Oil leak

[Scout II]

Noticed some oil drips on my garage floor tonight after washing the Rover. It was definatly motor oil, so I checked the usual places. Some oil was dripping from the bottom of the transmission, but where it orginated from is beyond me. I was underneath with a spotlight for atleast an hr. Just curious before I take it to the dealership. Any ideas?

 

[andrewv]

I would guess the rear main and/or cross seals. Under warranty I hope?

 

[RoverChic]

Gabe: Valve Cover gaskets? Mine was doing the same thing .. Turned out it was dripping all the way down from the cover gaskets. Good Luck.
Melissa

 

[billmallin]

Dood... it's a Land Rover. If it ain't leaking, it's empty.

 

[Discobro]

You hit it on the head billmillan! I have had leaks in mine for a few years. Just reminds me to change the oil more often.

 

[RoverChic]

Quote from my father: "Oh yeah, Land Rover's.. they leak everything KNOWN to man"
Mine leaks oil, coolant, power steering fluid, water from the a/c.. the list is to long to keep going...
RoverChic

 

[rover4x4]

so do rover dudes

 

[Scout II]

I would guess the rear main and/or cross seals. Under warranty I hope?

That's what I was thinking. But I'm only rolling at 17K miles on an 2003? Strange, I'm having them put it on the lift tomm. to find whats going on with it. I really enjoy this truck, but if these kind of problems continue, I'll end up selling it.

 

[DiscoveryXD]

"but if these kind of problems continue, I'll end up selling it."

What other problems are you experiencing? They must be big ones if you?re contemplating selling your truck.


Many rovers leak, that's just part of ownership with these trucks. Basically it comes down to whether it's a small harmless leak that does no more than ruin driveway, or if it's a major one that needs to be fixed.


Matt

 

[Roverjoe]

I have 96 and a 92 of the Land Rover variety. The 92 leaks, the 96 does not. If I did have a 2003 Disco you are damn right it better not leak. I would be at the dealer immediately. A 1.5 year old vehicle should not be noticably leaking, Land Rover or not.

 

[Scout II]

If I did have a 2003 Disco you are damn right it better not leak. I would be at the dealer immediately. A 1.5 year old vehicle should not be noticably leaking, Land Rover or not.

Exactly.

 

[BrettinSanAntonio]

No leaks here!

My 95 Disco isn?t leaking any fluids right now. I?ve not had the typical leaks as most. The only leak I?ve had to deal with since I?ve purchased it (just over a year ago) was the transmission cooler hoses. I?m pretty sure my Disco is bypassing the annoying oil leaks and saving up for a major mechanical failure. I can?t wait!

 

[Scout II]

Well, my rig was just diagnosed....rear main seal. Spectacular. What should I expect next on my 03 Disco with 17K miles? A busted rod, spun bearing, or a grenanded ******? I advised them to hurry up and fix it so I can trade it for something a little more reliable. Whats even better is the dealership offered me a loaner....at $30 bucks a day. Gee thanks Land Rover!

<-----bitter

 

[JR Ewing III]

I have an '03. My rear main seal went out at 18k. At 13k I had a new transmission.

What's weird to me is all this stuff happens when I'm using it around town. Then, I go to Colorado from Texas, drive it on one of the rockiest, most challenging trails I've ever been on and rattle the truck so hard that I thought every bolt was going to pop out. Then I drove it back to Texas. The total trip was about 3k miles in 5 days. The Disco never missed a beat. No light came on, everything worked as it should and there are no rattles. I probably just lucked out.

 

[P38MeMate]

Here is a tip. The Rover V8 is a long running production engine. The problem is that most of the gaskets and seals are a bit dated in the way the parts address the sealing task. Take for instance the valve cover gaskets. By all pratical standards one would think the formed and captured design would last forever. But it doesn't if the fitting and setting of it is done poorly. Especially if the installation is not clean and an additional gasket sealant isn't used like The-Right-Stuff by permatex. My wifes D1 has about 40K miles on it since it had the sticky valve heads reworked by a Land Rover dealer's minumum hour per job mechanic. The valve covers are a mess at this point as are the head gaskets which are leaking coolant badley at the ends of the heads. I have been told running a liberal amount of Halomar (blue-stay-wet gasket compound) aroung the oil feed gallery hole and around the water jacket opennings in the head gaskets can buy some additional leak free mileage.

Clean everything with Berrymen's B-12 Chem tool prior to assembly then apply the following as idicated.

On the oil pan, valley gasket ends, water pump and valve cover gaskets use the The-Right-Stuff by permatex. It comes in a cheese wiz can with plastic tip for adjusting your bead size.

For water galleries in head and valley gaskets en-circle both sides of the gasket with the blue Halomar gasket dressing/sealant. Use this stuff for the plenum joints on the intake manifold as well.

On shaft seals load the lip with lithium base grease prior to assembly.

 

[Scout II]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunatly I only have time to turn wrenches on my Cobra. But I was needing a vehicle to drive to & from work, with lots of room, and with some reputable 4x4 to its name. I knew the older Rovers were known for their mechanical problems, but I didn't expect it from a newer model.

 

[RoverChic]

I was looking at a 2004 LR D2 as my wonderful 1998 LR D1 needs to be driven off the nearest cliff, however I am thinking that I might need to look at another vehicle all together. This is only the 50th+ post on a LR board where I have seen a 2003 or newer Land Rover have serious issues. I know of an individual in Texas who had to replace a transmission on a 2004 D2 and another person in CA, who is having lunging/jerk issues on a 2004 D2...???

 

[stansell]

Rovers may have some defects. However, all cars have a percentage of 'lemons' off the production line. My mother-in-law had to have her transmision replaced in her 2003 Honda Accord a couple of months ago after only 18k miles. The problem is, that LR owners are often also enthusiasts who go to websites like this and see everyone elses problems.

That said, it could be 'conceivable' that LR has a few more idiosynchracies than the average car, but I am willing to bet you wouldn't have as much fun in a Ford Explorer. IMHO, FWIW, blah, blah, blah

 

[rmuller]

Yeah, my mom had a 1997 Disco for 3 years, and the only problem she had was a window motor broke.. I've had a 2001 disco2 for about 1.5 years now, and the only problems i've had have been self-inflicted [while offroading] ... so i think there are just a lot of lemons out there when it comes to discos...

 

[JR Ewing III]

Off topic:

The fact is you shouldn't by a LR if you want a reliable, fuel efficient car. Plan on having problems. They aren't reliable, at all! I'm not really sure why I bought mine. It was an impulsive e-bay purchase. That's why I've been "e-bay" free for two months now. In hind sight I should have done more research. Oh, well. I wish I could combine the reliability of a 4-Runner with the looks/off-road capability of a Discovery. But, right now it looks like I have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot then LR producing a reliable vehicle.