Hi there, I went to look at a 2001 td5 discovery this morning 160,000 miles. bodywork all near imaculate, chassis has the odd bit of surface rust here and there nothing serious.

but theres a few things that concerm me.

when you switch the ignition on theres a loud buzzing it sounds like the fuel pump coming from the back end, the tdi I have you dont even hear the pump.

theres a new back diff.

there is a tiny bit of oil leaking from the botom of the gearbox.

and the engine seems to make a ticking or rattle which went away when you drove of in it (higher rpm)

new springs and shocks all round new tyres.

and it lookes like the gearbox has been out of it recently too as theres a bar under the gearbox and it has been cut and welded.

is there anything else I should look for

and why would all these new parts be put in does it sound like its been offroading (but the body doesent look like it has been) or has it been towing heavy loads. to need new diff and coil springs

thanks robert.

the buzzing normally means there's air getting in the tank, just replaced my lift pump and it still buzzes, goes away if tank over half full..oil leaks normal, its a landrover, my gearbox been leaking slightly for 5 years..ticking could be tappets or injector loom has oil in it, but normally it will miss a beat now and then, easy cheap fix. Personally i would get it plugged into diagnostic pc, nanokom etc prior to buying to see if any fault codes..mines done 176,000 and runs like a dream, engine done 49,000. Chassis dont rust like disco 1's.Take it on a very very long test drive and then check coolant pipes to see if they pressurize and go hard, look for tide marks in expansion bottle, coolant should be red or blue, mines all blue because i had loads left over from my p38...should be red, drive it flat out in all gears and if poss drive on motorway, dual carriage way too. Bon courage!!

thanks for the quick reply, how would i check the injector loom. if its not that and it is a valve or tappet something in arround the head is it a big job to fix and how much would you be looking at to get it left in somewhere,

also what would make a diff break so bad it would need changed.

wear and tear? My old v8 disco 2 had diff replaced twice in 100,000 miles. Pull out ecu under jack cover front left of engine, unplug with key out of ignition and check for oil in plug...Replacment loom about £40 and easy to fit. Does it still tick when hot? My engine quite loud, but its got a straight through exhaust with no cat. On my diesel p38 which was very noisy i chucked some lucas, or forte oil additive stuff in it and 50 miles later it ran sweet as a nut. Cant really give accurate answer until hearing it run...

I dont know weather it ticks when hot as i dident realy have time to take much of a look later. but im going back this afternoon, and im still in 2 minds.

what does it mean either way if it ticks when,

hot
or
cold

good or bad ?