Maintenance items/Other questions...

[ExpoScout]

Ok, so as it turns out I did find a 98 D1 that I'm going to be picking up tomorrow. Once I pick it up I am going to start into doing the routine maintenance on everything that I can...and then some. Found this list over on LRO and thought it was a pretty good start (obviously some of the things are up to interpretation):

1 Oil filter, K&N 3001 or Mobil 1- 301
1 Factory air filter
6 Qts. of engine oil
2 feet of 3/16th vacuum tube
2 feet of 5/16th vacuum tube
6 Qts. Of Vavoline’s high mileage Dextron 3 ATF
7 Qts. of 80/90W synthetic gear oil, 85W/140 for HD use
3 Pints of Vavoline’s DOT 4 Brake fluid
4 Qts of synthetic Power steering fluid
2 Gallons of OAT, orange coolant, also called DexCool
1 Bottle of Lucas Power Steering additive
1 Bottle of Lucas Transmission additive
1 Can of Spray Carb. Spray
1 Can Of Brake cleaner
8 Spark Plugs, I use Bosch Platinum Plus 4's
1 Set of Magnacor or STI 8mm plug wires
1 Serpentine belt
2 Bottles of SeaFoam gas additive
1 T/Stat
1 bottle of WaterWetter or Purple Ice
Hoses and belts, as necessary

60,000 Mile Service or Major Service for High Mileage Used Vehicle just purchased

Bleed the brakes
Flush and change the power steering fluid adding one bottle of additive
Service the tranny adding one bottle of additive
Change the coolant and t/stat
Do an engine flush before changing the oil
Do an induction cleaning
Clean the throttle body
Add fuel additive to full gas tank
Change both of the diffs fluid
Change the t/case oil
Replace the plugs and wires
Replace the air filter
Lube all the drive shaft grease fitting including the 2 slip shafts
Do full inspection of brakes, hoses, bushings etc.


Now, in addition to these things (which are going to be universal regardless of intended use of the Discovery) are there any other things I should go ahead and do that would be most beneficial for a rover being used off road? I have a pretty sizable budget set aside to go ahead and get this thing back in tip top shape, so any further input would be appreciated.

Also, which of these parts should I definitely go to the dealership for and which ones can I just go to Napa, OReilly's, etc for?

Also, what are some of the items that would be handy to have on some longer trips? Other than the obvious...anything that Disco's like to break/go bad that might be nice to have when a ways from civilization?

 

[Howski]

You'll probably be able to find a majority of maintainence parts at your local auto store. For rover specific parts, I'd say avoid the dealer unless you have a lot of $$$ to blow. Unless it absolutely has to be new, I'd contact Will Tillery or Drillbit over on discoweb. Welcome to the rover community. Just be patient if (when) you have issues. Wish I would have learned this sooner than later. It is just a part of being a rover owner

 

[Storz]

Will Tillery = roveryguy.com fyi

For long trips I carry a little pocket autoscanner with me just in case the truck throws a code, its only done it once (faulty MAF) but its nice knowing. Other than that you've got it covered pretty well. Good luck today, can't wait to see the truck!

 

[Antichrist]

Wix 51515 oil filter is about 1/2 (or less) the price of the Mobile 1 or K&N and is a quality air filter. Also sold as a NAPA Gold.
Wix 42285 air filters are good too, available for cheap at Amazon actually. Order 3 (you'll use the eventually) and it's free shipping.

Skip the Platinum plugs, they're a waste of money on D1's. I use whatever I can get cheapest at the time, usually ends up being autolite or champion.

The regular green coolant instead of the Dexcool.

 

[Viggen]

6 Qts. Of Vavoline's high mileage Dextron 3 ATF

2 Gallons of OAT, orange coolant, also called DexCool

Dont waste your money on fancy ATF. Its not necessary. There are numerous theories on changing the trans filter. If you decided to do that, set aside most of the day as on a D1, the trans crossmember has to be dropped.

Look at the coolant thats currently in the truck and stick with what is there. Newer synthetic coolants dont mix with regular coolants and will gel and clog your system leading to failures. DexCool, I believe, is one of those. I would stick with what is there. Theres no way to completely flush every drop out of the system.

As for what breaks on a Disco, it changes from truck to truck. Do the basics, like your list, check bearings and seals and then start driving it. Things will pop up. Recently, I was sidelined for a week with a dead/ randomly dying truck. No fuel pressure although the pump and relay are brand new. Did the pump harness, still nothing. Turned out to be the alarm ecu randomly going into alarm mode and cutting the fuel/ ignition due to corrosion on the connectors. Cleaned up and got an extra from Will and she runs again.

x2 on regular cheapo plugs and dont waste money on fancy wires. Get stock ones.

 

[Wander]

That's a good list-I'm working my way down it as well.

Congrats of finding a Rover-we want pics!

 

[Storz]

That's a good list-I'm working my way down it as well.

Congrats of finding a Rover-we want pics!

It's a good looking, well set up truck. He sent me a few pics last night. I think he is picking it up today :smiley_drive:

 

[Errant]

All of what the others have mentioned and skip the PS fluid. Your Disco uses ATF for the steering.

 

[Wander]

What is the word on gas additives? I hear pro and con on this, other than cleaning the injectors what are the benefits and risks?

For the drive shaft lube-is the same white lithium grease that I use on the IIa good for the DI as well?

What is the scan tool that offers the best bang for the buck? I've got a 94 with the 3.9 so it might be different than the scan tool for the 98 with a 4.0

 

[Storz]

What is the scan tool that offers the best bang for the buck? I've got a 94 with the 3.9 so it might be different than the scan tool for the 98 with a 4.0

Your '94 is running OBDI diagnotics right? The switch to OBDII was '96 so it would be different than yours.

 

[Wander]

Your '94 is running OBDI diagnotics right? The switch to OBDII was '96 so it would be different than yours.

Yeah I've got OBDI-a dizzy and a single coil-I think there might be a dinosaur under the bonnet as well:ylsmoke:

 

[Storz]

Yeah I've got OBDI-a dizzy and a single coil-I think there might be a dinosaur under the bonnet as well:ylsmoke:

much stronger than the team of hamsters I have :Wow1:

 

[AxeAngel]

The infamous discomike 60k mile service. Dontforget it was written for D2s so like the others have said you can drop certain things like plugs, PS, etc.

If you don't have a code reader, next time you are in town you are more than welcome to use mine.

-Sam

 

[David Harris]

much stronger than the team of hamsters I have :Wow1:

That depends on how many hamsters you have, and how much caffeine they're on . . . :ylsmoke:

 

[SeaRubi]

Fit magnetic drain plugs to the diffs and the oil pan when you do the fluids.

I prefer to cycle a quart of ATF through an oil change instead of using seafoam as it's milder. only do this with a fresh oil change and have 2 new filters on hand. put in the ATF and drive it for an hour or two and then change it out while its hot, using a new filter. I will sometimes hacksaw through the filter to get a read of what's going on in there with a new-to-me used car. If the engine is extremely dirty keep in mind that you run the risk of dislodging all that crap and circulating it through all your bearings and oil pump. On some engines it's better to just keep the oil changed and save for a rebuild.

to echo again what the others have said, stick to cheap plugs and stock wires.

Unless its documented that it was changed, I think everyone buying a used 100k+ rover should replace the fuel filter and fuel pump regardless of whether it seems to need it or not.

Look at all the transmission and oil cooler hoses, and the hoses to the steering box. upgrading all of these hoses and fittings using aeroquip or the like is money well spent, and a messy breakdown waiting to happen at an inopportune time.

order up 4 new motor mounts and replace all of them. If they are old they will break with moderate off-road use. quite a few people are running around with cracked or sheared mounts and don't realize it, until the drivetrain tries to jump out of the truck during a hill climb. 2 on the engine, one on the trans, one on the t-case.

check out the rear control arm bushings. if they seem original just replace both ends with OEM pieces. you can probably get by without doing the radius arm bushes for awhile, but if the steering and handling is feeling really loose it's a good idea to drop the radius arms and get them swapped out. you need a press to do it right; any machine shop can take care of it if you drop off the arms with new bushings.

Steering: the tie-rod ends are most likely shot. If you can swing it, I'd consider HD steering linkages and a high clearance tie-rod as maintenance items and replace them right away with a new steering dampener relocated up and out of the way, D90 style. Check out rovertracks.com. The stock junk *will fold* with its first big date with a rock.

Have the radiator pulled and flow tested, and replace all of the hoses. Heater core hoses, the shorty in front of the intake manifold, and the radiator hoses. Don't wait for the thing to over heat and eat a head gasket.

You should know about roversnorth.com and atlanticbritish.com. they're expensive but better than most dealerships. I'm not sure if he's still running it, but years ago I had good luck getting parts from John @ Tidewater Rovers right there in NC. No idea what his internets reputation is these days, but he was always quick to ship and fair on prices when I ordered from him before.

http://tidewaterroversonline.com/default.aspx


cheers
-ike