Andy J

Hi Fozsug, looking at this it is part number 1 which is what i most feared. I was hoping that the back casing of the headlamp assembly (which the fixing screws are attached to) would be swappable given that both my headlamps are in a similar state. I thought it would be another one of those 'common' part failures. Looks like im going to have to botch something (likely) or shell out for a new assembly (highly unlikely unless i win the lottery but then i would just buy a new car :-) ) Cant believe such a crappy fixing failure on a routine service item can cause such expense and disruption. Some things on the Disco II make me want to go back to my Disco 1 . Sorry - rant over Andy

Hi all, i dont know if im alone in this but upon changing the headlamp bulbs in my 2004 Disco II, with the circular lenses style, the fixing screws have sheared in the headlamp housing. I have searched around the internet to see if it is possible to replace just the black plastic rear casing of the headlamp assembly but i dont see any sign of such a part. Can anyone on here tell me if such a part exists or am i going to have to shell out upwards of £150 for a whole new headlamp assembly? I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks Andy

Sir - i thank you very much for your kind assistance. You couldnt have done much more to help except drive the parts to me yourself :-) Much appreciated - parts now ordered Andy

Hi, i want to replace the bushes on my Disco and would like to replace the bolts (and nuts) as my preferred (lazy) method of getting the old ones off is with a cutting disc. Can anyone point me at an online source of a replacement bolt kit? Main ones im interested in for now are radius-arm-to-axle (8 of) and radius-arm-to-body (4). Been looking high and low without much luck. Some pointers much appreciated. thanks Andy

Pardon the intrusion but im curious as to why these screws are needed in general? As long as the wheel nuts are secure the disk is sandwiched between the wheel and the hub anyway. So i'm always a bit puzzled about this seemingly innocuous little screw. Anyone set me straight - i feel im being really dumb and missing something obvious. Ta Andy

Not sure if this helps but i solved two sources of poor fuel consumption just after the cold spell this winter 1. The well known fault of the fuel pressure regulator springing a leak, along with the top pipe out of it that comes back from the front of the engine block. However you sy there is no sign of leaks so probably not much chance of that being it 2. The second more curious one was the external fuel filter behind the driver side rear wheel had spring a couple of fine holes, so fine that diesel would only spray out of them in a fine mist when the fuel pump was activated (i.e. ignition/engine on). For ages i couldnt work out where the fuel was disappearing to since when i stopped, no fuel would leak out. It was only by chance one day i left the engine running whilst i was doing the tyre pressures that i noticed all this diesel mist at the rear wheel. I could only assume that there had been some water build up in the filter and the cold weather had cracked it. Lesson for next year, drain it off when the cold spell kicks in Another strange but true land rover foible. All other fuel consumption problems have generally been duff wheel bearings or binding brakes. I have a 2004 TD5 manual and get 30-32mpg pretty consistently. Andy

You don't say which model or age of disco but if a Disco II i would check the the lower bush on the shock absorber. They often work loose and you can replace them for under £10 rather than replace the entire shocker. When mine worked loose you could push the lower end of the shock absorber back and forth on the bush with no bother at all. Also if Disco II, check the ball joints that locate the hub carrier onto the axle. If you jack the car up and use a pry bar to work the carrier with respect the axle to check. I did this job recently as well - an all day job to do both sides and a 5 out of 5 spanner challenge! Failing that i would suspect the CV joint if you cant feel any play in the bearings. Andy

Hi, i suspect that the shock absorbers on the front of my 2004 Disco II are in need of replacement. When looking online i can see that there are shock absorbers in the price range of £20-30 for 1999-2002 models, but post 2002 (i.e. my VIN number) the price jumps to double that easily! My car has coil springs at front (No ACE) and air suspension at the rear. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the early and late Disco II models is with respect to the front shock absorbers as they look identical in all the photo's i can find. Id rather pay the £25-30 per item obviously (if they are compatible). Thanks Andy

Would i feel that at low speeds as well though, 10-15mph when leaving the estate in the morning? Since i have 4 new heavy duty UJ's in a box and a couple of people have suggested the prop, i will take it off and have a look. I take it that the double cardon joint failure is usually down to the ungreasable UJ's and not the center bearing ( as i dont think that is so easy to replace)? Thanks Andy

Thanks Ally, that sounds like a good indicator which rules out the bearings anyway... Andy

I have replaced the Ball-Joints on the steering knuckle - no swivel pin/bearing arrangement on D2. Made only a slight difference Thanks Andy

I thought all Disco's had a center diff-lock?? I have checked the prop UJ's as best i can whilst in situ but perhaps i ought to take the front prop off for a proper once over. I cant get away from my gut feeling that it is something in around the front axle area though - its just the way it is driving at the moment. Occasionally lurchy an a little bit wandery - i asume a prop wouldnt give that kind of symptom? Anyway thanks for the pointer - i will keep digging! Andy

Hi Jumpy, thanks for the reply - to be honest at this stage i will entertain any possibilities so will check the handbrake, if nothing else it will eliminate another possibility. Thanks Andy

Hi all, how would a garage mechanic check the bearings on a Disco II other than the "grab at 12 and 6 o'clock and wiggle" method? Is there a more concrete test. I have an annoying low level judder on the front end somewhere at many speeds with and without drive engaged. I have replaced bushes, ball joints (on steering knuckle and tie rods), panhard rod ok, steering damper, shock absorber bushes etc... It feels like im intermittently driving over pebbles Problem is still there leading me to think it is bearings or CV joints. But i cant find any play anywhere but i KNOW there is play somewhere. Any advice from those in the know would be much appreciated at this stage. At my wits end and want my nice smooth Disco back... Thanks Andy

Helps a little but i have found one website quoting panhard bushes that fit 1995 -2004 disco which is what has confused me. There may be different part numbers but in fact they are all the same? Oh well, im going to strip the Panhard rod of this afternoon and look for myself and will feed back. Thanks Andy

How much work has the car done? My L reg 300 Tdi did the same before i got rid of it - was the clutch slipping. As others have said though, rev indicator is usually indicator that the alternator or connection to it is dodgy. The smoke could well be an incorrect timing adjustment. Andy

Can anyone tell me if the Panhard rod bushes i bought for my 1995 disco before it bit the dust are the same as that of a 2004 Disco II model? I've looked on various sites and they look the same but do appear to be different part numbers (on some sites not others). Can someone tell me definitively? I know this is lazy - i could just take the panhard rod off and look but id like to have the new bushes to hand when i do this - so need to know if i should order another pair. Thanks Andy

I wrote this up in the Tech Archive of this site (including a link to a replacement winding mechanism i think) - not expensive and less fiddley than buggering around with makeshift parts to repair the odd washer etc... Cheers Andy

Most likely suspect in my experience is worn panhard rod bushes. The panhard rods purpose is to locate the axle in a fixed position relative to the chassis. Tramlining and tyre pressures will be felt like this only if the panhard rod is loose or bushes are ubered. Replacing these bushes is relatively easy and cheap if you do it yourself. An easy check (with the aid of a helper) is to get under the front of the car whilst partner wobbles the steering left and right (engine off). You will soon see if there is play at either end of the rod. The only other suspect (which i am taking care of on my own car this weekend) is the upper/lower ball joints on the steering knuckle. That looks a slightly tougher job to do but it does look doable. Cheers Andy

Thanks very much Martin - i think i will try and document it for the Forum. Seems like a common job that is missing from the Tech Archive. Just got the RAVE cds from downloaded so can see whats ahead :-) Cheers Andy

Thanks Martin, just wondering if its possible to do this with or without removing the entire hub assembly? Thanks for the link as i will need the removal kit regardless of whether i have to strip the hub down. Cheers Andy

Hi folks, spring is nearly here and its time to start rolling around under my car and fixing all those things that have been niggling all winter. One of the things i need to do is replace the ball joints on my swivel assemblies (TD5 single unit type) but im not sure of this is doable. I just replaced the lower bushes on my front shocks as they were kaput thinking that would solve all my knocks and wobbles at the front end, only to find that that the passenger side ball joints have some play. The parts seem cheap enough to acquire but ive not seen any topics or descriptions of these being replaced by the home mechanic, so im wondering if that is because (a) its so easy why would i even be asking or as i suspect (b) its a pig of a job. Anyone got any advice - im pretty adept at repairing most things on my cars, so not afraid of many jobs. More concerned with how long i might put my car off the road and what kind of tools i might need ;-) Thanks in advance Andy PS: I've come to the conclusion that the ideal location for a cup holder is just next to the radiator in the engine bay :-)

I would check your radiator for the same issue i had - i.e. most of the fins had rotted and fallen out and there were probably only about 20% left and hence it wasnt performing as needed under load. When i took it out of the car to replace and held it up to the light it looked more like a window than a radiator There were no leaks or anything that would indicate a radiator problem. Cheers Andy

I had same problem on my previous Disco (94 model) - as said above, replacing the engine thermostat (£10?) is an easy job and will make the temp gauge sit at half way mark rather than cold all the time. Cab will heat up a little quicker as well. I took the Viscous fan off both my Discos as it is totally superfluous - If you do find that you are overheating engine (heavy load or really really hot day) turn the heater on full and the fan up full until temp gauge goes down again (you may need to open some windows :-) ) . I only had to do this once when towing a really heavy boat - however the real culprit was the radiator had lost most of its fins, not the lack of fan! Cheers Andy

Hi all, my Disco II (04 plate) was bought with about 45,000 miles on the clock. I have a couple of niggling problems that may or may not be connected 1. I find that it is a little notchy getting into 2nd gear (all other gears are fine) 2. When moving off from a standing start, there is a bit of a judder when letting the clutch out I have read bits n bobs about the forums but i just wondered if i have a clutch problem in general and if so how can it be fixed. I have read some posts about replacing the gearbox oil which might help with the notchy gear change but am a little sceptical about this. Im not sure if i picked up between the lines of a few threads that there may have been a generic problem with some Disco II's like this Anyone got any info/advice they can offer? Thanks Andy