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Followup To
Question -
Hi John,
I am looking at a used 96 Discovery. I rode in the passenger side while my husband was driving, and I noticed that when he went around a turn, or hit a bump in the road I felt a slight "thumping" feeling under my feet. It also seemed to happen when he would accelerate from a stop and right before he came to a complete stop. I only felt it on the floor of the passenger side. When we parked the car there was a noticeable "hot" smell coming from the underside of the passenger side of the vehicle. It was most apparent when I leaned over and smelled near the front wheel well.
When we looked under the hood, it looks as though there was a small thin pipe that was replaced. The pipe is located on the passenger side closest to the dash board. It is about the width of a pencil. The old one was cut and crimped off. The new one was shiny silver and had a small cap on it that said "H" on the cap. Other than that, the vehicle looks to be in good shape and only has 68,000 miles. Any assistance is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Kelly
Answer -
Hi Kelly,
hmmm..passenger side footwell has thumping underneath...
below that area is the mud flap. The bracket that hold it to the undercarriage has been known to come undone due to rust. It could be the mudflap.
It could also be the brake caliper for that wheel, if its loose.
Then there is the downpipe from the exhaust manifold. On some Disco's it's a "Y" pipe. I think your's is the Y pipe. I've seen the pipe crack completely around the circumference of the pipe. It could be banging up onto the undercarriage.
Then there is the heat deflectors: one over the starter motor that's just in front of your feet (so to speak); the other defector is above the muffler that is in the center of the Disco (below the center console). They have been known to rust and come loose or fall off.
Perhaps someone should crawl under the Disco and take a closer look (when the engine and exhaust is cold). Shake the exhaust pipe, examine the mudflap, make sure the heat deflectors are still there.
The pencil-thin pipe you describe is the high side of the air conditioning lines. All AC equiped vehicles should have the H and L side pressure lines. Not sure of your location BUT have the AC tested. Its very expensive to replace ($1200 just for the compressor alone!).
Check all the doors and windows to make sure the electrics work. Windows have been known to fail in the 'down' position. Door locks can refuse to respond to the remote key fob, door handles become unable to open the door.
The rear door is very prone to problems. Make sure it is sitting properly on its hinges and that it opens and closes easily. Does the rear door lock work? Can you insert the key and open and close the rear door.
When you exit the vehicle, lock all the doors. If you see the lights flash 3 times you know the security system is activated. If you don't, keep walking away from this vehicle...no better yet...run.
Is the ABS light on continuously? If so, get use to it. ABS brake problems are common on LR up until ...well...I've been asked to help a 2003 owner with ABS problems. Its a mystery that just won't go away.
By the way, a '96 with only 68,000 miles is rare. That's low mileage for an almost 10 year old 4x4.
Best of luck,
JohnMc
Follow-up: thanks for your advice to my wife on the truck. i found that the cut pipes were the pipes that lead back to the rear ac unit. apparently, it does not work, so the pipes were cut and crimped. i believe the bumping she felt was the loose pipes in the wheel well rattling up and down. i could move them with my hand freely when i reached into the wheel well. also, i found the the intermittent wipers would stop at the top of the swing, as did the mist wiper function. same thing happend on my 96 SD. the back wiper did not work, either. i believe i will take your advice and keep running, especially since they're 'gift' to me was a miserly drop from $9995 to $9600. i'm fairly certain that the repair and replacement of the above items would cost more than that.
gregg
AnswerHi Gregg,
yeow! So much butchering...makes you wonder what else they chopped up for the sake of keeping it on the road. If the AC is not working, you can expect to pay at least $2500.
The wiper linkage will probably have to be replaced...expect up to $200 for that.
Thanks for the follow-up, I hope others take a lesson from your situation. Yes, you're smart to pass on this Disco. The $300 drop reveals much about the person(s) selling this vehicle.
