Help!

2 days ago i swapped my Mitsubishi L200 for an 02 discovery td5.
The guy brought it over to mine but was 2 hours late and i had to be somewhere and just did the swap without any checks.He'd brought his wife and two toddlers with him so i thought all must be well.He had told me it needed the tracking doing and another reason he was getting rid was because his wife found the clutch 'heavy'.
Hope you're still with me.....
I was late for a hospital appointment and my mind was on other things but i did notice that the passenger side rear was very very low.i asked him about this and he said something about lowering it to get the kids out and that there's a button to raise it in the car.Any way fast forward and i got home and tried to raise the rear end.I didn't have the handbook so wasn't sure what i was doing.It stayed where it was.My neighbour came out who knows a bit about cars and said an air bag had gone.he showed me some on ebay and said if i got one he'd fit it.So i ordered a dunlop one.
Yesterday morning after doing some research i realised how to operate the sls properly and went out and managed to raise it back up.All seemed fine.
Still there?
I had to be in london yesterday so set off in the disco and noticed one thing immediately.The steering has considerable play in it.The steering wheel being about a quarter out.That's the tracking he told me about i thought.no problem.I also noticed that however i approached it shifting from 1st to second crunched a bit.every other gear change was fine but 1st to 2nd was not.
Apart from the gear change and the bit scary steering i got to london okay and the back stayed up.Setting off to come home last night and 20 miles out of london travelling at 50 it felt like i had a blow out.i could hear the towbar banging off the road.pulled over and the same rear side was low again with the wheel well inside it's arch.I pressed the button and it raised itself up again,although took some time.i set off again but 10 miles later it did the same thing and i had to pull onto the hard shoulder and call the rac.No amount of button pressing would make it rise again and i guessed the bag had split.I was sat waiting 2 and a half hours for recovery and when the guy arrived it was still like that.lopsided.
fast forward this morning and when i woke i looked out of the window and it was raised again???? please someone tell me what's going on.This is my first landy in 14 years,last being a series 2.
I love the look of it in it's emerald green but i'm so tempted to give up already.Hate to say it but my L200 never gave me any grief.
Hope someone can help me with all 3 problems if possible
Simon

Its the problem with buying a crock of shi te unseen.
I take it you didn't look into the problems with D2's before you bought it? Did you search on forums, have a look at the rotten rear chassis, discover that you don't just change one airbag, if you have any sense - and the longer you leave it, it could bugger the compressor?

Did you buy it from a dealer, or private sale? if the former, take it back - unfit for purpose. If its the latter, get a meeting with your bank manager. Like all cars there are good ones and bad. Peeps do get shot of trouble because they are, erm, trubble!

burntoak88 said:

2 days ago i swapped my Mitsubishi L200 for an 02 discovery td5.
The guy brought it over to mine but was 2 hours late and i had to be somewhere and just did the swap without any checks.He'd brought his wife and two toddlers with him so i thought all must be well.He had told me it needed the tracking doing and another reason he was getting rid was because his wife found the clutch 'heavy'.
Hope you're still with me.....
I was late for a hospital appointment and my mind was on other things but i did notice that the passenger side rear was very very low.i asked him about this and he said something about lowering it to get the kids out and that there's a button to raise it in the car.Any way fast forward and i got home and tried to raise the rear end.I didn't have the handbook so wasn't sure what i was doing.It stayed where it was.My neighbour came out who knows a bit about cars and said an air bag had gone.he showed me some on ebay and said if i got one he'd fit it.So i ordered a dunlop one.
Yesterday morning after doing some research i realised how to operate the sls properly and went out and managed to raise it back up.All seemed fine.
Still there?
I had to be in london yesterday so set off in the disco and noticed one thing immediately.The steering has considerable play in it.The steering wheel being about a quarter out.That's the tracking he told me about i thought.no problem.I also noticed that however i approached it shifting from 1st to second crunched a bit.every other gear change was fine but 1st to 2nd was not.
Apart from the gear change and the bit scary steering i got to london okay and the back stayed up.Setting off to come home last night and 20 miles out of london travelling at 50 it felt like i had a blow out.i could hear the towbar banging off the road.pulled over and the same rear side was low again with the wheel well inside it's arch.I pressed the button and it raised itself up again,although took some time.i set off again but 10 miles later it did the same thing and i had to pull onto the hard shoulder and call the rac.No amount of button pressing would make it rise again and i guessed the bag had split.I was sat waiting 2 and a half hours for recovery and when the guy arrived it was still like that.lopsided.
fast forward this morning and when i woke i looked out of the window and it was raised again???? please someone tell me what's going on.This is my first landy in 14 years,last being a series 2.
I love the look of it in it's emerald green but i'm so tempted to give up already.Hate to say it but my L200 never gave me any grief.
Hope someone can help me with all 3 problems if possible

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You bought a D2 without thorough inspection and test drive!!

You must be the worlds biggest optimist, or insane, or both!

i swapped it..straight swap.my l200 had it's faults although not like this.Yeah i made a mistake.I'm human.I also have a wife receiving chemo and my mind isn't in a great place right now.
I was only asking for a bit of advice.

I can understand that your mind is on other things. If I were you I would get the car inspected by a good LR independent garage and list what is wrong with it then you will know the scale of the problem - that conditions next steps. Don't hang around though, remedies reduce with time

burntoak88 said:

i swapped it..straight swap.my l200 had it's faults although not like this.Yeah i made a mistake.I'm human.I also have a wife receiving chemo and my mind isn't in a great place right now.
I was only asking for a bit of advice.

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Just go through it bit by bit, and sort out the faults. Most are fixable with second hand bits and a bit of bodgery. Chassis will need to be welded. It could probably use a service. Read up and check on the TD5 issues on the forum. You will get there in the end.
It could be worse, you might have bought a D3 or 4, they are fortunes to repair.
I would learn one lesson, never buy or get a vehicle without driving it, unless it is a non runner for a few hundred quid.

All the best for your wifes recovery!

thanks for that.much appreciated.
Just been under it and the chassis is fine.Like wise the air bags.Can't understand how it could lower itself whilst driving and not re inflate but this morning be fine?

burntoak88 said:

thanks for that.much appreciated.
Just been under it and the chassis is fine.Like wise the air bags.Can't understand how it could lower itself whilst driving and not re inflate but this morning be fine?

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Rear chassis legs and rear wheel arches are usually the worst for rust on those.
Air bags aren't a lot of money, I think it could be just a sensor. Drive it around and service it up gradually, maybe it will be fine when you get used to running it.

arches are great.whole body top and bottom is really tidy.I drove it 140 miles yesterday before the rear lowered and it was all good apart from steering & 1st to 2nd.I definitely want to get the work done but would like to do as much of it myself as possible.bought one dunlop air bag for £70 but will take on board what you said and buy a second.I'll have a look into the sensors.thanks for that.

burntoak88 said:

arches are great.whole body top and bottom is really tidy.I drove it 140 miles yesterday before the rear lowered and it was all good apart from steering & 1st to 2nd.I definitely want to get the work done but would like to do as much of it myself as possible.bought one dunlop air bag for £70 but will take on board what you said and buy a second.I'll have a look into the sensors.thanks for that.

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Get under it and get someone to wobble the wheel while you check the steering joints for play, often the issues are obvious. Tyre condition and balance too. If not, try checking the suspension bushes using a small crowbar. PSF fluid change might not hurt when you have time.

Apart from clutch wear, no idea about the gearchange, my D2 is Auto!

thanks.i just needed some encouragement and you've done that.i don't think anything is that bad apart from if it needs a clutch.

As has been said already, get the suspension air bags changed, doing both of them at the same time is the best way to go.
The crunchy gearbox is often down to the oil in it, the Disco box can be a bit sensitive to the oil. MTF94 is what's needed. In fact, an oil change all round engine, gearbox, transfer box and both axles sounds as if it wouldn't come amiss.
Get the chassis, steering and bushes checked over by somebody who knows what they're looking at.
All-in-all, the Disco 2 is a fairly easy vehicle to maintain once you get on top of the "to do list", then you can start enjoying it ..... one day at a time.

Hi. I see you are a fellow Lincoln lad. If you need a fair garage I have heard good things about Lovell's Land Rovers in Saxilby. I have to admit I haven't used them myself but Eddie Lovell is a friend of a friend who I've met a couple of times and he seems like a good guy. Might be worth considering. Good luck with everything.

thanks brian47
Lincoln Steve i've just googled Lovell's and will try and get it over to them sometime.Thanks for that.The back has stayed up all day so i'm thinking maybe the compressor is not working as it should.That or maybe a sensor as turboman suggested.

if oil change doesnt help the box ,give me a shout

Seems inconsistent for the airbags to be the issue .. I would of said sensor first.
In perspective it's only a piece of metal, it's people that matter...as I'm sure you are aware.

Best regards for wife and family .. Persevere on the td5 ..they are great

Thanks Jamesmartin will do.Going to try and sort the suspension problem first.Looks fine but worried about driving it and it dropping again.
Would i hear the compressor working and how long should it take to go from standard to off road setting and back again? your help is much appreciated.

steve,you are so right and thank you.
just seen the sensors are only £25 on ebay so might be worth trying that.
Thanks again for your kind words.

burntoak88 said:

Thanks Jamesmartin will do.Going to try and sort the suspension problem first.Looks fine but worried about driving it and it dropping again.
Would i hear the compressor working and how long should it take to go from standard to off road setting and back again? your help is much appreciated.

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have you checked the height sensors the come adrift were they join the trailing arm

also check the tyres - are they all the same make and type? had a prob once where the n/s front was a diff manufacture, but "same" size - was an inch smaller in diameter and made car pull to left. swapped tyres - prob gone .

all the best too.