Irwin bolt extractors, I've used mine no end of times, absolutely brilliant things. I had to use them on some of the hub bolts on mine when I did the oil seals, the little 8mm ones are great for getting the flanged bolts that hold the dust shields on too. There's a few jobs I've done that I don't think I would have been able to do without them.

+1 for the Irwin extractors.

Most important thing in my experience is not to delay bringing them into play. If you think you might need them don't bother with normal sockets or spanners, just go straight to the extractors. Especially if it's a 12 point head. The more head you have left the better they grab.

Guess what dinklebrain got rush-headed and forgot that lumbering himself with couple of tricky "weld a nut onto the mullered head" tasks on round two of a job!

Clive

We are in West Wales enjoying the lat spring heat wave but avoiding the extreme temperatures in the east of the UK (35C by day & 20C at night). It's fun negotiating the narrow lanes in the P38 although the fuel consumption takes a bit of a knock with constant low gear. Yesterday morning as we were about to set off for the beach I switched on to find Beep! AIRBAG FAULT.

I pulled the Nanocom out of the glove box & it reported that the right side airbag was open circuit. I looked under the driver's (right hand) seat to find the usual culprit which is the dinky connector with wires sheathed in a yellow sleeve. I plugged & unplugged a couple of times then switched on & the fault had gone. I followed up with a squirt of contact cleaner just to make certain it stayed fixed.

Driving around in the heatwave with temps up to 26C in West Wales I was grateful that the A/C was effective. Not as good as when freshly recharged last year but enough to keep us cool. The good thing is that I seem to have fixed the problem with condensation from the A/C exchanger dripping down & soaking the passenger (left) footwell. I think that the left hand rubber drain hose had got twisted so restricting the flow of the condensate. Now that it's untwisted & secured with a fine cable tie it's draining OK.

Today I've done the job, or at least 3/4 of it, that causes most P38 owners to start to panic, top and bottom ball joints.... This is on the red 4.0SE bought getting on for a couple of years ago now, now referred to as Cherry. MoT is due next month but last year the tester noted a missing boot on one of the anti-roll bar drop links and split boot on the offside bottom ball joint. He said that it should really be a fail but he knew that I would do them anyway. There was also a bit of slack in the drag link ball joint where it connects to the steering box but that didn't go on the certificate.

Did the drag link ball joint and replaced both drop links a while ago and while under there, looked at the ball joints. Now the offiside bottom ball joint did have a split boot, but the nearside one, which he hadn't commented on, didn't have a boot at all! So today I got stuck in and started on the nearside. Only had to use the Irwin extractor on the dust shield bolts, but did have to resort to the old brake disc on back to front and belt it with a sledgehammer to get the hub to move. Even the ABS sensor came out without a problem but the ball joints appeared to not have been touched since they were fitted 29 years ago, extremely well rusted and had lots of play, so they did need doing. The taper on the top one let go when undoing the nut so got the angle grinder out and cut the nut off......

However, they both came out. Top one needed a lot of pressure and the application of a MAPP gas blowtorch, before it let go with a resounding crack.

Cleaned everything up and got ready to press the new ball joints in. Bottom one went in surprisingly easily but the top one didn't want to go in straight so decided to have a break, get something to eat, watch the Spanish Grand Prix and, while doing so, put the ball joint in the freezer. Got back to it a couple of hours later, warmed the hole dropped the ball joint in, put the press on it and it slid straight in. Put everything back together and started on the other side.

To make me feel confident, things were coming apart easier than on the nearside until I got to the ABS sensor. Would it come out, no chance. Put an old 1" wood chisel in there and chopped the bottom off, that at least allowed the hub to be removed. Once the hub was out, the remains of the sensor could be knocked right through. The sensor and copper bush are completely destroyed but I've got spares of both. Admittedly, the spare sensor I've got is a rear one but the overall cable length is the same, just the grommets are in a different place but can be made to fit. Undid both ball joint nuts, top one cracked the taper again so sliced the nut off and out came the swivel. Decided to call it a day and continue tomorrow when I get back from installing an AC system. If I don't have time or don't feel like it, it'll have to wait until Tuesday.

Didn't get back until quite late yesterday as doing what would ordinarily be a two man job on my own (my helper is on holiday) meant I didn't get in until almost 8pm and was knackered. So been out there and finished it off today. Took it out for a test drive and it no longer changes direction when hitting bumps.....

It could do with a new set of tyres. The ones on it were part worns put on when we first got it and aren't brilliant. Now I need to ask for the opinion of the pub.

As it is on 19" L322 wheels, it needs 255/55x19 tyres. So had a look online to see what the cheapest, good quality tyre is in that size. Looking at the EU tyre labelling, I want at least a C, C and the quieter the better so no higher than 72dB. In the past I've had Vredestein all season tyres on mine and rate them very highly, quiet and good in the wet and on snow. I was surprised to see mytyres showing Vredestein Quadra Pro+ in the correct size at £70 each! Then looked at bit closer and found they are Quadra Pro+ EV, ordinary Quadra Pro+ are almost twice the price. It seems that the EV version is engineered for the heavier weight of an EV and are supposed to be quieter. But the tread pattern looks the same, they are both B, B, the load rating on both is 111 and the noise level is quoted as 71dB, so they appear to be the same. Is there something I'm missing here? The P38 weighs over 2 tonnes so more than most EVs but the 111 load rating is good for 1090kg per corner, so easily capable.

This is what I found in the german web, summarized by AI:

Tyres for electric cars (EVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles differ mainly in terms of load capacity, rolling resistance, noise reduction and wear resistance. Due to the higher vehicle weight and the direct power transmission from electric motors, tyres must meet specific requirements in this regard.

The key differences in detail:

Weight and load capacity: Due to their heavy batteries, electric cars are usually 200 to 300 kilograms heavier than comparable combustion-engine vehicles. They therefore require tyres with a higher load index (reinforced carcass).

Torque and wear: Electric cars transfer the full torque (power) directly to the road. To prevent uneven or rapid wear, electric tyres often feature a more robust tread and a different rubber compound.

Rolling resistance: To maximise the range from the battery, the rolling resistance of electric car tyres is specially optimised. Special tread patterns and compounds help to save energy here.

Noise levels: As there is no internal combustion engine, electric cars are particularly quiet. Tyre rolling noise is therefore more noticeable. Electric car tyres often feature special foam inserts (noise-cancelling technology) that dampen these noises inside the cabin.

Conclusion on usage: You can use tyres designed for electric cars on a combustion-engine vehicle without any problems. Conversely, you should be careful with an electric car: whilst it is often possible to use standard combustion-engine tyres, electric car tyres

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Interesting, so I might go with EV Tyres in the future too.
Am also a big fan of the Vredestein Quatrac Tyres. Very good quality (rated high in tests) for a great price...!

That was my thoughts too, the EV version is B, B, 71dB and is weight rated as 111V XL (max speed of 149mph) at £70.48 each (https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/tyre/Vredestein/Quatrac-Pro-EV/255-55-R19-111V-XL-EV--with-rim-protection-ridge--FSL-/R-477361)

The normal version is rated at C, B, 72dB and weight rated at 111W XL (max speed of 168mph) at £137.03 each. They are also listed as EVc so suitable for EV and combustion engined vehicles and from the pictures, the tread pattern looks identical (https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/tyre/Vredestein/Quatrac-Pro_/255-55-R19-111W-XL-EVc--with-rim-protection-ridge--FSL-/D-131272)

So the EV version is slightly quieter, with a lower speed rating (not that it would be possible to get a P38 up to even 149mph unless vertically downwards), the same load rating and has a lower rolling resistance. To me the EV version actually looks to be the better bet.

Unfortunately, they don't do a similar version in the 235/70x16 (7Jx16 poverty spec alloys) that my car uses. I had Vredestein all season on it and when I wore those out found they were no longer available in that size so fitted a set of Kleber Citilander that have an identical tread pattern and spec to the Vredestsein but they are also no longer available in my size either. So no idea what I will be fitting to mine next time.

Rangie failed the MoT in early June . . . for near side top and bottom ball joints. Having done many ball joints on many other vehicles in my time I googled up what was required to discover, as many of you already know, this is not a job for the faint hearted nor a job to be undertaken without the correct tools. The former issue was not a particular problem but, although I have an extensive tool set, the latter issue would necessitate procurement of the necessary puller and ‘cups’ which I do not possess and would never use again even if I acquired them!

This was going to be a job for the professionals so I enquired of the local Land Rover and 4x4 specialists to discover that this job, as Gilbert noted some posts above, also struck terror into the hearts of all of them, two of which wouldn’t entertain the job at all and the other two who declared they were so busy that they couldn’t get round to it for months!! I got the message!

Last year I had to go quite far afield to find an outfit that could do a full flush and refill of the auto gearbox, torque converter and ATF cooler so I tried them as they did a good job back them and seemed a decent outfit. Yes, they could do it in a few days time so off it went for this job and a re MoT.

I also picked up an advisory the previous year for corroded ‘ferrules’ on the front flexible brake hoses - I did inspect them and noted the ‘crud’ build up on them but it all cleaned off quite nicely and the underlying ‘ferrules’ were still pretty sound. They were not mentioned at this year’s MoT, however it did strike me that these rubber brake hoses were now 25 years old so it seemed sensible to get them all replaced noting that disconnecting them might also prove tricky particularly if some of the hard brake line to which they connected also had to be ‘replaced’. It was time for a brake fluid flush and replacement anyway so I added all that to the work sheet!

The time had also come to fit a replacement rear exhaust system. Many years ago (like 20 years) I procured a stainless steel replacement exhaust system with a lifetime guarantee. Now I have called on this guarantee three times so far, not for the main exhaust which has always remained sound but for the welds that join the sections which have cracked and separated. I have had a complete rear exhaust section in storage as the final chromed tail pipe welds had cracked but not come completely adrift . . . well not until a couple of weeks ago when the near side end tail pipe fell off! Would they consider fitting these customer supplied items for me. As they were not a safety related item (which they won’t do) they agreed to replace the rear exhaust sections while they were at it.

Finally, whilst re MoT ing they advised me that the front radius arm bushes were on the way out. Recognising they would probably need to be replaced before next year’s MoT anyway I also added that to the jobs list.

The result - they did a great job all round even though they had to get the oxy system out during the current heat wave to help persuade the ball joints out (as expected) and they told me they broke one set of pullers during said persuasion as well! Two sections of the hard brake lines at the rear also needed to be replaced. Rangie is now back to rude health although I do need to source some ‘reliable’ replacement height sensors for the next refurbishment session but as the EAS is currently behaving itself (famous last words) that can wait a bit!

While underneath mine recently, notice oil dripping off the drag link ball joint. Now this seemed pretty odd at first as there's no oil near there but it turn out that the oil cooler hose on that side (tucked away at the side of the battery) was weeping where the steel pipe joins the flexi hose. Ordered a new pipe and attempted to fit it last week. I say attempted. Off with the grille and slam panel, find a big open ended spanner of the correct size, heave on it and noticed the oil cooler itself was twisting while the pipe union stayed firmly where it was. Gave up, put it back together and ordered an oil cooler and the other hose.......

They arrived so got stuck in today. As my car is a 4.0 litre it has a smaller oil cooler than the 4.6 but when they are interchangeable and the difference in price was only 2 quid I'd figured I may as well get the bigger one. Disconnecting the pipes at the engine end is easy, although it did mean I had to remove the oil filter, and the old oil cooler can be lifted out with pipes still attached. The new pipes even came with new O rings. Bolted the new cooler in, threaded the pipes where they needed to go and connected them at both ends. Then had to leap into Cherry to go to the motor factors for another Mahle OC261 oil filter as I'd had to use a strap wrench on the old one (that's only been there for just over 2,000 miles) and put a big dent in the side of it. Filled and fitted the oil filter, started it up, checked for leaks (none) and called it a day.

Big Red Beast passed his Mot on Friday with one day to spare. Unusual for me as I usually get in early but replacing rear brake shields turned into an on-off-on 2 month battle.

As the straps can't be got new I had to find a pair of used shields with straps to recon. Straps supplied were ropey so job one was to make new ones to pattern. Job 2 blast and powder coat quoted 3 day turn round, actually nearer 3 weeks. Then getting things undone was less than easy. 10 bolts to shift, only two came out under their own steam. Even Irwin extractors wouldn't shift the rest so had to weld nuts on the end to spanner off aided by heat and copious librations of Plus Gas over a couple of days before. Fortunately i had new bolts in stock. Then Blondie Brain got rush headed and stripped one of the disk retainer screw heads. Instead of drilling off the whole head and sorting the stub after pulling the disk he decided that pulling the welder trolley round from the workshop out back to front drive again was too much hassle. Drilling through to use a Rigid splined rod extractor meant much less stuff to hump round. Which worked fine except I didn't drill dead straight damaging the thread so a Timesert had to go in to repair it. At least I'd put lashings of coppaslip on his and disk when putting new disks on about a decade ago so the disks came off OK.

Malcom had the usual list of minor corrosion advisories which don't really matter but he reckoned the rear shock absorber bushes needed changing. Problem wis where to find replacement rubber bushes for the Bilstien B6 shocks. Island have a kit part no TFSBK03BIL, which looks about right, listed for Defender, Discovery and RR Classic. Does anyone know if that will work or a source of a correct fitment?

We have concluded that the rear crankshaft oil seal is leaking a bit. Reckon I shall have to find someone to fix that for me. Getting too old to heave gearbox out for access to it.

Concerning Gavins stubborn ball joint issue I reckon that you need the hydraulic puller device to be sure they will come out. Whether very expensive official Sykes Picavant or home brew clone using a cheap import 12 tonne ram. Spending time and £ on a one time tool is a bit irritating but sometime in the future I shall make a couple of more bits to convert my home brew puller into a small, but mighty, hydraulic press for when the big one in the workshop is too much tool.

Clive

You know how sometimes things don't quite make sense and you end up down a rabbit hole when something seemingly unconnected causes something else to happen? Well it's happened. Dina is due to use the red SE for a 200 mile trip on Sunday. It has its new ball joints, a new MoT (with no advisories) and the new tyres, so all appeared well. Thursday evening I was told I had to accompany her doing the weekly food shopping. Her car is pretty impractical for that, mine was already loaded up with an AC system I was to install yesterday so figured we may as well take the SE.

Drove it off the driveway and noticed that the EAS light was blinking but it wasn't doing anything, still sitting lower than it should. Not wishing to get a phone call on Sunday saying, "the dash is telling me EAS Fault, all the lights are flashing and the ride has gone very bumpy" ran into the house and got a known good EAS compressor (the one I've been using for testing valve bocks) and fitted that. Went shopping and it was still taking a long time to change heights so was planning on fitting a spare, rebuilt, valve block but then noticed that when it tried to lower to motorway height, the light was flashing but it didn't lower. So not only was it not rising but it wasn't lowering either..... The only thing that could conceivably cause that would be a blockage in the dryer, something I didn't have a spare of. Eventually it would get to the target height but was taking an awfully long time.

Got it home and left the engine running with all doors closed. The pump would cut in and out as you would expect. Switch it off and the valve block would gives its little tick, tick, tick as it self levelled but it still didn't want to move. After it had been sitting there running for a few minutes with the switch set for high, it suddenly shot right up to high. Not the usual rear rise, then front rise, but both ends just shot up really quickly as if something had stuck and had freed itself.

Was about to get a replacement valve block and noticed the brake lights were on. Decided that would be simpler than playing with EAS, so dropped the panel to get at the brake light switch. Sure enough, the end had worn slightly so it wasn't always switching them off. Not having a spare brake light switch, I bent the arm that bears on it slightly so they were always switching off and not staying on. Then realised, all EAS movement is inhibited if the brakes are on which, if the switch was keeping the brake lights on, it was also inhibiting the EAS height changes. It also means we'd driven it around to do the shopping with the brake lights stuck on all the time.....

Just checked the pump I took off, over 200psi, so nothing wrong with that and it was all down to a worn brake light switch.

Good find. It's nice to figure out the real problem before changing parts that are fine.