Hi,

Thinking of upgrading my 96 TDI Discovery for a 03/04 Disco 2.

Been looking at TD5's.

Am off to view a few next week.

Any pointers on what to look for. Only thing i am aware of is lines and pumps for suspension air bags, if fitted.

Most of them dont seem to suffer the tin worm problems of my Disco 1 such as boot floors, alpine window surrounds and rear door shuts. Is this right?

I have been focusing on ES and upwards as I want Cruise and aircon.

Any tips appreciated.

Chris

chassis rust on all landys is a very big issue and if anything actually gets worse the more recent the car

As above, always check the chassis no matter what age! They tend to rot around the outriggers and towards the lower part of the rear near the crossmember.

You're obviously also aware of the air suspension. Whilst the individual bags do sometimes fail, the compressor itself is usually the main problem; if an air bag or pipe leaks, it causes the pump to run non stop wearing it out. Not difficult to replace, just expensive. Some just do away with it all and replace with standard shocks and springs - a common "fix" taken on after issues with the P38 Range Rovers.

The TD5 engine is quote good, but common issues include the fuel cooling unit, the fuel filter housing (O/S/R wheel arch).

Aside from that, usual wear & tear you'd find on any green oval vehicle!

Look out for slight whistle/shriek on hard acceleration - exhaust studs sheared on front or rear exhaust port and manifold will need skimming. Check for water leaks from core plug bung about 2/3rds way down passenger side of head (covered by exh manifold) or oil cooler housing (directly under rear of aircon compressor). Simple check - from above passenger side wing look down between turbo and clutch slave cylinder to see if any coolant collecting on block sump flange.

Also, any signs of water leak from top of windscreen pillars - plastic connectors on sunroof front corners break.

Dual mass flywheels last 100 - 120k miles so check for vibration that goes when clutch is depressed.

All fixable but make sure price reduced.

Sorry about sunroof comment - this is only thing that isn't model specific to discos!

Don't forget to look for the 3 amigos

When this error occurs, you will see the following three lights illuminated on the Disco's dashboard simultaneously:

Hill Decent
ABS
Traction Control

Most often, the culprits are a faulty shuttle valve or a failed ABS sensor.

Also,

There was an issue with the Disco 2 TD5 of the Fuel injector harness leaking and allowing oil to pass down the loom and into the ECU. This can cause several symptoms including bad starting, misfiring, rough running or a combination of all 3. But I would have thought this would have been sorted by now.

Diesel in the sump, the fuel rail is cast into the head, when it lets go the sump fills up so new head required.