Just bought my first disco. Think I've been conned.

[PeppermintGreen]

Hi all,

My name's Rik, and I'm a newbie! I was hoping my first post to this fourm would be to say hi and show off my disco. Sadly it's actually to beg for some help.

After years of wanting a discovery, I finally decided to take the plunge (unfortunate choice of words that!) and bought one off ebay. It's a mark 1 1996 300TDi. The listing said that it had a couple of issues (2 holes in the rear door sills, drivers window doesn't work) but other than that was all good. So I bid and won. Sadly, it seems that the guy was less than honest and now is uncontactable.

By the time I'd driven it home, the Drivers side foot well was sodden. Thinking it would just be a leaky sunroof or something, and had built up over a while, I pulled up the carpet, cut out the foam rubber and dried everything up. On the next drive, it was sodden again. The passenger side is wet too, but nowhere near as bad. Checking the tanks under the bonnet revealed that the coolant is very low. Does this mean I have a bust pipe/heater? I've looked all over and cannot for the life of me see where this water is coming from. Is there anyway I can verify this without removing the entire dashboard?

On a separate, but also annoying note, the cruise control doesn't seem to work. One of my disco owning mates seems to think there is an easy fix for that, but can't remember what it is. Does anyone know?

They are the two main ones for now. All the other porblems, I should be able to sort myself. (Hopefully!) Already got a nice can of por15 on the way!

Very grateful for any help or advice. And sorry that my first post was a cry for help!

Rik,

[shanno_2k]

Could be the heater matrix for the water leak or leaky sun roof

Welecome to the forum
shanno

[PeppermintGreen]

Hi Shanno. Thanks for the reply!

Madly, I'd love it to just be the sunroof at this point! Though I removed so much water on Saturday morning, and it was back saturday night despite there not being any rain. Is it possible that it's storing it somewhere? The headlining seems dry and I've taken the side panel off in the drivers footwell and the metal under there seemed dry. That tied with the low coolant levels made me think heater. Though to be fair, the coolant level might have been low before I bought it. The ad said that it had been recently serviced, but It all seems very suspect now.

Is there a way of checking the pipes/heater matrix without removing the dashboard? (Or removing as little of it as possible!)

Many thanks,

Rik,

[V8_Disco]

Rik

Yes, Top up the Car with coolant and see if you lose it, you can also see if its hot after the run

Aidan

[shanno_2k]

once you top the rad back up run the heater on hot full blower to see if there is any leaks


shanno

[thebiglad]

Hi all,

My name's Rik, and I'm a newbie! I was hoping my first post to this fourm would be to say hi and show off my disco. Sadly it's actually to beg for some help.

After years of wanting a discovery, I finally decided to take the plunge (unfortunate choice of words that!) and bought one off ebay. It's a mark 1 1996 300TDi. The listing said that it had a couple of issues (2 holes in the rear door sills, drivers window doesn't work) but other than that was all good. So I bid and won. Sadly, it seems that the guy was less than honest and now is uncontactable.

By the time I'd driven it home, the Drivers side foot well was sodden. Thinking it would just be a leaky sunroof or something, and had built up over a while, I pulled up the carpet, cut out the foam rubber and dried everything up. On the next drive, it was sodden again. The passenger side is wet too, but nowhere near as bad. Checking the tanks under the bonnet revealed that the coolant is very low. Does this mean I have a bust pipe/heater? I've looked all over and cannot for the life of me see where this water is coming from. Is there anyway I can verify this without removing the entire dashboard?

On a separate, but also annoying note, the cruise control doesn't seem to work. One of my disco owning mates seems to think there is an easy fix for that, but can't remember what it is. Does anyone know?

They are the two main ones for now. All the other porblems, I should be able to sort myself. (Hopefully!) Already got a nice can of por15 on the way!

Very grateful for any help or advice. And sorry that my first post was a cry for help!

Rik,


Hi Rik welcome to the forum, Discos are great - honest:(;):D

Re the cruise control, a common problem is to do with the vacuum pipes that operate the system. Find the pipes, cut about 1/2inch off each end and then wrap with black electricians tape, then refit.

If you need pictures, just do a search for cruise control.

Cheers
Dave

[Swingletree]

PG, I got your E-mail, will reply in a mo. Will you be wanting a heater matrix as well?;)

[odonnellkevin]

Hi Rik
1995 Discovery 1

Same boat as you. The boot floor is rotten as is a rear wheel arch, and the steering box is leaking as well as the power steering pump, as well as one other fluid leak, all told the best part of 1000 pound if I dont do the mechanical work myself, as I cant weld.

This was via a dealer on ebay who said the body was sound apart from a few blemishes and it should pass an mot no problem.

[Swingletree]

Seems like some a*****ole is making a fast buck out of unsuspecting people here, have you reported it to anyone or was the ad suitably ambiguous (sp)

[thebiglad]

Hi Rik
1995 Discovery 1

Same boat as you. The boot floor is rotten as is a rear wheel arch, and the steering box is leaking as well as the power steering pump, as well as one other fluid leak, all told the best part of 1000 pound if I dont do the mechanical work myself, as I cant weld.

This was via a dealer on ebay who said the body was sound apart from a few blemishes and it should pass an mot no problem.

Hi there, I can't weld either, but I repaired the boot floor in my wife's Tdi 200 Disco - and it's not too bad actually :rolleyes:

Follow the link:

http://forum.landrovernet.com/showthread.php?t=107999

Hope this helps,
Cheers
Dave

[RaceHQ]

Are these not like the range rover p38 heater matrix, with the pipes entering the matrix right at the top behind the dashboard, sealed with 'o' rings? If so, its a dash out job yes? still worth doing, big job but new 'o' rings won't go again any time soon. :)

RaceEvo

[SCHREIBER]

Welcome to the forums:)

Sorry to hear about your disco, we had a simular situation with me dads disco when we braught it. Won the auction with 'buy it now' took the train up to lancashire:eek: only for the guy to tell us it was overheating:( He said it was cos the winch was blocking the air flow to the rad:rolleyes: We took the rad out when we got it home, only to find it was missing 3/4 of its fins:eek: put a new one in and it has been fine ever since.

Hope you have some luck with yours,

chris:)

[PeppermintGreen]

Thanks to everyone for the replies! Oddly on the drive home tonight although I had the heater set to cold with no fan on and the vents off, the carpet was soaked again when I got home. I'll definately test having the heater on hot and looking for where the water is coming out.

So! If the dashboard has to come out, is there an easy guide anywhere? The haynes manual jumps all over the place and I'd really like to take out as little as possible! Also, is there any way of finding out the security code for the stereo? As that'll have to come out and I didn't get any books with it, let alone a code!

As for eBay, I was pretty convinced I knew what I was looking for. Checked the boot floor and all the other places disco's have problems. But this problem didn't arise til I got home with it, and the guy has done a runner. I worried when he wrote Sold as seen TWICE on the invoice. Now I know why.

There are some "Very naughty"* people out there.

Cheers,

Rik,

*Edited for family viewing!

[kiddisco]

mine is still for sale, it seems to be the only one at the moment that has got no problems, then again i dont want to speak too soon. :p

[bilge rat]

it is a dash out job , but ! .im sure there is a way round it to fiddle it out and its tricky but worth checking out. think it must slide into the drivers foot well. easy way to tell weather its matrix or not is .sounds rough but have a little taste . iff its sweet its a/freeze out the matrix... welcome to the joys of land rover ownership. i sometimes wonder why but still have them ??. alan....

[TEMPL4R]

It will probably be hot water, the heater uses flaps not taps, doesn't it, like a RR?

It will use water if it's the coolant system. If it's got aircon, check for blocked drains.

(before you taste it, make sure the previous owner didn't have an incontinent cat)

Chris

[PeppermintGreen]

Hi Templ4r,

Eurg! An incontinent cat is the least of my worries! This "recently valeted" car was disgusting on the inside. Another lie on the description. Seriously, you'd have needed a tetanus jab to go anywhere near it!

Upon cleaning it though, I found £1.48 and a Nintendogs cartridge for the DS! :-) Unfortunately I also found hundreds of used tissues, bottle caps tooth floss (!) a decomposed fruit of some description (Think it was a plum. Or a tangerine. It was too far gone to tell.) and a dead bee!

I've just done a search on blocked drain holes. I too get the smoke/steam through the vents. Definately sounds like something to check. Where specifically are these holes?

Thanks to everyone who has replied! Think I'm going to like it here! And hopefully be able to help out as I learn!

Cheers,

Rik,

[TEMPL4R]

Steam through the vents and condensation on the screen is usually a matrix with a leak.

Easy test ( as it's not too cold) go to the bulkhead and take the pipes off the heater, connect them together and see if the water stops coming in.

Chris

[lynalldiscovery]

You can change the matrix in situ its a tight toss job but i have done it and it saves hours of dash removal got the replacement matrix from e-bay then tested it b4 fitting, the little clips are ****ters to get back on as space so limited.
So long as its mechanically sound it sounds like a typical old (11 year) old landrover, i wouldnt worry to much so long as price was good to pay for the work needed.



Lynall

[PeppermintGreen]

Just been out at lunch, and the coolant tank is empty again. I guess if nothing else, the carpet will be clean after all this!

Templ4r - That sounds like a very good idea. Think I've found the pipes you're refering to. (to the left of the engine, two thick rubber pipes side by side, is that right) Just a couple of questions. First, can I do this without draining the coolant? Second what's the best way of connecting them together? Is it under pressure? Many thanks for your advice!

Lynalldiscovery - Can you tell me what you needed to remove to get the matrix out without removing the dash? You may have just become my new best friend! :-)

Many thanks all!

Rik,

[PeppermintGreen]

Oh! Should also probably mention that it has air con.

Whether it works or not is another matter!

Just been on ebay, there seem to be several different types of matrix. (As well as complete systems) Guess I'll need to see what comes out before ordering a new one!

Cheers,

Rik,

[TEMPL4R]

Use a piece of copper pipe or see if the one that comes around the top of the head near the manifolds will reach where the other pipe comes from the head itself. You just need to join them up.

Chris

[Barrie]

Hi PeppermintGreen can I ask how much you got you Discovery for?

[cedarland]

Hi pepermint. Welcome to the forum. Have read your thread with interest.
This may not work but I had a Citreon XM once (beautiful car to drive) and had the same problem with the heater matrix. Steam coming out the vents and misting up the window. Same prblem in that like landrover citreon start with a heater and build a car around it so nobody can get into it. I poured a can of radiator sealer into the radiator and ran the engine with the heater on. It worked and I had no more trouble with it for the next year that I had it. Maybe I was lucky. If Templ4r sees this maybe he would comment.

[lynalldiscovery]

Was a while ago i did it and from memory it would be a lot easier with the drivers seat out for access then just start undoing everything under the dash until you get at the pipes then more bits until you can pull the matrix out i remember having to pull the bottom of the dash backwards quite a bit to get it out.
So long as car has stood overnight it will not be under pressure.
Leave the cap on whilst you disconnect the coolant pipes to join them together for mimimal coolant loss.



Lynall

[lynalldiscovery]

This is the type i removed and replaced with i think i got a whole heater box as i could not get a matrix, e-bay search discovery matrix.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LAND-ROVER-DISCOVERY-300-TDI-HEATER-MATRIX_W0QQitemZ180206904652QQihZ008QQcategoryZ313 48QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp 1638Q2em118Q2el1247




Lynall

[PeppermintGreen]

Thanks for that Lynall! Anything I can do to avoid removing the dash is a bonus!

Thanks also to Chris! I'll definately try connecting the pipes together. That may even be a sort of fix! I don't mind the cold and I can buy a 12v heater for my Girlfriend! ;-) Course it does remove my demisting capability!

Cedarland - That is a very interesting idea! One of those, so simple, it's brilliant ideas! My only thought, is that it's losing so much water that any hole has to be pretty large! Can anyone with better knowledge of the coolant path in a discovery comment on whether it could work? Or even if it's likely to do any damage? I could try this after I've used Lynall's advice to ensure that it's not just a split pipe.

Thanks to everyone for their replies!

Rik,

[alex]

You have nothing to lose by trying the Barrs Leaks. Funnily enough Citreon and Landys have much in common.

1/ Love em or hate em

2/ Poorly built but some good engineering ideas etc.

2/ Interestingly unique and quirky

3/ Need constant attention and spares.

..............but overall never boring:D

[V8_Disco]

This stuph

http://www.kalimex.co.uk/section.html?secpath=01.04.&pgid=17

Has been used with limited sucess for issues like this on the V8, Weather its a permaant repair I dont know but a frend did use it in a freelander in france to get him home with the HG failure the 1.8 is famous for

Aidan

[cedarland]

Your dead right there Alex. By the way is your garage finished yet? Last Pic I saw was your foundations:D You could be right pepermint if the hole is that big probably not work. Good Luck will follow with interest.You have nothing to lose by trying the Barrs Leaks. Funnily enough Citreon and Landys have much in common.

1/ Love em or hate em

2/ Poorly built but some good engineering ideas etc.

2/ Interestingly unique and quirky

3/ Need constant attention and spares.

..............but overall never boring:D

[alex]

All done mate .......thanks for asking. It`s even painted since this shot.

[cedarland]

Well done. See why you know about citreons. I had 2 of those and the XM before seeing the light and getting a disco:eek: Now at last I have a Rangie P38 with suspension similar to the citreons.
Cheers GavinAll done mate .......thanks for asking. It`s even painted since this shot.

[cedarland]

Sorry pepermint, you'll find this happens a lot on this forum. People pinching your thread for chats:D

[PeppermintGreen]

Hey, I don't mind! Keeps it on the front page! ;-)

Rik,

[Big Sandy]

I'm wary of radweld myself... A friend used it as a get you home repair, 'twas only a small leak.. It set like concrete in the rad, and roasted the engine on the way home.

Bypassing the matrix is a very good option..if it is the heater that is leaking, this time of year it gives you chance to source parts without fearing that you'll get frostbite. (like you would if you had a series Landy, with a working heater...LOL)

[PeppermintGreen]

Interesting....

Just been out at lunch time, and when I parked up, I noticed a puddle of water on the road underneath the car, roughly where the middle of the dashboard is. This is interesting as hopefully, I'll be able to get underneath tonight and see where it's coming from. The only thing that worries me is that it wasn't doing this before. Is it getting worse? Is it just likely to be a drain, or am I likely to find a big hole?

Sooner I can get to B&Q to get some piping the better! Just don't seem to have 5 minutes to myself at the moment. In all the time I've had the car, all I've managed to fix is the dodgy door handle on the passenger side!

Cheers,

Rik,

[PeppermintGreen]

Reet!

I've just managed to get a lovely plastic washing machine pipe connector thingy, exactly the right size! I've taken the hoses off the bulkhead and connected them together. Just now praying to God that I've connected the right hoses! (I think them must be right. Clear liquid came out when I disconnected them! And I didn't smell no diesel!)

So! I have to drive to Northampton tomorrow in it! 150 ish miles. I've topped up the coolant and will let you know what happens!

Thanks again Chris for the suggestion!

Rik,

[PeppermintGreen]

Hi Everyone,

Well, the bypass 'seems' to have worked! I got down to Northampton and back with no over heating, and no further flooding! When I got there though, the header tank was still almost empty? Is it likely to be settling, or could it be coz it will have been just water by that point? Topped it up with antifreeze today, (took about 1.5 litres) and will see how it goes.

I really hope it's not leaking from anywhere else......

Thanks to everyone for their advice. If I even manage to get the matrix out, I'll let you know where the problem was!

Cheers,

Rik,

[windy2007]

Sorry to hear about the b---- who conned you thats why I never buy from ebay. Your heater. Disconnect the heater pipes on the engine and reconnect one so that the water circulates back to the engine so your heater has got no water in it. that will prove if your water loss is just the heater

[thebiglad]

I've bought three cars now via Ebay and feel pretty much ok about every deal.

You have to ask all the questions of course and pay a price that leaves you with enough to sort out surprises, but that's the same with any second-hand car isn't it?

[tobermorry]

Hi Rik

You're not alone! I bought a 98 XS on Saturday and on Saturday night it almost overheated. Yesterday I found a big water leak into the drivers footwell :eek: and today have bypassed the bulkhead by joining the inlet/outlet pipes together.

The issue I have now is how to fix it. I have aircon too and it seems that you have to disconnect the aircon to get to the heater matrix (or something like that) - unfortunately it does not seem to be a case of just swapping out the old matrix with a new one and refitting. In my case, the drive belt to the compressor has been removed so I have no idea as to whether the system works or has any refrigerant left in it.

Hopefully some of the experienced guys (or gals!) on here can give us both some help!

Andy

[listerdiesel]

Hopefully we can all help 'PeppermintGreen' with sorting out his problems, that's what makes this forum so damm useful!

One thing that he/she needs to do is to get some service/workshop documentation for the vehicle, and start to familiarise him/herself with the goings-on under the bonnet.

Regarding ebay, I've been on there since 1998, and apart from 4 out of over 1500 transactions, I've had no trouble. The most recent was the Disco I bought before our Black V8, the week before in fact. Won the auction, then the guy emailed to say he wasn't selling, and eventually sold it privately for more money (he says) Ebay were pretty toothless, despite a lot of guff about 'binding contracts' etc etc. Walk away.

You'll rarely find a real dog, but they are out there.....

Peter

[PeppermintGreen]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the comments, but this thread was actually posted in April last year! :)

I actually don't even own this car any more. I never could resolve the leak and that combined with a few other things meant that I got rid and paid a good price for a vastly superior Disco! Seriously! It's got a working heater and everything! :D

Hope you manage to get your problems resolved.

Rik,