Bloody car.

So on Wednesday my wife drives to the village for the morning bread run, parks up, buys bread gets back into car. Turns key. Click. Turns key again. Click. Walks 2.5 miles back home. So I walk back this afternoon to inspect (intuition is now saying fuse box must be this trips gremlin). Open the bonnet, sniff the fuse box - eek acrid nasty stink. Open the fuse box and the postive cable nut is wiggling around loose in the board. F*ck.

Pull out multi tool and remove fusebox. Got it back home and it looks just like this one on this site https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LgFGJqTD.../st9QXw5eJDY/s1600/P38+Fusebox+connection.JPG
Repair isn't that hard, just going to be tedious, but my Level 3 repair kit is at home in Blighty, so it will have to wait until I'm home. I have ordered a replacement from the Bay of E but currently the car is stuck in the village centre car park until I can get it recovered to our house here.

These are just challenges, not problems and if it wasn't for forums and you guys & girls repairs would not be possible.

I do love driving this car so it is an ongoing running resto, Commando Spirit and all that!

Now you know why I carry everything except for stuff I would never be able to use at the side of the road. Can't open the picture but having seen a couple of burnt fuseboxes I've got a pretty good idea of what you are dealing with. With a bit of creative bodgery you should be able to get it running enough to get you home though.

Hoppy,

Just realised you live in Winsford, about 15 mins away from me. I live in Kelsall.
Can't do much at the minute. One of my front wheel bearings has gone, so I am off the road.
I have also f**ked my back up welding up a hydraulic press, so I need to take it easy and put my feet up over Christmas!
Must establish contact.

Dave M

I
Gilbertd wrote:

Now you know why I carry everything except for stuff I would never be able to use at the side of the road. Can't open the picture but having seen a couple of burnt fuseboxes I've got a pretty good idea of what you are dealing with. With a bit of creative bodgery you should be able to get it running enough to get you home though.

The problem is it's a big ice cream wafer so without cutting all the links (which may yet happen) I can't get into the bolt. Depending on when the new box is due to arrive that will be my next few days job.

I agree with you on carrying spares - but you only seem to carry the spares for the bits that went wrong and you repaired! What pre-emptive spares do you have on board barring being able to change tyres? I only have air valves and taps on the pipes sat in a box.

Mukiwa wrote:

I
Gilbertd wrote:

Now you know why I carry everything except for stuff I would never be able to use at the side of the road. Can't open the picture but having seen a couple of burnt fuseboxes I've got a pretty good idea of what you are dealing with. With a bit of creative bodgery you should be able to get it running enough to get you home though.

The problem is it's a big ice cream wafer so without cutting all the links (which may yet happen) I can't get into the bolt. Depending on when the new box is due to arrive that will be my next few days job.

I agree with you on carrying spares - but you only seem to carry the spares for the bits that went wrong and you repaired! What pre-emptive spares do you have on board barring being able to change tyres? I only have air valves and taps on the pipes sat in a box.

dave3d wrote:

Hoppy,

Just realised you live in Winsford, about 15 mins away from me. I live in Kelsall.
Can't do much at the minute. One of my front wheel bearings has gone, so I am off the road.
I have also f**ked my back up welding up a hydraulic press, so I need to take it easy and put my feet up over Christmas!
Must establish contact.

Dave M

Hi Dave it would be great to meet up. You've done the tweaks that are on my to do list - except the lifts and springs! I like the EAS. I'll PM you when I'm home after 5 January

Merry Christmas all,

Hoppy

Mukiwa wrote:

I
Gilbertd wrote:

Now you know why I carry everything except for stuff I would never be able to use at the side of the road. Can't open the picture but having seen a couple of burnt fuseboxes I've got a pretty good idea of what you are dealing with. With a bit of creative bodgery you should be able to get it running enough to get you home though.

The problem is it's a big ice cream wafer so without cutting all the links (which may yet happen) I can't get into the bolt. Depending on when the new box is due to arrive that will be my next few days job.

I agree with you on carrying spares - but you only seem to carry the spares for the bits that went wrong and you repaired! What pre-emptive spares do you have on board barring being able to change tyres? I only have air valves and taps on the pipes sat in a box.

If its an auto given you can't start it by pushing, a starter motor isn't the worst of ideas to have with you if its somewhere where getting hold of one could be difficult. Less critical if its a manual, but its one of those stupid things that can leave you stuck somewhere. Something to repair minor leaks on hoses not a bad idea either (self amalgamating tape for example). A compressor (even just a normal tyre compressor) could also be useful if you find your needing your valves, even if just to raise it a bit till you can get to a garage with an air line.

Absolutely, a spare starter and alternator, working on the principle that an auto can't be bump started and with the reliance on 'lectric, a dead battery will stop you in your tracks too, serpentine belt and a spare idler pulley (so if any of them let go I can nick the bearing out of it). Then there's the bodge it back together kit of Schrader valves and a metre of 8mm air pipe, tyre pump, lengths of assorted sized hose (along with self amalgamating tape and hose clips), coil of steel binding wire, pack of tie wraps, bag of assorted sized nuts and bolts, 10m of electric wire, male and female spade terminals and crimp tool, PVC tape, gaffer tape, throttle position sensor, crank position sensor, multimeter, spare bulbs and fuses, butane soldering iron and solder, gloves and a couple of cleaning rags, ancient Panasonic Toughbook with RAVE and the software for my LPG system and the Nanocom of course.

With the LPG tank in the spare wheel well the spare lives in the boot and most of this lot sit inside the spare wheel while the rest is in the space where the original jack and wheelbrace would have lived. Then there is the toolbox (where the sub and CD player would live if I had one) and a 3 tonne trolley jack.

If the bolt has burnt it's way through the board, you might be able to bodge it enough to get a decent connection without cutting the links by wrapping it with copper wire under the head. Alternatively, use some thick copper wire, 2.5mm single core house wiring should be up to it if doubled up, between the bolt and the live side of one of the Maxi fuses. I have a feeling that a diesel doesn't use all of them so there will be a vacant space to poke the wire into. To solder the links needs a pretty hefty soldering iron and that isn't something I would want to tackle at the side of the road.

Alternator not a bad call either as you say - I've had the fun of trying to source one for another car when i was over in Belfast and it decided to bring the battery light on. Wasted nearly a day trying to find somewhere with one before finding any success, none of the factors i could find had any, managed in the end to find an auto electrician who sourced one from Huddersfield and got it sent over on next day delivery. Backup "plan" was to find somewhere to buy a battery and hope I'd have enough range to get from there back into Wales via Dublin, where at worst it could be recovered. (roadside assistance only in ROI, no recovery and ferry was already booked from Dublin to Holyhead).

In reply to most tips I had to get a 60w soldering iron to melt the onboard solder. Anyway most of it works except the EAS and no current to the starter solenoid (the comms cable I think some call it). Anyway I've fixed the starter motor issue, it was caked with carbon. Who put that top bloody bolt so that a 17mm spanner DOESN'T fit over the 17mm bolt head as there is no space??? I'll garot them if I ever find them. I had to wedge a big flat blade screw driver in to stop it turning.
Part of my journey though I found where my coolant was leaking from.... the pressed in steel pipe that has the head to radiator rubber pipe connecting to it. Like swiss cheese. You can't get a part number and I finally found an old thread on RR.net that some of you answered on.

CLICK THIS LINK >> shitty rotten pipe made from cheese.

Any ideas anyone? I'm the 3rd that I've found and I bet there are more out there with the same problem

I reckon it could be the mixing of the wrong coolants over the years

There was a more recent thread on there where someone found the actual part is available from Turner. See https://www.rangerovers.net/forum/7-range-rover-mark-ii-p38/326868-coolant-leak-cylinder-head-top-hose.html

Maybe try BMW's realoem catalog and see if they list it against one of their models?

Thanks Gilbertd, I bought one and it is in the UK waiting for me at home. I have made a field expedient "get me home" tube in the meantime from 2 different vacuum cleaners, 1 x Henry and 1 x Lidl's fire ash vacuum cleaner tube. It's in and stuck fast now. I made my sacrifice to the god of P38's and have also thrown chicken bones.
The fun will be getting my get me home tube out of the head to fit the proper one hahahaha

Oh and the fuse box finally arrived today and got fitted. Took the car for 1 hour drive and burped the cooling system. No leaks so far and the car is in the barn for bed tonight as it's a little chilly here in France tonight

Not that warm here either! My next trip is scheduled for around 15th February so I'm pretty sure I'll see some white crispy stuff on the way down. At least you've got the tube sorted, when will you be home to get it properly sorted?

Should be home around 1 - 2 am Sunday after driving back up from Pompey Saturday evening, so I'll be quiet for a few days hahahaha

We got home this morning after catching the Rotterdam-Hull overnight ferry. We certainly saw lots of white stuff on the way home. We left Sicily last Friday morning, then overnighted at Altamura on the SE coast. Bloody cold but ok (has snowed the last three days there). Then up to just below Rimini at Fano. Bloody freezing here. Then round to Bergamo for two nights where we spent NYE at her sisters. Again cold but ok. New Years Day saw us meandering up the side of Lake Garda in brilliant sunshine. We reached the top of the Brenner Pass and crossed into Austria. We went from sunshine into fog and heavy snow in a matter of 200 yards!! Really spooky. Headed down towards Innsbruck and across to the west and it was hard going for an old man like me.Snowed or sleeted most of the way. We stopped at a town called Fussen and during the night it snowed really heavy but fortunately the hotel had an underground car park which I was grateful for. Snow the next morning but by the time we reached Bastogne in Belgium it had cleared. The run up to Rotterdam was easy, just cold.
On the way down we had used the Mont Blanc tunnel, and having stayed the night near Nantua, it had snowed heavily around the tunnel and beyond the previous day so we were lucky there.

Finally got home, 600 miles done, no leaks, 12 - 13.8v all the way, no mystery gearbox faults, lamp failures, low brake fluid alarms or anything. Very relived. 23.3 mpg pulling the trailer. I do love cruise control for long journeys hahaha.

OldShep56 - that Mont Blanc tunnel seems to go on forever doesn't it? It cost me E35 last time. I was coughing a bit in a soft top TT behind the truck diesel fumes that's for sure

I have just revisited the post on the "other" site and they were talking about the front pipe going to the radiator.
I originally thought it was the rear pipe to the heater with the U bend on it. I must have missed that.
The front pipe could be done in situ and I would be temped to epoxy the bugger in as well, using Araldite or something similar.
I think the head would have to come off to do the rear one.

I'll be doing the pipe this week. Need to buy some more coolant first ....