NHTSA Complaint #10154685 — 1996 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

AT HIGHER SPEEDS, ABOVE 55 MPH, ENGINE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY MISFIRE AND RETURN TO NORMAL IN UNPREDICTABLE SEQUENCES. LOSS OF POWER AND INABILITY TO ACCELERATE, ESPECIALLY ON HILLS, THE WORST CONSEQUENCE. CHARLOTTE DEALER SAID IT COULD BE A STICKY EXHAUST VALVE, OFFERED $2900 TO PERFORM AN EXHAUST VALVE JOB. I DECLINED AND DECIDED TO TAKE THE CYLINDER HEADS OFF MYSELF AND TAKE THEM TO A MACHINE SHOP WERE THEY COULD CLEAN OUT AND RE-GRIND THE VALVES FOR ABOUT $500. MACHINE SHOP SAID THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF STICKING VALVES BUT I DIDN'T MIND SINCE I GOT TO PLAY AROUND AND TAKE THE ENGINE APART. THE ENGINE RAN GREAT AFTERWARDS BUT THIS DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. FINALLY TOOK CAR TO AN ENGLISH CAR SPECIALIST IN RALEIGH, NC. THEY DETERMINED IT WAS A SPEED SENSING TRANSMITTER. THIS DEVICE TELLS THE CAR'S COMPUTER HOW FAST THE CAR IS MOVING. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, IT WAS GETTING A SIGNAL OF 130 MPH. THINKING IT WAS MOVING TOO FAST, THE CAR WILL AUTOMATICALLY MISFIRE IN AN EFFORT TO SLOW IT DOWN. THEY REPLACED THE SPEED SENSOR (FOR $120) AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR OLDER LRS AND THE DEALERS SHOULD KNOW THIS. THEY USE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHARGE FOR A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE VALVE JOB. *JB