2002 Land Rover Discovery II - Father/Son Project

[soarvet]

So, it's been a while since I've been on. Picked up a 2002 Disco 2 for $900. Owned by a fairly well off older guy. It's never seen unpaved road. Owner said he never put it in 4LO. He had the engine replaced at 175K miles. The selector is frozen, which I hear is a very common problem if it's not regularly moved. Drives nice. Other than a few cracked plastic trim pieces and seat electronics it has good bones. I think it will be a great project for my son and I. He fell in love with it when we test drove it and said "Daddy, you have to buy it!" My son is 7, right around the age when my father had me out in the garage handing him tools and wrenching on things. Can't wait to get started. On with the first pics. Any suggestions, please post them.

 

[systemdelete]

Enjoy it, they are great trucks, quirky but great in their environment.

 

[disco_unchained]

Enjoy it. Get lucky8 on speed dial. Assuming you’ve replaced all fluids to begin with, I recommend starting with a new front drive shaft and following some of the videos from Atlantic British to get going with the suspension, hd steering rods and dampener and tires and bumpers.

 

[soarvet]

I've had a humming noise as I'd accelerate and it would stop when I let off the accelerator. I thought maybe it was the driveshafts, maybe they were about to die on me. This morning I jacked the Disco up and upon further inspection I noticed that the front and rear driveshafts have zerk fittings , yay... Greased them up to be safe, who knows the last time there were greased. While I'm down here I decide to replace the gear oil in the front, rear and transfer case. Started with the rear, looks pretty clear as I'm draining it. Fill it up with fresh gear oil, move the front. It looks pretty good. Fill it up with fresh gear oil. I'm thinking to myself "the guy I bought this from took great care of this Disco!". On to the transfer case. I remember reading that the fill plug is a PITA to get out. It was a beast. Had the impact on it and wouldn't budge. After spending a couple hours trying everything I could and taking breaks in between I decided to give it one last ditch effort. Breaker bar with a 3" extension and an 8lbs. hammer. Few good whacks and it finally breaks loose. Now that I got that loose I throw the impact on the drain plug and get it started. Get the drain plug out and only about a 1/2cup of gear oil drains out. WTH... Now I'm gonna have to remove the cover to inspect the gears. I'm pretty sure the whining/humming noise I was hearing was because the transfer case was low on fluid. Got all the bolts out but one, ended up rounding the head of the bolt, will have to wait until tomorrow to get something to try to remove the last bolt so I can inspect the gears.

 

[soarvet]

Gears looked good, so I went ahead and filled it up. Hooked up the ultragauge blue and took it out for a test drive so see the engine temp and see if the humming was still there. Good news... humming is gone, pretty sure it was the low transfer case fluid. Engine temp was hovering around 212 degrees. Good thing I bought the 180 degree thermostat. I went ahead and swapped out the thermostat and took it back out for a drive. Highest temp was about 190 while I was sitting in the drive-through line. While cruising it was staying around 183-185 degrees. It's a noticeable difference when you lift the hood, or even when you walk to the front of the car.

I got a Tom Woods drive shaft in the mail while I was traveling last week. I guess I should have ordered the lift kit first, but I'm still waffling between the OME & TF lifts. I want a 3" which OME does not have. I need to go ahead and pull the trigger on the lift.

 

[disco_unchained]

Gears looked good, so I went ahead and filled it up. Hooked up the ultragauge blue and took it out for a test drive so see the engine temp and see if the humming was still there. Good news... humming is gone, pretty sure it was the low transfer case fluid. Engine temp was hovering around 212 degrees. Good thing I bought the 180 degree thermostat. I went ahead and swapped out the thermostat and took it back out for a drive. Highest temp was about 190 while I was sitting in the drive-through line. While cruising it was staying around 183-185 degrees. It's a noticeable difference when you lift the hood, or even when you walk to the front of the car.

I got a Tom Woods drive shaft in the mail while I was traveling last week. I guess I should have ordered the lift kit first, but I'm still waffling between the OME & TF lifts. I want a 3" which OME does not have. I need to go ahead and pull the trigger on the lift.

If you want a 3” check out RTEfab

 

[soarvet]

I went ahead and ordered a TerraFirma 3" heavy duty lift with TerraFirma stage 4 shocks. While I was at it, I got steel braided brake lines. Picked up some 16x8 wheels as well. Waiting on shock towers. I went ahead and bought a transfer case from an 04 with the CDL since the 02 is absent of this piece. Now I'm just waiting on the Ashcroft CDL linkage kit before I attempt to swap the transfer case.

I've actually taken the old transfer case out. Let me tell you... PITA when you're doing it by yourself.

So, I'm sitting here with a bunch of parts waiting on the last pieces to arrive so I can start putting it all together. Will get some pictures as I progress. Stay tuned.

 

[soarvet]

Been busy installing all the parts that have been sitting in the garage over the last month. Finally got everything installed and tested out today. The CDL works great. Wasn’t sure if it would work as expected, but everything shifted correctly and smoothly. 3 inch Terrafirma lift installed with shock towers and extended brake lines.
My son has really enjoyed hanging with his old man learning about tools and how stuff works. Brings back fond memories of when I was in my dads garage handing him tools as he was working. Hopefully he will remember all of this as he gets older.
We still have a ways to go on this project. Bumpers, rock sliders, ladder, roof rack, list goes on and on.. at least we can finally get out and enjoy it for a little bit Before the next project.

 

[Buster4pres]

It always makes me happy to see father and son projects. My dad was never very mechanically inclined when I was growing up though he did teach me the basics (changing tires and batteries).

Looking forward to seeing what you guys accomplish together.

 

[soarvet]

Finally got around to going on a little test run with my son over the holidays. The CDL is awesome, works as advertised. So glad we did the transfer case swap.
We have some rub at near full lock, so I trimmed the bumper valance while I try to decide on which front bumper we want to do. The suspension is stiff, but my son loves it. I think once we get it loaded with bumpers, sliders, roof rack and gear it’ll settle in.
Passenger window motor was bad, so we went ahead and swapped the motor out. Added a new stereo with Bluetooth so I can take calls and mounted some RAM balls on the dash, so we can mount some accessories like phones and radios. Gotta get the spare tire mounted tonight.
Pretty excited about the progress we’ve made.

 

[disco_unchained]

Finally got around to going on a little test run with my son over the holidays. The CDL is awesome, works as advertised. So glad we did the transfer case swap.
We have some rub at near full lock, so I trimmed the bumper valance while I try to decide on which front bumper we want to do. The suspension is stiff, but my son loves it. I think once we get it loaded with bumpers, sliders, roof rack and gear it’ll settle in.
Passenger window motor was bad, so we went ahead and swapped the motor out. Added a new stereo with Bluetooth so I can take calls and mounted some RAM balls on the dash, so we can mount some accessories like phones and radios. Gotta get the spare tire mounted tonight.
Pretty excited about the progress we’ve made.

Looking good dude!

 

[soarvet]

Went to put the spare tire mount on and found a new puddle under the drivers side just inside and toward the rear of the front left tire. Turned out to be the brake master cylinder. Pretty good leak too. Looks to be the o-rings between the plastic tank and the metal cylinder. I ordered a rebuild kit from my friends at Lucky8.

I have a few small trim items I need to work on, (to be expected when you pay $900 for a car) not really pressing, but I'd like to get them done at some point. I've also been dealing with the drivers side door lock not working with the remote. All other door locks lock fine. I usually have to use the key to lock all the doors and to open the drivers side door. Went to the local pull-a-part over the holidays and pulled a new door lock actuator from a junk Disco. Sure beat the $190 for a new one. I think I paid $8 for this one. I'll eventually tackle that one. Having to remove the window frame is a pain. At least it was at the pull-a-part.

I went to fold the rear seat down and the pull broke right off when I lifted it. Just the cap part, so I need to replace that. Has anybody every replaced that piece? I'm having a hard time disconnecting the cable from that plastic pull. Looks like there are 2 pieces that squeeze together to release it through the hole, but I can't get it out. Not a big deal. I'll probably never fold the seat down, just trying to fix the small issues as I have time.

 

[RoarinRow]

Save some modding for your 7 year old :)

 

[soarvet]

Save some modding for your 7 year old :)

The way Land Rovers... are I’m sure there will be plenty for him to do as he gets older. It’ll keep us both busy lol...

 

[RoarinRow]

The way Land Rovers... are I’m sure there will be plenty for him to do as he gets older. It’ll keep us both busy lol...

Alrighty also just checking to make sure you meant 7 and not 17 lol. My 10 year old is already asking if he could have my rig when he's old enough to drive.

 

[soarvet]

Alrighty also just checking to make sure you meant 7 and not 17 lol. My 10 year old is already asking if he could have my rig when he's old enough to drive.

Yep, he’s 7. He’s learning about tools. He fetches tools out the toolbox as I tell him. Same thing I did growing up hanging out with my dad in the garage. He’s turning a few wenches as we go. He seems to enjoy it. Keeps him off the technology.

 

[soarvet]

Parts came in to rebuild the Master brake cylinder. Pretty simple to do. It must not have liked to sit outside in the cold, because once I brought in in the garage overnight it stopped dripping. I went ahead and rebuilt it. Nice a new looking!
Here is a photo of my Ram balls I mounted on the dash and the new stereo.

 

[EXPO_D1]

Parts came in to rebuild the Master brake cylinder. Pretty simple to do. It must not have liked to sit outside in the cold, because once I brought in in the garage overnight it stopped dripping. I went ahead and rebuilt it. Nice a new looking!View attachment 134462View attachment 134463
Here is a photo of my Ram balls I mounted on the dash and the new stereo.
View attachment 134464

How do you like the cell phone mount? I've been trying to decide between what you have done and a window mount.

 

[soarvet]

How do you like the cell phone mount? I've been trying to decide between what you have done and a window mount.

I’m glad I did what I did. I was getting tired of the window mount and all the sticky goo that my window mount left. It seem no matter how much I cleaned the windshield I would still have a mark from the suction cup. The Ram Mount works great and I get a little better visibility no having the big suction cup and arm. It’s a little more sturdy I feel like.

 

[temma2k2]

Looking great, same colour as my 2001 Disco... I do like the black wheels, i feel a respray on my hands...