Land Rover Repair: cruise control, land rover owners, land rover dealer

Question
hi John,

after reading some of your answers to landrover problems i thought i would ask for a little help..
I recently bought a landrover discovery II 98' from a dealer promising everything was A ok... Well he lied.

The cruise control will not activate, the rear electric windows work sometimes and just tonight the radio locked out needing its code to be put in.

I have followed correct procedure with the cruise control turning the master switch on and the click the steering wheel + to activate when a desired speed.. nothing.

I have heard that many cruise control problems are to do with the vacuum hoses... where do i find these?

also is your last answer i read you said there was a passenger side fuse box with the cruise control fuse, where is this located? i cant see it in the manual?

I would appreciate any help you could give me.
Thanks in advance.
Molly

Answer
Hi Molly,

All these problems are very common with LR vehicles.  Was it a Land Rover dealer that you bought the Disco from?  How are the 'Lemon Laws' in your country?  Do you have a consumer protection agency that you can contact if the dealership refuses to help?

The repairs for this Disco can be very expensive, so my first advice is try to get the dealership that sold you the Disco to cover the costs of repair.  Failing this - consider contacting a local LR owners club - perhaps they can find an honest garage that has LR expertise - you will need it.

http://www.aulro.com  Australian Land Rover Owners club.
http://www.lrfaq.org/FAQ.5.clubs.oceania.html  LR clubs in Australia and NZ

This could be a problem within the Body Control Unit - which governs most of the electronics in your vehicle, including windows, Cruise Control (CC).  A LR repair shop with a Testbook diagnostic device could help in tracking down any faults within this important component.

It can be very expense to just start swapping out parts:  Vacuum pump assembly, CC ECU, BCU, window motors, even the radio, ...  Best to start by testing the electronics to determine if a fault exists.

On NAS 1998's, Fuse 18 is a common first place to start.  On the Disco II, Fuse 30 is where I'd start, with the fusebox is below the steering column, use a coin to open the panel and expose the fuses.

Send me an email and I'll give you more data on where to find the vac hoses in your engine compartment and more techsheets to help you.

Best of luck,
JohnMc
jmcinnis64@hotmail.com

Regards,
JohnMc