Does the cruise control status use bit indicators for each aspect such as cruise on/off, clutch position, etc ?

This isn't a Rangerover specific answer but I'd say yes for most vehicles for the same reason Gilbert said.
Recently had a similar discussion on LpgForum regards a supercharged L322, seems many of the vehicle's problems were caused by an aftermarket 'compatible' MAF, which went away when the genuine part was fitted.

'Uncoiled the wire' - Do you mean the reducer temp sensor wires you shorted together?

How long since it last ran well on LPG?

Have you done the reducer diaphragm test and injector leak test?

Cut the 2 wires to it (leave enough on the sensor side of the cut so you can rejoin them if it turns out to be a good sensor) and on the LPG ECU side of the cut join the 2 wires together.

While you're at it you could check resistance across the sensor itself.

Dream reducers usually have the wide (M10 / M12) thread for the temp sensor.

If necessary (if your temp sensor is broken) you should be able to remove that temp sensor if you follow my earlier removal advice. But you've said you've found yours has an M6 thread... have you removed it to check? The sensor in the pic definitely looks standard Dream fitting with the wider thread.

OMVL branded Dream reducer temp sensors have a plug on the end of wires. The one you've seen on Ebay should fit Dream reducers but it isn't an original OMVL part because it doesn't have the plug. Since your install has a Stag ECU (instead of OMVL ECU) the loom itself wouldn't have the corresponding plug so the installer will just have cut the OMVL sensor's connector off and spliced the wires in, you'd have to do the same.

Since your Stag ECU will be an older one you should be able to short the temp sensor wires to get it to change to LPG as Bri says, if it were a later ECU shorting the wires would cause the ECU to flag an error (for shorted temp sensor...) and it still wouldn't switch to LPG, in which case you could put a 1K resistor across the temp sensor wires rather than shorting them.

Some inline (in pipe) water temp sensors are OK, some are very prone to water leaks. Most temp sensors are designed to fit in a blind hole in a reducer, some of the in pipe setups use sensors designed to fit into blind holes in reducers in a through hole in the bit that fits in the pipe with just some thread seal and/or a little O ring (but the sensor isn't designed for an O ring).

If you do replace one of the reducer's bolts with a temp sensor make sure you get a sensor of correct thread diameter and at least long enough length. You can cut the threaded end of temp sensors shorter. There are several diameters of temp sensors but iirc the most common sensors are a different diameter to Dream reducer bolt threads, a temp sensor that will fit in e.g. a KME reducer won't fit in place of a bolt in a Dream reducer.

Ideally (if your sensor is broken) you'd replace it with a sensor to fit in the same position rather than fitting a sensor in place of a bolt. The front housing of Dream reducers (where bolts fit) warms slower than the usual temp sensor position. As Bri says, if it's broke try removing it (method I mentioned in earlier post), if you can remove it replace it, if you can't remove it it might be a better idea to fit an line type (a good one) than replace a bolt with a sensor.

Yes the usual position for the temp sensor on a Dream reducer is on top of the reducer, it would he hidden under the pipes in your pic... Unless someone has fitted a sensor designed to fit another type of reducer in place of one of the reducer bolts as Gilbert said.

"LPG injectors £288".... 1 Year after installation - so much for Profess' supposed lifetime warranty! Those injectors will only have cost about £70 at the time.

If there were a broken coil it would still try to switch so would beep back to petrol with no gas pressure.

Yes, try the resistance of the reducer temp sensor. Move the temp sensor wires around where they connect to the sensor during the test.

It's an OMVL Dream reducer and OMVL Superlight injectors but judging by the switch the LPG ECU won't be AEB/OMVL, it will likely be something like an early(ish) AC Stag ECU.

If the switch beeps (as though you've run out of gas) it's trying to switch to gas but detecting low gas pressure so switching back to petrol as though you've run out of gas... Usually a solenoid problem.

If there are no clicks from solenoids and no beeps from the switch it won't be trying to switch to LPG, begging the question why it isn't trying to switch. The usual reason is a low temperature reading from the reducer (either the reducer really isn't getting warmed by flow of hot water or the reducer temp sensor is broken), lack of RPM signal, or if the manifold pressure sensor reads no vacuum (some system's won't switch if it seems the engine is running full load with no manifold vacuum... although Stag usually will switch even at full engine load with no manifold vacuum).

Temp sensors are a common failure on Dream reducers, especially if wires to them are tightly tie-wrapped to hoses connected to the reducer (moving the hoses pulls on the wires to the temp sensor)...If the reducer is getting hot to touch try checking the resistance across the temp sensor, should be a couple of K Ohms (it's an NTC sensor so open circuit reads extremely cold, short circuit extremely hot). They're usually corroded in on Dream reducers (dissimilar metals the temp sensor is brass), to replace it's best to cut the wires off and use a hex socket (usually 12mm). The temp sensor is shallow and easily rounded off so if the hex socket opens up at the end it's best to grind the socket so the socket's hex gets full purchase on the hex of the sensor.

Stag ECUs had the option of detecting RPM from injection pulses (instead of from a coil or rpm feed) earlier than AEB ECUs, still early Stag ECU's needed an rpm connection.

Some systems refuse to switch to LPG if they read no manifold vacuum (to prevent switching fuels during full engine load), though Stag don't usually do this. Still, since it's easy to check the vacuum connection from manifold to vacuum sensor it's a check worth doing early on. Don't forget that the map sensor vac line is usually T'd to the reducer, if the vac pipe is broken/disconnected at any point it could see the map sensor reading no vacuum.

That's good then, a simple and relatively inexpensive fix.

I've been on the floor under many thousands of vehicles for extended periods including hundreds of P38s.

If I'm doing 'on the floor' and not working on wheels/suspension my favourite method for raising a vehicle is to drive it onto concrete blocks.

But with Rangerover's it's so handy to be able to press a button and have the car lift itself up, no driving onto concrete blocks necessary.

With most of the Rangerovers I converted I just pressed the button and crept underneath, loads of headroom. On only a few of the Rangerovers I've been under have I felt it necessary to prop the body (including a few P38s I converted that were on bump stops when they came in...).

If I have to jack anything I'll try to leave both jack and axle stands under the vehicle sharing the weight and adding stability. Still, if a spring failed... But considering the vehicle has been driving around for years/miles and the spring hasn't failed it would have to be 'my time' and a freak accident for anything that untoward to happen. Although electronics on Rangerovers may decide to vent air from airbags at anytime, or airbags might suddenly blow, I've come to trust that won't happen.

But I do sometimes push the risks a bit... some of you have seen (on forum) pics of the Nissan I had resting on gas tanks while I dropped it's engine out from below..

After addressing all the obvious crush safety concerns my biggest worry under cars is the amount of crap I'll be getting in my eyes. I get loads of bits in eyes, mostly very minor issues but around 3 times per year I'll get something in an eye that messes with my eyes for several days. Can't wear goggles etc, can't see well enough through them.

Looks brand new or like a concourse show car.

How much will it be worth after all this?

I've ground quite a few spanners thinner...

Gilbertd wrote:

By the way, you'd be welcome to join us for a pint tomorrow evening https://rangerovers.pub/topic/1775-a-night-out-at-the-pub

No need to rub it in if he can't currently buy beer in SA? lol..

I dunno about Raspberry Pi based BeCMs but people have built fuel injection ECUs from Raspberry Pi's, various videos on YouTube including one of an Indian guy who based his motorbike's fuel injection system on a Pi.

I'm tinkering with a similar idea but where the output from the Pi (or whatever) is used as input for an LPG slave ECU... could call it a slave driver ;-) All it needs to do is output a pulse per rpm pulse (or rpm pulse divided by 2 / multiplied by 2 / etc) with pulse length keyed to manifold pressure (e.g. 1 bar map = 10ms pulse, 0.5bar map = 5ms pulse length, etc). The range of pulse lengths it provides isn't critical because the actual tuning could be done in the slave LPG ECU's map. Could be made closed loop if it adjusts pulse length according to lambda voltage, could even have it's own fuel trims but to have it's own fuel trims it would ideally need to store a table for trims at different combinations of manifold pressure and rpm. Wouldn't even need it's own map sensor because the LPG system will have a map sensor. Standalone EFI LPG systems exist but are relatively expensive and modern such systems are incapable of running closed loop, this setup would be less expensive and the installer could use it in combination with almost any LPG ECU they preferred to use. Functionality of the unit could be increased, for example it could switch external emulation of LPG injectors to allow instantaneous switching to LPG (by switching from emulated LPG injectors to actual LPG injectors) when petrol from a carb float bowl runs out.

I've worked on a P38 that wouldn't start with the MAF disconnected but wouldn't run with it connected (or vice/versa, I forget which way around it was). Certainly a duff MAF can cause inability to run (bet Gilbert would remind everyone except with an LPG mixer system ;)

There's fuel pressure... but is there fuel pressure when the engine is running? And is fuel pressure correct when the engine is running (pump isn't haphazard and the fuel pressure regulator backs of fuel pressure with rising manifold vacuum)? They run very rich initially during cranking and just after starting, especially when the engine is cold and in cold weather.

They could probably start and run for a brief period with half the fuel they normally get for cold start conditions but with half the fuel they wouldn't run for long before leaning out and stalling. Very low or (less likely) very high fuel pressure could give the symptoms.

Usually a naff crank sensor would hinder starting too - crank sensors can be affected by temperature but between a cold engine to start and the engine running for a moment before stalling the crank sensor temperature will be almost the same.

A vacuum leak could cause it but it would probably have to be quite severe...

Others will know more about whether there's some system that powers up the fuel pump during cranking but relies on an engine running signal from the ECU to keep the fuel pump powered up?

Even less likely, severely block cats could cause the symptom, probably unheard of on a P38?

In the mid 90's at about 3am on a Sunday morning I was driving back from Liverpool to home in Yorkshire on the M62 in my Vauxhall Senator at about 130mph, not flat out, just cruising at a high speed with hardly any other traffic on the road. I saw another car way behind slowly catching me up but it had no police markings, at the time there were few unmarked police cars anyway, I considered the car was approaching from so far behind that it was unlikely I'd gone passed it while it was parked up somewhere and it was trying to catch up to me so I thought it would just be someone doing the same as me. I stayed at the same speed as it overtook me and as it went past I looked across at it. I saw it was full of policemen, probably middle aged officer ranks! The front and rear passengers both gave me a look as they went past but they didn't pull me, just continued on their way as both cars maintained the same speeds we'd been doing. I gradually slowed down to under a ton to put some distance between us in case they changed their mind lol. I wondered that if I'd been in a different car, maybe something they knew I'd have to have foot to the floor in to do 130mph, or if it was a different time of day and traffic was busier, they might have thought I was speed testing the car, racing or driving recklessly and pulled me. On another occasion I was stopped for speeding in my Vauxhall Senator by police in an Vauxhall Omega, we had a chat about the cars and they told me if I'd decided to try to do a runner it was unlikely their Omega could have kept up with my Senator, I told them 'yes but your roadblocks and helicopters would catch me', they ended up letting me off lol.

Just caught up with this thread but Dave phoned me yesterday, we discussed aspects of his LPG install including options for a replacement reducer.

Piro based systems were only made for a few years, OMVL intended them to supersede all the Dream ECU (AEB2568) based systems but the ECUs had problems from the outset which were never fully sorted in any firmware version and they lack features (such as petrol addition capability) compared to even the older AEB2568's they replaced. The switch on the dash looks very similar to the usual AEB119B switches and use the same connector but are incompatible with AEB119B's, the Map sensor looks like a usual AEB025 but the pressure and vacuum pipe positions are swapped and they're not quite fully compatible with AEB025's, they need a specific Piro interface cable and they're calibrated in a different way to AEB2568's.. There's no 'fuel trim bank 2', instead they have a separate map for each bank of cylinders. That said, good results can be had from them and it's still possible to buy spare parts like switches and map sensors.

If I'm allowed (because I don't have a Rangerover) I might even come, work etc permitting.

I've been to Halfords Doncaster a couple of times during lockdown.
I did order/reserve stuff online but didn't wait for their email, just turned up at the store. A short que (7 mins), no customers allowed inside, a staff member sat at a desk with till at the entrance... told him what I wanted and he went off to get it from the normal shelves, scanned it at the til at the entrance, paid on card as normal. I was never asked if I'd reserved anything. Still haven't had a txt/email in reply to my reservation from weeks ago but that might be because their system noticed I'd already been and bought stuff I'd previously reserved.

I only really wanted some clay bars, polish and wax. But thought I'd better buy oil and ask for the other stuff as an aside or they might tell me to bugger off for just buying none essential stuff. You'll be OK on that front buying brake fluid though...

Last time I went to Euro Car Parts they said to take a letterhead next time as they'd only be serving trade customers and key workers. I have a kind of pseudo account with Euro Car Parts, I get everything at trade discount price but without actually having an account. Pretty obvious you're in the trade if you buy spark plugs in sets of 30+ lol.

I expect some stick for this suggestion but have you tried disconnecting the battery for a while lol? I've got a Chrysler Grand Voyager with a dead cell in the battery, I store a few parts and tools in it in the yard for convenient access. With the dead cell the battery will start the engine but the BCM doesn't work properly with it even after the alternator has kicked in... unless I disconnect the battery and charge it to a temporary 12.odd volts first. When the BCM is acting up the wipers turn on/off without switching controls, hazards flash (alarm type thing), instruments don't work, radio just comes up with a splash screen in German. If I disconnect the battery and reconnect when it's at 12v it all works properly. Just occurred to me that your battery is kicking out about half the CCA of it's new rating, which it might do with a dead cell. I'll shut up now ;-)