Land Rover Repair: Engine Noise, cold temperatures, precurser

Question
John:
I have a new 04' Disco II - 3400 miles. On a cold startup the engine makes a noise sounding like marbles in a tin can.It takes 10 minutes of warmup to get the sound to reduce and disappear. The dealer, two weeks ago, said they replaced bearings on one of the pulleys - it was fine for a while, but now the noise is back. Any ideas?

Secondly, the headlights will momentarily dim when I am stopped in traffic. Just a split second, and not a huge drop - just enough to be noticable as seen on the bumper of the car in front. I will cover the issue with the dealer - but what exactly should I be suggesting they do to diagnose the problem. Is this a precurser of bad electrical problems to come?

Answer
Hi Jim,

the noise you hear is not normal.  I've found that Disco's do not take well to the cold temperatures and some mechanics have seconded this opinion. It could very well be bearing failure but it may also be the starter and the small yet powerful gear that turns the engine over.  Its possible that on very cold startup the cog is being stripped and you are hearing shards of metal being tossed about.

As for the electrical phasing you have noticed, yes this too is a common problem with Disco's BUT don't let this go by with LR while you are still under warranty.  Have your battery and alternator checked and make sure the LR dealership does a LOAD TEST.  Its possible that when certain components engage, the electrical draw causes the dimming.

Best of luck with the 2004 Disco.

JohnMc