Land Rover Repair: Land Rover Discovery 2003 engine ticking, land rover specialists, land rover discovery

Question
QUESTION: What is causing the loud ticking sound? No sound when its cold, warms up and begins making noise. It is not in the vin# range to cover the oil pump/replace engine issue. We have replaced the lifters, oil pump, timing, and cleaned out the oil pan. The mechanic says it drops to 20 lbs. of oil pressure after it warms up but that should be fine. He's stumped, I'm broke, any suggestions?

ANSWER: "He's stumped; I'm broke."  That says it all.  Sell the car now, while it's running.

The symptoms you describe suggest an incipient internal failure in the engine, or a possibly failed catalyst. Either will cost $2k+ to fix; you may well need a new short block before you are done which would run closer to $10k

Knowing that, if you want to proceed, your first step is to find a repair shop with the skills to diagnose the problem.  Clearly you present mechanic does not have them.  I don't know where to send you in Florida; that alone could be an issue.  People ship cars like yours here to Robison Service from all over the east coast because Land Rover specialists are so few in number.

Once it is in the hands of someone good, they are likely to tear down part of the engine, and you are committed to that $2k with no assurance of a cure.  If they check out the top of the engine and find nothing (quite possible) you are then faced with a hard choice:  Put it back together, knowing it is just going to fail one day, or keep going and be into a near-$10k overhaul.

I have written a lot about this on the Robison Service blog

Sorry to be a downer but that is the reality for 2003 Disco motors


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I appreciate your candor. Would it make any difference if you knew that it doesn't make the noise if you remove the wires from the 7 & 8 cylinders? I'd love to be out of the vehicle, but I don't think anyone will buy or take it for a trade value anywhere near the $6K that I owe (not including the...wait for it...$2k I've already spent on lifters and oil pump).

Answer
The additional information makes it almost certain you have an internal short block failure,  I agree, it's probably not worth 6k but if it blows up, its value drops to essentially zero.  So it's decision time I'm afraid.  Sorry, but there it is.

John