ABS sensor pretty much re-defines pig-to-shift if they have been in a fair while. Finally doing my nearside ball joints whilst I have everything out and up in t'air for brake calliper and line change. About 3 hours into the ABS sensor between multiple anointings with Plus Gas and its moved about 1/4". Pretty sure its not coming out in one piece but I do have a spare. Frankly at garage rates if it doesn't move easily sensible approach is to cut the top off, drilling is not the way to go as you are likely to end up with the drill jammed in half a mile of wire, pull the innards and "operate" on the case so the drive shaft comes out. 15 minutes tops with it up on a lift if you have the gear and know what you are doing. What I should'a done but not so easy on axle stands.

Frankly if I were a pro new ABS sensor and Lemfoder link arm would be on the bill automatically. Professional's do it fast, do it once and do it right. Hard to find real professional garages. Most can't get their head round relative cost of parts and time. Especially when new, decent quality but not manufacturer parts are now so relatively inexpensive that fast destructive working is better than careful 'cos I should be able to re-use that unless things are clearly recently changed. Even at home I try far too hard to save things.

Clive

Thanks for the response Dave.

I ended up buying OEM quality flexi hoses, a set of TRW callipers and various other bits'n pieces including banjo bolts and sealing washers. Surprised that the banjo bolts and washers don't come with the callipers. About £15 a pop too. Ouch. Britpart callipers are only about twice the price of the banjo bolts! Given the relative complexity yet another reason to be "worried about Britpart".

Fingers crossed that the weather holds 'cos I put the beast up on 8 axle stands, 4 six (Chinese) ton ones under the car, 2 European two ton ones under each axle today. Hopefully all done by sometime over the weekend including new drag link and nearside steering swivels. The little short flexi pipes at back look challenging.

Discovered that sticking my hand through a sheet of glass was an excellent way to engineer a couple of weeks delay! Red stuff all over the place. Don't try it at home (or work).

Clive

P38 is probably "peak long term / classic 4x4". Basic underpinnings are rock solid. All the weaknesses are known and relatively sortable. Its a really nice drive too. Biggest issue is thirst but thats helped keep the supply of low enough mileage ones to be worth grabbing reasonable. Be nice if an 8x4 sheet of ply would fit inside but hey you can't have everything.

L322 won't cut it. Stupidly complex and fundamentally unreliable on the electronics. Hardly surprising given its a mash up of three different systems. Hard to work on. Corrosion prone. Already into issued with unobtanium can't be fixed or work around issues like steering columns. The amount of problems herladyship has had with her TD6 are unreal. So glad she lives 80 odd miles away out of range of "can you fix it" calls. She is now going into run it into the ground mode before getting a later model. Which really worries me!

I told her to get a P38 on LPG but would she listen. Got her (and puddy cat) staying for a long month from 1 st November so I guess she is getting the keys to mine for re-education in what good car is. If she converts it will probably end up costing me £6,000 to build her one good for 100,000 miles but almost worth it to save ear ache of my cars gone wrong calls on a near monthly basis!

Wouldn't touch a BMW V8 with barge. Several can't be fixed issues put you on borrowed time once over 150,000 at best. Same with gearboxes.

The Rover V8 may be old tech and thirsty but its repairable for not too silly money. Never understood why Leyland didn't slap modern 4 valve heads on to get the thirst down and power up. Relatively simple to do and the pushrod / OHC thing is a non issue for normal road cars. OHC on everything has more to do with manufacturing processes and fashion than technical advantage at sensible RPM. The man who invented the timing belt has a lot to answer for.

Clive

Connects 2 radio auxiliary input adapter for Alpine radio on P38

I got one supposedly suitable for the Alpine radio on my 4.0 HSE model year 2000. Turned out the unit supplied was incomplete and needed another cable at around half as much again direct from Connects 2 after original supplier refused point blank to help. Several E-Mails back and forth to Connects 2 later I think I'd got all the connection data sorted but enthusiasm had more than run out so it still sits in a box somewhere.

If anyone wants it I'm open to modest offers. Assuming I can find it and the essential connection data.

Clive

Yup, agree braided are the way to go and Britpart are certainly last resort. Just gave Merlin a call and unfortunately they don't have the data for the later P38. Goodridge data listing is just one set of 6 hoses for all model years so rear is wrong for 1998 on cars.

Looks like OEM rubber will have to do.

Clive

Front left flexi let go this morning, fortunately only a mile out so made it home, so time to replace the lot as clearly all same age and none look that wonderful. No bulges tho'. Calipers and all as they are well corroded and chances of getting bleed nipples out are low.

Do the flexi pikes come complete with all sealing washers and banjo bolts? Only Britpart seem to be in stock at usual suppliers, are they OK or should I wait for a (hopefully) better brand name such as Allmakes, Bearmach or Nelson? Factory prices are just silly.

Are any of the lower priced calipers safe to get or should I follow first inclinations and buy OEM from TRW.

Do I change the accumulator on spec whilst I'm at it or leave for now as it still seems OK.

Clive

Easy to check. Standard M8 is 1.25 mm pitch, if you don't have a gauge 4 peaks in 5 mm or 8 in 10 mm. 8 mm fine is 1 mm pitch, same as standard M6 so hold an M6 bot up to it as a gauge.

Theoretically there is a coarse 8 mm x 1.5 mm pitch standard but I've yet to find one.

I prefer Wurth Time-Serts to Helicoils for DIY as the expanded in place full bush style lets you use loctite for a better fit and includes proper lead in to the thread on the end collar. Helicoils follow the parent metal expansion in hot areas like cylinder heads. Never figured out whether that is good or bad thing overall. Time-Sert prices are obscene, especially when you include tools, but at least you can be sure they re the genuine article. Economy range Helicoil kits seem to be "helicoil compatible" rather than OE. Which makes one wonder as to quality. Like pretty much everything the devil is in the detail when it comes to making things work really well. Helicoil repair inserts coming out with the bolts seems to have gotten more common recently which may or may not be meaningful. Especially when the full provenance isn't known. Just "It's bust, can you fix it".

If I didn't already have the Time-Sert installation gear I'd probably be buying Keenserts e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thread-Repair-Keensert-For-M8-Bolt-pack-Of-10-/202418854013?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10 as you only need a standard tap and some creativity for installation. Install tool is handy tho'.

Clive

They do get grotty and cruddy. Mine got my standard squirt with magic release aerosol twice a day for best part of a week before I pulled the bumper off. Needed a bit of shaking and gentle thumping to dislodge crud but then slid out OK. Correction - would have slid out OK if "someone" hadn't put the wheel arch liner in with tab wrong side of bumper.

Don't think the breed of magic squirt makes much difference if you use the twice a day technique. I claim significant reduction in the amount of verbal encouragement and general grunting'n heaving needed for under-car jobs from the several days of squirt treatment. But then I would say that wouldn't I!

Judging by the state of my rear ones, essentially gone, the slide brackets can corrode seriously which wouldn't help removal. But my fonts are good although clearly original.

Clive

In practice higher "colour temperature" LED bulbs will seem brighter for any given input power due to the way they are made. Usual construction appears to be a high efficiency blue LED emitter with phosphors to down convert some of the blue emission to other colours. Nominal red and yellow phosphors seem to be common in headlamp bulbs.

Higher colour temperature specification bulbs let more direct blue radiation through and divert less to the phosphors. There are significant energy losses in wavelength down conversion via phosphors so letting more blue through clearly means more light for the same input power. The blue wavelength is also quite close to the peak sensitivity of the rod cells in the eye. Rod cells are pure intensity detectors and play no part in colour vision. They are very sensitive indeed, almost single photon sensitive in ideal conditions, and do pretty much all the work when the eye is dark adapted. So not only do you get more light power out of higher colour temperature bulbs that power is where the dark adapted eye is most sensitive so things look even brighter at night than pure power calculations would suggest.

Applying colour temperature specifications to LED bulbs is scientifically fraudulent. Colour temperature applies only to incandescent light sources whose output over the appropriate spectral range is adequately close to that of true black body. For quantum physical reasons (Planck's Law) the spectral output power curve of a Black Body is the same shape whatever the temperature. The peak just gets higher and shifted to a shorter wavelength as it gets hotter. http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/teachers/t_universe/p_blackbody.html Basically just grab the peak of the graph and drag leftwards and upwards.

Can't find good picture of white LED spectra on t'net but plot b "W-LED" here https://www.researchgate.net/figure/237151257_Output-spectra-of-the-colored-light-sources-a-fluorescent-lamp-b-W-LED-c shows the general idea. A sharp blue peak with a hump lower down, mostly yellow & red. Colour temperature is assigned by finding a temperature at which the blue peak and yellow-red tail of the LED output pretty much touch the black body curve.

Really the whole thing only sort of works because of the human brains remarkable ability to interpret the eye output signal so colours and shadow intensities are seen pretty much consistently over a huge range of light levels and source colours. When it comes to apparent colour what you see is along way from what the eye got.

Clive

Ordered pair of those LED bulbs from Powerful as they are now below my £50 "looks OK, give them a try" threshold. Will report back.

Further to those projector style devices I have worked with that style of optical system where a source with projection lens is moved towards and away from a larger block, fresnel or other "patterned" lens to change the output beam shape. Works well if properly designed but I'm told the designing the lenses is tricky. Can't see a one size fits all device being optimum although it may work well enough on some headlights. Bulb flange to headlight lens distance will be the critical parameter.

If you look at the P38 headlight there is a lot going on close to the middle of the block lens. Wet finger in the wind guess is that a projector beam diameter anything significantly more than 2 inches or so diameter where it passes through the lens will have serious stray light issues. Doesn't help that the P38 has a rectangular reflector with the lens tilted sideways.

More chance with the modern type of headlamp having a stepped reflector and clear cover. Especially if the cover is simple and not variable thickness to act as a lens. Probably have to take half the front of the car off to fit one tho'.

Avoid I think.

Clive

Seriously weird beasts. Normally projector lamps go under a simple transparent cover so the lens does all the beam shaping work. I have a pair of the 3" diameter H1 halogen breed on my motorcycle and they work just fine behind the plain glass cover.

P38 headlamps have beam shaping block lenses on the front intended to work with light coming off the reflectors to give the right beam shape. With a normal bulb pretty much all the light comes out sideways and up-down ways to bounce off the reflector. Opaque cover on the end of the bulb stops pretty much all the direct light.

Those bulbs have a very small lens and project a long way into the light unit. Presumably the theory is that the projector lens is pretty close to the headlamp lens and pushes light through only a small section in the middle so the block lens doesn't do much. $64,000 question is how much effective lens the beam sees. If were longer so the projector lens was close up to the headlamp lens I'd be much more confident that it would behave.

Other issue is whether you can actually get them into the P38 headlamps without removing things to make way. They are effectively about 5 times as long as a normal H4 and the business end pretty much fills the hole so probably need to be slid in straight on. I always tilt the halogen bulb to get it in or out.

I see that Powerful UK have their simple halogen replacement LEDs back in stock. £45 the pair - https://www.powerfuluk.com/vehicles/range-rover-full-size/p38/exterior-accessories/h4-led-4000-lm-headlight-bulbs-white-pair.html - at least we know they work OK with acceptable beam pattern.

Clive

Know exactly where you are coming from Chris. Not had seal leaks either but I have had things tighten up seriously due to corrosion under the seals and seals swelling from old age. Albeit mostly motorcycle applications. But all the calipers I've re-sealed, usually for other folk, needed a good clean out in the seal grooves.

Really really can't be doing with seized or snapped bleed nipples mid job.

Clive

Objectively I'm somewhat overdue for brake fluid replacement and bleeding. But I'm less than confident that the bleed nipples will shift. Realistically it makes sense to do the flex-pipes too whilst I'm in there. Had the rear axle pipe done when I got the car but thats all the serious brake work its seen in the last 4 or 5 years.

So do I get a set of decent looking used callipers and overhaul them with new pistons and TRW seal kit or just push the boat out with a set of decent brand calipers. Island list TRW calipers at £100 and £60 + VAT for front and rear respectively whilst a pair of seal kits and OEM standard pistons come out around £60 + VAT. A set of adequate condition calipers to rebuild can probably be found for around £100. In round numbers by the time I've finished the job probably £500 with new TRW calipers, against £300 or bit less with home rebuild. Me being me I'll probably replace the mud shields whilst they can still be got so there goes another £100. Probably still solid enough to blast and paint tho'. I can blast and paint the carriers but at £20 (ish) a pop new is it worth it. Bolts, pins and screws were all new when I did the brake disks and pads over the last couple of years so they should be fine. Anything else I've forgotten given its year 2000 and approaching 100,000 miles.

So which way to go. £700 ish new-new just bolt it all on, £300 ish maximum DIY or somewhere in between? Generally I'm reasonably careful with money but skimping brakes is verboten. Especially as Madame Leadfoot is visiting for November & December so we may be sharing driving, (no way am I slumming it behind the wheel of her L322).

Anything else I've forgotten that should sensibly be done whilst the system is drained down?

Clive

RutlandRover wrote:

Aren't the washer pumps accessible with the bumper in place?

Tried that first. Not with foglight fitted. Not enough room to get your hand round to pull clear and wiggle out. Especially as the wrist angle is all wrong when working on the floor.

Clive

no10chris wrote:

what grief just to change a washer pump, grrrr,,

??? Hardly. Easiest one I've ever done.
As I recall it took around 15 minute tops from opening the Snap On box when I did the rear screen washer pump on mine. Including scrambling inside to pump the suspension up to highest level.
Of course I'd had the bumper off t'other year to do the air-con radiator so everything moved. No need to take it right off. Just pulled it forwards a bit and slewed it to make room. Jack under slewed corner to support it if need be. Probably disconnected the foglight that side too but really I don't remember if I did or not.

Clive

As Sloth says just flip the clip and slide the bumper out. Its heavy. ideally two person job but I have put mine back on my own using a jack fitted with cross bar to support it. Easiest bumper to shift that I've ever seen.

Usual trap is if somebody has fitted the wheel arch liner with the front flap inside the bumper return edge instead of outside as it should be. Right pain wiggling things out then unless you pull front end of the wheel arch liner. Which of course I didn't as that was far too much effort.

Clive

The most correct anti-freeze is probably the official BMW stuff sold under a BMW part number. Dirty green-blue colour if I remember correctly and about 3 times the price of a normal good brand. But that particular car was being quite seriously tuned and the folk doing the job insisted that only the BMW jollop was up for it. My only involvement was earache from owner moans about the price!

Clive

Did they charge you for the OEM Dunlop one? If so some-one mucked up and put wrong one in your box so get on to Island and ask for the wright one.
I'm surprised that they would be happy selling such sensors without warranty. Especially as the price difference relative to OEM is so small.

Saying that there is huge variation in price between suppliers. Most seem to want more for Britpart than OEM let alone a better aftermarket brand. Island price for OEM is very good.

Clive

Great job.
Don't see a major worry if the sound comes on OK if you turn the beast on separately rather than have it come up automatically when switching the ignition on. Or does it have to be set up for automatic turn on so memory settings aren't lost?

Personally I don't like auto start on audio systems. Probably because I don't use radio all the time.

Looks like that will be next months P38 presents.

Clive

Morat
If you've not ordered more Delrin yet drop the offcuts in the post to me and I'll trim them to length on one of the lathes. Only need about 1/8" for parting tool so could get the two 35 mm ones out of a 75 mm length in perfect safety. Even easier if you have two pieces longer than 35 mm.

Clive