Explorer
Guys what is the issue with the heads...? Ist it TTY (torque to yield) bolts, bad heads, bad gaskets, ...


The latest theory for why the newer Rover V8s tend to fail somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 miles is that engine gasses get between the liner and aluminum block at the top of the cylinder and causes a crack in the aluminum between the cylinder wall and a water passage. As soon as that happens compression pushes the coolant out and engine temperatures raise quickly.* This is a common early failure mode requiring a replacement block or engine. Replacement with new could be a problem because rover sold the tooling off a few years ago.

This problem seems to stem from head bolts not providing the proper even torque.* The early 3.9 engines with 14 head bolts have proven more reliable than the newer 3.9 engines with 10 head bolts per head. The head bolt arrangement changed for the 1995 model year.*

The engine series is prone to blow head gaskets when it overheats so you need to pay particular attention to keep the cooling system in top shape and keep an eye on the temp gauge. Some folks install aftermarket temp gauges with greater accuracy to better monitor the temperature.

Always use new head bolts when replacing a head gasket on these engines. Some people suggest new ARP bolts instead of factory head bolts.

The 3.5L and early 3.9L (1994 model year and earlier) versions of the engine family are strong 200,000 engines.
 

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