If going uphill, even with 50/50 weight distribution, the centre of balance will move rearwards so the rear wheels will have a better chance of getting some traction than the fronts. However, as the weight of the vehicle will be trying to push it back, there's a greater chance of it going sideways, whereas if FWD, if a wheel loses traction it will just spin.

Diff locks are over-rated and not needed and as this is primarily a P38 forum, you should be aware of what they can do. What astounded me just over a year ago when I was in Latvia, was just how good the P38 is in snow. Admittedly proper snow, none of this wet, slushy stuff we get here that unnecessarily causes the whole country to grind to a halt because nobody knows how to drive, but around a foot and a half on roads that hadn't been cleared and 2-3 inches of hard packed snow on the roads that had (all they do is run a snowplough down the road so you can see where it is and let the traffic eventually clear it down to tarmac). As mine is pre-99, it only has 2 wheel traction control on the rear (what you call pseudo LSD) but even then I had to try really hard, gearbox in Sport mode and floor the throttle, to get it to kick in. Father in Laws Audi on winter tyres went where you pointed it but could spin a wheel if I tried hard. In both cases, ABS would kick in if I hit the brakes hard but not under normal braking. But, I suspect if I had been on summer tyres, the little Audi would run rings around me.

Big gaps in tread are there to shift water to prevent aquaplaning and a lot of performance tyres have big gaps. It seems counter-intuitive that less rubber on the road will give better grip but it will under anything other than smooth, dry tarmac (when you want slicks) making them better suited to UK weather. Winter tyres have multiple tiny grooves (sipes) so you have more sharp edges to give better grip and are made of a rubber compound that remains flexible at low temperatures. Standard tyres don't really like anything below around 7 degrees C as the rubber compound loses flexibility.

So the number of driven wheels and where on the vehicle they are is less important than the bit that is between the car and the surface, the tyres. In fact, a few years ago I had a set of Goodyear Wranglers on my car and we had the standard UK winter one inch of snow and it slid around all over the place. Fitting All Season tyres then made it quieter in the dry, a lot more stable in the wet and actually went where I pointed it on snow.

Depends if the 2wd version is front or rear wheel drive. I've driven my father in laws FWD Audi A2 on winter tyres in far more snow than we are ever likely to get in the UK and it was reasonable. Not as good as my 4WD Range Rover on All Season (but 3 peaks marked) tyres though.

Just put the space in for you.....

You do seem to be reading it right, There's a splice somewhere between the top switches and the HEVAC so your theory that the wire to the HEVAC has come adrift and is grounded on something would seem to be correct.

It sucks through a hole in the inner wing from above the wheelarch lining.

It's on the entry side so what is sucked in from outside. There's a breather but that goes into the throttle body way after the air filter.

Have you been following a diesel overfuelling on veg oil? My filter doesn't look that bad after 10,000 miles!

It could be either but best to do both while in there. To change an oil pressure switch I found it easier to take the serpentine belt tensioner and it's mounting bracket off (on a GEMS anyway) so I could get in there from the front.

So it's all your fault then?

Thanks, it makes sense that an Antipodean would be the first as Christmas arrived there first. Merry Christmas to all and hopefully all your problems will be little ones.....

After a bit of water......

As Phil says, ignition lock has been pulled out so it can be started with a pair of pliers. EKA entered with the Nanocom (it comes complete with all the handbooks including the service book and the all important security card) and, after syncing the BeCM and ECU, it fired up on a squirt or two of brake cleaner as the fuel tank was completely empty. Bunged half a gallon of petrol in it (that was all we had) and it fired up on that. Engine sounds very nice with no nasty noises, overheating or oil leaks. After letting the EAS compressor run for a few minutes with a door open, the EAS appears to be working perfectly and it shot straight up to the High setting. Seemed a bit reluctant to lower but it probably just needs a bit of use, it has been standing for over 5 years after all. Transfer case would select high and low ratios too, so nothing to worry about there either. Central locking works from the sill locking button on the drivers door so no reason to think it won't work from a key (once you've got one!). Even the drivers heated seat works.....

I'd say it doesn't need the BeCM and ECU changing (there's no need to swap both as the Nanocom can sync a replacement BeCM to an existing ECU), but CRNW can make a key blade to fit the existing locks. OK you wouldn't have a remote but it is a cheap option to be able to lock, unlock and start it. They could also supply a remote but at a greater cost.

The minimum needed is a key, a battery, a lambda sensor (idle sounded like it may have been running on 7 but the Nanocom reported an error on one lambda sensor so I suspect that was the cause), a pair of wiper blades, the rear brake pipe replacing (although probably wise to do the other side too) and a pair of rear tyres and that should be enough to get it through an MoT. For finishing it off, it needs a good clean, a headlining kit from Martrim, a zebra strip in the HEVAC (no idea if there are any problems there as more segments don't work than do). One of the blend motors didn't seem to want to do anything but what would you expect on a car that has been standing that long? They may well start to work with a bit of use too.

It is a very good basis for a really nice car with a relatively minor bit of work. We both decided if we had a nice, warm, workshop or it was mid summer, in a week we could get it almost perfect, but as neither of us has a nice, warm, workshop (and it isn't the middle of summer), it would be good to see it go to someone who does have who can return it to its former glory and get some use out of it.

No, it's got a lightstone interior and I hate lightstone interiors......

I'm going over at the weekend to see if we can get it started. Might even chuck a bucket or two of water over it too.....

There's a couple of places near me where there's a lot of RF and I normally just hold the fob next to the rear window where the receiver lives and it works. By cutting the aerial wire, it makes the receiver 'deaf' so it is less susceptible to lots of other RF but it needs a stronger signal from the fob for it to be able to pick up the signal. Moving it closer is usually enough to make it work.

Odd that entering the EKA with the Nanocom didn't work but I've no idea what has been done to the ECU to make it free run. Ordinarily, when you unlock the car, it turns off the immobiliser and the BeCM sends a code to the ECU to enable it. If you lock with the fob and unlock with the key, it lets you into the car but doesn't turn the immobiliser off hence the need to enter the EKA either by turning the key in the lock or with the Nanocom. That tells the BeCM you are the owner and aren't trying to steal the car so it sends the code to the ECU.

If you need to go and park in the same place in future, make sure it isn't telling you the ignition key is in and lock with the key. Then you can unlock with the key and it will all work.

A few pics to help with the decision.....

I've not seen it in the flesh yet, and I'm told the interior has a bit of mildew (but so did the red one I bought a while ago and that cleaned up nicely) but at least it isn't a Classic or Discovery so shouldn't be rotten.

Yes, the press remote works but assumes the fob is synced so if it isn't, it does nothing.

Another thought, you can only sync the fobs when the immobiliser is off, so if you are still getting engine immobilised, you won't be able to do it.

Mistyped a bit in that post, so have just edited it. Make sure you follow the current version.

Keys may need to be synced. To do that all doors (and tailgate) must be closed and ignition key not shown as being in. Put a key in the driver's door lock and turn to lock, hold it there and while holding it, press and hold the lock button on the fob until the LED starts to flash faster, release the button on the fob and turn the key back to centre. Then do the same only turning to unlock, hold, press and hold the unlock button on the fob, release, and turn the key back to centre. Fob should then be synced.

Hospitals can be a problem as they often have lots of RF floating about from other stuff. In that case, use one key to turn in the lock and use the other fob but held as close as you can get it to the receiver aerial etched into the right hand rear window, so doing it at arms length. Then swap the keys over and do the same. That way you should be able to sync both fobs.

Gearchange is mechanical by a cable, so it will still go into Neutral without the engine running. The problem with towing an auto is that the oil pump for the gearbox is behind the torque converter and driven by the engine. So by towing it without the engine running for any distance, there's no lubrication to the gearbox so it will destroy it.

If it does need to be towed, put the fuse in position 11, then turn the ignition on to make it do something. You should get a message on the dash saying Transfer Neutral and you can then turn the ignition off again.