So we bought a cheap P38....

So we bought a cheap P38....

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Shaw Tarse

31,543 posts

202 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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interloper said:
Oh an excuse to buy a lazer thermometer, gah can't really justify that on a finiancial level at the mo!

I am going to change the grotty coil pack and then see if things have improved.
As cheap as £9.99 delivered. The one I've used for a few years was about £20

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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V8 Fettler said:
As cheap as £9.99 delivered. The one I've used for a few years was about £20
Ten whole English pounds you say?! Hmmmmm.....

paintman

7,669 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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Have a look on ebay under 'infrared thermometer laser'. My current one is one of the yellow 'under a tenner with free delivery' variety.

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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interloper said:
V8 Fettler said:
As cheap as £9.99 delivered. The one I've used for a few years was about £20
Ten whole English pounds you say?! Hmmmmm.....
Also useful for tormenting the cat

Mark-C

5,010 posts

204 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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Zelda Pinwheel said:
i bet the 'bong' still works

'bong' your door is open
'bong' your door is open

'bong' your seatbelt is off
'bong' your seatbelt is on

'bong' the front left window needs resetting

'bong' the tailgate is open'

'bong' the bonnet is open'

'bong' the handbrake is on
'bong' the handbrake is off

'bong' you're turning right
'bong' you're turning left.

when my OH and a friend scrapped a P38 last year, they dismantled pretty much the entire vehicle trying to find the source of the infernal 'bong'. it went off on a trailer, merrily 'bonging' away to itself.
The now ex Mrs-C solved this with some wire cutters ..... she still has her P38 v8 ....

paintman

7,669 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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V8 Fettler said:
Also useful for tormenting the cat
yes Useful if ours are playing silly buggers & don't want to come in - they just can't resist the little red dotsmile

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Wednesday 18th March 2015
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So one month and a few days and finally an update! Firstly I took the plunge and replaced the coil pack, boy what a fiddly arse job that was. Once on, the engine fired and ran much sweeter than before and sadly exhaust didnt smell quite as in-TOXIC-ating as previously! Then I obtained a replacement centre and back boxes and was all set to fit them...

Unfortunately my daily driver (Mazda MX3) had some technical issues, which has meant most of my weekends in February were spent under it rather than the Range Rover, not ideal. Anyway, I finally got back on the Range Rover , got the exhaust hung and arranged another MOT test.

As it stands I still haven't sorted the key issue. Mrs Interloper wont pay for a new key until she knows the P38 has a fresh MOT certificate! Fortunately I work at a Mercedes truck and van dealer and we have an on site MOT station and fairly understanding testers.

Mind you this is were things get a bit hairy, knowing that they cant start it, the tester asked me to fetch the car in. So I duly, performed the EKA dance and drove it onto the test ramp and left it running (assuming that the test would start imminently. I then went back to my office.

A couple of hours later I popped back in the work shop, not having heard anything, the other tester was now on my car? He looked at me, smiled and said "good, its past err but it has got a little hot, I had to put the heater on!".

Turns out the first tester had got pulled away before he got to look at it and the old heap had simply sat running for about an hour and a half before tester number 2 had got his hands on it..

Apart from being a bit hot and stuffy in the cab all seemed well, so I went to drive home. I promptly got stuck in Readings wonderful traffic and the needle zipped straight into the red, the traffic cleared and I hoped a bit of fresh air movement would calm things but no, it stayed in the red. Then I hit the next set of lights and I started to get steam! I pulled into a dodgy looking side road, parked up and stopped the engine.

I let it cool for a bit then decided to try and top up the level (I had left a 3ltr bottle of water in the boot). This is definitely the stupid bit, I eased off the cap with a rag, I really should have let it cool more before trying this, lost a couple of litres of coolant in a sudden volcanic eruption (no surprise really), then topped up.

By this time there appeared to be a slight ease in the traffic level so I EKA'ed again and got going, then straight back in the red, slight panic was setting in but I realised that another little detour would land me at an Esso garage, so I cruised carefully to the forecourt, bought some anti freeze and scrounged more water.

This time I was more patient, waited for it to cool further, then popped the cap and managed to poor 5ltrs of water and a 1ltr of anti freeze in (yes I know its supposed to a 50/50 mix, didn't realise it would need so much fluid!). Then I fired up the engine and went through the self bleed process. Popped the cap on. After that the needle stayed bang in the middle all the way home, what a relief.

I do wonder if I still have a small coolant leak or if I didn't bleed it properly after changing the heater matrix seals. I will have to keep an eye on it. Still a good result in the end, the beasty has an MOT and the engine hasn't exploded, so I would consider that a success!

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Thursday 19th March 2015
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Consequences. The key(!) issue is that you permitted your other 'alf to have some knowledge and input into your Rangie activities.

RV8 did well to survive the extended idling test.

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Thursday 19th March 2015
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V8 Fettler said:
Consequences. The key(!) issue is that you permitted your other 'alf to have some knowledge and input into your Rangie activities.

RV8 did well to survive the extended idling test.
Except its her car, I just fix it and advise. I can't make her spend money!

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Thursday 19th March 2015
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Buy her a Santa Fe and keep the RR for yourself.

eliot

11,364 posts

253 months

Saturday 21st March 2015
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I'm afraid you probably have a shagged block. Blocked rad could be caused by previous owner filling it up with k-seal.
If the coolant loss is slow and can be kept from overheating, then just use it and top up the coolant. You wil know when its very low because the heater wont blow hot at idle.
Letting it overheat on the ramp has probably shagged it though.

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Saturday 21st March 2015
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eliot said:
I'm afraid you probably have a shagged block. Blocked rad could be caused by previous owner filling it up with k-seal.
If the coolant loss is slow and can be kept from overheating, then just use it and top up the coolant. You wil know when its very low because the heater wont blow hot at idle.
Letting it overheat on the ramp has probably shagged it though.
The rad is new-ish, the previous was blocked! I had recently done the heater matrix seals and I don't remember bleeding it afterwards, an airlock could have caused the over heat.

Yes potentially the engine may be on its last legs but after bleeding it behaved it self and coped fine with the twenty mile, slightly stop start run home.

I take the view that its a cheap old bus and it could eventually expire on us but its got life left in it and we will enjoy it whilst it still runs.

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Saturday 21st March 2015
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An RV8 can run for years and tens of thousands of miles with coolant leaks, although need to monitor, can also install a manual switch for cooling fans for marginal situations.

ChemicalChaos

10,360 posts

159 months

Friday 27th March 2015
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Your block is cracked. Its an incredibly common problem on the 4.6 as they are bored out right to the limits of the original engine design (3.5). The water jackets cracked and coolant works up the side of the cylinder liners into the cylinder, where it is burnt off hence no leaks.

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Friday 27th March 2015
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ChemicalChaos said:
Your block is cracked. Its an incredibly common problem on the 4.6 as they are bored out right to the limits of the original engine design (3.5). The water jackets cracked and coolant works up the side of the cylinder liners into the cylinder, where it is burnt off hence no leaks.
Yep and if google any medical symptoms it normally points towards cancer, AIDS or ebolah! Okay maybe the block has a crack but the vehicle is used pretty casually and the levels are normally watched closely.

If the worst comes to the worst, maybe we will scrap it but also I do have an engine hoist so there are other possibilities... LS power maybe?!


eliot

11,364 posts

253 months

Saturday 28th March 2015
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It will carry on fine with a cracked block - as long as you don't allow the coolant level to drop.

jinkster

2,235 posts

155 months

Thursday 2nd April 2015
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What is the MPG like on your P38 ?

eliot

11,364 posts

253 months

Thursday 2nd April 2015
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mine is 13.5 short journeys round milton keynes increasing to about 19 on a motorway at around 80mph.
(according to obc - i avoid properly checking it!)

interloper

Original Poster:

2,747 posts

254 months

Thursday 2nd April 2015
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I couldn't say what our one does. We use it so infrequently, lots is the honest answer!