A wet compression test can be inconclusive on a Vee. Ordinarily the oil will seal the rings so if the compression goes up, it's ring, if it doesn't, it's valves. But with a Vee engine the oil will sit at the bottom of the bore so not seal the rings anything like as much. If you put a lot of oil in then the compression will go up anyway as the oil will partially fill the combustion chamber and reduce the chamber volume. I'd say your suspicion of a problem with the stretch bolts is the most likely and the gasket is starting to leak around where one of the bolts is. You'll soon know as it will come undone far easier than the others.
I know the tax implications in Ireland make diesel a more viable option, over here, with anything pre-2001, the road tax is a flat rate on engine size, irrespective of the fuel type. So on anything over 1549cc the road tax is £280 a year. I just don't like diesel as a fuel for a road car. I don't like the noise, the smell of the exhaust, the power delivery and the fact that your hands go black the instant you open the bonnet. I've had diesel vehicles provided by work, but doing a survey where the engine has to be kept running to power equipment, the smell of the exhaust fumes make me feel sick. Even worse is sitting in traffic on my motorcycle with the stench of diesel fumes drifting up inside my crash helmet making my eyes water is just another reason why I would happily see them banned. I appreciate that others like them, I just don't.
I don't mind spark plugs, far cheaper to replace when needed than diesel injectors and glow plugs and with the electronic system on a P38 petrol, no distributor to arc over, no rotor arms or mechanical advance mechanism or anything like on the earlier Classic, the system just works. £16 twice a year for a set of plugs and £30 for a set of HT leads every 2-3 years is all the attention the ignition system needs. Running a V8 on LPG makes it cheaper to run than a diesel too.
But back to the point, I can't see any reason why the earlier power steering hose can't be made to fit your car. Worst case you might need a pipe bender to adjust it so it fits but it isn't like it is anything complicated, it's just a bit of pipe at the end of the day.
Pierre has a late model diesel and it seems the high pressure pipe is NLA but the same pipe for the earlier one is. He's wondering what the difference is and can he fit an early pipe to a later car? The steering box is the same and if the pump is the same and in the same place, I can't see any reason why he can't use the earlier one.
If you changed the pump, does that mean that the outlet is in a different place? If so, that would explain why the pipes are different.
I've not commented much as I don't do oil burners (my argument is that for an engine to fire you need compression, fuel and a spark, diesels don't have a spark so should never run in the first place....) and I have only ever seen one and that is about 500 miles away from me so I can't have a look at it. Hence all I've done is compare part numbers. On the V8 there are are different part numbers but one supersedes to another so the latest part number will fit previous models but the part numbers on the diesel don't supersede which suggests they aren't interchangeable for some reason.
I'm surprised you can't get one made up, can't you just give them yours and get them to copy it?
I can't see there being any difference between early and late unless the pump is in a different place. Actual routing can't be that different if things at each end are in the same place.
All that tells you is that the BeCM isn't seeing the signal from the door ajar switch in the latch. But as there is no communication between the BeCM and anything else in the door it makes sense that it doesn't work. If swapping the outstations hasn't proved a fault, then you need to check for power to the outstation on the Purple/Black wire on pin 10 at C1406 (16 way connector at the outstation furthest from the door hinges). There are two more connectors in the door jamb, which you'll need to pull the rubber conduit away from the door frame to get to which this power, along with all other wires between the outstation and BeCM, go through.
There shouldn't have been any threadlock on the screw, normally, once you get it moving, it unscrews easily but at least it is out. It's an M5 thread so your local B&Q will supply a suitable hex head screw (assuming your local B&Q isn't hundreds of miles away that is). It is awkward, especially if you have big hands, but can be done. Hence my comment that is isn't difficult, just fiddly.
I've worked on Minis (and most other things over the years) and always wondered if Alex Issigonis ever did find out who his parents were. The same goes for the bloke that designed the VW Beetle......
No need to drain the coolant. It'll start to dribble out when you slacken off the screw but a Tupperware container stolen from the kitchen is big enough to catch the contents of the matrix.
Good, might stop a few people from using the smelly stuff...... Government will be happy as they'll expect rising fuel prices to push people towards EVs. I think it'll more likely push people towards swapping diesel for petrol. Electricity prices are going up too so EV owners are also going to suffer just as much as everyone else.
I've actually done some work on my car today too. New rear brake pads and fixed the rattling disc shield so it no longer clanks when I go over a bump.
There's a familiar view, I spent most of the weekend looking at that very same thing. A few months ago I replaced the heater matrix on Nigelbb's car but his carpet still seemed to be wet so he dropped it off so I could have another look and see if I'd cocked up somewhere. I ended up taking the whole lot out so I could have a good look and then pressurised the cooling system up to 20 psi so I could watch for any coolant coming out. Pressurising it showed that the reservoir pressure cap was leaking but nothing coming out of the O rings or matrix so it all went back together again. On that, someone had been in there before and had cut the duct as high up as it can be seen looking through the hole so only the lower part has to be pulled out. Even then, due to the shape of it, it still needs a good tug to get it out although it slots straight back in when you come to put it together. Having found no signs of a coolant leak and the leaking cap would explain why he was losing coolant, took the trims off so I could lift the carpet and found it sodden with water but clear water not coolant. Seems his plenum was leaking rainwater in adding to the coolant that was already there.
Taking the instrument panel out will let you see things a bit better but doesn't help with removing anything so while some will not approve and it does seem like a bodge, I'd say cut the duct up around the blend motor level. Just be careful that you don't nick the alloy pipes behind it or you'll have an even bigger coolant leak. When it goes back together you can use duct tape for its designed purpose to join it back together and seal where you cut it. I can see where you've drilled the hole to get at the hidden screw but to get on the screw absolutely perpendicular you'll need to put the hole in the side panel to the left and slightly higher of the hole you've already got. The wayback link shows where someone put two overlapping round holes but I normally use a cutting disc on an angle grinder to put a diamond shaped hole there.
When you put the O rings back, get them in place then start to do the screw up. Once it starts to do something, give the pipes a wiggle to make sure they are fully home before tightening it fully. Once you have changed the O rings, start the car up and let it run up to temperature so you can confirm it isn't leaking before putting everything else back in.
I've just been and filled up at Northmead in Peterborough (and did yesterday, and likely to be doing again tomorrow too!) at 64.9 ppl which I reckon looking at Autogas.app makes it one of the cheapest in the country.
It's LPG (Propane) which is a waste product from producing petrol so shouldn't be affected (although it will no doubt be used as another excuse to put the price up). It varies in price between 50 and 70% of the petrol price so even when it goes up it's still cheaper than running on petrol. UK only takes 8% of it's natural gas from Russia anyway, pipelines run into mainland Europe but there's a bit of water between us and there.
Also, dip the tip of the screwdriver in valve grinding paste so there is much less chance of it riding out and damaging the screw head.
On that video he puts gloop on the O rings but RAVE says to just dip them in antifreeze. I don't suppose it makes much difference until someone comes to try to change them in a few years time.
Absolutely correct, heaving on the hoses under the bonnet will almost certainly cause the, already hardened, O rings to crack and start to leak. The clamp doesn't clamp them tight but holds them in place while allowing a small amount of movement so the flexibility of the O rings keeps the seal. I changed mine when I first got the car and they aren't leaking nearly 12 years later so you'll get more than a couple of months.
At the age it's almost certainly time for a new pair of O rings. Only get the genuine LR ones, for the sake of the minimal extra cost it isn't worth saving a couple of quid. You'll need a long (300mm) number 2 pozidrive screwdriver. It isn't difficult just fiddly, see https://web.archive.org/web/20180530141620/http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdetails/heateroring.html.
Heater cores tend to only fail after someone has changed the O rings and got brutal with the screw and cracked the matrix. Yes, matrix bypass is just linking the in and out under the bonnet and leaving the pipes through the bulkhead open.
Biggest problem with leaving it dripping is the inch of foam under the carpets. That soaks up the coolant and it just stays there, taking the carpet out to dry it out isn't a fun job.
Door outstation. Everything on the door goes via that so if it dies, nothing on the door will work. Both are fed from the same fuses and don't go via the connections behind the kick panel. Easiest check is to swap it for the one on the passenger door and if the fault moves that is definitely the problem.
I quite like it. Is the BeCM happy and not giving any bulb blown messages?