Finally got it sorted. Vancer contacted me and kindly offered a AMR2672 which is the US version of the PRC7618. Looks and works the same, the only difference is it doesn't have RDS but does have a weather band button for getting weather reports from the NOAA weather reporting service. However, the cost of shipping it from the States was going to make it ridiculously expensive and as it was an untested one that he had bought from a breaker it didn't seem worth it. The only ones we could find for sale here were listed as spares or repair but it seemed worth a punt in the hope one could be repaired. In the end, my mate contacted the seller to ask about one and was offered a guaranteed, fully working, recently refurbished by Clarion, unit. Not cheap (£150) but it will plug in and work so it is on it's way to me now and I'll be taking it down with me on Friday. As all the plugs are there, I can probably bung it in the hole in the dash on the way back from the airport and have it working by the time we've got to his house.

George's join date made me realise that we've been going for over a year now. A forum started because both Gordon and myself got ourselves banned from Rangerovers.net for using the phrase that is the tagline to this site (which, for those that aren't aware, dates back to when the Defender came out on coil springs after years of leaf springs on the series Landys) and incurring the wrath of RRToadhall. I suppose it all started with a pubcrawl around Glasgow a couple of years ago with Gordon as the host (and navigator) and then further, alcohol fuelled discussions and it was started as a bit of a joke because the domain name was available and it seemed like a fun idea.

But what have we achieved in that first year? Well, we're up to a respectable number of members and still growing (although we could do with kidnapping a few more of the UK based ones from over there), a group of us spent a weekend in a barn in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Wiltshire pulling assorted P38s to bits (when not testing Morat's skills with a barbecue and drinking more beer) and, best of all, we can take the piss out of RRToadhall and his cronies without fear of getting banned for it. I've never had a high opinion of 'dodgy septics' as a mate of mine calls them (think cockney rhyming slang) and some of the posts makes me realise that in the main it's all true (there are the odd exceptions I will happily admit). When you see people posting on a forum asking how to change a battery or how to clean a bulbholder, it does make you wonder though.

Yes, but it will take far longer than you ever thought it would (a bit like the delivery really, it's been downhill from there when you think about it.....).

From the information I managed to glean when I got my lifetime ban (for sending 'daily' spam advertising this forum when I'd actually only sent two invites in 6 weeks) it seems that PMs are scanned automatically for urls rather than someone reading them. Send a PM with a link in it and that flags up apparently. I registered another username using minimal personal details and a different email address and posted in a thread. That post appeared, after a couple of hours delay while it was checked as all newly registered users posts are, and then disappeared a few hours later. Anything I've posted since has never appeared but I can, and have, sent PMs.

It used to be Dexron 2 that was recommended but then Dexron 3 came out and replaced it. I suspect you'd have a hard time trying to find any Dex 2 these days.

I thought that but the dash would display Transfer Neutral if there was a fuse in position 11. Viscous coupling failure wouldn't cause loss of drive as like Dave says, they fail seized. If the flex plate had shattered I would have expected there to be a noise from it, but it's something that is easy to check by looking at it.

There's a challenge for you then Nick......

dhallworth wrote:

I'm popping across on the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon tomorrow

That'll be one of Ferryman's old boats then. A couple of his former commands have ended up with Western Ferries on that route.

That's probably the difference. The version I have, which is the one that people are trying to run, is version 2.0.3.24 dated September 2006. Obviously too old to run on newer versions of Windows (backward compatibility never has been a Microsoft strong point.....).

Martyuk wrote:
but how long should I leave it before getting it running on gas? should I do the first 500-1000 run in miles on petrol and then look at it once the first oil change is done, or should I just go for it and get it up and running whenever I can?

Mine was out of gas when I put the engine back in and and built it up (I did it the Chris method and fitted the naked block then built the engine up in the car). I ran it for the first time (with only the downpipes to see what it sounded like) to check that everything was working and nothing was leaking, then took it on it's first drive (after connecting the exhaust) of 3 miles down the road to fill it up and I ran on gas from there on in. Fuel is fuel and as long as the trims stay in spec, then it won't make any difference which you run on.

and here we sit, just waiting......

Like a bunch of circling vultures........

That's a very common and easy one to sort http://tinleytech.co.uk/product-category/lpg-parts/electrical/solenoid-coils-electrical/?widget_search=yes

I'm waiting to find out what didn't go as planned and cause them to stay in the workshop until the early hours of tomorrow........

If the dash display is changing then the cable is OK, or at least is connected and moving the XYZ switch. The high-low is in the transfer case and probably won't clunk if there's no drive going through it but as long as it doesn't continually beep and falsh the light at you, then it is changing range. So it sounds like it has to be the box itself.

The 4HP24 box in the 4.6 is slightly longer than the 4HP22 in the 4.0 litre and diesel but the overall length is the same so the propshafts are interchangeable. There's a spacer behind the flex plate that is a different thickness so that has to be changed or you will either crush the torque converter or it will fall out of the oil pump if you don't use the correct one (can't remember if the 24 uses he thicker or thinner one).

Rear brakes are on the power circuit so applying the brakes with the ignition on and a rear bleed nipple undone should get quite a bit of it out. You should also be able to bleed a lot out from the nipples on the brake modulator.

Probably worth getting a spares and repair one in that case if that is a stock fault.

A couple of observations that shouldn't be taken as criticism, merely observations. On the valley gasket I use RTV on the end rubbers but a thin smear of Hylomar on the intake and waterways. RTV is OK when you need to fill a big gap but doesn't work as well as Hylomar on machined surfaces. I can see the attraction of painting everything but isn't it all going to look at bit, errm, black? Might have looked better with a bit of contrast, some bits in black and others in sliver to match the shiny alloy bits? Although I can't say anything as everything under my bonnet is currently a dusty grey from when the bodywork was sanded down before painting. I could pressure wash it I suppose but maybe not......

Although he doesn't know one end of a soldering iron from the other, his son does and he's talking about doing the line in mod but connecting something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KRC-86B-Bluetooth-4-0-Stereo-Audio-Receiver-Module-Mini-Sound-Board-DIY-TE634-/162275183045 in the hole where the cassette mech lives (after all, does anyone have any cassettes these days). That way he'll have an original looking stereo but with Bluetooth conectivity and no need for a cable to connect to a phone or tablet. Cheaper than a Grom too......

You have email.......

I need a PRC7618, which is the Clarion PU9836A, to go in the P38 my mate in France recently acquired. It's a '98 HSE with the amps in the doors so he needs the correct stereo to feed these. They can be recognised by looking on the back and it has two DIN style rectangular sockets, an 8 way and a 10 way. Ideally it needs to be a worker and with the security code if at all possible but not absolutely necessary. When he got the car it had a dead aftermarket head unit in it and he's trying to return it to standard. I know a few people have fitted tablets and I thought Marty might have one he's taken out but he hasn't and the only ones on eBay are listed as spares or repair (which usually means they are completely dead and no use to anyone).

I'm flying down next Friday (13th, yes I know, booking a flight for Friday the 13th may not be such a good idea) so am trying to get one before then so I can bung it in my hand luggage.