Land Rover Discovery Upper Engine Knock?

rover84

Hi!!!!
I got a 98 Dicovery with the 4.0 V8----I am starting to develop a slight "Knock" from the upper end of the engine on the drivers side----oil changes have been done religiously at 3500 miles with castrol GTX oil----Has anybody come across this before??? Are the rocker arms/pushrods adjustable, as this could cause it, but I dunno

sleeper11

Anybody, is it normal for a slight sound on initial start with engine of something like a pinging or valve clatter, the noise goes away when the RPM reaches about 1000, then the noise dissapears. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

merediths

I have a 2003 Disco and the oil pump went out on me. 1400 to repair and they aren't sure if it has done any engine damage. They are saying at least $10,000 if the engine went out. Only 57,000miles. I am so scared right now. Any suggestions on what to do if the worst case scenario comes true. It has been in EXCELLENT condition until this. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks. Poor Texas Girl!

pummell

I have a situation very similar to yours. 03 Disco, just had its 60k service ($1000) in Dec 06 now last Friday the oil pump failed. I tried to work with the Land Rover North America customer reps, no resolution. I went to the NHTSA and submitted a complaint, this is the start of a potential recall process. I recommend you do the same and if you hear of anyone with the same issue have them do it also. That is the forum to get resolution. I have had two Land Rovers, now both have had significant service problems that Land Rover wouldn't help with. They were right owning one is an adventure, good luck.

pummell

Land Rover owners and potential owners beware. I just had my $1000 60,000 mile service a month later the oil pump failed. It cost $1700 to fix. I tried to work with Land Rover at the corporate level and no help. Their opinion is that it is my responsibility.

Be very very careful before purchasing a Land Rover. I have now owned 2 and both have had significant flaws one led to a coolant recall and I am now working the oil pump issue. I think it is time to shop for a Jeep or Toyota.

aariz1

hey guys,
2003 discovery 4 days after warranty expired, the oil light went on and the engine blew. 44K miles. Land Rover told me tough luck. There is a Tech Alert they issued for the 03 and 04 discoverys regarding a defect in the oil pump. I'm fighting them. If you have the same problem or hav had it, contact me and I'll give you the alert and who to talk to over at Land Rover. thanks

horsecorgi

We have had the EXACT same problem, down to the mileage. 44,274 miles (changing the oil every 3,000 miles)and the oil light went on and the engine blew. Our warranty ended 28 days before this happened. Land Rover of Milford said they'd pay for 1/2 the engine. We knew about the oil pump problem, however they said it would have blown by 20,000 miles of that was in fact the problem. Now I hear about you and the other person at 57,000 miles. Obviously there is a serious issue if all of these oil pumps are blowing out. I am going to file a complaint with the NHTSB like the other person, maybe if we all do something can get done. Keep me updated and I'll do likewise.

horsecorgi

Did you have any luck? We had the exact same thing happen and thanks to your suggestion, just filed a complaint with the NHTSA. Let me know what LR did for you, if anything. This is our 2nd Discovery and our first problem in 10 years with them. They have always been great for us until now.

paris1099

Hey guys, im new to this forum but wanted to put my two cents in as well. I purchaced my Disco '03 in July of '06 with 34,000 miles on it. About a week ago (at 44,000 miles) the oil light came on and I noticed heavy leaking from the hoses on bottom. Anyways, I took it in and yes, it was the oil pump for me as well. They said the gear broke in 3 places. I believe that since I have the extended warranty they it will be covered, but what really got me upset was the fact that they were going to charge me $360 for the disassemble to get to the pump to find out the problem.

I dont know how severe the damage is. I am assuming that it isnt that bad since i cought it in time and there was no knocking or wraping. But this should be something that '03 Disco Owners should be aware of and Land Rover should make a more Pro-active attempt to let the owners know, since they do have the Vin numbers of what cars could be affected by this.

mike191

Hello, i am in the same situation. I purchased a used 2003 Discovery and i was driving on the highway when the oil pump failed which caused immediate engine failure. The Disco had 53,000 miles on it and has been into a Land Rover dealer 4 times within the past 10 months for oil changes, brake pads and general scheduled checks. I was never informed of any potential problems and had no warning of this from car. The Land Rover dealer could give me no information as to why this happened and offered no help. They said they would fix it for $9900.00. Have you had any luck and what is NHTSB. Any help would be great.

aharper2

I love Land Rover, but am currently in a nightmare. :mad: I have a 96 Disco, which has been super dependable. Only regular maintenance care & recently replaced the water pump. My husband bought me a 2003 Disco II for Christmas in 2006, which approx 46,000 miles. In January 2007, while driving the car it made a muffled pop noise & died. There were chunks of metal & oil underneath. :sick: We had the car towed home as the dealership is hours away. There was approx 52,000 miles on it, so no luck with a warranty.My husband figured it was the front engine cover/oil pump. I did some research & found that there was a technical alert issued by LR to it's dealerships titled "2003 Discovery Series II Oil Pump Failures" (T03 1201) on March 14, 2003. It advises that the dowel pins on the block do not align correctly with the oil pump. This in turn causes oil starvation & ultimately engine failure. It clearly states the defect is a result of the manufacturing error. From what I have read, LR dealers are being difficult in addressing these issues & in some instances won't even tear down the engine to show the cause, but won't cover it unless they are shown the cause. My husband pulled it apart & found the front engine cover/oil pump cracked. Upon removing it, the damage is extensive. We are not sure if the valves are shot yet. I called LR Customer Relations & advised of the issue & the alert. I was advised there are no recalls & to tow it to the local dealership (which is hours away) & have them look at it. I have called the local dealership in Encino , Ca & am pending a call back from the service manager. I did place a complaint with NHTSA. I believe that if LR was aware enough to issue an alert on the manufacturing defect which causes engine failure, they should do a recall. :lemon:

mike191

Hello, i am trying to get some things done with my 2003 oil failure. What is NHTSA and can you send me the number so i can file a complaint. Thank you for your help.

aharper2

NHTSA is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I filled my complaint on line @ www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Their # is 1-888-327-4236. The LR dealership ended up putting a new motor in mine, even though it was out of warranty. They adv it would cost $12,000.00. They made us jump through some hoops & pay $2500.00. Which ended up being cheaper than the $3500.00 for a used engine.

jeep4pam

I have a steady ticking sound coming from the engine. oil level is fine. Any ideas where to begin?

discooilpump

Please send me the alert, My pump just failed and I need to replace my engine 4,000 miles out of warranty.

Thanks much

discooilpump

Wow, this problem appears to be predictable some engines are not lasting the expected life span. I too purchased a ’03 disco with 38,000 miles, kept in tip top condition.. Currently at 54,000 or 4,000 over my warranty. The pump went at 70MPH, I viewed it today at the dealership, the gear is broke in 3 places, sheared the output shaft key that holds the gear. This also holds the timing drive gear causing it to spin 180 degrees resulting in bent valves. Land Rover was quick to state “I need a new engine and that I am on my own”. My second Disco also, other than a power window I have never needed service.

Thanks for posting your experiences; this is good ammunition as I deal with Land Rover to get things resolved.

discooilpump

:sick: Because this is such a well-known issue I found the service bulletin "TA03 1201" online as a PDF document.

sixthflick

If you all go to www.landrovertechinfo.com, you can pay $14 for a one day access to the site and download all of the TSBs and Recalls for any one Land Rover model.

You have to sign-up for the site and wait until you receive approval, but it's worth it IMO. You can also pay a bit more and get monthly or yearly access as well as acccess for more than one vehicle.

I found this very helpful in determining the effort involved before I buy an '03 Disco II. Trying to work things out with my current service rep to see what would / would not be covered by LRNA prior to my forking over some hard earned cash on an '03. I've read quite a few horror stories about the oil pump issue and really don't want to get stung by the same issue. I'd rather pay to have the pump replaced/fixed prior to it seizing the engine.

muddydisco

My 04 4.6 had this same issue. Currently into the motor about 4k in repairs. Still have a bad top end knock. One shop says replace motor, thoughts are moving to replace heads on my own or trade in. I really don't want to do the latter. Is it the valves, lifters, pushrods or cam. Replacement of all the above is another 2.8k in parts. Advice needed

kimberlybrynn

Hi, I just read your message from 2007 regarding the oil pump in your 2003 Land Rover Discovery. I know this is a little late but I was wondering if you could help me. I too have the same knocking noise coming from my engine. I had 8 lifters replaced last October and after my car being in the shop for over a month it was returned to me with the same pesky noise.

I have been reading about this oil pump problem and it seems to be pretty common.

Do you know how much money it takes to fix this issue? What did you end up doing? What is this alert you are referring to?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

rovertravel

I am having the same issue and it is only getting worse by the day. Love my disco and wouldn't think of selling it, but I also need to find a way to fix the problem w/out having to purchase a new engine. I must say that the information that I have gathered online has been very helpful. Please let me know if there is a solution that will help with cost.......

prod34

Hi I am having the same knocking noise with 4.0 discovery. What solutions were given in your answers. Please advice.

kimberlybrynn

Well, I haven't had any resolution from anyone really. I did however call the dealership and they told me to trade it in. It is a common problem and the only real solution is an engine replacement, which costs around $8,000 for our model.

I love my car but have been reluctantly looking for a new one.