Accidentally forgot to take my pills a couple of months back...







It's a Range Rover P38, obviously... but importantly in these pictures, the engine is running (albeit sort of on 8, sometimes 7 cylinders), the electrics are mostly working, and the air suspension has air in it!

It's the 4.6 V8 HSE auto with multipoint LPG, and Harmon Kardon audio. And it does make a nice noise But that's about where the good points end at the moment. The paint is as naff as it looks, the front and rear bumpers need replacing (front is warped, rear has been reversed into a bollard), and it has or had just about every little problem a P38 could have.

When I viewed the thing, it ticked (at the time...) all the 'must be working' boxes. It went up and down, the engine sounded nice, no tapping or steaming out the back. The majority of electric things inside worked - and those that didn't I wasn't concerned with. The interior was nasty, but would clean up. So all 'good' from that side... and I bought it.

Problems I knew of to begin with, along with the obvious bumpers...

- Headlining is sagging badly at the back - common problem. Needs recovering - fine.
- Radio - totally dead - 5 minutes with the soldering iron fixed that though.
- Book icon on climate control - the A/C needs gas, and one of the blend motors is stuck. Not the end of the world.
- Driver's door window squealed horribly - lubed the runners and sorted.
- Rear view mirror is/was auto-dimming, but the layers had seperated. Just needs swapping, simple.


Andddd the rest:

- No sound from drivers door - door amp dead, and the woofer's cone was seized. Replaced both front woofers, still need to get a new amp. Not a big deal.
- No sound from rear pass side door - speaker was unplugged?!
- Driver's seat heater doesn't work - common, will replace elements one day.
- Electric mirror adjusters - passenger side is hopeless, need a new assembly.
- Passenger seat backrest adjuster - skipping on the motor.
- Heated windscreen - I think one line works at either side, so totally useless
- Cruise control - alive but not working.
- Air suspension while working, has since started leaking like a seive from the valve block.
- Heater core seals leaking - common fault, though what looked like a slow drop had actually saturated the carpet and foam underneath.
- Drivers door latch micro switches not working - lock had taken in water and the wiring was corroded. Somewhat fixed for now.
- Dash lights in the climate control mostly blown - just need new bulbs.
- Perhaps the most crucial problem... the fuel filler cap... the electronic release doesn't work... so getting the vast quantities of petrol needed into this thing means trying to pull a string from inside the car while also wedging the flap open with the other hand...

It then turned out I had a loss of coolant that was getting worse. A header tank would last 25-30 miles. Took a while to (hopefully) sort this, the heater was leaking, the radiator turned out to be leaking, and the pipes to the LPG vaporiser were leaking. The last two would evaporate leaving just antifreeze residue behind.... nothing on the ground.

For now at least I've disconnected most of the LPG kit and replaced the coolant hoses with original items. The installation is a mess, and for the miles I'm going to do in this, I don't really think its that necessary. Might sort it, might just sell it.

Anyway, a while back I renewed the plugs and leads, and apparently after that it started to idle a bit roughly. I couldn't remember if it did before or not... memory like a sieve. It would splutter at the exhaust and sound a bit naff, but increase the revs and it would run fine. Looking at the basic diagnostic data I could get with what I've got, the fuel trims were way off, possibly caused by being run on LPG for ages if that wasn't setup properly. I went to do a compression test, and actually found one of the new plugs I'd put in looked like it had been dropped almost completely closing the gap. Must have missed that. Re-gapped it and it now idles lovely Still need to see about getting the trims reset, hopefully restoring some performance.

On to the interior... I forgot to take pictures before spending a few days getting started on inside. Carpets and seats were all nasty - especially in the boot. Dogs must have been in it a lot, as well as being used for building supplies or something judging by the grout in the carpet. The pillar covers were particularly nasty, not helped by the tacky covering Land Rover put on them... some kind of fuzzy mess. Some kind of flocking maybe?








Under hot water the stuff comes off easily though, then just needs some white spirit to remove the glue. Look far better bare.



Before:



After:



Then it rained. So they're still on the floor Plenty to be getting on with, thankfully parts are cheap and plentiful for most things, so this has become a bit of a project.

I like it. It's in very good hands, that's clear!

Great work on the interior parts there sloth. Definitely ping to be lovely by the time you finish with it

What a bag of shit

You need to come up to mine one day so we can make you a proper exhaust

Nice mate if that's your bag

Our next door neighbour had one like that and had nothing but problems with it, spent thousands trying to get it running right and in a decent condition but it just kept throwing up boggies :/ hopefully you have much better fortune though dude

I really like driving it... would be nicer if it shifted a bit better on the motorway though. To try and sort that I had the ECU's adaptive values reset today as they're quite far off. Now it just tries to die when you come off the accelerator... so something else is wrong with it Need to get some proper diagnostics kit I think... should have bought a diesel and just accepted the poor performance while at least breaking the 20mpg boundary

I actually been thinking about getting one, but the list of possible problems always kept me from getting one. Would be an absolute joy to take to the alps for a snowboarding trip!

4-wheel drive + winter tires and nothing is going to stop you Also, the sheer amount of space in that thing is amazing. Roofbox on top and 5 people will be no problem at all. That is, if your airsuspension is working!

How does it drive at 'high speed' say 90mph+ (Which, if you did, would obviously be on private roads/race track)

Looking forward to seeing more updates on this!

The Rover V8 in most forms is pretty bomb proof and will run even in poor nick. I've heard though that diy LPG installations can throw up all sorts of bugbears but the engine itself should be well suited to running on it without problems.

If the auto isn't shifting smoothly the oil in the box probably needs changing, and maybe the engine too. These engines like fresh oil. I've got a carb'd Land Rover 3.5 V8 in my old camper van and was told to change the oil every 3k miles to keep it really sweet, but mines super low mileage ('97 plate with 59k) and hauling a 3.6 ton Ambulance body around

And 20mpg?! I wish, on a long run I might get 12ish, single figures in town. Glad the thing has a 110 litre fuel tank

Enjoy the engine, love the sound, but good luck with the Range Rover electrics

Thinking of getting one you say? If its going to be your only car.... good luck! Yes, mine has more problems than most (assuming the problems that it WILL have had have been kept on top of), but unless you've got the cash to have someone else put things right when you don't have the time, I just can't see it being practical if you rely on it for commuting.

For once I'm hoping it does snow So far the biggest action its seen since I've got it is a small puddle!

At 'motorway' speeds, when it gets there, it is quite comfortable, quiet, and generally sits quite nicely. Just keep an eye on both the fuel gauge, and the temperature gauge

The trouble it seems with the V8 is mainly with the bigger capacities - the 3.5 was solid with a decent margin for error in the casting thicknesses. When they bored it out though for the 4.0 and 4.6 engines (same cylinder size, but longer stroke for the 4.6), they either went too far weakening the walls, or the tooling was slightly off centre leaving one side slightly weaker. Either way... cracks could form in the cylinder walls behind the liners and cause all sorts of problems. That's all gleaned from what I've read thus far...

I've managed to end up with mine running slightly cooler than it was meant to... about 78c instead of 94ish, leading me to believe the viscous fan is locking up too soon. But for now... meh. It seems to be running better now, the auto shifts nicely too Should give the box a fluid change though along with engine oil etc.

Today though some progress. I don't like the pre-2000 spec rear lights. Too much orange against the dark green, and mine were full of dirt and cracked in places...



Found a set of perfect post-2000 lights on eBay:



Much better You can see the rear bumper issue in those pics though, and the dodgy lettering falling off. Still haven't given it a proper wash since getting it either... maybe tomorrow.

Is it me or you have problem with suspension? or maybe somebody is in the car when you made the photos!?
The left side is lower to the ground than the right..
Or it's the lean of the road? But i doubt it's that..
Check it.
Otherwise it's good vehicle.My friend had one like it.Drove it in the woods with no problems for 7-8 years, than ram it in one big tree on one slippery hillside road..
He's all right but the rover was scrapped..

Yep, the air suspension is leaking, mostly from the front left bag or its valve. In those photos it hadn't levelled itself out completely, so its a bit lop sided

That's not good, though good he was okay!

The air suspension on my van (rear only) if I remember correctly is pretty similar in design to the Range Rover system, and yes it leaks all the time, you will never get a 100% seal. The best you can hope for is that it'll stay up for 5-7 days, and that's normally only in summer. Winter? 2 days max on mine.

If yours is anything like mine the pipes that lead in to the air springs and out of the various solenoid boxes will be a kind of push in self locking sealing round clip thing. What I found on my system was that over time the clamps had indented the plastic tube and thus weren't sealing very well. Removed them, trimmed the ends just enough and very carefully (have to be flat on the end and no burrs) and pushed them back in. You shouldn't use any kind of sealant as this may get in to the system and cause a blockage!

Fyi, they are a huge pita to undo. You have to push the pipe in then pull the tiny little tab of the sealing clip out, then the pipe should remove. All the while its under pressure and harder than a Chinese finger puzzle! If the system has air it makes a freakishly loud wooshing noise when you remove the pipe, hope you don't have a pace maker cos the pipe pops out when you least expect it.

I Also tightened up a big brass seal on the main air tank. Since then not too bad, but once down people are always asking if I've taken the engine out as the nose looks really high

Does yours have any kind of kneel function? this should blow air back out of the system via the air filter on the compressor and can be important for removing moisture from the system, something else that can affect the level of the ride.

At least yours should come with a manual. My van being ex-LAS was custom built by the body shop UVG and as such there are no manuals, or spares really, only old blokes that used to work on them that you have to find and ask. Good times!

EDIT > Just remembered, if you get one of those plant sprayer bottles and put a mix of water and some washing up liquid in and squirt it over your air line connections and air bags. Any leaks will froth up like they've got Rabies and show you clearly where the leaks are.

Jon

Yep, same situation - though pretty much on the bump stops overnight if doors are opened a couple of times - the system then tries to level itself out by letting air out of the other bags. So to match the passenger front corner which might be on the stop, it has to empty the rest.

Same kind of push-in pipe fittings too. I can hear hissing at the valve block, and also from the front passenger airbag (directly below the valve block), though I haven't broken out the soapy water yet to see if it is just the pipe going to the bag, or the bag itself. If I'm lucky its the pipe, and it needs new seals. But it'll probably be the bag, they're all in poor condition. A valve block rebuild kit is £30-40 so I'll do all of that soon, and maybe replace the bag with a good used part. The compressor has been changed at some point, but it wouldn't hurt to do the seals in that too.

I don't think the P38 has a kneel function by design, though mine certainly likes to kneel down after a few hours It does have a dessicant drier filter for the air sucked into the compressor, which exhaust air (when the suspension intentionally lowers, either on motorways, levelling itself by lowering corner(s), or when told to) is meant to pass through to then absorb and expel the moisture back to atmosphere. 19 years later I'm sure its in need of replacement.

Changed the indicators at the front today, and gave it its first proper wash!

Before:



After:



The front grille and trim below the headlights will be colour coded in the summer, along with a new bumper, also colour coded : )

Slammed!

You changed the side repeaters in the fender too i see..
With colour coded "front" will be killer.
But seriously, repair the susp. shortly!

The suspension will be sorted soon enough It levels out just fine, though the pump will be running more often than it should. Not really worried about that, as I'm going to replace all seals and the diaphragm in the pump anyway in the next few months.

Much rage has been had over the last day... BMW went to the garage for some work so I took the shed to work. Got there and back without issue... not 5 minutes after getting home however I had to pop back out. Walked up to the car and it isn't unlocking... look at the remote, the light is sort of flashing dimly. So great, its lost its sync for whatever reason. Use the actual key and as I go to start it up.... 'engine disabled use remote' pops up on the screen. f***.

Of course, the back won't come off the key at all to sort the battery contacts. So using various implements the key is butchered, repaired, and taped back together. Not really a flip key anymore... problem sorted? Not a chance.

Land Rover really did build the shittest possible immobilisation setup into this heap... it doesn't use a coil with a chip in the key, no no. It uses the remote code... so if the alarm is still armed but opened by key, the car won't start. Which kind of makes sense. Unless the remote loses its sync with the slightest battery problem, or the ECU gets confused in a busy area with lots of other remote key fobs being used... in which case, all goes to shit and you're f***.

But wait! There is a workaround! There is what's called an 'Emergency Key Access' code that you can enter using the key in the door lock. Great, if 1) you have this code and 2) your door lock switches actually work. At 19 years of age, you likely don't have either of these.

Trip to the dealer later I have the code for my vehicle, and then spend the next several hours trying to enter said code bridging wires in the door in various ways to get the f*** to start. Only on a P38 could a buggered door lock totally immobilise an engine!

Just to top it off, putting the door back together ends in many broken clips, a broken speaker, and two wires ripped out of the loom. Tomorrow's problems.

My word things have changed! I had a 1970 2 door v8 Range Rover about 20 years ago. It had no power steering, no central locking, no abs...in fact it was a car, engine, wheels....no fussy stuff. It also had just three glass fuses. I had an extra rear facing seat and could roll happily along with 4 kids and wife. Happy days. It had to go though...could not live with 12 mpg.

I replaced it with a Subaru L Series turbo estate, a great car but 3 engines in 4 years. This car had air suspension but a shock absorber burst inside one of the suspension bags. I swapped my 3 good air units for 4 coilovers and on we went!

Oh for simple cars...like my BA!

Wow.... so when you selling this and bringing the v6 back out

Coming along very nicely, loving the new lights

Drivers footwell wet again Though this time I'm quite sure it isn't the heater o-rings leaking, or at least they aren't this time. Coolant hasn't dropped, and I can't see it in the vent or on the carpet where it normally is. So that either leaves a hole above the windscreen that appears on some, the windscreen seal perhaps, or the pollen filter housing. I'm hoping its the latter as its a known problem, and when I took my filters out, the drivers one was wet in places. Need to remove the wiper arms and scuttle to clear any crap under it.

Judging by the filters, I'd say it needs doing...



Tried to drive it on Friday to work, but the air distribution motor decided it would move itself and then jam in place... on the floor position... so despite getting lovely and warm nice and quickly, it was impossible to demist the windscreen. Tried to reset it by restarting it, no luck. Got worse actually, it then wouldn't turn the blowers on! Not looked at that yet... fuse box probably in need of repair, but lacking enthusiasm with this shite weather.

Some things have happened! Along with a lot of swearing and buying more tools...

One of the suspension airbags decided it wanted to become pretty incontinent. It would inflate and hold the car up - but it was leaking so badly the corner would be down on the bump stops 5 minutes after turning off. Might not sound like a big deal - but the compressors aren't rated to run constantly keeping the car up like that. As mine has been replaced I guess fairly recently (its very strong), I don't want to risk ruining it, so it was time for a new airbag. It's cheaper to buy in pairs than one at a time, so I got a front pair.

Old bag... date marked 96, so this is probably original. Definitely not bad for 19 years...





Replacement should have been a 20 minute job. Naturally, it took about 2 hours to remove one of the three clips/pins holding it in. If I'd resorted to the crowbar first, it would have been 20 minutes.

Next up - a new interior. The leather was (especially both front seats), skanky. It was always the plan to replace this - I hadn't even bothered cleaning the front seats.

£130 got me a set of seats from a 98 Shed - so they were the nicer type, and a slightly darker shade of grey.









Seems I haven't taken a picture of them all in the car.. but you get the idea. For £130 - a world of difference.

This is currently the biggest pain in the a**e on this car. The key remote is now totally dead and gone. Which means everytime I want to start the engine, I have to enter the immobiliser code using the door lock... which is also broken. So I have connected up some cheat wires to a switch and push button to enter my car's unique code. If you ever buy a P38, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TWO WORKING REMOTES, AND THE CODE, AND THAT YOU CAN ENTER SAID BLOODY CODE! If not, you will be shouting and swearing for a LONG time.



I've got this down to a bit of an art, but every now and then the computer likes to throw a tantrum and ignore me. Next month I'll (hopefully) be driving up to see someone who can disable this heap of shite passive immobiliser, after which I will fit an aftermarket one. You know what the F does everytime I put in and turn the key? It starts. Or at least tries. It doesn't sit there beeping its whiney little face off demanding some stupid code as loud as it possibly can from the dashboard. It just works. Anyway...

Next up this weekend, after fixing (naturally) the electric fuel filler flap release (kind of important when doing 15mpg), I really wanted to sort this:



This has bugged me since getting the car. At first I thought the bumper itself had warped, but it turns out it had just dropped where someone has fitted longer bolts for a bullbar in the past. The raised bits in the plastic appear to have been caused by heat and missing clips. Some cable ties through some holes pulled that back into shape, and moving the crush cans up and sorting the bolts leaves me with this:



Had to sacrifice a wheel, indicators and air in the suspension... but the damned bumper is less wonky! Tomorrow I'll change the remaining front airbag and put it all back together

Bit of paint on some of the uglier bits:

Before:



After:



Colour coding the bumper is next. Should probably get some new badges one day, lost all of them now.

Haven't actually taken any more pictures of this - its appearance keeps going through various states of living up to its name

That said, since getting the shed just over a year ago now, I've done the following... and it still isn't anywhere near being acceptable Some minor bits, and some slightly bigger bits. In a vague order:

New radiator
Replaced some hoses
Expansion tank cap
'Fixed' the continuing water loss with ahem, K-Seal
Replaced the front suspension air bags
Fixed the radio
Re-worked the LPG coolant plumbing
Fixed the leaking LPG hoses (apparently installed by a monkey)
Replaced the cooling fan viscous coupling
HT leads
Plugs
Resealed upper plenum
Battery
Rocker cover gaskets
Replaced handbrake leather gaitor
Upgraded to >1999 tail and indicator lights
Disconnected the crap RF receiver after destroying the hilarious crap flip key
Had the crappy passive engine immobilisation disabled
Replaced a rear caliper that decided to try and burn the car
Had front disks and pads replaced - don't regret not attempting that myself
Replaced steering damper
Replaced the front door amps, multiple times
Replaced A/C condenser and drier
Replaced A/C line from drier to interior after eventually finding the pipe had gone porous against some foam
Replaced heater core with the Audi heater core mod and flexible coolant lines
Replaced the drivers door latch
De-skanked the pillar trims
Whole new leather interior
Replaced the headlining with a custom black one
Sprayed the de-skanked pillar trims matt black to match the headlining
Radio died again - went aftermarket and its even better sounding
Added Nokia bluetooth car kit
Replaced the buckled rear bumper
Colour coded both front and rear bumpers
Re-painted upper tailgate
Re-painted lower half of both front doors to sort some corrosion
Replaced trailer socket
Painted front grille matt black
Replaced shagged engine
Replaced all radiator, thermostat and heating hoses
Replaced expansion tank
Fitted an external remote locking kit

A couple of months back now, it got to the point where any more cosmetic/functional bits and pieces really weren't getting away from the fact the engine was letting things down big time. Economy on these is hilarious at best, but this was taking the piss and not giving any performance back for it. It has been oozing oil out of every possible place while at it and when driven hard, it really wasn't sounding happy.

Got round to doing a compression test with some oil in the cylinders and at that point I decided it needed sorting. I could either have it rebuilt, at a hell of a cost, with shiny top hat liners and the works, or risk a used engine. Given it was losing coolant somewhere, it probably had a crack behind a liner somewhere that the K-Seal 'sorted', so the block would have needed to be exchanged. I went with the latter after finding a complete 4.0 that appears as if it has been rebuilt recently. I have no idea if it has top hat liners or whether it was an old stock block (or if some company actually bothers rebuilding blocks with standard liners), but either way for the price, it was worth a chance.

I'm always having things delivered to work... but I think this tops it:



So I have downgraded from a 4.6 to a 4.0, but I don't really care - it dropped straight in, just needing the ECU settings changed to suit, and it makes all the same V8 noises. And, as you'll see from the couple of pictures I remembered to take, internally it is spotless. Under the sump was the same - it looked brand new. I did have a problem with a nasty knocking/tapping noise at first, which seems to be a lifter that took some thicker oil and time to pump up after not being run for a good couple of months. As an added bonus I now have an alternator, PS pump and A/C compressor spare. And as it came with rocker covers in decent shape, I've got the old ones I can have powder coated and swap over one day (the original paint seems to flake off of all of them eventually).

I've only done about 150 miles in it since the swap, so the fuel trims haven't sorted themselves out yet but it feels pretty good - it doesn't need kicking down all the time to get anywhere, and the MPG is sat about 15.4 already, sat in the outside lane, naturally. Where I am, my commute to work is up and down the steep hilly section of the A31 (if you know it) so it'll never be great. As a comparison, if I drive the 'forest' route, which is a bit flatter but much more stop and go, I get the same. It is a pain, but what can you do.

Out with the old. The gunge you see at the front covers the whole engine - everything from the heads down, all over the bell housing, diff, frame, looms... thick black nastiness. It really made this less enjoyable than it should have been...





Inside... clearly wasn't looked after at all by the later POs:



New shininess:



In it goes:



And that's kind of where the pictures run out. This also gave me the chance to reposition the LPG injector fittings where they should be - so I bought a replacement intake manifold and lower plenum. That is now on the car with the hoses bunged up to not let air leak in. Tomorrow I'm hoping I'll be able to get the LPG injectors reconnected and it running on gas again, mostly because the MOT is booked for Monday and I'm sure the cats have been ruined - one is certainly rattling about. On LPG things are much less strict

The remote locking kit is a little thing I'm particularly pleased with - may sound easy, and it is on an F, but on a P38 the central locking and alarm/immobiliser are a total pain in the a**e to work with. The way I've done it mimics using a key in the drivers door, so the alarm and immobiliser still activate. Using the key in the door still works as normal too.

The only other option is to upgrade the original RF fob receiver (~£200) for one not prone to interference to stop the battery drain, as well as purchase a new remote flip key at about £150 if you don't already have one... I wasn't willing to buy either, and just wanted a solid key and sturdy remote. And for about £40 including key cutting and the remote kit, I've got that times two:



Hopefully it passes its MOT without any major work - then its back to the little things. I thought I'd sorted the climate control blend and distribution motors, but having purchased a Nanocom (to sort the ECU initially) it seems its all still screwed! Could be out with the dash again... that wasn't fun.

Externally, it needs all the mud flaps replacing, a couple of other areas painting, and I'd really like a set of running boards for it. Perhaps some nicer wheels - period wheels though, not off a silly new one...

Miles covered since purchasing? I think under 2000 Must be mad.

Have you still got this Sloth? You must have needed to have done something else to it now?

Been a while!

This one is gone sadly - I ended up stripping it for a lot of parts... after buying another one :P Technically two more actually... my parents now have one, and I have another. Mine is a mid production prototype for the replacement engine management and Wabco ABS stuff, owned by LR for the first two years of its life before being sold on.

A lot has been done to both - engine rebuilds, drivetrain issues, electronic issues, all sorts.

With some friends I now also manufacture a product that solves one of the P38's biggest issues - battery drain. Quite proud of that one.

Unfortunately my blue E39 530D was crashed and written off (not by me!) late last year. Best car I've ever owned purely down to it being the most reliable and hard working vehicle I've ever owned - the E60 that I've replaced it with is by comparison, so far a massive disappointment.

However - I'm in the process of stripping the E39 at the moment, and the M57 diesel engine is one of the things I'm saving - with a view to probably put it in my P38. It's done 168k but a beast of a thing - no oil in the inlet at all, already had its swirl flaps removed, oil breathers upgraded etc. The only thing wrong with it is the glow plugs or controller don't work - but in the 5 years I had it, even when it was below zero, it would always start straight up and run without so much as a hiccup!

It won't be a V8 P38 if I do so it won't have the ridiculous soundtrack I currently have (no cats, one silencer, LOUD), but it will produce more power and torque than the old V8 probably even as standard - with a remap it'll be even better. And then I can do away with the LPG and spend less time worrying about coolant levels!