At what point to do you give up on a D1? Can they be made reliable?

[mattrickman]

I have two 95 Land Rover Discovery's and it seems just when I think I'm on top of them (i.e. they run normally for more than a week). Something else goes wrong.

I guess I am trying to get a sense of if I am just throwing good money at bad? Can a D1 be made reliable?

I can repair simple stuff (bolt on parts: radiator, alternator, gas tank, water pump, etc..) but anything major and I pay a shop to do it. (that is part of the problem, I don't have a decent shop up here in Northern Colorado).

Thoughts? Advice? Encouragement?

cheers
matt rickman

 

[sedat]

You can't make a disco 1 reliable?
hahahaha. Landcruiser fixes that issue quicklike.


Seriously. what gives? its a 20 year old truck. Dirt simple to service too.
I mean. simplest EFI system.
simple engine
mechanical tranny
simple axles
what is there left?

 

[mattrickman]

I take it you have never chased down gremlins in a D1. My 5 kids don't frustrate me as much as my D1's.

Simplest EFI? Yeah the rover's electrical systems are know for being simple and reliable.

The landcruiser suggestion is a good one though In hind sight I might have gone the wrong "Land" direction!

 

[Ray_G]

It's been said before; the Land Cruiser 80 series is the answer to every question on ExpO.

Unfortunate you're having so many issues with your D1's; I've found mine to be mostly reliable-some (like my current one, knock on wood) exceptionally so. While the 14CUX is very simple, I would say the GEMS trucks seem to age a little better but that's just a perception from having owned one 94, a 98, and now a 96.

It's very hard to make up for a previous lifetime of bad maintenance and poor care. Best advice I can think of is baseline all your critical systems (fuel, air, spark, & then the cooling and drive train systems.). If its suspect you know you're dealing with borrowed time.

I guess the other question is do you DD one of them? Personal opinion-and many will argue this-is that Rovers like to be driven, beaten, and loved. If you don't drive it everyday you aren't giving her the attention she wants and hates.
r-
Ray

 

[mattrickman]

Thanks Ray. Part of the frustration is probably due to my inadequacies as a mechanic. (lack of patience and time more than anything)

I do drive them every day (when they run). And having 2 probably amplifies things a bit.

cheers

 

[sedat]

11 rovers over 6 years and probably around 200K miles.
My experience leaves me with the early P38s as the most touchy of the rover family. (not counting the freelander, its not a true landy!)
"chasing gremlins"? I work on em for a living. I see it every day and love every minute of it.

14CUX is a bit archaic but it works. a DVOM (multimeter) will help you more than the little onboard diagnostics box under the passenger seat.

There are many many talented people on these forums. Be a little more specific about your problem and we can help.

 

[Ray_G]

Thanks Ray. Part of the frustration is probably due to my inadequacies as a mechanic. (lack of patience and time more than anything)

I do drive them every day (when they run). And having 2 probably amplifies things a bit.

cheers

More personal opinion here...FWIW; having two is kinda like dating two girls at the same time. We've all done it (at least I hope we have) but in truth it is hard to focus and inevitably something slips. If you want to make one reliable I'd suggest deciding which one is the best for a DD candidate and build toward making that one reliable (reliability is often a facet of knowing what can go wrong with the vehicle and understanding how to fix it-vice just having it run without fault constantly-at least that's the definition I use).

When I started with Rovers I knew next to nothing and hadn't done a lot of substantive work on vehicles but I started learning quickly and used the online community to good favor. The beauty of the truck is there is precious little than you can't do in your driveway if it comes down to it. With two trucks you essentially have one to cannibalize from if need be.

Not advocating one vs the other mind you...but to a degree that is a worthwhile consideration.
r-
Ray

 

[David Harris]

Good advice on giving full attention to one Rover over two, unless you have unlimited time or funds. They can be quite reliable. I currently run a '97 D1 and have owned two others, a '95 and a '96. The '97 I just bought so the verdict is out on that one, but between the '95 and '96 the only problem that stopped me on the road was a short in the fuel pump wiring on the '96. Other than that, I did a couple of water pumps and other basic maintenance like brakes, wheel bearings, etc. The '95 is still going strong with my nephew who drove it cross country and uses it as his daily driver. He has had no problems since I sold it to him two years ago. I have also owned two Range Rover Classics and a Discovery II. The worst of these was the D2 which had a blown motor when I got it. I replaced it with one from a D1, converted to Bosch, and it is going strong with its new owners. I lost a transmission on one of my Rangie's and eventually the engine to a cracked block, but that one had high miles and had been thoroughly abused by its previous owners. No matter what , there will be the occasional odd problem, but my experience is that the vehicles generally keep going as long as you want them to with basic maintenance and replacement of normal wear items. I also believe that Rovers do better with daily use. Let them sit and they act up more. That goes for all the British cars I've had.

David

 

[t42beal13t]

Join DWEB. Their amount of knowledge regarding discos is outstanding.

 

[Rovertrader]

I DD a '97 D-I, and have used Defenders and previous Discos for same for many years. As well as having many 'extras'(duplicate trucks), which I try to avoid. Point being, they love DD with proper maintenance. My 'extras' are now parts donors, and do decent at that assignment, though not always.
Will you have issues- very likely, but more frustration than major issues- like the rear windows working intermittently. Simple fix, rewire to bypass the controller/module behind the glove box. But still requires a little time and research, but nothing major- one jumper wire. And once fixed, it is fixed- an unusual opportunity on a Rover.
Mine is pretty well built, very low miles (85k)- in essence, the best example I could find, and from Ca to minimize rust issues. I built to my liking, and hope to get many years and miles from the old girl. And would head out anywhere anytime- I keep a shop manual, tools and recovery bits on board all the time. Is it the most efficient vehicle on the road- not likely. Is the most reliable- doubtful. Is it a hoot to drive, easily repairable, a bit unique, all the while adequate in the other categories- absolutely!!

CT110 is a friend's truck, and the red Disco a freebie parts truck after a slight roll by another friend...

 

[Colin Hughes]

Started with a 95 D1, put 440,000 kms on it, P38, 335,000 kms, 03 D2, had it for a year before moving back into a 97 D1 300TDi and I've put 64,000 kms on it so far. All were pretty much reliable. Water pumps stopped me twice but on the P38 it lasted until 300,000 kms and I should have replaced it before that as preventive maintenance. Agree with others, these trucks don't like to sit. They need to be driven. And, change the oil every 5000 kms - tres important!

 

[LR Max]

I'm in the same boat. Right now my rover is going through year 2 of constant issues. No kidding. Its ridiculous. Three weeks ago I got it back from the shop, got all new brakes. Two weeks ago it broke a rear axle shaft (on the road!!!!) and now my carrier bearings are shot.

I can't catch a break. Really starting to piss me off. Right when I get one thing all nice and figured out, something else comes along and we are right back to sitting on jackstands.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I gave up on my '96 D1 when the engine asploded. When I looked on the ground and saw coolant and engine oil. When the mechanic told me he could see daylight through the engine block. That thing left me stranded so many times, between overheating, electrical systems deciding I'd been in an accident and shutting off everything in the middle of the desert ... twice, etc. The first time I had to be flat-bed hauled to a dealership for them to reset the computer. Granted, I couldn't afford to maintain it like I maintain my vehicles now, but it was dead, dead, dead at around 130k miles. My Volvo is at the same point km-wise, but it feels like it's only just reaching middle age.

In 7 years of 110 ownership, I've been stranded twice in the winter from water freezing in the fuel filter. A night in a warm garage fixed that, and now I use diesel conditioner in the winter. Other than that, I don't recall it EVER leaving me stranded. Even when I ingested water into the engine and had a 550km drive back home with smoke pouring out the back. Things may break on it or stop working, but the truck always gets me out and back again.

The Discovery WAS a lot more comfortable, though.

 

[454]

The biggest issue with D1 reliability seems to be that the trucks are often on their third (or more) owner. Each one is often more of a cheapskate than the last. Over a decade of mediocre and often non-existant preventative maintenance is hard to overcome.

 

[Rovertrader]

Guess I'm spoiled- seen too many thirds and axles explode. The lockers fix that, and the axles/CVs get upgraded simultaneously on mine- both front and rear.
While this sounds expensive, in all reality it becomes very economical in the end, as it becomes bomb proof, and reliable as a result. And no surprise flatbed or mechanic expenses whilst on the road...

Another point- not trying to sound 'smart', but I just recently developed a very small oil leak- found it to be a bad collar on the oil cooler line. Found the problem, ordered the part- both lines of course, just in case, and on they go. This way when a problem arises, it doesn't get put off to be catastrophic, or blend in with other leaks (fix and avoid any!!) hiding another potential issue. Prophylactics are a Rover staple!!!