Rangie has a new MoT - yay - and no advisories - double yay.

However, over the past year or so the insides of the tail pipes have become a bit black, not sooty as such but definitely blacker than usual. NanoCom tells me the O2 sensors are working and all the fuel trims are ‘bang on’. The MoT report shows the emissions are also ‘bang on’. No smell of fuel at all from the exhaust. Engine runs beautifully.

So why are the tail pipes black? Could this possibly be the swap over to E10 fuel in some way?

Recently changed my rear diff oil and on draining the old fluid noticed a build up of sludge on the drain plug magnet. This, combined with a worsening (but not 'serious) whine from, I believe, the rear differential has me perusing Ashcroft Transmissions in preparation for a possible replacement diff.

First thing are Ashcroft the 'go to' people for a P38 diff?

Secondly, I believe the diff on my 2001 4.6 Vogue is a 4 pin diff and 3.54 pinion/ring - is this correct (it hasn't been changed from new)?

Thirdly, Ashcoft offer a pegged diff - is there a significant advantage to this?

Finally, I've just been looking at RAVE - is replacing a rear diff on a P38 really that easy?

Time to refresh the fluids in the automatic gearbox, transfer box and power steering. As Dexron III is the specified ATF for all these does anyone have a recommendation for a suitable product (or ones to avoid)?

I last drove Rangie on 21st December and it worked flawlessly. Parked up as normal and then yesterday I came to drive it and the fob would not unlock it so I resorted to the key which unlocked the drivers door only, no central locking ‘unlock’. Key in ignition and absolutely nothing, nada, zip. The battery voltage was 1.7V!!! My less than one year old Hankook MF3-1000 battery is probably toast … sob.

Had to put on my very old traditional, unsophisticated battery charger to get it to take any charge whatsoever. Once it took a bit of charge it was put on life support ‘recovery’ mode of a more sophisticated and ‘intelligent’ C-Tek charger. It is now fully charged but is out of the vehicle and voltage showing good but no idea of capacity yet.

Fitted a back up battery I have that is kept charged and after overcoming the usual annoyance of the alarm going off all looked normal until trying to start the engine. Nothing, no click from any relay or solenoid. Hmmm! Decided to measure the current draw and with everything checked as being off it was draining at ~2A. The BeCM seemed to go to sleep correctly at the 2 minute mark but the drain then sat at a consistent 600mA!

I removed the starter motor relay (16) and bench checked it and all OK. Decided to short the relay contacts in the fuse box without ignition on to check stater motor and nothing, no power at the relay. Pulled fuse 40 and it was completely blown! Replaced fuse and shorted the relay again expecting trouble but the solenoid/starter motor span the engine over fine. Replaced the relay and she started fine, no warning lamps and alternator charging the battery fine. Shut down and restarted a few more times and all OK. Checked the battery drain again and all checked out with BeCM going to sleep and drain at ~30mA.

I can only think the starter solenoid threw a bit of a wobbly and after starting the car for the last time on 21st December then fried the fuse but managed to put the starter into a state where it was continually consuming current. Shorting the starter relay shook the solenoid back to its senses and all is now fine . . . but for how long?

Is my starter on the way out? What mechanism put the starter into a state where it was continually drawing ~1.5A? Is there any other explanation for this odd behaviour? Will my Hankook battery recover its masculinity? Answers on a postcard please!

During a regular test of the HEVAC system and running the blowers/distribution/blend motors through their paces I just felt a barely perceptible dampness down by the lower blower output an the drivers side and, yes, it's hardly anything but definitely the start of the O ring problem! Been replaced once before in 2009. I'm not going to do the 'replace the matrix job' but what are the best replacement O rings to get (and what to avoid), what size and where from? I'd like to get some that will last another nearly 13 years like the last ones (which I can't find the detail of!).

Vehicle seems to be running absolutely fine with no warning lights or messages but I noticed the exhaust getting a bit black of late and thought it might be running a bit too rich. Plugging in the Nanocom reveals that it is throwing codes P0135 and P0155 which seems to indicate that the upstream O2 sensor heating circuits have both probably gone AWOL (one may have gone AWOL before the other without me really noticing). They seem to be on separate circuits form a common fuse - fuse is OK but one of the sensors appears to be fixed at 4V and the other one is dancing around somewhat. Before I go and order a couple of new O2 sensors can anyone:

a) Confirm my diagnosis or is there something else that could be causing the problem?
b) Recommend makes of sensor to go for (and ones to avoid)?

I have a slight problem in that my indicator stalk, when self cancelling after a turn, cancels but then continues on to start indicating the opposite way - it shoots through the centre position. Now it only does this when the ambient temperature is cool/cold. During the summer it doesn’t do it but now we are entering Autumn it’s started doing it again. Is this a common problem with an easy fix or should I start looking for a replacement stalk?

What's the secret?

I have my own web site space which I've pointed to but the pictures are not showing?

My air compressor is very old and has been ‘rebuilt’ a number of times but has now become noisy particularly for the last 20 seconds or so before cut off when, I assume, the back pressure is high and working the bearings etc quite hard. I have just rebuilt the valve block and there are no leaks in the system - it will not drop at all if left on any height setting when parked up for days. It rise and falls as expected when running, does not ‘dance’ when at a standstill, levels it self when parked and holds station nicely. NanoCom reports no faults and all height sensor readings appear OK.

However, due to the compressor being noisy I have become aware of when it operates and shuts off in normal driving and when travelling at a constant height i.e. when not having to transit between ‘normal’ and ‘motorway’ modes, the compressor operates regularly (every one or two minutes) for very short periods of time for between 10 & 20 seconds as if it is just topping up a very small drop in tank pressure. Is this normal behaviour/duty cycle?

I have managed to acquire a GROM BT-3 unit but understand that it needs a RVRN2 cable to work with the Alpine HU of a 2001 Vogue. GROM do not seem to do this cable anymore! Therefore does anyone have the detail of this cable (connector pin to pin info) so I can make one up?