Help: D2 V8 Noises

Dear Disco fans,

I hope you help me with a problem(s) I'm having with my 2002 D2 V8 auto, 170,000 km on the clock. I'm working out in Bahrain, so I have little in the way of tools or workshop, and communicating with garages and mechanics can be a challenge. So getting an insight into problems is vital.

The problems concern noises that are coming either from the suspension and/or the transmission: a booming/reverberation in response to road surfaces, that seems to be coming from the back of the vehicle, and what I'd call a 'roughness' through the transmission/suspension under acceleration. The 'Three Amigos' used to come on occasionally, but now they're on nearly all the time. The auto box shifts very sweetly and the engine is in A1 nick. I'm a long-term owner of the vehicle, and have been very careful with maintenance. The vehicle has mainly motorway use as a work car and 4x4 family people carrier, with a fair bit of light off-roading on the many gravel or sand tracks here (I use my RRC for more serious off-roading

This problem started quite suddeenly about a month ago, along with an alarming juddering through the steering wheel. The shocks and tyres needed replacing anyway, so I changed these on all four corners (Super Gaz shocks, Bridgestone Dueller tyres), had a set of Britpart bushings put in, had new brake pads and rotors fitted, and had the wheels laser-balanced and aligned. This cured the shudder through the steering wheel, but not the booming and the roughness.

I'm thinking the problem could be wheel bearings or propshaft, and I'm not 100% convienced the garage fitted the bushings properly. I'm aware that D2 wheel bearings are sealed units, and Landy parts are ridiculously expensive out here (whenever possible I try to bring stuff back when I visit the UK), so I want to be as sure as I can as to what the problem(s) are before I buy stuff.

Mechanics out here are often dishonest and assume Western expats are super-rich (if only!) and waiting to be milked, and the honest ones have an 'Inshallah' (God willing) mentality that says that if something hasn't failed catastrophically, it's okay (Inshallah). So it's essential to be informed. Can any of you help me get my beloved D2 back working as it should be? Any advice warmly appreciated!

Propshaft U/J's or the rubber doughnut on it's way out...?

Failing that possible hub bearing on it's way, 3 amigos appear sometime due the the sensors being out of alignment caused by play in the bearing..

Thanks, Ramillies. I've heard that if the front propshaft fails catastrophically,that can total the autobox. Is that true? I'm going to have to keep my D2 off the road until I find out!

Is there any sort of check I can do muself to acertain the state of the propshaft/UJs? I suppose it's cheaper to get the whole shaft replaced, not just the UJs? If I'm replacing a propshaft, would it be better to go for a standard LR part, or a cheaper (or dearer) aftermarket. I say this because getting good parts out here can be an expensive nightmare.

Re the bearings, is there anyway that the sealed units can be opened up and the bearings replaced without having to buy a whole new hub? Would it be worth getting the 160 GBP aftermarkets (Britpart?) rather than the 260 GBP LR ones. Things that are priced in GBP in the UK sell for the same amount of Dinars out here, i.e. nearly twice the price!

A lot of questions, I know, but and feedback is most warmly appreciated!

Changing the uj's on a Landy prop is no more than a mornings work to do it yoself - for about £16.

Thanks, Mad Hat: is it likely to be just the UJs that need changing, rather that the whole prop? I'd have thought it was just the UJs, a 100k mile maintainace issue: the propshaft itself would only be buggered if it got a major whack off-roading, and my D2's off-road use is pretty mild. Am I right? Can anyone help re the sealed unit D2 wheel bearings issue? This is a very simple thing on my RRC, is there some way of getting into the D2 hubs to sort the bearings?

that is - if D2 props are like D1 props and not sealed units like the Gaylander. Unfortunately, I dont know D2's in detail.

Thanks, Mad Hat; the D2 props do appear to be rebuildable. A local garage has cheap pattern parts for a D2 propshaft, but I'm wondering whether to use these cheapo bits or source better (greasable?) ones from the UK.

The shafts themselves seem to be in good nick, no bends or dents, so the rebuild should be straightforward. This week is an Islamic holiday, so I'll keep the D2 off the road until I can get the parts. I assume it's true that a front prop failure can grenade the autobox?

Re the wheel bearings, I gather there are places in the UK and the US that can get into the D2/P38 sealed units and work on them for 50% cost of replacements. Can anyone tell me what's involved in this so I can try to source an engineer out here in Bahrain.

They can do good work here if they are (a) given exact instructions, (b) you do plenty of oversight/follow-up, (c) a price is agreed beforehand.

As for my tools, you've got your work cut out here sourcing a simple non-Chinese spanner that doesn't round on the first nut you turn, or a hammer that doesn't explode in your face. I can't help thinking, dealing with their junk, that the Chinese economic miracle isn't a paper tiger!

www.discovery2.co.uk / Workshop :- front and Rear propshaft is your friend!

Cheers, David, that was a really informative link. I think I'll get both of my propshafts rebuilt with new UJs all round, and bearing if I can get it. Plus donut. I'll let you know how it goes.