Ok now it's time for fault finding.
I had to drive 2 hours from home and then back last night. Around 10 mins after starting my return journey EAS FAULT on the dash, all lights on, onto the bump stops. I never realised the M5 & M6 were so bloody bumpy - it was like a low level C130 flight!.
Today I have cleared the fault and also fitted the missing o ring to my piston.
It is now taking 5 - 10 mins from a cold start to raise the car. If I stop, park up and get out then I hear the solenoids and it self levels down to around 75 on all corners (according to Nano). I would guess that the compressed air is supposed to stay in the tank and not leak out. I can't hear any leaks, I can't see any leaks using bubbles and it never did any of this until it just dropped last week.
Could it be that the air is leaking out of the reservoir via the solenoid block? As I said I can't hear or see any signs of leaks but it is definately not having any air when I start it back up. I pulled pipe 6 after 15 mins of static running and I've had more pressure come out of the airbags than came out of that pipe.
The other strange thing is that my Nano will turn on / off the compressor but on the raise height and open each airbag screen it doesn't do anything.
Thanks guys. I have looked on the parts catalogue and couldn't find anything so that's what I suspected. Mine is watertight I just end up with road crap blowing up into the hole
Afternoon all,
Just finished the RR airbag change, the old one was leaking. First time done, 2 hours start to finish. Not too bad I think. So whilst in the wheel well I noticed the drain hole in the bottom. Is it meant to have a bung in there or open to the elements?
Gilbertd wrote:
There is nothing on a P38 that can't be mended in one way or another but you do need some instruction and there's a lot of it about. You may have heard of RAVE which was the Land Rover workshop manual but it hasn't been updated since 2005. But, as the P38 ceased production in 2002, who cares.
RAVE can be downloaded from http://rangerovers.pub/static/rave.zip but it might take a while as it's a pretty big file. To run it, simply double click the rave-lr.pdf file and you're in.
There's also an online version that can be found at http://workshop-manuals.com/landrover/p38/range_rover_workshop_manual_volume_1/
The full parts manual can be found at http://new.lrcat.com/
and if you can't figure out exactly what the problem is, there's quite a few decent guides to the common faults that can be found at http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.html although it is a little out of date now with some of the advice as it hasn't been updated since the original site was taken over by a Canadian company who allow it to be run by the main reason this forum has been created.
There's also a few archived articles of use that SpiggyTopes (Peter) has uploaded to Google drive that can be found here https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4azhgT5UI-QWW9TQlhUWE9FWUE&usp=sharing
Thanks very much for these links especially to Spiggy Topes, I have now got those docs in my G drive!
cheers all,
Hoppy
I didn't cock up the valve block I double checked everything. However what I did do was that I connected the identical plugs into the wrong receivers. So hands up, my bloody fault I should have marked up the plugs like I normally do but I was tired and forgot. Numpty.
So success and hey ho up Rommel rises! Very quickly now too.
Thanks for all your help and sage advice on this epic.
Time for a test drive as I think my neighbours will linch me with any more chugging noises. So it's beer o'clock now :-D
If I leave the door unlatched so the tank fills up the airbags are filling up. RR fills up to the point of almost bursting.
Does anyone have any have any ideas please?
Hi Gilbertd, as the RR keeps going rock hard and extended height I thought it might be a sticking solenoid. At least you've put me on the right path.
Right, back to the car.
I put T pieces in the airlines and car valves in case I ever got the car on the bump stops. Ok both rear bags went up - to extended by the look of it. Front right has gone up a few inches but the front left isn't moving. I have checked all the fuses and relays, checked the maxi fuses reseated the C117 under seat connector and now my nano com freezes up when I go into the EAS settings and it makes the flashing light on the dash to go extended setting.
The EAS unlocking software just shows me every single fault, like it's getting jumbled messages.
All this happened after I jacked the car up under the front left wheel to get at the oil leak the other day. I'm baffled now
Leaks in the T pieces. So I've taken them out and trying again....
Well I do know that the QE & PoW should have been built with the ducting and channels in the deck for cats & traps, I saw some design drawings while I worked for a defence contractor. But it's not like we can't retro fit them. I have a very sad interest in aircraft carriers and our Fleet Air Arm and used to love watching the F14's as they were being thrown from the Nimitz and JFK.
Well the EAS is now fitted and I'm waiting (fingers x'd) for the tank to fill......
I'm not sure, the only one that had a square ring was the exhaust solenoid, the one that faces the other way from the others on the top row.
I'll find out tomorrow when it's fitted and bubble spray it. It's strange that the housing is as the Royal Navy say "fitted for, but not with" but I can't find anything definitive either way. All I can say is that the replacement o rings from the kit didn't seal once tightened up.
My car wouldn't lift so I manually inflated the bags to check the NRV's and solenoid seals. I noticed that not only did I have bubbles galore but that I installed the exhaust solenoid backwards. Eeek. All sorted now though
riddlemethis wrote:
The brass seating ring is grooved for the O ring to sit in. Others Ive seen are just solid brass rings without an O ring.
The kit comes with 1 tiny and 1 large O ring for the top chamber and a plastic type Diaphram for the piston, no other o ring for the brass seating ring.
Hi I found that my piston had an o ring and a ruined diaphragm and after looking at the Paul P38a website my block has different holes in it as well. I didn't fit a new o ring even though I have some as I thought it must have been a bodge, apparently not. But the piston is working fine now haha
riddlemethis wrote:
The brass seating ring is grooved for the O ring to sit in. Others Ive seen are just solid brass rings without an O ring.
The kit comes with 1 tiny and 1 large O ring for the top chamber and a plastic type Diaphram for the piston, no other o ring for the brass seating ring.
Hi I found that my piston had an o ring and a ruined diaphragm and after looking at the Paul P38a website my block has different holes in it as well
Ah ok. Well I tested the compressor today and lots more air pressure coming out of it now. Result! I'll refit an o ring next time I have a problem.
However one thing I have found. Not one supplier of EAS o ring kits has the square o rings for the solenoid covers, I only had one fitted, all the rest are missing. I have mate that works in o rings so I am going to see if he can make the square ones and the ones that separate the parts of the compressor.
I have also had to swap out all the outer o rings on the bottom of each solenoid as they don't seal - bubble checked them. Luckily I had a box of Lidle o rings and they DO fit.
I'm letting the liquid gasket cure over night and re installing again tomorrow :-D I do seem to love a challenge hahaha
I followed this sites info - very good too! Paul P38a and an RSW youtube video for the compressor, I couldn't listen to the X8R he's too quiet and doesn't exactly enthuse you to listen all the way through, so I didn't.
So that's taken me 6 hours to overhaul the air dryer, valve block and compressor. The compressor piston skirt was completely split on one side and someone previously had repaired it with a nice o ring!
I'll fit it all tomorrow and test it - fingers crossed!
As Zebedee said Boing! It's time for bed!
Evening all,
there are some interesting pages on this site, his and her P38s. I haven't seen any of his pages before so this is just for info
P38 links are in there
All my bits arrived today so tear down and rebuilds start tomorrow. I'll check the old diaphragm while I'm at it.
I've seen youtube videos and it doesn't look too hard, just fiddly and time consuming. Wish me luck!
I changed all my pads myself, but due to no familiarity with the P38 back then, I had my brakes bled 3 years ago and it went from ok braking to bloody hell! It stops quicker than my TT
Hi Tanis,
Is that an Army number there? I also have an oil burner and I'm new here too, welcome aboard!
cheers,
Hoppy
Gilbertd wrote:
Martyuk wrote:
but I would like to try and start dispelling the myth of unreliability, EAS is crap and whatever other stereotypes people want to throw out there.
My thoughts entirely. All cars have their faults but it seems that the P38 has got a bad rap for a couple of fairly minor, easily fixed, problems. With the number of us running LPG we could probably start to dispel a few myths there too.
Don't forget us oil burners. I'm on my 3rd engine in 4 years as it was cheaper in the end for an engine from a breakers than to get the FIP fixed! (1 x HG failure (terminal), FIP failure on number 2)Touchwood this engine is ok but I am planning a PM on the headgasket once the weather is better.
I like the forum as it is, the others are ok but lots of the photo's have vanished now. Smaller is always more personal and friendly before it goes corporate . I'm up for trips abroad, I did a round trip to Rochechouart last year, not as quick as my old XKR but just as comfortable, especially when I fixed the cruise control.
I'm up for long weekend meetups as well, and I'm gutted I missed your get togethers and fixups last year.
cheers,
Hoppy