P38 Range Rover, errrr...daily.

[MJ85]

Yes.. an old Range Rover as a daily. Silly me.

After the horrendous experience of the previous Range Rover (high mileage L322 TD6), I've gone for a P38A, just for sts and giggles.


eBay bid with 3 seconds to go. Winning price - £2,340.

Spec:

- 2.5 DSE
- BMW M51 2.5 12V turbo diesel, indirect injection, intercooler etc. etc.
- 4 speed auto
- 119k miles
- 4 previous owners
- W, year 2000

Good points

- Replacement, reconditioned gearbox and transfer case 8k miles ago
- Coil spring conversion (not so sure about this one)
- Relatively low miles
- Few upgrades here and there
- Solid Range Rover colour of Epsom Green
Edit... remembered a few more
-4 Michelin tyres
-Recent-ish battery and replacement intercooler
-Two working remotes
-EGR straight pipe

Bad points

- Horrible flat paint on OSF wing (originally a red wing)
- Mismatched headlights, one facelift, one earlier
- Bonnet dented and some flat paint
- Large dent to OSR quarter panel
- Few misc dents
- Fan clutch is too keen to engage
- Loads of little niggles
- It was miles away in Wiltshire

Upon pickup...








Annnnd once arrived home.



Fits nicely.



The car is an interesting comparison to the new L322. It is a fair bit smaller, but that makes it easier to park and manoeuvre.The car has a lot less BMW to it than the L322, but I actually think it makes it feel better quality. It also feels like a car from a different era (a much older one!). Check out these...



Actual screws. Exciting!

The car was put into action for typical RR pursuits...

At the shooting club...



Tennis club...



One is living the dream

Moving on, a few more pictures.







I've set about fixing a few things.

a good service:



Usual lack of regular maintenance.



Headlight replaced with another facelift item.





Really important item, mirror cover was broken, new visor fitted...



One speaker wasn't working, so that has been replaced





Plenty of evidence of a couple of phone kits from the past.





New viscous fan assembly. Haven;'t fitted this one yet.



Changed the diff oil front and rear. Front had been replaced recently with the gearbox and transfer case. The rear on the other hand...






Oh dear. It can't all be good news, I suppose. The oil was emulsified. We shall see how long it lasts.



Plenty more niggles to go, but I am really enjoying the car. The lack of acceleration is noticeable, but I can live with it, try 24 seconds 0-70 MPH...

A good comparison of size against a newish Disco.



I travel around the country for work, so this is actually going to be my daily driver. I always have a spare car though, just in case.

Anyone else driving one of these at the moment? Anything else to watch out for?

Edited by MJ85 on Friday 2nd November 14:33

[d_a_n1979]

Still looks a bloody comfortable place to be

[MajorMantra]

Good effort. I enjoy experiencing things like this vicariously, wouldn't actually want one of my own.

[Hereward]

Lovely car and you're the ideal owner, being happy to get stuck in and do the maintenance.

[exgtt]

Lovely motor, seems prices are stating to firm now. The rear diff plug - well it’s nearly Xmas you could put some baubles and tinsel on it.

Playing with the fuel pressure/remapping is a great move on that BMW lump, gets rid of that horrid lag on take off and gives the car normal performance and better mpg round town. The gearbox isn’t a fan of torque though so be careful who you let do the work.

Now the L322’s are of a similar value the P38 is really starting to make sense, it’s just so DIY friendly in comparison and online support is huge.

[0a]

Good luck.

Without meaning to be negative I am still surprised by the high proportion of motorway breakdowns I pass that are P38s - remarkable given the small number that must still be on the road!

[JakeT]

I was going to ask how slow it was with the M51 lump in it, but you beat me to it. Still, massively reliable engine. Just a little more suited to a 3/5 series.

I love the green too, hope the front wheel doesn't try and fall off of this one.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Good on you for using a car like this as a daily. I suspect, once you get it sorted, that it will prove to be perfectly suited to what you want to do. It was, after all, one of the premier cars of its day.

Whilst the P38 was never a favourite of mine, and I lack your spannering skills, it's fantastic to see it used.

[anonymous-user]

My favourite and arguably the last proper Range Rover. Very brave but I applaud you, I hope the engine holds up.

[MJ85]

Thank you for the messages. And for someone remembering the previous one and its issues!

Here is the acceleration....

https://youtu.be/XL_FTaFVoUw

Another issue appeared tonight, NSF electric window running slow and nearly didn’t close. Also forgot about knackered headlining, so common.

I agree about prices. These aren’t getting any cheaper and could be a good time to jump onboard. The internet makes fault finding, easier. Had to watch the P38 Wheeler Dealers again, just because, although theirs was quite different (petrol, higher spec, issues with EAS... they prioritised tinting the windows...).

I’ll update as I work through various niggles. Happy for any advice as I go along!

[300bhp/ton]

Consider getting yourself something like a Nanocom or Hawkeye. Very useful if you need to read or clear any fault codes.

Might be worth seeing what is left of the air suspension too. They ride much better in air.

[Jimmy Recard]

Nice one, MJ. I'm a big P38 fan. Underrated cars and you're right about the quality feel - there's something nice inside. I think it might be that very few interior parts are shared with other cars?

Even silly, pointless things like the indicator noise. Cars in specs like yours are aging very gracefully

[Paul S4]

Thats a lot of car for the money !

It seems ideal for what you want...also having a back up car is a good idea. Takes the pressure off somewhat !

As I was reading your post I was just about to suggest the Wheeler Dealers P38 programme...then you beat me to it !
As you say, they were a bit more concerned with the looks in that episode.. !!
Still quite useful for your project all the same.

[MJ85]

Thank you for the warm wishes, I hope it keeps in line!

Looks like the interior is the fairly rare Walnut (some call it mushroom?!) trim “J”.



This could make sourcing interior bits and pieces, harder.

Not sure what the next piece of work will be. Offside wing mirror only moves one way, one of the arms inside has snapped. Could be that.

I’m tempted to go back to the original Alpine tape player headunit, as the 2006 JVC CD unit is doing nothing for me.

[TiminYorkshire]

My mum and her husband run P38s as their dailies, all be it V8 ones. They have 3, one is reserved for summer. The back up car if all the P38s stop working is a Series 3 Landy. Somehow it all seems to work, but given they're retired/semi retired and her husband's hobby is fettling the P38s.

I vaguely thought of the diesel ones when I needed a dog car, but ended up with a Disco 2! Good luck with your P38, I look forward to the updates. How is it on the motorway? What will it cruise at?

[olliete]

We had two P38s when I was a kid, both 4.6 V8s

One was horrendously unreliable and the other (a 2001 vogue) only had to be subject to new wheel bearings in 3 years of intercontinental skiing trips, shooting trips, motocross meets and school runs. It was Oslo blue with ruffled leather... cracking car

[MJ85]

Liking the anecdotes.

I tend to cruise at around 60 MPH. Nothing exciting.

[MJ85]

First update.

I've put a few miles on the car. Trips to Manchester, Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds, Peterborough, Kettering, Leicester, Nottingham, Chelmsford, Northampton... you get the idea.




I'm enjoying the car, but the number of issues are really coming to light.

I've just fixed the fan by replacing it with a premium item.



From the quick drive round the block, the previous fan would appear to have been part engaging all the time, not just when it was fully engaged (and sounding like a jet engine). Therefore, this should help acceleration, NVH and MPG. Good.

I have noticed this.



NSR brake fluid leak. Funnily enough, the previous owner very recently had this "fixed" (along with the fan...). Not sure i'm a fan of his fixes!

A less important issue...



Dribbling washer jets.

To summarise things that will need sorting:

- Vibration at speed (through the body, not the wheel)
- Loose feel to steering at around 50 MPH (believe this is the steering damper)
- Oil dripping from boost hose
- Various other things weeping
- Brake fluid leak as mentioned, but will need new rear pads too; contamination
- At certain RPM, a tapping noise, not dissimilar to a leaking exhaust manifold
- Part of the exhaust has had a whack and is about half the diameter it should be at one point
- Someone had disconnected the washers for headlights
- Glovebox damper has failed and the arm had ripped out
- Crappy CD player has started playing up
- HVAC controls have started to have the (common) display issue
- Wing and bonnet need replacing
- Headlining needs replacing
- Offside wing mirror requires replacement as mechanism partly broken
- Nearside window regulator nearly failed
- Rear diff should be replaced, longer term
- Need to finish removing the phone kits, fully
- Various niggles, rattles, bits of trim, dash clock etc.

I'd better get started.

Edited by MJ85 on Wednesday 31st October 16:39

Edited by MJ85 on Wednesday 31st October 17:04

[task]

I ran a P38 2001 Vogue as a daily for a couple of years, bit of commuting and also quite a lot of heavy towing, never missed a beat. I only moved it on as the fuel costs were eye watering and I already have a Classic Range Rover with a 4.6 to get my V8 Land Rover fix.

HEVAC pixel display is an easy fix, use a zebra connector to replace the failing ribbon cable. Worth cleaning up the fan speed selector while you're in there.

I used the Britpart diagnostic kit, mostly on everyone elses car but my own. It was great and seemed very similar to the genuine testbook system I used to have access too.

I'd mirror what's been said above, these vehicles are much better on air so it's well worth adding back.

[williamp]

Love these cars and that list isnt.....too bad. Some good long term jobs ther, others for a winters evening if you have somewhere warm

What sort of garage space do yoh need for one of these?.