QuestionTop of the morn' John. I have a 99' disco II with an engine light that continuously stays on. I have taken it to my favorite local mechanic, who says that there is a problem with the air intake sensor... He then used some kind of cleaning spray to fix up the sensor.... that helped for about a month, but now its back on and the dealer is telling me that it might be time for a Valve job- of course that will cost around 2000.00, but with only 52,000 miles... doesn't that sound a bit odd? what other options are there? The vehicle is starting to run bad again- I call it "cranky." I also use BP or shell gas- midgrade stuff usually.
AnswerHi Patrick,
Hard to imagine a valve job needed for a 52k '99 Disco. You are the best judge of this: do you drive the Disco hard? Don't change oil at least once a year, run the engine hard and fast?
What you should do is find a local European mechanic (VW dealer, Audi, BMW) an see if they have OBD II diagnostic capabilities. With this, they can read the error code that triggered the check engine light. This will give you an idea where the problem area is.
If you needed a valve job, you'd be hearing some very rough sounds from your engine, you'd have poor preformance, low power and noise!
By the way...run the best gasoline you can buy. Octane 91 or better. Anything less and you'll gum up your engine. Shell and BP Super products are good.
Don't settle for anything less 91 Octane. I once had a gas jockey fill up my Disco with mid-grade fuel...I was busy on the cell and did not notice the mistake. About an hour or so later I began to hear knocks and rattles from the engine. I stopped the car, restarted and the same problems appeared...along with the check engine light. Since I just purchase the fuel along the highway, I examined the receipt and noticed that a mid-grade was used instead of Super. At 1/2 tank, I filled it with Super and eventually the noise when away. Lesson learned...now only I open the tank and I make absolutely sure that 91 Octane or higher is selected.
You might want to add some gasoline additives that help clean up your injectors. You may also want to have your engine oil flushed and changed. An oil change is not enough...a flush will take out lots of gum and junk that can lead to internal engine problems. BUT don't over do this. I know of a couple of people who flushed there engines too often and caused problems.
Typical problems at 52k could be fouled injectors, worn wires, spark plugs, electronic timing, even timing chain problems. Only you know if your ignition systems are kept new: spark plugs changed yearly, wires changed every 2 or 3 years. Ignition coilpacks can begin to fail after 50k.
Don't forget yearly oil changes, yearly renewal of air filter. Gas line filter every 2 years.
Send me an follow up and tell me how "funky" your Disco is running (you said cranky...that implies stubborn!)
Yours in motoring in style,
JohnMc
