I'm chuckling but I know I'd have been totally stuffed with the same problem - so, well done Richard :D

again Richard another good right up on how to fix the p38 if they break down and need fixing

Great find Richard!

Not long after I'd found the problem my neighbour wandered round to see how I was getting on so I showed him what I'd found. As he said, if I hadn't been able to find it myself, where would I go? Ashcrofts are the transmission experts but they rebuild gearboxes so won't get involved in the electronic side of things. He admitted that had it been taken into the LR approved Indy he had recently retired from, none of the technicians there would have known where to start and neither would an auto electrician. But, I suppose it was a case of I broke it so I had to fix it......

Richard, Your Sherlock Holmes like abilities to trace/find errors are simply amazing!
Congrats for another success story!
happy rangerovering

Replaced the earth from engine to bonnet, looked fairly corroded. Looks like an area of attention.
Hard to find a long strip so I joined two with a bolt.
Excited by this progress, I had a thick cable laying around with suitable ends and I added to the same engine bolt another earth directly to the battery.

In comparison to Richards battle all I have done is to fit new power steering pipes in my DHSE.

By the way, is it possible to lift the bonnet up past the normal position ? I had a 1983 Mercedes a year or two ago, and the bonnet on that car lifts to a first position, and then, if required, you can unclip two lugs on the hinges and the bonnet will rise up to almost vertical. Can this be done on the P38 ?

Pierre3.

Yes, there's clips at the bonnet hinges.

Thanks, Richard, I'll have a look tomorrow.

Pierre3.

Prop the bonnet up with a broom or similar, or get a mate to hold it. Then disconnect the washer pipe from its clip (or you will break the one way valve). next disconnect the top of the gas struts (the bonnet becomes very heavy at this point. With one of you on each side slowly lift it to the vertical position and move the clips around until the snap over the little pegs. They might take some moving to start with if this hasn't been done in a long time.

Marshall8hp, thanks for the instruction. Having read that I will give it a miss !! I thought that it might be like the large Mercedes bonnets, from 30 years ago, which opened up to a pre-determined angle, helped by large springs, but then you could flip two clips beside the springs and the bonnet would go up to almost vertical, again assisted by the bonnet springs.

Pierre3.

Pierre, it’s not as difficult as it sounds. I think Rave tells you how. I’ve done it myself without any assistance.

Thanks Harv, I will study the RAVE manual --- really, really hard !! It won't be my fault if I have to send further posts from a hospital bed though.

Just remember where the "encouragement" came from -- OK 😀 .

Pierre3.

Ok Pierre. IIRC you just fold a lock (or 2?) out of the way and flip the bonnet back to the windscreen.

Hi Harv, I have seen the two sort of flat metal springy things that are on the hinge. But I am guessing that I have to pop off the bonnet rams, where they are clipped to underside of the bonnet. This would release the upwards travel of the bonnet, and let it go up to about 90 degrees.

I suppose that the safe way is, as has been suggested, is to get someone else to hold the bonnet while disconnecting the rams.

Pierre3.

…. Or prop it with a broom handle or similar.

Chased my wife back home. She was in her 02 Diesel GTDI Golf.
It was fun, she had the edge on acceleration but as soon as the road got bumpy The Duchess was cruising up behind her. We definitely had a lot more body roll :)

Glad to say, with lots of useful information and advice from here, I have replaced both power steering pipes that run under the radiator, refilled and tested the steering; fitted a new water pump and thermostat, refilled cooling system and tested everything - and I am pleased to say that the temperature gauge needle now sits fairly steadily between 11 and 12 o'clock. It hardly moves either way until the fan comes on, which isn't very often.

After reading other members advice that the gauge should read higher than my gauge originally did I would now agree with earlier remarks that something must be wrong. As the water pump parted company with the impeller I would agree that, for months, something wasn't quite right. Possibly a combination of a dodgy thermostat followed by a misbehaving water pump. I did look at both items and I believe that they are both original bits.

Pierre3.

Got given another P38. This time a 1995 (MA) 4.6HSE that last ran in 2012. All the radiator hoses have been cut off and the two rear side windows broken thanks to a kid with an air gun. Apart from that, complete and not in bad nick.

Pulled the bumper off and put it on my truck as it was in a bit better nick, salvaged and swapped the switch pack into P38 #2 (the last one I was given which is a daily driver for my brother) as the handbrake boot was still on it. The roof lining will be the next job, the new truck has a perfect roof lining so it will be out and into #2. Also salvaged the new spare tyre and put it into #2.

Put a battery in it, turned it on, no sound from the fuel pump (hardly surprising after 10 years in the weather), engine cranks, put the nano on it, no engine faults and most surprisingly of all, no hevac faults.

Something else to play with and salvage a few parts from. I have a thought of pulling the engine and going through it as a project seeing as parts are pretty cheap.