2 different part numbers shown in Microcat
RSC500010 (late vehicles with Firestone bags)
STC3672 (earlier with Dunlop bags)
News to me that the late cars even _had _Firestone bags. I was just about to hit the buy button on a pair of Boges (STC3672), now pondering whether there's a difference in damping, length or something between the two part numbers. The 02 has always sat higher on standard compared to the 95 but I've just put that down to calibration.
I'm looking to restore that "factory" front end feel to my 02.
Anyone been here before me with Boge STC3672 on the late cars? There's a considerable price difference!

... the LH rear one rusts/ bubbles first?
Most of the P38s that I've seen with failing rubbers have this, and the NSR is hardest to find in used unblemished condition.
Both of mine suffer from this, just NSR, so I can't even swap them...

Having exhausted all of the usual suspects-
Roof seam above screen
Fan intake plenum filter cover
Screws holding filter cover, plenum trims and everything else in that area
and still getting a puddle in drivers footwell, but only when the wind or slope where car parked are in a certain direction, I've decided to rip into it and sort once and for all.
This is about as deep as you can get in the leak feed area:

Bit of damp in the screw area at 7 o clock so a definite suspect, but I was planning to pop out the whole plastic inlet bucket pictured and re-seal the gasket and screws. That would mean that any water entering the whole front box under the screen couldn't get anywhere except out through the drain gap at the two ends and would have no path under the plastic bucket into the fan duct.
Trouble is, every screw holding in the plastic bucket is rusted solid and won't hold a screwdriver. Only option will be to drill them out- a major PITA.
In the meantime, as 7 o clock screw is wet, water is still obviously getting in from the top so need to work on that as well.

The 95 flew through the MOT test again today. I'm a bit miffed to see that its picked up an Advisory for the first time though:
Advisory notice item(s)
Rear exhausts repaired with bandages, no leaks
The (stainless) exhausts are in fact heat tape wrapped where they pass close to the twin LPG tank installation!
Same garage (and Tech) that has MOT'd it for the last 3 years. Same tape too.
What's more surprising is that apparently once it's in the computer it can't be changed. The car now has a stain on its character for ever.

Found a little puddle of coolant on the tray under the expansion tank after an enthusiastic drive back from Summer Camp.
First depressing thought was coolant overpressure escaping via cap, as it was right under the short "overflow" pipe. Put pink UV dye in tank and pressure tester on the system with coolant warm, pumped it to 20psi and wandered off for an hour.
Found this- hairline crack exactly under the arrow moulding. Not a split and no great coolant loss, even after 170 miles of mixed A and B roads and motorways.

Would have been pretty hard to spot the crack under normal running with just coolant so worth a close look at your tank next time you're in there. Tank is the original, by the way

Crawling around the front bumper today, prior to taking it off for a lick of paint, I spotted this:

While it'll go part of the way to discovering why the Aircon doesn't, I'm fascinated to know how the condenser can sustain that level of damage when it's tucked away above the chassis crossmember.
On another note, anyone know whether the 2 bumper bolts are a standard Torx head size, or a non-standard one like the passenger airbag bolts?

Seems to be intermittent on all pages of the pub. Firefox won't let me connect at all

Now that things have settled down after the head replacement, time to revisit and refine the LPG settings and calibration. First thing I found was that it's much easier to calibrate if you have the ecu set to 2 banks rather than 1 (doh!).
Anyway, what I'm interested in are what the settings others have established as minimums for:
Threshold revs for changeover (on acceleration)
Reducer temp for changeover
Changeover from petrol-gas delay
Overlap time
It takes a lot of faffing to change 1 parameter a little, test and let it cool again so I'm trying to save a little time!

Getting some strange coolant temp anomalies on the VSE. New ECT sensor (Delphi) fitted as part of the head replacement job.
Diagnostics temp high, gauge temp low. Both wrong compared to actual measured.
The ECT sensor on the Thor is a dual thermistor type- one feeding gauge, other engine management. Plug can only go on one way.
Does anyone know whether both thermistors are same value? I have temp/ volts/ kOhm values from the Bosch SID for the ECU side of the sensor, but can't find anything for the gauge side.
Ta!

Can't get in to main page or through link direct to last post in there.
Wonder what Gilbertd wants to TIG weld?

ARP have finally moved off the fence and have revised torque settings for head studs. They're now saying final stage torque 70 lb/ft.
Many opinions on the web as to what should be used, but 60 lb/ft seems to be the most popular.
Any thoughts from the forum where the real experts live?!
Edit- just noticed the instructions say torque as per steps 1 - 4 and there are only 3 steps!

I'm obviously having a senior moment, but can't work out how to (easily) remove the injector multiplugs. The wire spring clip seems to be on the wrong way so you can't push it in to spring the arms of the clip out.
The lugs on the body of the injector don't look like they were designed to be pushed in.
Trying to get to the open ends of the spring clip to bend outwards is beyond my eyesight!
Ideas please? Feel free to tell me I'm being dumb if you like!!

Black car has suddenly developed an engine noise when starting from cold. Thought I'd make it interesting, so I'm prepared to reward the successful, or closest guesser with a bottle of half decent Red or a 6 pack of ale. The prize will be awarded at Summer Camp!
The noise is best heard on the vid if you have half-decent speakers on your computer. If you don't it just sounds like a tinny tappet rattle.
I'd describe it as a whoop whoop noise coupled with a noisy tappet noise. Sounds like a Chinook helicopter doing a tight turn, if that helps!
The noise goes away once engine is warm. Does it on petrol or LPG.
Video is here.
Enjoy the lovely Devon views as you put your engineers ears on!

Reassembling the black one after diff surgery I noticed the following:

Right Caliper:

Left Caliper:

Now I didn't disturb the calipers, so although I'm famous for not being able to tell my left from right, I didn't mistakenly put them back on incorrectly. Thing is, the brakes work fine, hose alignment is fine.
Anyone else noticed this on theirs, or is it just a d!ckhead previous mechanic? I can't think of any reason to swap them back and have to bugger around bleeding brakes until I put new discs on some time in the future.

Checked oil on blue back-up RR, prior to my road trip/ holiday tour tomorrow and...

Yes- that's a lovely beige water/ oil emulsion. Checked coolant level in expansion tank- dropped around 1/4 litre and it never uses any.
So that's that, both P38s sidelined.
I am so pi$$ed off

Pinion bearing's gone on my rear diff.
Looking through bills, the car had a rebuilt 4 pin diff supplied and fitted 73 000 miles ago. Only problem is I don't know whether it was front or back. Workshop labour hours were 2.0 so I'm guessing rear, as I imagine front would be more of a pain/ take longer than that given hub removal etc and it was a 4 pin.
Anyone have experience of changing a diff, front or rear, and how long it took?
I don't think I'll be able to do a warranty claim (!) but I am curious about a diff that only lasted 73k.

So, I'm trying to get hold of replacement lightstone fir trees to hold the covers over the rear mounts of the front seats.
EZM100330SMK x 12

Turns out the average price for these is around £5.00 each inc vat!!!
It appears that this is exactly the same part, ADU7995SMK which I can get from Paddocks for £0.35 each

Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?
Anyone know of an even cheaper substitute?

While pottering around refitting the dash/ fascia and tidying up loom bodges I found this original label on the loom connecting to SatNav head:

Now I know that the TrafficMaster system was fitted to (I think) Westminsters and Vogue SE A's. I also know that it was somehow fed by those blue speed-camera like boxes on main road bridges etc, it warned of congestion ahead by traffic density counts and was switched off in 2012.
What I don't know is how that information manifested itself in the P38.
A voice on the radio? An indication on the SatNav?
I'd be interested as an archaeological curiousity if anyone knows...

Need a little advice before I break out the crowbar!

Have got this far with removing the heater unit to dismantle and free flaps, swap Distribution motor and put in an Audi matrix, oh and remove front carpet for an intensive clean.
I've removed or dislocated all ducts and hoses, taken out 2 bolts top rear and 2 underneath on floor, but on trying to lift out heater (moving toward rear of car and rotating to clear remainder of dash frame) I get little movement and a metallic graunching noise from the back somewhere, which I'm guessing is the evaporator.
Is there another fixing or two that I've missed or is there a technique, apart from brute force, that I should be using?
Any advice or "how I did it" pictures welcome!

Went to replace an olive on the main tank to vapouriser pipe today and found the it's a 6mm rather than 8mm pipe (plastic coated so size wasn't obvious before). 8mm is recommended for 2.0 litres and above engines, I believe?
I take it that this will significantly reduce gas flow, send high RPM mixture weak and thus lose peak power?
It's a pain 'cos I've just spent a significant amount of time lovingly P clipping the whole installation...