Ok- Airtex it is. Thank you both--- Gilbert/Rutland

On the subject of water pumps. Atlanic British is having a sale on pumps. One is about $125 for an Airtex and the other is a No Name for about $65. I assume you get what you pay for but these days almost all parts come out of the same factory in China. Reviews for both are 4 star out of 5.

Any been-there-done-that stories?

Welcome--- As another new P38 owner I can attest to the fact about being the last tag with the last few owners' avoiding repairing anything. I had to replace my O rings the moment it hit my driveway. Repairing all of the broken bits helps you bond quickly with your P38.

Well-- looks like I have happy hunting to do. I am going to drive it like it is and keep an eye on it. Really too cold to do any major work anyway. I will be interested in when your coolant level stablizes-if it does after your head gasket change out. Mine does not drop when I just go through a static heat cycle- just if a drive it on the street. I have no idea how many street cycles it takes to fully burp the air out of the system on these P38's.

I know mine went a long time without a full load of coolant because when I got the truck from the PO there was NO COLLANT in the reservoir (yes I was a bit freaked out) and he had only owned it for two months before me. Told me that when he first got it that he drove it for an hour and it never overheated. It never overheated for me on my first test drive. Much of the coolant came out of the O rings -sogged out the carpet/foam and filled the cable tray with so much coolant that coolant was dripping onto the rear of my right running board. Must have been leaking for a long time.

With that past history- I still could have a head gasket leak due to some overheating in its' past life. The carfax stops at 101K miles and it now has 105K miles. Could have been a hard 4k miles of O ring leaks.

Gilbert/Morat--- I am not sure why the coolant level would sit below the max line naturally-- there is pretty big volume above that line to absorb expansion- but this is a phenomenon I have read on the dark side forum.

I am also thinking light leak somewhere- just cannot find it using a strong LED flashlight. I have read somewhere that a UV light will show trails of Coolant but I have never actually seen this.

My first guess was the throttle body heater hoses-- but while I see a tiny bit of fuzz indicating some leakage, I do not see any wet spots. I will have to look closer at the water pump which at 100K miles has to be suspect.

I use the orange Dex coolant.

Been taking short trips since I replaced the O rings and bled the system.

I always start out each trip with the coolant at the max level line indicated on the reservoir. The next day the coolant seems to go down to 1/4" below the max fill line. Keep thinking I am still burping the system but after some reading, I am not sure.

Now-- before I start thinking I still have a leak problem, I have heard that many owners have their P38's find it's own coolant level and often it is below the max fill line. I read one owner say that his P38 has a natural level and no matter how many times he fills to the max level it spits out the coolant and goes back to its natural level-about 1/2" below max fill line.

Is this true-- never had a car/truck which had a "natural coolant level"

Rob- that makes sense to me. It amazed me that it puked back out almost 2 quarts even though it was warm/hot. My fear is that there is something else going one- going to wait till cold and start over.

I assume that if I had removed the fill plug before I pulled the drain plug during the filter change-out that I would have drained off at least a quart or so of fluid before it stopped dripping due to the pump is not pulling fluid into the torque converter.

I always seem to have manual boxes so this auto box stuff is a bit foreign to me.

OK-- I went through the Atlantic British process which I knew may be wrong-- but things went strange fast. I got about two and a half quarts in the pan statically. Started up the truck and let heat up a bit then went through the gears and then kept it running. Went under the truck and started pumping in fluid- got about three more quarts in and it started to drip past the tube in the hole and I thought fine-- soon as I pulled the tube out to check how quick it was really dripping without the tube in the hole-- it pucked out two quarts of fluid. I am letting the truck cool down and will start over.

I think I proved that AB method of doing it warm is the wrong way to go-- all of the fluid in the tranny must have heated up - expanded- then blew out of the fill hole. Great that a supplier would make video which is wrong.

Now I have to go out and buy more fluid since it went back into my drain pan which was empty but still had dirt bits in it. I did pour it back into my empty bottles using a fine mesh paint strainer- but not worth taking a chance.

I measured the amount of fluid I dropped out when I first pulled the pan--about four quarts.

I just looked at the Atlantic British video and it says that you bring the truck up to operating temperature to check level. I thought it was a cold level check because the fluid expands when it is hot.

Are you saying that when you change the filter you can put all 9.7 liters back into the transmission? I normally find with an automatic I can only put about 1/3 of the total because most of the fluid stays in the torque converter when you dump what is in the pan.

I am changing out the transmission filter in my 2000 H&H/HSE. How many quarts of fluid should I buy? The Rave I have does not give a filter change-out volume in the repair section.

Also- I know after static fill you need to go through the gears and the put it back in Park and keep it running to pull more in the tranny as you do a final fill- and that you have to do it fast since it is a cold level at the fill port.

Does anyone keep it in neutral while the motor is running and you are under the truck filling? I heard the pump is still turning in neutral and not in Park.

Thanks Rutland-- I took a chance and got lucky--yeah---looks good to me.

Thank you JMC-- From you that is high praise!

Thought I would show a few photos of my refinished trim installed.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/6uTCa0x.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/3xqhtii.jpg[/img]

Thank Sloth-- Yes you did answer on the dark side. I am covering my bases. Is there any danger in trying to check out the 1515 code by going through the normal EKA proceedure?

Sloth-- You are saying that my NANO is acting normal when it shows no EKA or FOB code because my US P38 came with a locked BECM. My NANO would not be able to read it even if my P38 had one originally.

My US dealer says that US P38's came without an EKA. Sounds like there is no way for me to determine if mine does. He says that they do not have that data in their database even using my VIN number. Nice catch 22 happening here.

I called my not so local LR dealer to confirm that us P38 owners in the US cannot buy a new key FOB. His info was the manufacturer who made the FOBs stopped making them. He could make me a standard key for about $30-provided I showed proof of ownership.

I then asked him if I provided the ownership papers he required to cut me a standard key could he use them to tell me what my EKA and FOB codes are. He told me that as far as he knows- and he has asked LR US this question due to other P38 customers asking the same- that the US P38's were never issued EKA codes. If a customer's car got into a superlock down (he called it something else which I cannot recall) that they would have to use the dealer's Testbook to open up the car and shut off the immobilizer. As of today his dealership no longer has a testbook so a P38 owner in this situation is up a creek.

So how bogus is this info from the head of parts who says he has been with LR since the Classic was on the showroom floor?

If you end up having only a stock key for a 2000 P38 after your FOB dies should you never lock your doors with it? Is straight key only safe to start and drive the P38?

I find all this hard to believe since most every thread on lockout always mentions using the EKA code first- and if not working check the micro switches.

Last-- if my only FOB dies and if I cannot get my EKA from a dealer-- how do I use my NANO to get my P38 up and running provided I have NOT locked the BECM?

Chris-I do have a NANO- and while getting to know it better I believe I only turned off the EKA. Since I do not have the EKA code I felt --why not.

Without the EKA code number, I do not think I can turn off the Passive immobilizer using the NANO. I mentioned that I wanted to turn off the main immobilizer and Gil explained to me that with my basic NANO I can turn only off the Passive immobilizer ---if I had the EKA code.

Much to catch up on-- thanks for your insight. Tomorrow I will make sure the EKA and the passive immobilizer are enabled and see if putting the key in the ignition will auto sync for me-- now that I have two batteries in my FOB.

Thanks Gil--- inserted the key in the door - locked- and pressed down the lock button resulting in rapid blinking but no sync. Did not know about the key in ignition. With two batteries it will autoflash provided I turn on passive immobilization?

Not sure I like this passive immobilization-

The factory assumes you were going to start the motor if you unlocked the door- which may be the more common sequence-- but if you unlock and then walk away to get the paper- then the car goes into lockdown mode after 60 seconds. Then what do you do-- press the unlock button again even though it is unlocked? Will the alarm go off if you just open the door?

Whaaat--- 6V.

Now that puts it in my more stupid mistakes ledger.

The guy I bought P38 from said he was all set to sync the key before he sold it to me but my hauler got to his house before he could do it. Said just lock it and push the lock button and all will be good.

So when the FOB did not blink- I simply replaced the Battery--- not Batteries. There was only one battery installed so I did not question.

Never had a Fob with two stacked batteries. I have to download a 2000 Owner's manual and read it.

But----Still did not sync using the turn the key to lock and hold down the lock button method. Red LED flashing away but no joy!

I have read so many different sync methods-- is this the one to use on a 2000?

Looks like I have a second generation RF receiver and it is connected.

Will be checking all of the micro switches in the door tomorrow which has to be the issue.

Thanks again Gil---