I think they must have been an option...

These were the standard 16" wheels on the P38 - this was my first one back in NZ, which was a 1995 4.6HSE with 16's on it:

It'n not so much of a BECM setting, as whether your logic board will support memory seats. Low line logic boards don't physically have the components on them to allow the seat outstation to communicate with the BECM. You would need a High Line logic board to do this, and have it reprogrammed to your vehicle.

If you just wanted electric but not memory seats, then you could pretty easily wire the drivers seat up (as the passenger one on a RHD vehicle is by default) with a couple of relays to be able to power the motors directly via the switches.

It's a bit more work (or maybe even a LH seat loom would work on the RH seat) but definitely possible to get most of the functionality without having to mess with the BECM.

If you have a High Line BECM, then you can just plug memory seats straight in and they'll work - there's nothing extra to do in the BECM settings wise.

If the pump runs every brake press then the accumulator definitely needs replacing.

I had one that turned up here and the ABS relay was burning hot, and the abs pump not running at all. The ABS relay was cooked and when I loaned him a replacement so he could get home safely (which typically I've never seen again), the pump ran every press of the pedal.

40 seconds on startup isn't unusual - the system will bless down the pressure I've time, so if it's been sitting awhile, then 40s is about right for it to get up to pressure.

In your case though, the fact that the pump runs every press of the pedal shoes that the accumulator isn't working as it should and keeping the system with pressure in it. You should get 3-4 applications of the brake pedal before the pump runs again

If it's running all the time when you press the pedal is definitely time to replace the accumulator before it runs the pump too much, or cooks the abs relay in the fuse box.

He won't squirm, he'll just get all aggressive again.

I've had multiple run ins with him over the time I've been on LZ about the exact same thing. I just keep out of it now, because whilst I haven't been called any names because of it, I just cannot be bothered to get into the same argument with someone who won't even try to back up what he's saying with any facts - just the broken record of "you're wrong, you don't know how to use the equipment properly"... Ok, if you believe that's the case then TEACH us how we should be doing it, in your mind... Blatant "you're wrong" and then name calling and crap like that doesn't help anyone.

I thought that Dunlop came back with me so I could look at rebuilding it? Or do you have another one?

I know I took a Dunlop one apart and it had brass dust all through it because I think the motor shaft had been spinning in the piston crank (I presume grub screw was loose or never done up tight enough) and it had basically ground out the inside of the crank.

Oh, btw.. I believe I have your 17 and 18mm socket here... Found them last time I was at the workshop and put them in my tool case to remember to bring them home
They're now sitting on the window sill and if you let me know where you want them sent, I'll get them in the post this week...

Harv wrote:

I believe Richards caution is wise. Eg, if you try to draw 200A from a 150A alternator, I think the alternator will try to supply 200A even though it won't be able to, and you risk burning the alternator up. If you are only at idle, the alt may not be turning fast enough to burn itself out, so you may be okay. Having said that, I see people using their winch with the engine running reasonably often, so the danger might not be that high.

But you won't be drawing 200A direct from the alternator if you've got even the main battery connected (which you will as it's obviously wired into the vehicle). Some of the current draw will come from the battery.

If you were purely loading up the alternator then surely any vehicle with a winch would require a dedicated battery to run it so won't burn the alternator out?

The factory winch for a P38 was a Warn XD9000 or something along those lines and the current rating on that is over 400A at max line pull. The specs for it recommend a minimum 650CCA battery for winching, but again in the LR fitting documents, there's no talk of requiring a second battery to run it - even on the earlier GEMS vehicles where they had a 120A alternator.

As I mentioned, I put a second battery/split charge in mine in the thought that at some point I'd fit the winch, once I found one I liked and would fit, but not because I was worried about the current capacity, but more to give the system a helping hand and I wanted to run other things off of it too.

Just had a look at the winch spec, and yes, 200A is the max current draw for that winch. But that is at full line capacity of 4500lb or just over 2T... Which is nearly pulling the dead weight of another p38.

If you're pulling something that's still rolling, and not dragging a dead weight then the load will be a lot less, and so will your current draw.

StrangeRover wrote:

leolito wrote:

What brand was the compressor that failed, if names can be made?
Dunlop

There's your problem then... I seem to remember Morat's one destroying itself in short order after he fitted.

Contrary to what you'd expect given most of the EAS system was Dunlop, the compressor isn't. The originals were a modified version of a Thomas 315 compressor from the US from memory. The Dunlop compressors really don't seem to be good as the originals unfortunately

For removal, I lift the vehicle up to high for the extra clearance under it. Jack the vehicle up with jack under the axle and then support the chassis on axle stands so it's secure and can't move anywhere.

Remove tyre from the side you're working on, pull the air line to deflate that air spring, remove the clips and then if needed you can lower the jack a little bit to give a bit more clearance. The shock will ultimately limit the axle travel.

Replace the air spring and put the top clip and air line back in, jack the axle up to meet the air spring so it locates in the bottom plate. Clip it, put the wheel back on. Do the other side.

I then start it up with a door open, and then close the door to let it put some air in the springs. Shut it off, jack up a nudge to remove the chassis stands, and then lower it down and let the EAS do the rest once the springs are partially inflated.

If the engine is running, you will have the max capacity from the alternator, plus whatever current capacity the battery has in it at the time. Yes, it will take a decent load off the main battery when you're running the winch - but then the alternator will re-charge it once the winch load is removed.

If you had say a 100AH battery (to keep the example easy) it in theory could supply 100A of current for 1Hr before being completely discharged. Again (loose) theory says if you drew 200A from it, then it would last half the time - so 30mins. Whilst the battery would obviously not be the happiest about it, and in reality it wouldn't work like that - and you would have the engine running - so some power coming from the alternator - a winch would be fine on a single decent battery.

In fact none of the LR accessory fitting specs for the winch tray show fitting another battery or the need for it. For occasional winching the standard setup would be fine.

If you have a split-charge system and 2 batteries, then you're just upping the capacity - less stress on the complete system, and you'd be able to winch for longer if necessary.

As an example a Warn Zeon 10s 12V winch specs (from here: Warn Winch show that just running the winch with no load will draw 62A, and at full load will draw 409A. Given that's a 10000lb / 4536kg rating for the full load, you're never likely to pull that much - or if you do because something is really stuck, it would be for a short period. And if you were really stuck - you'd probably use a snatch block to double the line and make it an easier pull for the winch in the first place.

I added the second battery to mine with the view to fitting a winch in the factory winch tray that I got my mitts on awhile ago - and also to run other accessories like (now) my inverter and also the EAS compressor runs off it, so I can run that without the engine on and without draining the main battery.

If you're planning on making it so you can put a winch at the back of the vehicle, then having the second battery there gives you a good place to hook into it, and means you can probably do light winching without having to have the vehicle running - if it's a beefy enough battery!

I put my split charge system in with 230A (from memory it was over 9 years ago now) twin (+ve/-ve) cable from the engine bay to the loadspace. The +ve feed is fused at each end with a 200A (again from memory - might be 250A) mega fuse.

I think Sloth fitted his VSR/second battery with just a +ve run and then attached the -ve back to the chassis somewhere at the back. It's definitely more than capable of handling the current. I just ran twin cable in mine as it wasn't that much more expensive, and at the time I had all the looms out of the sill on the RHS, so was easy to run them in at the bottom and then lay the vehicle looms back over the top.

I cleaned up a spare panhard rod at my workshop yesterday, pressed out the old bushes, pressed in the new ones and swapped it over on the RR

Today - whilst not on my RR, I did an installation of 2 front door latches, and a reconditioned HEVAC for another owner who brought his P38 to me.

Not at the moment - The interest in them when I started doing the conversions wasn't that high, so whilst I have a shelf full of clusters here that I should get around to doing - I haven't had the time, or inclination to do them...

I have had some custom PCBs made to help make it easier for me to convert them - Sloth's cluster for his diesel conversion is my prototype with the new boards.

If you are interested in one, then I can certainly look at putting one on the list and it might give me a shove to get around to doing it...

I generally do the back light as white, and then do a contrasting colour for the needles on the gauges. Currently I think I have the LEDs available to do Green, Blue, Red, Orange or Yellow needle colours.

The installation though isn't really a DIY job (the first one I sent out as DIY got broken as they installed it after not heeding my warning of not tightening up screws too tight... and you guessed it... they tightened screws up too tight...) So once the main part is ready I'd need your cluster sent to me, so I can fit your PCB to it and solder the feed wires on (that way you keep your mileage etc so there's no issue with that). Or if you have the time to have the vehicle off the road, then you could send your cluster and I can convert it, and send it back once completed/tested.

Looking good! Can't wait to go out in it with you once pipework is sorted and see what it's like...

I'm on the fence about the cutting vs dropping tank, but get both sides to be fair... I took the tank out on my '98 (originally so I could get under there and wire brush/paint the chassis, but I think I'm going to scrap the '98 now - another long story) and Sloth was actually there to give me a hand.

Whilst it wasn't too much of a pain to 'drop' the tank, a couple of the couplings that were supposed to be 'quick release' were an utter pain to do and I think one of them has probably been damaged in getting it out. Which as it's now not going back in, it isn't really a problem. But if you had all that to contend with when you're just doing the pump then it would be a proper pain.

I don't see why LR didn't fit a hatch on the P38 either - would have made life a lot quicker/easier!

Where in Oz are you from?

I'm originally from other other 'down under' - and had P38's in NZ too before moving here. Though I had 4.6's, I didn't have LPG at the time - and they were my daily drivers too!

Welcome to the group... Air con... I'd look first at the condenser under the slam panel/in front of the radiator - they have a habit for corroding in the top corners, which will stop the system from holding gas, and hence the AC not working...

I can't say about all LEDs or what people might use, but I can confirm that the LED conversions that I do will dim as the original incandescent lamps do.

The LED converted dashes are a LOT brighter then standard - I have mine dimmed down a lot more now otherwise it's too bright at night, but far more visible in the day time/dusk

Heat shrink should be fine. I've used it in various places under the bonnet on P38's and we all know how hot they get on a normal day... at least 80 odd under the bonnet on mine, I'm sure...

You can adjust the screws with the glove box in place - you just need a fairly thin flat blade screwdriver.

If you have a look up at where the glove box latches (with it open of course) you should see a couple of slots where if you insert a screwdriver, you can turn the adjuster - which moves the catch assembly forward/backward.

It might just need a tweak of a couple of turns one way or the other to get it to catch when the glove box is closed

I wouldn't run a compressor off of that...

Whilst the switched feed comes off a relay in the BECM and ultimately F8 (Which is 30A) it also is the switched feed to the radio, HEVAC, cig lighter etc. I'd definitely not want to hang 20-30A off it being pulled through the BECM.

I'd possibly use it as a trigger wire for a relay to drive the compressor off a newly run (probably 6mm2) fused feed directly from the battery terminal.

leolito wrote:

I was actually planning to use that connector (the permanent live one) to feed a 12V plug in the boot, exactly to use with the fridge. Mine draws max 6-7A, honestly I believe it should be fine.

The switched cable feed I was planning to running to besides the LPG tank and run an old Viair compressor is sitting in my garage doing nothing ... that draw is the one I am having concerns with (I think the comp draws 21 or 30 cannot find exact info).