Not a P38 but there may be P38 owners who could profit out of this at my expense!
While using my Nissan Elgrand to tow my large caravan from near Doncaster Yorkshire to Newquay Cornwall I felt a drop in engine power coming up a hill on the A30 20 miles from Newquay. I immediately suspected the very common (to Elgrand) blocked cat problem - there are 4 cats in total, two at each side of the V6, the front cats break up and clog the entrance to the rear cats, the usual preventative measure is to decore the rear cats which I've done for plenty of customers but not on my own Elgrand!. I pulled into a layby and checked things over... oil clean, had a few codes pointing to cam sensors, pulled the cam sensors and cleaned them up, phoned the 'Elgrand guru' who still reckoned it'd only be a cam sensor (which I doubted). Connected LPG software and found bank 1 was running with 30% less fuelling than bank 2 so I suspected the problem would mostly be affecting bank 1 (since both lambda's flicked and since bank 1 therefore was pulling 30% less air than bank 2). Tried driving again but the problem remained. Stopped in another layby and called the RAC out, like the guru the RAC man also doubted it'd be blocked cats, he also advised me that only my car was covered so if I wanted recovering they'd have to call in one of their subcontractors who would shift the caravan to Newquay for me for £500! I insisted we did something about the cats so he loaned me a hammer and chissel and I knocked a hole in the downpipe on bank 1 before the rear cats... found it full of cat debris. Knocked another large hole further up the exhaust. Set off again and the car pulled much better, RAC man (who had been following) left me to it but another 2 miles down the road and the problem recurred only this time with overheating and the oil was black. Called RAC man again, another bloke came out, this bloke gave me the number to his mates garage who recovered the car and caravan to Newquay for £150+VAT and got me onto the camp site. Next day I borrowed step son-in-laws car to go into town and buy some tools and oil from Halfrauds, I disconnected bank 2's second cat and tried driving the car very noisily up a steep hill away from the campsite. Made it 100 yards and the engine seized! Reverse rolled all the way back to the camp site.
Hired a Zafira which I can drop off in Doncaster so this will get us home but not the caravan (no towbar) and not the Elgrand. Plan now is that I'll have to hire a car trailer to come back for the Elgrand with my Merc ML and then come back again in the ML for the caravan. I can store both the caravan and car here for £20 per week and may try to arrange things so we get a few days 'holiday' each trip, but that's 2 x 700 mile round trips and potential time out from work I haven't arranged things around.
I wonder if any capable vehicle (i.e. P38) owners would like to make a few bob by shifting my Elgrand from Newquay to South Elmsall W.Yorks? Timescale - Well, plan A is that I come back for the Elgrand first leaving the caravan here the longest so I can get 2 extra 'holidays' out of it rather than just the 1 if I pick the caravan up first. This may change if I arrange for someone else to shift the Elgrand (could maybe get both at the same time). I can leave both here until November but don't want to leave either here that long and would suit me better if I get the Elgrand back first so I can drop another engine in it if only I wasn't so busy at work. I'm fairly tied up at work until September and it may take me that long to source another engine anyway.
Question in the topic name. I don't think I've untracked any threads I've been on yet.
Posted this on LPGforum, copied and pasted here.
Just had a phone call from someone at DVSA (took his name but won't mention it here)...
He asked my advice because many owners of LPG converted vehicles have contested MOT failure (due to MIL light being on and since the stricter MOT rules were introduced) because they believe it is normal for LPG converted vehicles for the MIL light to be on. He said he/DVSA had been searching the internet for info on whether this was correct but couldn't find much info, then found my website and it seemed I would be able to answer his question(s).
I told him that the MIL light should not be on on an LPG converted vehicle.
I also told him I was probably shooting myself in the foot telling him the truth, because if DVSA believed it was normal for the MIL to be on it could be a further advantage for owners of LPG converted vehicles at MOT time!
Simon
Did a write up on it on LPGforum here's the link
See the video on the this page https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/aluminium-repair-starter-kit/
Fix your own aluminium cylinder head where pitted on the compression gasket land due to a blown head gasket / easily fix holed aircon pipes? Would you have faith this would work?
I have a leaky aircon pipe (not on a P38), haven't looked where the leak is yet but the missus could hear it was near the back wheel. When I get time plan is to pressurise the AC system (with CO2 or LPG because DIY AC gas refills are expensive, I don't have nitrogen and don't want to shove water vapour in with compressed air), locate the leak, remove pipe and hopefully use this stuff (cheaper from Ebay) to braze and fix it. If that works I might let an AC firm suck all the gas out and refill... but wonder if it CO2 / LPG would be a problem for their machine?
Courtesy of 'Sorceror' on LPGforum
I knew about the Firefox fix, didn't know about the Chrome fix
Title says it all...
It seems to work that way in opening time but not in oily bits or electrikery.
As a kid I went to a few 4x4 rallies with my dad who went through a stage of being Landrover mad and had a couple. There was usually some sort of off-road course, I remember one had a small river crossing which was attempted by many owners in various vehicles, Land/Rangerovers, G Wagons, Lada Nivas British and foreign Army type stuff, most succeeded to get around the course except the brand new bull-barred Subaru brought by a Subaru dealer which got it's bull bars pulled off by a Landrover trying to pull it up the river banking lol.
Anyway, used to see all sorts of 4x4s and various takes on Landrovers such as forward control models. Recently I saw an unusual looking Transit van filling with petrol at a garage in Mexborough (near me), suspension seemed raised and could see it was 4wd, got talking to the owner who reckoned he'd had it built like that by brand new as a one-off by a specialist firm. I haven't seen much else in the way of special model Rangerovers (e.g. no forward control models), although have seen unusual Classics with extra long wheelbase, big Yank diesel / petrol engines years ago and a few years ago I fixed a (I think the owner called it) Bobcat(?), very short cutdown wheel base Rangerover. Out of interest, what strange models are out there?
Simon
Yesterday I removed a complete LPG system from a Disco3 with Jag engine.
System comprises 95L 4 hole full toroidal tank (was underslung), Agis electronics and injectors, KME reducer, BRC style forced lube system.
The owner will be selling the lot, probably on Ebay.
He said he doesn't much like LPG anyway, and besides, Guy Salmom (his preferred Landrover dealers) won't have the vehicle in their shop with the LPG system installed, not even just to service it. I did mention he could have taken it to one of the many other LR specialists but he wanted it removing and had me spell out very specifically on his receipt that all of the LPG system was removed to appease Guy Salmom!
The tank was a pita to remove, bolts all seized and difficult to access... angle grinder job! Cut the rear bolts easily but couldn't get to the front bolts until I'd slipped a jack in between the tank and Disco underframe to pry the tank down a bit, even then I had to put a 9" cutting wheel on a 6" grinder to reach a front bolt... the big disk spinning so close to my hand in a hard to reach spot wasn't something I enjoyed! With only 1 bolt remaining I fatigued it off rather than repeat the risky cutting.
The bits would fit and work on other LR models including P38s but the front end bits would be a bit difficult to get spare parts for, The 4 hole tank will be the most valuable and useful part here but will need a bit of work - new solenoid post, coil, will come without a filler or JIC filling pipe, I'd advise a new level sender, it'll need wire brushing and paint.
If anyone contacts the seller don't mention this post ;-)
Simon
I'll be doing a thread on LPG forum on a Maserati Grand Turismo I just converted, but I dunno if I'll be including the following content, or if I do it may be with a disclaimer!
Those that know me may be interested ;-)
Dropbox links 190mb and 100 mb respectively::
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vid 1
I thought I was the first to convert one of these, at least properly, at least to run totally on LPG at full throttle up to the red line in sport mode, so what a shame when as a coincidence I receive these anonymous mental videos via email (or something, I forget how I obtained them now) from some other at least half decent LPG pro who seems to have achieved just that. Obviously I wouldn''t be crass enough to film such stuff on phone, especially while I was driving. Man after my own heart, though... . ;-)
Simon
Reading another thread prompted me to write this...
Years ago as a kid in the 70s I used to visit scrap yards with my dad when he was looking for bits for his cars, Landrovers, boats, or just bits to make other stuff out of. I remember on a few occasions we visited a surreal site, massive, indoor and outdoor sections, and one of the indoor sections was a huge warehouse with old complete Landrovers the length of the entire warehouse stacked 3 or 4 high on racking! Outside there were bombs, old artillery pieces, all sorts of eye opening stuff to a kid. It must have been some sort of ex forces storage depot but I can't remember where it was... I can't see the place still being around today, or even if it is there's no way they would allow the general public to go in and look around these days. I believe it was around the Doncaster area, can anyone fill in the blanks in my memory with any info about it?
Simon
OK I know this is a P38 forum.
Had a customer the other day with a 3.5 Disco, came in unable to run on LPG and didn;'t run great on petrol either. Sorted a few probs with the open loop mixer LPG system (needed new switch which wasn't seeing RPM so never turned gas on) and then fixed the bodged pipe between reducer and mixer and set it up a lot better.
But, he'd messed up ignition timing before he came. So, questions are - Anyone know static advance? Anything to know about timing marks on the front pulley? Likely to be any probs in the dizzy? He has his own timing light and wants to do it himself but I'd hazard a guess he'll be asking me the above questions at some point.
Simon
Hello!
I'm Simon Andrew, Lpgc on Lpgforum and well known to Gilbertd from there.
Was intrigued by one of Gilbert's recent comments there, enough to sway me to look at this forum, and I might be getting involved in doing head gaskets on a P38 soon and this forum seems full of experts (including Gilbert of course) so I joined up. I don't own a Rangerover myself but I work on plenty.
Well buga me, I'm to be moderated by Gilbertd... Everything in moderation though eh Gilbert hehe!
Regards
Simon