Should I even be contemplating this move? 2001 Discovery II SE with 148,000 miles on it in great shape and up to date with work done to the truck. All records are in the hands of the current owner. I have always had toyotas, but have always been very bitten by the land rover bug. Never pulled the trigger as of yet. All current owners here, should I get this or not? What items should I look for? Thanks for the help!
Worth the risk? Is there a risk?
- Thread starter MFoltz
- Start date
HillbillyfromAL
Explorer
First off if you start down this road it's likely to become an addiction. The other thing is what are you looking to do with this Rover? I do believe that the 2001's don't come equipped with the CDL. So if your buying it for mostly off-road use then maybe keep your eye out for an 03-04. You could always add the CDL later too. I'd check for rust first, then all your fluids. After your test drive let it sit running for awhile and see if it overheats. When I bought mine the thermostat, and the water pump was bad. It didn't register on the dash but the temp seemed like it took forever to warm up. It wasn't until I had it off-road going slow that it showed any signs of overheating then it went away after being able to speed up. The reservoir was full as well as the radiator but the block was dry. I fixed it as soon as the parts came in and now 15,000 miles later she's running great. I will tell you though it seems to have a way to become attached to you more like a good dog than a vehicle. They just do so much so well. I've got pics of mine on the last page of the post your Land Rover pics page.
This would not be a true primary off road vehicle, more of a DD. I have three kids that are all under 5 years of age, so running out to the mountains cannot be done all the time like in the past. I have a small truck that will be driven as well throughout the week. My wife has a sienna for the kids. So, the discovery will be driven roughly 3-4 days a week, and with the ocassional weekend trip (hopefully) to a couple of trails.
I would like to in the future make it a more true trail rig, but not at the moment. I am new to land rovers, so what is the CDL? Anything else I should look for?
I would like to in the future make it a more true trail rig, but not at the moment. I am new to land rovers, so what is the CDL? Anything else I should look for?
Most 2001's have the transfercase with the CDL they just lack the shifter needed to engage the CDL.
IMHO 2001 just might be the best year for the DII as they had very few problems other then the front driveshafts and the ABS three amigoes issues that all DII's suffer from.
03-04 might sound good but in the end the engine issues really make them a poor choice.
IMHO 2001 just might be the best year for the DII as they had very few problems other then the front driveshafts and the ABS three amigoes issues that all DII's suffer from.
03-04 might sound good but in the end the engine issues really make them a poor choice.
Care to expand? I've read about a run of '03s that had faulty oil pumps, but never anything about the '04s? I'm in a similar boat and am deciding between a disco 1 or 2 (or a Montero w/factory rear locker).
HillbillyfromAL
Explorer
With three small ones I wouldn't buy it unless it had the rear jump seats. My boys are 2, and 3 and they love to go up in the mountains on the trails. I don't go to any extreme places but it's more than just FS roads. The one thing the kids will live is the view from the back seats, because they'll really be able to see stuff. I don't think you could fit a booster and two car seats into the second row comfortably if at all.
Also the CDL is there without a control to operate it, as mentioned earlier. It wouldn't be necessary on dirt roads or stuff that's easy but on a loose hill climb it might prove to be necessary. The CDL sends power to both front and rear axles with a 50/50 split. Without the lock it would act like an open differential with power going to the path with least resistance. It's the same way with any permanent 4wheel drive setup that I've ever dealt with or seen. I would personally consider it effectively AWD without the CDL. There are after market options if you don't get it from the factory though.
The only other thing is if you work on your cars yourself then repairs are the same as with any other vehicle except you have to wait on parts more often. I've actually found my Discovery to cost less than my old 03 Diesel Excursion, or 04 F250. The way I see it is any car can have problems, so I go by the old Smiles per mile to determine what's worth fixing. The Rover I would fix anything that goes wrong with it even if it meant taking a loan out on it. Good luck
Also the CDL is there without a control to operate it, as mentioned earlier. It wouldn't be necessary on dirt roads or stuff that's easy but on a loose hill climb it might prove to be necessary. The CDL sends power to both front and rear axles with a 50/50 split. Without the lock it would act like an open differential with power going to the path with least resistance. It's the same way with any permanent 4wheel drive setup that I've ever dealt with or seen. I would personally consider it effectively AWD without the CDL. There are after market options if you don't get it from the factory though.
The only other thing is if you work on your cars yourself then repairs are the same as with any other vehicle except you have to wait on parts more often. I've actually found my Discovery to cost less than my old 03 Diesel Excursion, or 04 F250. The way I see it is any car can have problems, so I go by the old Smiles per mile to determine what's worth fixing. The Rover I would fix anything that goes wrong with it even if it meant taking a loan out on it. Good luck
bullcrew
Observer
Ive got a 2000 now and love it, it had some solid issues but that's due to neglect from previous owner. I did all major repairs and maintenance and now know what I have. Love the truck, I have 3 kids and its a bit small with them (4/12/16) bit they fit.
We wheel it pretty hard now and its modified now pretty heavily and getting more as the weeks pass for summer rock crawling and camping.
They are pretty straight forward to work on and fairly easy which is a plus.
I'm chasing down the last 2 mechanical bugs right now but they have only survived due to my lack of time or else they'd be do e withing a couple hours
They arent bad they do require maintenance but mechanically they are pretty solid electrical comforts can be a different this g ie wi does locks a eats etc.
ABS amigos, front driveshaft are the 2 main thi gs.
We wheel it pretty hard now and its modified now pretty heavily and getting more as the weeks pass for summer rock crawling and camping.
They are pretty straight forward to work on and fairly easy which is a plus.
I'm chasing down the last 2 mechanical bugs right now but they have only survived due to my lack of time or else they'd be do e withing a couple hours
They arent bad they do require maintenance but mechanically they are pretty solid electrical comforts can be a different this g ie wi does locks a eats etc.
ABS amigos, front driveshaft are the 2 main thi gs.
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HillbillyfromAL
Explorer
No when it's locked it's a 50/50 split. Unlocked let's power shift from front to rear unequally. It's a differential used in the transfer case, not much different than one used in your axle.
David Harris
Expedition Leader
Actually, Thom (Muskyman) is right. . . It may seem counterintuitive at first, but an open diff splits the torque 50/50 all the time. What happens is that the torque transferred to each wheel or axle in this case is limited to the amount of torque that can be transferred on the side with the least traction. So, when you go up a hill and the front starts slipping, then the torque will be reduced by the same amount on the rear axle as well, until you are going nowhere. Same on an axle with an open diff. When one wheel loses traction completely, the other wheel stops turning too, because it is limited to the amount of torque on the slipping wheel, which is now zero. Locking the diff will now allow up to 100 percent of the torque to be transferred front or rear as needed. If you were going up a hill and the front slipped, you could be getting up to 100 percent torque transfer to the rear, which would keep you moving as long as there's enough traction on the rear, unlike with the center diff unlocked.
David
HillbillyfromAL
Explorer
Ok just to clarify when it's locked the front and rear propeller shafts will turn at the same rate regardless of what else happens. If your front two wheels are in the air the back two will have the power, but all four will still be turning. I guess you could say well thats 100% of the torque being applied but it still requires torque from the engine to spin the front wheels. You would still move.
If it were unlocked and the front wheels were in the air they would receive 100 percent of the power and the rear would not turn unless TC made the power shift by applying brake to the front two wheels. You wouldn't go anywhere.
This isn't some magic that only applies to Land Rover, and they didn't build it backwards. It's the same for every all time 4 wheel drive/AWD transfer case out there. If I can find the link for you I'll even post up a video of how it works.
If it were unlocked and the front wheels were in the air they would receive 100 percent of the power and the rear would not turn unless TC made the power shift by applying brake to the front two wheels. You wouldn't go anywhere.
This isn't some magic that only applies to Land Rover, and they didn't build it backwards. It's the same for every all time 4 wheel drive/AWD transfer case out there. If I can find the link for you I'll even post up a video of how it works.
David Harris
Expedition Leader
The prop shafts are turning at the same rate when locked, of course, but the torque load to the axles is different. When the front spins it loses torque load. There is still a small amount of torque being applied to spin the wheels depending on just how slick it is, but the vast majority, maybe 99 percent if the front is on ice, will go to the side with more traction. The torque the front is losing by spinning, is correspondingly gained by the rear when the diff is locked. Think of a torque wrench tightening a bolt: when the bolt is still loose, it takes very little turning force to tighten it. As the bolt is tightened, the resistance to turning increases and the wrench actually reads this resistance as torque force applied. It's the same with a wheel. When it is slipping the torque force is low. When it has traction, the torque force increases. A locked center diff allows the torque to be applied to the side with traction, while an open diff will not. When you apply the brake to a spinning wheel with an open diff, the brake is then giving resistance to the wheel which then causes torque to be transferred back to that wheel/axle.
JeremyT101
Adventurer
Hum.... This is very interesting. I had always believed it was in fact the way hillbillyfromal is describing. Like perhaps in the senerio of a muddy/loose fairly steep hill climb. I was under the impression that with the CDL open, it was effectively like 1 wheel drive. All of the torque goes through the path of lease resistance. So if you are stuck on all three wheels, one will spin freely, and voila you are stuck. Because its open front/rear/middle. But when you have the TC locked, at least one of the front wheels must turn at the same rate as the back, path of least resistance. Like for instance both driver side tires would spin, but not to the passenger at all. Perhaps I am incorrect, but it seems we are arguing semantics?