You shouldn't need to pack the oil pump with Vaseline, that was only needed on the older Classic engine (the one with a distributor), the P38 engine has a self priming oil pump. It won't have done any harm thought but as Harv says, if you are just cranking it on the starter, it'll probably need more than 15 seconds from completely dry.

Clive603 wrote:

"they don't come apart mate". Really. Hold my beer!

Everything will come apart, it's whether it will go back together or not that is the bigger question......

Here you go, fill up from bottles https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/291650372278967/

Then get it to Simon to get it calibrated.......

You've been running on petrol haven't you? Either that or the inside of your engine was filthy and it's dragged all the carbon out. Mine isn't that black after 10,000 miles, it just goes a sort of darker reddish colour. Don't understand a top end noise when hot with thicker oil, I'd have expected that on thinner stuff.

Unless it is someone that knows the P38 diesel, it's better if you find someone that specialises in BMW diesels. It is a BMW engine after all.

StrangeRover wrote:

Never used S in the P38 to be fair, does it make any difference!

Of course it does, poke the button and you'll see the difference.

That sounds like the brushes are getting towards the end of their life and are sticking a bit until it has warmed up.

That's what I would call a result. Sling the Densos, give it a set of NGKs and a service and that should be the engine sorted. Then, as you say, de-pimp it. I've no idea why people think they look good but I can't stand black wheels, especially not on a black, or dark coloured, car. Black bodywork, black tyres so why try to make it look like it's been driven through a sheep dip full of black paint?

David, an interesting thread here https://www.lpgforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=16575, same car, same engine, similar problem but the cause isn't what you would expect.

It isn't whether the MAF is working or not, I've got two now that both give readings on the Nanocom that are around about correct. The Nano also displays the MAF voltage which, from memory, at idle was around 1V. It's how the Calculated Load Value is worked out and why is it so different to what RAVE says it should be. However, it seems that the figure I've got is almost identical to that shown on a GEMS document relating to the same engine installed in a Morgan. It's looking more like the figure given by OBD2 standard and displayed by the Nano, is calculated differently to how Land Rover calculate it.

It's GEMS, as the thread title says. Yes, IAV air passes through the MAF but the LPG vapour entering the airflow at the mixer between the MAF and throttle body doesn't. So in terms of volume of air the engine requires, the LPG vapour will be added to that volume. The only difference is that there's no petrol being injected and the additional vapour, that isn't being measured by the MAF sensor, is the fuel.

Thinking about it, after my previous checks seemed to show no difference between running on petrol or LPG, those figures were checked with it running on LPG. The engine is going to be sucking in the required volume of air but as I'm running a singlepoint, some of that volume will be the LPG vapour being drawn in between the MAF sensor and throttle body so not measured by the MAF. That might explain why the MAF reading is a touch lower than both RAVE and the Nanocom documentation says it should be.

Getting back on track, just been out in mine so decided to check with it fully warmed up. At idle it was showing 18 Kg/Hr on the MAF and 22% CLV in Park with everything off (except the engine obviously). Put it in Neutral and it hopped up to 24% then dropped down to 22% again. Switched on Headlights, foglights and poked the Prog button on the HEVAC so that put the fans on full speed (so drawing about 10A each), the heated screen on (not that that will draw much as only bits of it work) and the heated rear screen. CLV went to and stabilised at 28% so it is definitely showing the load increasing. Looks like RAVE is wrong or they are calculating it in a different manner.

Some police forces ordered blue cars rather than white and were wrapped for the markings. They probably thought they would be easier to sell on when they were pensioned off. I know they had a number of blue Volvo estates around here as traffic cars. Either that or it was intended as an unmarked car. In my previous life we were given at talk by a Regional Crime Squad Commander and he said they always avoided using white or red cars as red stood out too much and white screamed unmarked police car. Most of the ones they used were blue.

You're probably right Sam, as you say, the BeCM doesn't get involved in the cruise control so it probably doesn't matter whether it is enabled or not (I'll have to have a look at the Ascot as that has cruise fitted). The Nanocom documentation mentions that the Police setting should only be used if wiring mods have been done. Mine, being ex-plod, originally had Police enabled but that was disabled by Testbook not long after I got it when I took it into my local indie to have the trip computer enabled (after I'd fitted a stalk with the buttons on it). I found extra wiring and a couple of blocking diodes in the wiring for the tailgate which, I assume, meant that the car could be locked with the tailgate open. There's extra connectors in the lighting too so I suspect the Police setting stops bulb blown messages when they are used in conjunction with additional feeds to the lights.

I'll have another play and see what affect on the CLV switching lots of loads on has but it's bloody cold outside and threatening to snow so maybe not today.....

Not seen any odd readings from the BeCM (except for the really odd ones when it is confused) but I suspect most of the problems with fuel trim readings and the like is down to GEMS. OBD2 compliance didn't become mandatory in most of the world until 2000 and while the GEMS unit was compliant enough for the US (where it became compulsory from 1996) it isn't really compliant. That's almost certainly why some generic readers give odd readings or won't even read at all and most will tell you they will only work on cars after 2000. I strongly suspect that's also why they went with the fully OBD2 compliant Bosch Motronic, already in use on numerous other vehicles, from 1999 rather than rework the Sagem GEMS.

You experienced the designed progressive shut down when the battery voltage drops. Even if the battery is almost completely flat, once started the alternator provides the power. Just the same as if you were to jump start the car. The battery may be down to 9 or 10 volts but once it has been jump started and is running, the alternator powers the load as well as charging the battery. So, from that, it's pretty obvious there's nothing coming out of the alternator or, if there is, it isn't getting as far as the battery. After you charged the battery and started it, if the alternator was working properly you'd see alternator output voltage, so around 13.5-14 volts. Charge the battery again, start the car and check the voltage between ground and the output post on the alternator and compare that with the voltage at the battery. If they are the same, the alternator is dead, if there's voltage at the output of the alternator but not at the battery then it is a problem in the cable between the two. The battery may not be brilliant for it to drop that quickly once the engine was started or you just didn't charge it for long enough.

That's probably where I saw it as I've got that document and I've just had a look through it. Page 94 shows an example screenshot from Rovacom giving the Idle Air screen. That shows an idle speed of 698 rpm, with an airflow reading of 449 kg/hr (which must be wrongly displayed?) but a CLV of 21%. So maybe it is RAVE that is wrong?

The intake air sensor always seem to read low, both mine were reading around -14 when first started from cold, rising to -6 degrees once the engine had warmed up when the ambient was about 4 degrees outside. It's my understanding that this isn't important as it only does anything when the intake air temperature gets very high (+55 degrees rings a bell somewhere) so as long as it is below that it won't affect anything.

I'm glad someone else has found similar readings to mine though.

But when there is no load on the engine, although I have since read that it will be lower in Neutral than in Park although I can't see why, just revving it up to 2,500 rpm shouldn't increase the load. Or at least that's how I would see it. If anything, once things start spinning more there will be less load due to the frictional losses in the engine and the flywheel affect of the torque converter should allow it to spin more freely? Just intrigued as to why my figures are so different to what RAVE says they should be while being the same on two different cars. Unless it is something else that the Nanocom works out and displays differently to how LR would measure it. When I have another play I'll try my generic scanner and see what figures that gives.