mtsuji90's 2002 Discovery II Build Diary
02 Disco "Build" Diary
Photo: 02 Disco "Build" DiaryA 2002 Land Rover Discovery II daily driver build diary
The owner, mtsuji90, bought a 2002 Discovery II with ACE and air suspension as a daily driver and has been documenting routine repairs and upgrades since. The thread covers fixing a rear O2 sensor code, fitting an aftermarket bumper that needed grinding to clear the frame rails, replacing ignition coils and wires, and chasing oil leaks from the pan gasket and front crank seal. It is an ongoing ownership log rather than a restoration.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Suspension
- ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) with air bags, as purchased
- Mileage
- 114,000 miles at purchase
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Engine 1
- Oil pan gasket
Replaced to address oil leak; internals found clean with no sludge
In the shops
Oil Pan Gasket, 6-Cylinder ↗
Good Parts· $6.00 USD
Fuel & Ignition 2
- NTK oxygen sensorsNTK
Replaced rear O2 sensors to clear codes P0141, P0161, P0160 for emissions registration
In the shops
Oxygen Sensor ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $90.00 USD
Oxygen Sensor ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $119.99 USD
Oxygen Sensor ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $210.39 USD - Ignition coil packs and spark plug wires
Replaced coils and wires; a loose number 8 wire caused rough idle and misfire code P0308
In the shops
Spark Plug Wire Set ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $55.99 USD
Spark Plug Wire Set ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $48.99 USD
Ignition Coil & Wires ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $0.00 USD
Body & Trim 3
- Aftermarket front bumperGoliath
Painted with truck bed liner; required grinding frame rail plates to fit
- Rust-Oleum truck bed linerRust-Oleum
Used to paint the replacement bumper
- Used driver side mirrorU Pull It yard
Replaced a loose, worn-out mirror; sourced secondhand from a pull-it-yourself yard
In the shops
Wire Tie (Driver's Side) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $0.79 USD
Actuator - Driver's Side ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $76.75 USDWindscreen Wiper Blade, Driver Side ↗Motaclan Limited· £10.97 GBP
Photos
36 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from 02 Disco "Build" Diary. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
02 Disco "Build" Diary - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum 6this post at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
02 Disco "Build" Diary - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum 12this post at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
02 Disco "Build" Diary - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum 7this post at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
02 Disco "Build" Diary - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum 10this post at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
02 Disco "Build" Diary - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum 1this post at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
Bought in October from Provo, Utah, a 2002 Discovery II with ACE and air bags, 114k miles, mostly rust free thanks to a California history, with a check engine light for codes P0141, P0161 and P0160 pointing to the rear O2 sensors.
Emissions fix
To register the car under Salt Lake County emissions rules, the owner diagnosed the O2 sensor codes himself, finding a mix of a generic Bosch sensor and an old mismatched sensor already fitted, and replaced them with NTK sensors instead of paying for dealer parts.
Bumper fitment
A Goliath aftermarket bumper, painted with Rust-Oleum truck bed liner, did not initially fit between the frame rails. Goliath explained some Discovery IIs have thin plates on the inside of the rails that need grinding off, which the owner did with a borrowed angle grinder to get the bumper to fit.
Ignition work
The owner replaced the coil packs and spark plug wires, noting the SAI mounting hardware and tight coil pack locations made the job fiddly. A loose number 8 wire caused a rough idle and misfire code P0308, which was resolved by reseating it.
Mirror replacement
The loose driver's side mirror was replaced with a used one sourced from a pull-it-yourself yard for $26 instead of a $300 new part, despite some UV damage and a hornet nest inside it.
Oil leak chase
With the truck leaking oil steadily, the owner replaced the oil pan gasket, finding the engine internals clean with no sludge. The leak slowed but did not stop, pointing to the front crank seal as the next likely source, which he planned to address next.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at 02 Disco "Build" Diary ↗
Worth knowing
- Fit-check an aftermarket bumper before painting it, since some Discovery IIs have frame rail plates that need grinding for clearance
- Used parts from a pull-it-yourself yard can be a cheap fix compared to new dealer parts
- Aftermarket NTK O2 sensors cost far less than the price quoted for dealer sensors