Story & Photo by Bob Mohan
[Bob Monhan, Chester, VA, works as the logistics manager for an Italian specialty foods company and is a Virginia Master Naturalist. With Mary Beth, his wife, and their Discovery II, they enjoy hiking, nature photography and biking. Life was incomplete, however, until they found their first Series Land Rover. –ed]
Mary Beth and I bought our first Land Rover, a 2004 Discovery II, about 3 years ago after looking at virtually every other make of SUV out there. The unobstructed views offered by the seating position clinched the deal on the Discovery for us. I also liked its uniqueness (you don’t see yourself coming down the road several times a day) and quirkiness. I retained a vague awareness of it heritage and off-road prowess.
Nine months later we attended a dealer off-road event; simply put, the Discovery’s offroad capability blew us away. Now I had to take the Rover off-road more often. (…)

Read on »

Dear Rovers North,
A few weeks ago, I emailed regarding oil usage on a ’04 Discovery Series II. I was using 3.5 quarts every 6,000 miles without blue smoke, etc. I believe that I have finally found the issue. After looking inside the air intake with the butterfly flap open, I noticed dark oil residue on the inside of the intake where the passenger side valve cover vents into the intake. The other side was clean. After researching the design of the valve cover, it appears that Bosch removed the typical PCV valve. The small hole on the vent stack (where the rubber hose attaches on the valve cover) should serve like a PCV valve (by regulating the gasses into the intake). However, the continuous air flow through the intake draws air in from the value cover and thus oil vapor/mist with it.
After putting on a PCV valve downstream from the valve cover vent stack, oil consumption was zero in one day. It has been 1/8th quart or more every day over a hundred miles. (…)

Read on »

Story & Photos by: Joey Boerner

[Joey Boerner, Forest Grove, OR, has discovered a new passion to accompany his profession of music and his family: Holly, their children Rebecca and Daniel, and Strider, the black Lab (whose name, in true Rover enthusiast fashion, he provided us before the names of his wife and children). Here’s how you become a “car guy” –ed.]
I’ve often described to my friends that I have acquired the “Rover Bug.” You see, before owning a Land Rover, I was never considered a “car guy.” In the fourteen years of my car driving/owning experience, I’ve mostly owned sedans; four door, family safe, and just a bit cramped sedans, to be exact. I never really minded driving sedans, although I never really enjoyed it either. To me, the cars were a way to get from point A to point B, and most of the time, they did just that. The first sedan, a Mazda 626, was a hand-me-down from my parents. (…)

Read on »