How reliable is the Land Rover Discovery 2?

[@SubiKinubi]

In Australia there’s a saying, want to become a mechanic take a course, but if you want to be a really good mechanic, buy a landrover

[@soundmindtv2911]

Man, as to the cylinder sleeve thing, I'm fully convinced now that most people just read something on the internet somewhere about that 1 disco that failed out of 100,000, and having been a recall, they latch on to it. I installed the inline thermostat kit (pure gold!! Just do it) and two days later it separated at the coupling off the lower rad hose (because I was stupid, 100% my fault, user error). Literally all the coolant pumped out onto the freeway, and the engine overheated to the point it shut itself off. I really thought that was it, time for a new engine. I waited till it fully cooled, fixed the hose, filled and burped and filled the coolant, stsrted it up, and been driving since. That was 5,000 miles ago. The thing is a straight up tank!!

[@bashardukhan1812]

Same thing happened to me and even another warm up and shutdown happed because electric fans were faulty , and it was climping on very high mauntin in very hot day then it shutdown. any way after it cooled and have been refilled with water it started normally. I think this was due to presence a fuel sensor which sends signal to engine controler which stops opening fuel to engine by the injectors so thanks to this wonderfull system which keeps engine from damage when overheating

[@TheShakir98]

true, people react more to negative stuff which is why you mostly see negative stuff on forums

[@johnbrazelton6130]

Disco 2's fix themselves as long as you wait long enough. I've broke down, came back the next day; she started up first try and got me home.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Exactly! It’s like the worse you treat them the better they treat you

[@matth4069]

Crank position sensor

[@david667766]

I actually agree with this I have a D1 that also has healing qualities

[@soundmindtv2911]

For the speedometer thing, plug an analyzer in to the obd-ii port, set it to read speed, and drive. Most times you'll find the speed is reading but the needle just isn't moving on the cluster. The problem is often actually in the cluster or connection, not in the sensors.

[@cameronmoss5858]

This video brought me to your channel. I have a 2000 disco 2 and a LR3. Love the disco content. And I’ve experienced 90% of the stuff you talked about but I’m at 215,000 miles and used it as my daily along with a ranch vehicle in Texas for a summer. It always starts and doesn’t get stuck!

[@mitchellkohrmann]

215k is nothing to these! I’m well on my way to 300k with this one. Hopefully yours continues to treat you well

[@belladamma2345]

@@mitchellkohrmannhow do you maintain it to get all that life out of the car? Routine oil changes..what else? On your way to 300k is great!!!

[@Stephen-uz8dm]

How does the lr3 compare to the disco 2 for you?

[@cameronmoss5858]

@@Stephen-uz8dm so far nothing major with my lr3. The only thing for it is I will have to purchase a gap IID tool to read the codes for it and that will save you thousands. I’m currently graduating in December and am trying to find a job so I have a code I can’t currently read. So that is annoying. But the disco 2 problems are more the just old car problems. Grease the front prop shaft and oil change every 3,000 miles, put an inline thermostat in and you’ll be a very happy camper

[@Stephen-uz8dm]

@@cameronmoss5858 good to know thank you. I'm thinking the lr3 is maybe a more reasonable family hauler but the disco 2 is just such a beautiful vehicle to me and they can be had pretty cheap.

[@coreyking5135]

This is a great review of the Discovery, mine was used to tow a horse trailer for years before I bought it and it ran perfectly fine all the way to 175K when I decided to replace the camshaft, I was shocked how the camshaft was completely worn out and I never would have known. I also agree to leave the engine alone unless it has failed.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

It really is shocking how reliable they can be in the right circumstances

[@appleontheapex]

Regarding the wheel speed sensors not working for you, I had the same issue when I got my 04. Pulled the right rear sensor and noticed it was slightly bent, so I replaced it. Replacement worked for about 500ft and threw an ABS code again, and bent the sensor slightly. Ended up replacing the whole hub assembly which had a preinstalled sensor and it has been fine for 5k miles. Also had the same issue with they key! Some WD40 cleared out a bunch of gunk in the cylinder and now it works as it should.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

That’s great to hear. Unfortunately I replaced both front hubs which came with the abs sensor. That didn’t help the problem and given I use this mainly as an off roader I think I’ll just roll with it as is

[@kruzinsideways]

Great Video! Keep it up, looking forward to more. Always love finding new automotive channels

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Thank you! I have plenty more weird cars are projects I will be making videos about

[@JUKE179r]

Nanocom diagnostic tool FTW! Cheers from a Disco 2 V8 owner and enthusiast! 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@BugOutBetter]

Bro, you are speaking in riddles! it’s rock solid but it’s had a lot of problems. Only issue I’ve ever had was this, but then I had these three major issues.😂

[@belladamma2345]

13:41 I remember my sister and I driving to NYC in our disco 1 and the Land Rover caught sparks/ a mini fire. We didn’t notice until we got to the city there was a big gaping hole in the floor of the back seat and it burned our bags. 😢 thank God nothing drastic happened to us but that was the end of the car that night. 😢

[@mitchellkohrmann]

I have put 15k on my v8 esprit over the past 2 years! They drive well when done up right

[@beerman2221]

considering how expensive they were brand new they do have there problems had mine for 4 years now had a few problems still loving it.When my m and s lights were flashing and it going in to 3 gear it was a fault with the xyz switch may be something to look in to

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Thanks! The XYZ switch has already been replaced. The truck sits up at our lake house and only gets fired up to off-road once a month or two. Low battery voltage will cause flashing M and S so just a few trips around the block and it’s good to go

[@sarahdell4042]

Great video!

[@wocko1]

The good old Three Amigos (Traction Control light, Hill Descent Control error light, and ABS light). A common Disco 2 fault that can be (easily) fixed, fortunately.

[@KT-en8pq]

Appreciate the video. Do you remember which O2 sensor is best?

[@mitchellkohrmann]

the only O2 sensor the car would accept was the OEM, the bosh unit even gave me issues

[@pi.actual]

Yup, 23 years and 200,000 miles I've done head gaskets, 3 Amigos, air bags, front drive shaft, wiper switch, throttle body heater, secondary air pump but never once stranded, it always got me home. Still using it as a daily driver, probably never going to sell it.

[@Ryskyguy]

What roof rack is that

[@mattwilde332]

The Land Rover discovery 2 is bomb proof, very reliable

[@mitchellkohrmann]

I’ve beat on this thing harder than I any other car I’ve had by a mile. And people say land rovers are unreliable

[@alexrobinson2281]

Disco 2 is the best model they ever made , had a Disco 4 , it was a money pit , bought another D2 with a new chassis

[@mattwilde332]

@@alexrobinson2281I do like the d3 and d4 also tho

[@MP-po6fj]

Much agree last well built LRs.. Downhill after that. Stunning exterior designs but crap engine issues and drivetrain issues LR should of put toyota petrol and diesel Landcrusier engines drivetrain in their newer ones.

[@zhanellester9820]

Does yours have the break issue besides the ABS. Where you have to apply the breaks harder and faster than normal to stop?

[@anonamos6086]

I had a 95 with a manual transmission a 2002. They were both very fun and comfortable but very expensive to keep running.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

A 95 with a 5 speed sounds amazing! I’d like to get a diesel 5 speed sometime soon

[@harrywalker968]

there rubbish.. only for,,rich people image..get an 80 series toyota, or gu nissan. 4.2tdi,s.. bullitt proof.. land / range rovers, like jeeps,,dont touch.. plus, they rust, factory..too small, too weak.. ausie.. id buy an f100 4x4.. cheaper, better, stronger.. basic works.. gadgets dont.. & you have an audi.excellent.. @@mitchellkohrmann

[@pcbulai]

@@mitchellkohrmann were diesels ever imported into US? I'm in EU and have a td5; would love a v8 tho' but they're pretty rare where I live.

[@TheShakir98]

@@pcbulai ive seen some guys in canada importing td5 from spain and france

[@amyfreeze9772]

So if the 3 amigos are lit is it worth fixing? I'm looking at buying an old disco 2.

[@texasoff-roadmilitia425]

Yes very much so. Just get a obd2 reader that can read abs. I just clear my three amigos and I’m good. Every once in a while they come back but I just clear it. It works lol

[@soundmindtv2911]

Disco 2's are still the best kept "secret" out there. Trailwise, they outperform almost every out there in its class. To get something that performs anywhere near as well as these do on the trail, someone would have to spend $30-50K or more.

[@flyingfishscubainternation3565]

Interested about the comment on Transfer cases being cheap - and I’ve looked and a refurbished one is over $1000

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Do you have the same issue? I got mine at a junkyard and just tested that the linkage moves freely

[@JonMartin1]

🎄🎄🎄

[@congame11]

When i have the flashing M and S Light due to battery I just clear the codes with a scanner and that works just fine

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Yep! Given I only start this truck every month or so I've grown more than familiar with the flashing M and S

[@thepontiacshop3765]

You may be a bit bothered to hear this but I bet that the transfer case was fine and what was wrong was the saftey solenoid that keeps toy from shining into 4 lo on the highway had failed and all you had to do was delete it. That what was wrong with mine

[@drzaius755]

Too bad you didn't get the TD5 in the States. .

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Believe me I do too! I searched high and low for them but you’d have to pay 15k for one while I paid $2,200 for this one

[@Cars-are-cool-ish]

crazy how someone spends a few hours on gasket work and senser cleaning on a Disco and its on the road more then a xj

[@zachcurrie4258]

Lmao 💀

[@enjoyingend1939]

I have a discovery 1 with the cute little 2.0L engine and at 200k miles had to do some pretty extensive engine work because a valve decided to do a little weight reduction and deleted a cunk of itself, running with 3 cylinders it still ran, relatively smoothly too! Oil control ring had gotten stuck and that cylinder was just chugging oil, combined with highway driving probably is what did that valve in. Literally all the problems I've had with the disco are related to it sitting in a field for a decade btw, doubt many cars would do better.

[@dusandub]

what about td5, is it that bad engine?

[@scottbrooks7978]

North America didn't get the TD5. Its a great engine, economical and powerful enough for the car.

[@dusandub]

@@scottbrooks7978 i learned about cracking heads and some diesel-canal seal failure. Basicaly diesel starts to mix with the oil. Also loosing bolt on oil pump ? So a im a bit sceptical to look after D2, rather 300td

[@scottbrooks7978]

@@dusandub cracked heads are due to overheating and were in engines with the earleir P10 engines and there is an issue with the bolts. They filed to put locktite on them - you just drop the sump and but blue locktite on them job done. 300's are gutless and slow

[@dusandub]

@scottbrooks7978 how do i know which ísť p10 and p15

[@scottbrooks7978]

@@dusandub you will have to check but I think the P10 finished in 2001Mine is a 2003 and auto so P15

[@tyrantking1916]

So we can say it's reliable enough as much as Jeep Cherokee XJ Or not?

[@mitchellkohrmann]

I don’t have any Xj experience but I wouldn’t be surprised. Stuff brakes on the disco time to time but it’s never enough to take it off the road

[@dentondunn4346]

@@mitchellkohrmannI believe they’ll go where’s xj’s wont. I’ve had both. I’m talking factory to factory. No compsrison😊

[@zachcurrie4258]

The cooling circuit is complete shit, and it is sluggish, but if you dont mind rebuilding the cooling and the slow uphill speeds, it really does just keep running. I love my LRD2. The only time i was stranded was when a bearing with 250,000 miles decided to crap out.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

It’s dog slow but I never worry about that. I feel like that factory thermostat is the cause of so many problems. I know they are a common failure point

[@MoteofVolition]

Good, but not as good as Discovery 1! 😝 Nice to see the US Discos getting some love.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

I would trade this for a D1 in a heartbeat!

[@amareemunir2567]

I have one that my parents let sit for 10 years and start right up no problem

[@amareemunir2567]

Was my first car and favorite one

[@ecirlos4601]

Beautiful trucks just to many issues. I have a 2004 and going on the second engine block. So far so good, I just love them. It’s a love hate relationship 😁

[@mitchellkohrmann]

What caused the first to go? Did it overheat? That’s the only thing I’ve ever seen kill one of these motors

[@ecirlos4601]

@@mitchellkohrmann yes it overheated

[@pcbulai]

​@@ecirlos4601you could either place an inline housing and go wild with off the shelf thermostats, or an OEM thermostat that runs cooler(ie 78C/172F).

[@TheShakir98]

im surpriserd that you didnt mention rust. these rust pretty badly underneath, especially in the back. Hood, fenders, quarter panels and tailgate is made of aluminium so youd think they dont rust but underneath, it goes crazy if you never treated with anti rust

[@mitchellkohrmann]

@@TheShakir98 somehow mine has 0 rust at all. Not even surface discoloration! I know they’re very well known to rust though especially on the rear frame

[@TheShakir98]

@@mitchellkohrmann youre very lucky then. Mine only has 142k km (88k mi) and underneath is not good at all. Rear frame already started to rot out as well as rotted through rocker panels on both sides and driver side wheel well. I was excited when i bought it and didnt check it through sadly so paying the price now lol anyways, great video

[@alistairbartlett1930]

The three amigos is a 20 min job for a permanent fix .three amigos bypass. Yes everything still works as intended. I've done it on many D2's 😊

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Unfortunately mine isn’t caused by the typical issue. It’s bad communication between the wheel speed sensor and the hub

[@explorer8888]

If it’s only 20 minutes, I would love to fix mine. Do you have a video, write up or link to the 20 minutes job fix? Everyone I have seen is very complicated and takes many hours to complete.

[@alistairbartlett1930]

@@explorer8888 its on KZbin three amigos bypass

[@danieleble5706]

@@explorer8888 The fix is called the "Option B" fix. If you google search option b fix discovery 2 then you should get some good forum posts talking about it.

[@johnsmith-oh2xo]

Please don't listen to this guy please do maintenance on your Discovery it's the most important thing on any vehicle lol....

[@mitchellkohrmann]

yes proper maintenance of a car like this is important, however I was trying to show how reliable they could be even when poorly maintained like my rig. They deserve the best and I actually have gathered a bunch of parts to put some work in on the car soon!

[@Esamsgarage]

So wonky.

[@mitchellkohrmann]

Wonkier the better

[@BugOutBetter]

Bro, you are speaking in riddles! it’s rock solid but it’s had a lot of problems. Only issue I’ve ever had was this, but then I had these three major issues.😂