QuestionJohn,
I recently bought a 1996 Discovery with 114K miles. It ran fine around NYC for 2 wks and then I took it across country to Denver. Day #1 of the trip was 15 hrs, at about 12th hr the cruise control stopped working. Day #2 morning, when I turned the car on, the "check engine" light came on. I took it to a mechanic and he tested it and Code P0158 came up, saying Bank 2/Sensor 2 was bad. Mechanic said that I would make it to Colorado ok and to replace when I got here. The rest of that day went fine. Day #3, I drove 4 hours and then all of a sudden the engine died while I was going 80 mph on the interstate in 100 degree weather. I was able to start, get off of the road and let the engine cool. After it cooled, I restarted and made it all the way to Denver. Once in Denver, the same thing happened again while I was driving in the city. Again, I waited for about 20 minutes, started it and took it to a mechanic. The mechanic said that the problem was the spark plugs and wires, which caused the sensor to malfunction and replaced those for a ridiculous amount of money. The next day, I was driving in Boulder and it died again with the same issues. I took it back to the mechanic, he said that the sensor was not locked in position, he locked it and I went on my way. The car was ok until it overheated and the coolant reservoir cracked in half. My husband replaced that, drove it for a week including 5 hours in the mountains with no issues. The first day that I drove the car again, it broke down in the same fashion as all of the other times. The only difference that I can tell is that every time I drove it and it died, the temperature was very hot (90+100) and the week that my husband drove it, it was damp and in the 60's. So my very long-winded question is, do we replace Bank 2/Sensor 2 or could it still be something else? If we do replace that sensor, the mechanic said that the one on the opposite side should also be replaced. Is that true?
Thank you for your help! We really appreciate it... Lyndee
AnswerThe bank 2 sensor 2 fault will not result in the car failing to start. Furthermore, the bank 2 sensor 2 problem does not mean that sensor is bad. It means the reading from that sensor is out of range. That could be a sensor problem, or it could be something else that causes the reading.
It's a sensor. Think about what that means. If you have a sump pump in your basement, and the sensor for high water goes off, do you assume the sensor is bad? Not if you're smart. You assume the basement is flooding.
Your car is the same way. A faulty sensor reading means there's something wrong with the car, not the sensor.
So your next step with that problem is to seek our a service facility that actually understands that and see what's wrong.
* * *
Next, your engine cutting off.
If the engine died all of a sudden you either lost fuel supply (fuel pump, for example) or you lost spark (coil packs)
Spark plug wires are a tune up item. While you may well have needed them, they did not cause your car to just shut off at 80mph.
I don't know what the problem is, but I know what it isn't. . .
Back to the same situation, the need for a skilled service person.
* * *
Overheating and the coolant reservoir cracking
That could indicate a serious problem in tme motor, or it could just be a bad reservoir. These engines are very easily damaged by overheating. Never drive it that way. I suggest you check that out soon.
Hopefully this helps. Try looking on www.rangerovers.net for a shop near you. Skilled Rover service people ar ehard to find. I get service work from Virginia and farther because there are not many specialists.
