Mostly because I'm happy enough doing the rebuild work myself, it's just the machining work that I can't do for obvious reasons. £900ish for machine work, vs £2245 plus VAT for a short engine is a LOT of money - which I don't have spare at the moment! It's also about 2/3 of my entire 'estimated' budget that I'm willing to spend on doing it up... I still want to make a bit of money out of it and feel like it's been worth my time!

This is from a different engine block altogether - long story short....

Bought the 2 RR's - one's GEMS, one's Thor.. Both of my blue ones...
Awhile later got some other parts off the guy I bought the RR's from in the first place, and that included a pretty much complete GEMS engine, block, crank, extra pistons, front cover, heads, lower inlet manifold etc...

This block I got after the vehicle is the original engine block from the R Reg, '98 - but it has 2 damaged liners in the top of it., which is why the engine was changed. Apparently there are overheating issues and things like that with the engine that's in it (it's the one we pushed into the workshop as it's either locked out or out of sync etc... not the green one - that's gone to my mate).

So, being as it's the original engine and I'm pretty much doing a full restore on both of the ones I own, I figured I'd get this block top hatted, rebuild the engine up and then transplant it back into the vehicle, so I could then sell it with original, overhauled engine. I know I wouldn't normally get back the price of top hatting it, but I am aiming to sell these vehicles (when restored) for somewhere between £7-£8K, listed as 'restored' with all the normal niggle P38 issues fixed/upgraded etc.

I know I am limiting myself to a pretty slim market at those kind of prices - but I'm wanting them to be as close to perfect as possible - without stripping the whole thing back to the chassis and starting again. And I believe (there are dealers on eBay selling low mileage P38's for more!) that if I do it right, rather than just chuck a few bits in a flip them, that I can get a decent figure for them... So top hatting the block is probably the first step in making them appealing, and as the liners are already shagged in the block, it's really the only way of making it useful again.

I am pretty sure that it will get a bath of something when it goes to be machined, so all the oil and water ways will get cleaned out of crud, or any debris in them. New oil pump gears in the front cover were going to be on the list anyway. I'll get the crank polished/reground if I need to - but hence why I wanted other opinions aswell as if it's OK, I don't want to do lots of unneccesary work to it either!

New piston rings are also on the list to do on rebuilding, with fresh bearings aswell obviously!!

I've had a bit of a look and £8 for a set of verniers sound a bit too cheap for me... I'm thinking a screw micrometer will be a bit more precise in the long run!

Got the crank out, and the bearings... Bearings are toast for sure, but luckily the journal housings are looking OK in the block. Need to clean the crank up and check what it's like - but from when I was looking yesterday, there wasn't any scoring on the crank, unlike the bearings...

Some pictures:

About to call a couple of places about top hat liner quotes for the block... will see what they say...

It's the crank out of the original engine from the '98 that I've got for restoration/selling.

The parallel lines in the last pic are a light reflection, yes - it's from the strip of high power LEDs I've got up on the ceiling in the garage.

I need to finish getting the rear main cap out this morning and then I can lift the crank out and give it a proper clean and check over. Will get a set of Vernier gauges (I've been after a good reason to get some for a long time!) and measure the journals and see what it says. I'll get some pictures of the bearing sets when I get them out too..

Quick question for those that have been in the bottom of an engine more than I have...

Been slowly stripping the bits out of this engine block that I have here, and now getting the main bearing caps off. I've just got the rear one to go in the morning.

I've taken a few pics of the crank, what's people's opinion regarding condition? It doesn't feel scored anywhere, so I'm hoping it will be OK to re-install when the block comes back, just with putting a new set of bearings in it...

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Marty

I was also going to say that they look thick aswell...

On mine I originally used 6mm ID hose from the injectors to the nozzles on the inlet manifold, and I occasionally had a whiff of gas from under there. I replaced with 5mm ID hose, which is a bit thinner aswell, but more importantly creates a tighter seal on all the unions so less likely to get any minor gas leaks.

Looking good though! Hopefully your door locks will be there soon so you can have something else to work on aswell :)

Definitely might look at modifying my other plenum and redoing my injector hoses again too...

Ferryman wrote:

Correct but the passengerside is just as old, plus it does the grounding for the tailgatedoors so will need new switches too.
Let me know when the driversdoor is ready.

Cheers, Tony.

No problem - I'll get the drivers one finished so it can be sent of first - and then work on the passenger one. If I have all the parts, then I'll work to get both of them ready to send off in one go as it's easier for postage etc.
Cheers,
Marty

Good luck with the install - will keep an eye out on your progress!

It's the drivers one I have nearly done - the passenger one may take a little bit longer, but I think you were wanting to do the drivers one first?

Cheers,
Marty

My system has a battery +ve feed direct to the LPG ECU, so it is permanently powered, and it goes through an inline fuse.

I don't know if there is a second feed which is ignition switched to wake it up or not though. I've seen a few of them installed like this, so don't know if it is supposed to be a permanent supply, or if it is actually supposed to be switched.

Yes, GEMS runs wasted spark aswell - so the ECU should already be set appropriately.

I will have to have a look on my system to see if the injector rails will fit under the Bananas, so I can run short hosework, or whether I'll trim between the bananas and run up to the top and bolt the injectors on top. Not sure if it gets too warm under the intake for the injectors to live - but then it's pretty warm under the bonnet anyway!

Ferryman - I've got most of the door latch for you assembled - I've just got to fit the microswitches, top plates, and then test it...

The hoses on mine are probably a bit longer than 300mm, but don't seem to notice too much of a different in throttle response (a little bit at highway speed - accelerating from 50mph for example...

But now I've seen the 'through banana' pictures, It's kinda making me want to rip it out and do that... I have a spare Thor manifold in the garage, so maybe I'll get the dremel out later and modify that one!

Some of the newer LPG ECU's I think allow auto adaptation aswell, but I think that mostly runs off a connection to the OBD port and it then gets the fuel trims from the engine ECU from there. I can't remember if there are a couple of types that will allow auto adaptation using the O2 sensors if they are connected - but my system doesn't - as Gilbertd says it just shows the values of them when it's all running.

Wish my set of bananas looked that nice and shiny!

Glad you are all ok - and away from the madness that was there. I saw bits of it on the news and did wonder that you were off down that way at some point!!

That Audi does sound like a monster... :)

Sorry, been busy the last couple of days - had a friend staying who's over from NZ and haven't seen them since 2012...

I've now got another job this week in London so having to head off on Wednesday and not back until Friday night, so again the P38 bits get put on hold :( But have a fairly free Sunday to do some testing and Monday to post off.

If you are happy to send the ABS ECU with the old switchpack, then I can use to for testing/checking components as 'known' values - it's not likely to get blown up luckily!!

I would also go with MAF for issues on fuelling on Motronic on Petrol - had the issues with mine, and still did it with a cheap aftermarket MAF - though with a genuine Bosch one to replace the faulty one, she was happy again!

Ahh... in that case... if it's just running on Petrol then the plot thickens...

Switchpack... I should have one done soon - I've got a load of things on this week, so need to find a spot of time to test one in the RR and get it boxed up! It comes as just the switch unit, so you get to keep the current wood trim that you have - the switch unit itself is held in by some torx head screws to the surround..

It's pretty easy to so, few screws, one connector :)

mm, i've done the UJ's twice since I've had it, and in a final bid to see if that was the problem, I bought a whole brand new front prop - and nothing changed...

I'll crawl under later and check the UJ's again, but pretty sure it's something on the axle itself which is causing it - either wheel/tyre, CV, bearing etc..

It had a replacement diff a few years ago, new UJ's, new ball joints, whole new prop shaft, new track rod, new drag link, new steering damper, new steering box (as you know!) ... so really only bearings and CV's on the axle which haven't been changed!

I want to do radius arm bushes as I've heard they can have an effect, but starting to run out of ideas now!

Could be the LPG pulling the adaptive values out of range - I get the occasional error on mine still and I think it is probably just from points in the LPG map where it isn't quite right so if I try and push it for a bit of power and the LPG system is not quite fast enough then the petrol ECU compensates and it pulls the short term fuel trim out of range. I need to hook the Nanocom up in instrument mode and take her out for a run whilst recording live data, and the switch from petrol to LPG a few times in different conditions/speeds and see what the trims etc do.

The rough road signal is normal - it should flip/flop between 0V and 12V - if the ABS ECU detects rough road, then it does something with the signal (either holds it high or low, I can't remember) to tell the engine ECU that it's on rough terrain and it then takes that into account with the readings from the knock sensors (which detect vibrations) so it doesn't trigger misfire codes when you're just battering it off road :)

I've nearly got a window switchpack ready for you aswell if you still need one? I've been battling with trying to get window switchpacks and door latches worked on, around work, and trying to do other RR bits for people!!

Marty

So your clunk is fixed :) Did you have a vibration aswell before doing it, or was it just the clunk?

I'm waiting on my CV joint arriving and then will get the LH side done, though I am temped to do the RH side aswell at some point in the near future...

I am thinking about doing my CV joint too... it does click more than it used to (well it's the only thing I can think of that still does it after pretty much the rest of the steering system has been done!! short of doing the bearings!).. And I had a look up at the symptoms of a bad CV joint, and one place said that excessive vibration can be a sign of it... and since my vibration is coming through the steering wheel (and a LOT more noticable now the steering box doesn't have a load of play in it!) I think I might give that a go as it's cheap, and I know the CV most likely needs doing... there was a click when I first got the vehicle, and I know the boot got nicked when I did the front diff 4 years ago..

I put a new boot on, but I'd done about 1500 miles before I got the chance to do it, and I don't think the new boot clips were as tight as they should be, so it's probably buggered the joint up a bit quicker... For the price of the Bearmach one, I'm willing to give it a shot... still going to try and do the VC bearing, and a wheel/tyre swap at some point too - though finding 4 wheels, with decent tyres could be interesting as most of the ones up at the workshop are a bit past it I think...

I'd probably go the Bearmach one... purely on their website it has the same part number (ending in .M8) as the OE one at £90 odd quid... so chances are it's the same exact thing, just in a green box...

Are Land Rover having a laugh at £475 inc VAT for a sodding CV joint?!?

Ok, so the figures are in for me...

I've just been and filled up the LPG tank, and I managed to get 70.4L in - and for that amount of gas, I did 210 miles..
So, 70.4L equates to about 15.48 gallons, which maths comes back to 13.56mpg
A bit less than I was hoping for, but a lot of that was short trips, and the motorway journey back home was stop/start a lot of the way. The trip computer only says 15.4mpg with an average speed of about 27mph - so 13.5 on gas is probably about right.

Still at 55p/L, 70.4L = £38.72 to do 210 miles, which makes it about £0.18p per mile to run a 4.6L Range Rover...

And it works out at about 2.983 miles/L

I should have a chance to crunch some numbers tomorrow...

I drove back from London (well Heathrow area) this evening and ran it on gas until I got to 210 miles (I was expecting it to conk out before then!) and a fair bit of that was in stop/start traffic - given it was Friday evening on the M4... though the crash near J14 didn't help either - but hey.

Observation so far... think I can probably tweak the map a bit more to richen it up between 2000-3000rpm, as after I switched back to petrol for the last 20 odd miles, it definitely felt like it had more get up and go when you tried to accelerate on the motorway, starting at 60mph ish. I'm planning on heading up to the workshop either tomorrow or Sunday to do an inventory, but will record all the parameters on the Nanocom and see what the injector timings are on petrol for that rev range and that will give me the area in the map to tweak a bit... If I can find my USB extension cable, then I could put the laptop on the seat with the LPG software on it and have a real-time read out and map...