QuestionHI JOHN
I HAVE A 2002 LANDROVER DISCOVERY 2 PETROL V8
IT HAS STARTED TO GET THIS STUDDER WHEN TAKING OF SLOW LIKE IT IS GOING TO BRAKE DOWN,BUT AS SOON AS YOU GIVE A BIT MORE GAS IT STOPS, BUT SLOWING DOWN YOU WILL GET BACKLASH.THE PROBLEM WILL COME & GO AS YOU DRIVE THE CAR
IT'S BEEN IN A SO CALLED SPECIALISTS WORK SHOP FOR 2WEEKS WITH NO JOY,THEY HAVE LOOKED AT AIR FLOW CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP TRIED A DIFFERENT COMPUTOR & LOOKED AT ALL SORTS OF THINGS.NOW AFTER WASHING THERE HANDS OF THE PROBLEM THEY ARE SAYING SAND HAS GOT IN TO THE INTAKE & IS CAUSING THE VALVES TO STICK.THE PROBLEM STARTED HALF WAY THREW A TRIP I DONE WITCH INVOLED SOME BEACH DRIVING,BUT AT THE TIME I THOUGHT I GOT SOME DIRTY FUEL FROM A SERVICE STATION.ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED THANKS.
AnswerI'd be worried by the phrase "sand in the engine" unless they can show you evidence of it, like sand in the intake and a missing air filter. It sounds like a wild guess to me. If you read my magazine articles you know we do a lot with the off-road Rover community. A stock Rover with a properly fitted stock air filter WILL NOT get sand in the motor in beach driving.
That said, Rovers are known for developing sticky valves as a result of carbon buildup and that may be your problem. However, I get the sense from your post that the shop is just guessing at this point. Someone has wasted a lot of money if that computer, fuel pump, and air meter are billable parts.
I think I'd look for a better qualified shop before taking the heads off, unless there's more to your story than you've written here. I can't really tell you where to go, as true specialists are sort of rare. I know people send cars to Robison Service from 500 and more miles away, because they can't find more local help for tough problems.
