Richard, that is an interesting observation. I think that I will change it anyway, just to be safe !!

Pierre3.

I ordered the complete unit, including the viscous unit, and OEM rating from British Landrover in Belgium. But it certainly wasn't £50. It is costing €220 in cluding delivery to Ireland.

The item that I have ordered is Fan Assembly - PGG101290P1 - OEM. Rimmer Bros have listed at €160 but then I would have to add import taxes plus delivery so there isn't much difference in getting it from Belgium, except that I don't have to prat about paying the courier the taxes, VAT and admin charges when it arrives. I just get it left at my front door, as per EU purchases.

I couldn't find anything in my cars paperwork, I have a big file of service work that came with the car when I bought it, that suggests that the fan has ever been changed, and the stories both here and elsewhere have finally persuaded me that a new, known unit is really a must. So I decided to get the loose change from down the back of the sofa and just buy a new unit. The only problem now will be when I can fit it. The weather outside isn't the warmest but, hopefully, there may be a spell of warmer weather that will give me a chance.

Pierre3.

Hi, when I did mine, last year, I took out the whole cassette, put it on the dining room table and them disassembled it. It was quite a bit of work because you have to take down the motor and disconnect the cables, if I remember correctly.

The advantages [ or disadvantages - depending on what you find] of removing the cassette are that you can see if the metal and the seal around the cassette are OK. I was able to clean off any corrosion and repaint the metal surround, and later resealed the seal with non-setting sealer [I can't remember the correct name].

I think guys like Richard [Gilbert] can give you more help about the actual removal, but the reason that I did it was because of the plastic/metal springs that keep the sunroof shade from rattling or wobbling. The spring clips run in channels on either side of the plastic shade panel and I think that they are really difficult to get out of the cassette without breaking them, if you leave the sunroof in place.

There are quite a lot of breakable bits in the cassette so a lot of care is needed, but if it is approached slowly and you examine each stage carefully before removing anything it should go OK. That's how I approached it anyway. I thought about doing my roof re-trim for months, and nearly paid someone, but the guys on here persuaded me that it wasn't too difficult, and in fairness they were right, and I saved over €600 which was what it was going to cost in labour alone to get the job done.

I covered my roof with a large, heavy duty plastic bag, which I taped down with electrical insulation tape [to avoid the tape leaving marks on the paintwork]. It was like that for 4 days, until I got the sunroof cassette back in.

Lastly, if you take out the cassette you can see whether it would be advisable to buy a new one, rather than refitting an old corroded one.

Pierre3.

I have just replaced to top section of the centre console, and I can confirm Richard advice that the switches all push in from the front, and I really don't think that you will successfully get them out using feeler gauges. You won't get the large EAS switch out because it uses metal spring type anchors and if you push them from the front then they will just hop off and disappear down the back of the console.

To be honest it is not a big deal removing the top section. You just work from the centre storage box, remove about 6 or 7 screws and you will be able to lift out the top section of trim. If you want to be really carefully [this is how I did it] you remove the panel under the steering wheel [4x screws], remove the instrument binnacle surround [4x screws], and make sure that you take out the screw that holds the top section behind the binnacle surround.

When I did mine I found that the lug under the binnacle surround had been broken already, but I am pleased to say that the replacement trim panel that I refitted has all the fixing lugs still attached.

It's not a big job, just needs a bit of care disconnecting all the plugs. I marked all mine with electrical marker numbers so that I would ensure that everything was reconnected correctly.

Pierre3.

Thanks for all the advice. I checked the level yesterday, and I think that I am probably reading the instruction too accurately. I will put a little more brake fluid in and see what happens then.

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether someone may have an idea why I get the occasional warning beep and a message to say that I have low brake fluid ?

I have checked the fluid level several times since the message started to appear about a month ago, but it is between the two levels consistently. I have followed the hand book instruction for checking and nothing seems untoward. The brakes are working perfectly, including trying an emergency stop, and the ABS lights go out as they should at start up.

Is it possible that there is a sensor somewhere that has started to misread the level in the reservoir ? The issue doesn't happen every time I take the car out, it is random, nothing seems to particularly cause it.

The first time it happened I was parked, partly on and partly off, a kerb outside a shop, and as I drove off I got the message which them immediately went off again. It does this each time when it happens, just a beep, a message, and then OK again. But maybe one time a week, maybe two times a week.

Maybe someone might have come across this ?

Pierre3.

Hi, thanks for all the useful and informative advice.

Re: leolito - I was going to disconnect the battery first, I wouldn't risk opening the fusebox and messing with it without the battery offline, as it were. I changed the top section of the centre console yesterday and I disconnected the battery then, because I was concerned that unplugging all the switches could short something out by mistake.

Anyhow, to be fair Romanrob was correct in connecting the unit first, and then connecting to the OBD port. I have replaced the fuse and I plugged the Nanocom in three or four times with no issues. So, Happy Days, all I need to do is [a] remember to keep Nanocom permanently connected to the lead, and [b] make sure to have spare fuses in the car [which I really, really should have anyway !!!].

Pierre3.

Romanrob, very many thanks for this really vauable piece of advice. I know, for sure, that I plugged the lead into the OBD first, and then the Nanocom, and found that it wasn't working.

I will replace the fuse and test this information out. It could well save me a real pain, replacing the sounder. Thanks for your advice.

Pierre3.

Richard, is it difficult to get the sounder out. I had a quick look with a torch and I can see it located under the fusebox.

What is involved in getting the fusebox moved, to allow access ? I see that there are a couple of lugs held down by bolts, around the side of the fusebox. If I take out these bolts will I be able to just move the fusebox, or do I need to disassemble the whole fusebox completely before being able to move it ?

Pierre3.

Had to do a few things today, and one job was to check the reason why Nanocom is not working. Thanks to Richard for advising to check fuse 33 - it has popped. It is a 5 amp, and powers the data plug and also the back-up alarm siren. I don't quite know why the fuse should pop but I suppose that it may be something to do with the back up siren, where-ever that is.

I will be replacing the fuse tomorrow so I hope that it doesn't pop again, if it does then I obviously have a problem. But where, God only knows !

Pierre3.

Brian, that is a good point. I kind of disregarded it when I tried it the other day in the Range Rover. I am going to plug it into my laptop because if I remember correctly it should start up so that the demo programme can be used.

Pierre3.

Hi Richard, thanks for the suggestion - I will check it in the morning, and let you know if it is the solution.

Pierre3.

I have just replaced the lettering front and back lettering on the car and it looks much better. The original letters had gone a dark grey, and the difference between the old and new letters is striking. Just a bit pricey though.

Next job is to change the black upper centre console section, where the switches and clock are, for a printed ABS plastic section that I got from Charlie Nicolas. This will complete the sections from the armrest storage box, which is still black leatherette, to the top of the centre console in walnut ABS trim. It also matches the door sections and the strips across the front bulkhead from the glove box to the small piece to the right of the steering wheel.

Later that day - I am happy to say that I have fitted the new, Walnut Burr style upper centre panel. It was easy to do, and I am very happy with the look. The section that I got off Charles Nicolas was a very good condition one, but it was a Sat Nav panel with the large opening beside the clock. I was lucky enough to get a large storage box from the US, new old stock. Now the centre console section is all matched to the original Walnut patterned gear shift panel, which seems to be a wood pattern in all P38's.

I am not bothering with the speedometer/instruments binnacle because I think that it is too much having that done in walnut pattern.

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether someone might be able to suggest where to start looking for a communication issue with my Nanocom.

It was working perfectly when I used it about three months ago, but I plugged it in last week and nothing is registering. It seems to be making a firm connection in the green data plug, under the glove box, and it is certainly OK at the unit. It is a pretty new unit, I got it twelve months ago, and it just sits in the glovebox of the car. It hasn't been dropped or damaged, but it just doesn't come on when plugged in.

Is there a fuse somewhere that could have popped ? I haven't had any issues, electrically, with the car so I don't know it has suddenly decided to stop working.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Pierre3.

Yeahhh, I should have remembered but of course I didn't. I was very pleased with the first job as I had had to get the high pressure power steering pipe modified. I bought a new early P38 pipe as it looked similar to the 2001 version, and on advice from a guy I know. The difference is that the old type pipe has a shorter metal pipe that connects to the banjo connection on the top of the steering box, when compared to the later item.

What I had to do was to get a hydraulic company to cut the old, later model metal section and graft it onto the new, early modem power steering pipe. They did this with no problems, and the put a 20mm nut and receiver on the pipe so thar when I fitted it I could have a bit of flixible adjustment to get it fitted correctly.

So, basically, I used the old metal section with the banjo union now connected to a new, early model high pressure power steering pipe. The end that connects to the power steering pump is the same on both the early and late pipes.

Unfortunately, now I have a connector in the middle of the rubber section of pipe as it exits from the power steering pump. It's OK as it is nowhere near the pulley, but it was really annoying as the job was originally neat and tidy. Some plonker, I was, I can tell you !!

Pierre3.

Just a final note to the issue of replacing the waterpump and power steering pipes.

Everything was done and worked perfectly, but I wanted to do something about the clips that hold the pipes under the radiator, and I had used tie-wraps to hold the pipes in place under the rad. So to send one of the remains of one of the clips to a 3D printer I cut off the tie-wraps, and as I wasn't driving the car I left it like that.

But, guess what, two days later Madam wanted to take some chairs to sons house, and puts them in the back of the P38. I was a bit annoyed but I agreed, forgetting that I had left the power steering pipes loose under the rad. And...... yes, dumb-ass drove the car, and as I arrived at sons house I saw a funny looking stream on the road behind the car. Then, suddenly, the power steering wasn't power steering any more. One of the pipes had moved and had been cut by the power steering pump pulley.

So, off with the newly fitted power steering pipe and another trip to the hydraulic repair guys. Again, they did a really good job, and did it while I waited. I got home and refitted the damn thing, refilled the reservoir, and we were in business again, after making sure to secure the pipes again with new tie-wraps.

Therefore, a hard lesson learned - having fixed the original problem of a leaking pipe I compounded the problem by forgetting to refit new tie-wraps when I took the old ones off. Fortunately, getting the pipe repaired didn't cost very much so I think that I got off lightly !

Pierre3.

Hi, sorry for not responding earlier, I was preoccupied !!

I think that I would be inclined to agree with leolito, and stick with the original radiator. I don't go galluping up off-road mountain tracks, and I found [so far !] that even in the recent very hot weather my car was OK sitting in crawling speed motorway traffic, and didn't rise over "top dead centre" on the temperature gauge. I might think about getting a spare one to keep in the garage, but, having thought about it for a few days I don't think that I really need to spent a few hundred pounds on an aluminium radiator that, for me, would be overkill.

Pierre3.

Hi, I am thinking about buying a Direnza rad for my 2001 DHSE P38. However, looking at the Direnza website, and a couple of E-bay adverts the only radiator that appears to be available is one for a manual 94-99 diesel. On the E-bay website I notice that someone asked if it will suit a 2001 auto but the answer can't be found as the page is no longer available.

I wonder whether anyone can confirm that the radiator advertised, for a manual 2.5 TD 94-99 P38, would fit a 2001 auto 2,5 TD P38 ?

As my old donkey is used for road use only do I really need an aluminium radiator ? I still have the standard unit in the car [I don't know if it has ever been changed] so maybe I would be better just buying a new, standard radiator as it is probably likely to outlast me, and the car.

Pierre3.

KCR, when you say the "finisher material" are you refering to the push-on trim surround that holds the roof panel to the sunroof opening ? I know that I would have been able to buy a new one in Lightstone, two years ago. It just so happened that I was able to clean the surround with some soap and water, very gently, and it has been perfect.

I'm not sure if there is supposed to be a finishing clip fitted between the ends of the surround, but it looks much better with it than without it.

Pierre3.

This is my sunroof surround:

The diagram that I posted could well be a Discovery 2 sunroof, I can't remember where I found it, only that it is a Jaguar Landrover image. I agree with Richard about JLR, they will usually get back to you if an item becomes available, even if it takes several months. They did this for me when I was looking for a new drivers side door handle, complete with original key barrel, and after two months or so I got an email to say that they had one in stock. Mind you, this was just before Covid so I don't know how things are now.

I still think that 3D printing may be the only way of getting a new one, unless a breaker has one. Unfortunately, I have found that breakers don't tend to remove carefully and keep small, NLA, plastic fittings, they always seem to yank them off with a hammer or something, assumimg no-one would ever want the small, breakable bits. Really disappointing.

Pierre3.