Hi, a quick question, if I may. I will need to investigate the issue but I thought that there may be a few suggestions as to an answer.

I did a job on the door handle on the passenger side door [RHD]. It was not fully pulling in, even the the handle was only 18 months old, I had replaced all the handles in 2021 because I wanted to get back to OEM black handles. But the nearside handle started sticking a few weeks ago so I took it out today. Everything was OK, still very new, so a liberal dose of copper spray has sorted out that problem, it pulls in proerly now.

The question that I have is that when the window is down, or even partly down, there is a rattle when the door is closed. Not slamming the door, just pushing it closed with enough force for the door to close. I didn't check for anything before refitting the membrane and the door panel as I hadn't moved anything except the disconnecting of the door handle rod so that I could take out the handle.

When the window is fully closed, into the top door frame, then there is no rattle. The window winds both down and back up without any issues. But I am wondering whether this rattle could be the track window seal, that is in a track at the front of the door, having dropped out. The same seal was sitting in the bottom of the door on the drivers side when I replaced the winder mechanism last month.

I know that I will have to do the hard work myself, but I am just wondering whether this is a problem at all, just that the glass can rattle in the door because it is in the lowered position.

Pierre3.

I posted a thread about having door latch problems a couple of weeks ago, and that I thought that I had sorted them out, but today the driver's side door latch still seems to be an issue.

The latch didn't seem to relatch after the inside door pull handle is used. So when getting out of the car I would pull the handle and open the door but when I push the door closed the door just bounces back open, and I have to pull the inner handle back as far as possible and then let it spring back. Then the door will close properly.

It appears that the latch is being held in the "open" condition after I let go of the inner pull handle. It never happens with the outside handle, only the inner one.

There isn't any adjustment on the cable between the handle and the latch, and I fitted a new cable and a new latch last year so I am a bit perplexed by this problem

I took out the existing latch and gave it a good spray with a lubricant similar to WD40 and it was working perfectly but today it was acting the bollix again. I am beginning to wonder whether I need to buy yet another new latch, which I really don't want to do considering the cost of them. it just seems that when the inner handle pulls the arm on the latch it isn't springing back but there is no adjustment anywhere in the latch.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Pierre3.

I was reading through a few threads about problems with latches going faulty and I noticed that Richard [GilbertD] mentioned that the door latches fitted to the MG F are the same as fitted to a 2001 P38.

RH https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-FQJ102281PMA and LH https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-FQJ102292PMA

I wonder, are these a straight swap ? But having asked the question here I see that they don't appear to be available any more. I'd be interested to find out whether they can still be bought. I will look elsewhere on the wobbly wonder web and see what comes up. I wouldn't be surprised if they are available, in LHD form, in the US.

UPDATE: I looked up the part numbers and, indeed, they are LHD car part numbers. So I think that probably answers the question - that they are NLA.

Pierre3.

Hi, I had to strip the driver's door to fit a new window regulator, refit the inside door window seal, and "service" the door latch. This meant pulling off the original inner door water shedder, or membrane. I have a new one to refit, but I need to remove the black gloop that held on the original one.

I am interested to know if there is a quick and easy way to break down the gloop to get it off. Would white spirit work, or maybe rubbing alcohol ? I have to lift off the largest part of it with a chisel or a scraper, but I would like to get a clean panel before I fit the new membrane.

Any suggestions welcomed :)

Pierre3.

I found this picture on another website. As it seems that there are a couple of ex-police cars on here then maybe someone here now owns these two cars.

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I wonder if someone can recognise the seal in the following pictures, please. I found it in the bottom of the drivers' side door space when I took the door card off.

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I would just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas, and a Prosperous New Year. Thanks for all te advice given over the past 12 months. [I was going to download a Christmas card gif but it won't load here !!].

I do have a problem that has been annoying me for a while, when I open the drivers' side door the latch seems to be sticking in the open position, meaning that when I close the door it just bounces back open. I can get around it by giving the innner door release handle a hard pull to fully open and then letting it go so that it snaps back. Then the door closes and the latch keeps the door closed.

It has been doing this on and off for a couple of months but it is not yet terminal - but is this a sign that the latch is goosed ?

A couple of days ago the door lock threw a wobbler, which I have seen mentioned a good few times. I went to get out of the car only to find that all the doors were locked, but when I pulled up the drivers side lock button [in the door] all the buttons hopped up, the doors unlocked, except for the drivers' side door, and then immediately locked again.

I was able to get out the passenger side, and this morning, having followed advice from a RR guy in Wales, Iain McKee, I opened the drivers' side lock so that all the locks are open. Currently, the car now unlocks and relocks without a problem, but the latch is still an issue, in that it will still bounce back open when I go to close the door.

So, would I be right in saying that the door latch unit, with the micro-switches, is goosed and needs replacing ?

Pierre3.

Hi, I was just wondering whether there is any difference in the front ABS sensors and the rear ABS sensors as far as the connector cables are comcerned.

I was considering keeping two new rear sensors in the garage and one of the sellers mentioned that he had rear sensors with long cables. I was under the impression that the cables were all the same length ?

Pierre3.

After looking through a collection of pictures that I have about the door handles I can now see what the cam kit does. So, no need to have to post any replies 😀 .

Hi guys, could somebody explain where this cam kit fits, please ? STC3064 KIT-CAM DOOR LOCK.

I was talking to a friend, last week, and mentioned that the nearside front door handle isn't pulling right in, even though it is only 18 months old. I bought all new handles from Rimmers the year before last and for some reason the passenger door front isn't springing fully back into the door.

The guy I spoke to suggested getting a new door lock cam kit. But where does this cam fit. The Rimmer diagram doesn't actually show whether it fits in the door handle or the door latch.

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I took my P38 for its annual test, this morning, and it failed on an ABS issue.

I had new front brake pads fitted, and a new caliper on the front passenger side, last week. The brakes, under normal road conditions, appear to be working perfectly. However, the guy in the test centre failed the test because he said that the drivers side front brake is "locking" when under braking. I don't quite understand what he is on about, but he said that it is an ABS fault.

Would anyone here on the forum have any idea what could be happening ? The brake caliper on the drivers side is the original item, but my garage guy says that it is working fine and doesn't need replacing.

I am wondering, have a memory of seeing ABS issues, whether the ABS unit could be faulty, and would it then produce the test failure fault, i.e. "locking" up the right hand wheel ?

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether someone could tell me the best way to replace the vapour/water barrier in the two front doors.

The existing barriers are kind of OK, but I have to fit a new window regulator in the drivers' side door [UK car] and the water barrier in this door has been opened quite a few times and I think that it is time just to fit a new one after the regulator is changed.

I looked on the internet and the only kit that I can find is from Australia, so I am ignoring that. I would prefer to fit original water barriers but does anyone know whether they are still available ? Perhaps someone has a part number ?

I suppose in the worst case scenario I could just use clear plastic, but the original water barriers are a kind of foam, and I suspect that this could make a difference in sound proofing, as well as preventing water vapour getting into the door card.

Any help would be appreciated, as always.

Pierre3.

Hi, I am back again - this time I am looking for a clue as to why my fuel gauge is acting strangely.

In the past two years I have had the gauge act with a mind of its' own, in that when the tank level gets down to just below half-full the gauge will suddenly drop to empty. It will stay like that for perhaps 10 miles, or else if the ignition is turned off, and then it comes back up again.

This morning, when I turned on the ignotion the gauge sat on empty, but for the first time a message came up "Fuel Gauge Fault". This stayed on for about 5 minutes and when I went to drive off I noticed that it had gone and the gauge was back up at its normal position [depending on fuel level].

I asked my local garage guy and he thought that it is a cable issue, he suggested that it could be the connections on the top of the pump or a plug connection a bit further along the cable [wherever that might be].

Perhaps someone can suggest what could be the issue ?

Currently waiting for new brake pads to arrive, although I think that I may replace the discs as well. They look a bit heavily grooved but I was looking in poor light. I will look again tomorrow.

Pierre3.

I wonder whether anyone might have an idea what is causing a grinding noise at very slow speeds. I have noticed this just in the last day, when I slow to a stop, at traffic lights for instance, if I let the car move slightly forward with my foot still on the brake I have noticed a mechanical grinding noise and a roughness in the drive.

As soon as I drive off, however, everything seems normal, the noise and the grinding sensation disappears. I don't see any problems with the gearbox, the oil was changed three moths ago and all has been well, so I am wondering whether there is something going on with the front diff ? I have no reason to suggest this except from reading other posts regards the diff going down the pan.

Any suggestions would be welcome , to give me an idea of where to start looking.

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, 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.

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.

Hi, I am on the hunt for a couple of hard to get items - two or three power steering pipe clips that are located on the two lugs that are sitting under the radiator. Unfortunately, mine have broken, and they are no longer available.

They would probably need to come of a P38 which is being taken apart, and with this in mind I have contacted a couple of breakers but so far no-one has replied to me at all. I am sure that there has to be some, somewhere but the big breakers don't seem to be interested.

I wonder whether anyone on the forum here might have a couple that I could buy ?

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I wonder whether anyone knows where I can get some power steering pipe clips. I have just replaced the power steering pipes and the clips that seem to be located on the radiator brackets have disintegrated. I am attaching a couple of pictures.

If anybody knows the part number, or who has them in stock then I would grateful. Failing that I will have to start checking with the used parts guys !

Pierre3.

Hi, I am having a new problem with my 2001 DHSE - on a run from the country, yesterday, the engine decided to overheat. I had done a run the previous day of around 100 miles with no problems, and yesterday I had been running around a bit, again with no problems.

When I left for the journey home I got about 20 miles into the journey when I suddely noticed that I had no power, and when I looked down I saw the gauge right up in the red, and the red warning lights was on. I pulled in, opened the bonnet and, even though the gauge was right over in the red the fan wasn't running.

The header tank was filled to the correct level, having been checked the day before. So I sat for an hour to let the engine cool somewhat, but it only drove for about another five miles before the gauge, and the red warning light, came back on.

I did notice that, wth the engine off, but the ignition on that I could hear what sounded like the fan running but it wasn't turning, so I presume that this was the viscous fan unit running but not connecting to the actual fan. I wonder whether this makes sense, is it time to fit a new viscous fan unit ?

I checked this morning, with the car having been left overnight, and cold, and when I started the engine the fan was running as normal at start-up. However, when I tried to stop the fan itself I couldn't. When I checked the fan yesterday, when the engine was hot, there was resistance in turning the fan, but not very much as it turned fairly freely. But this morning it is locked in, and it would probably chop my fingers off if I tried to stop it.

It is strange because my engine temperature always sits at the last blue line on the gauge, and usually only went up to the 12 0'clock position in heavy traffic, and I remember, about three months ago, someone on the forum said the viscous fan could be dodgy, because the temperature gauge should always sit at 12 o'clock. My car has always sat just on the last "cold" sector since I got it nearly tree years ago.

Everything is very clean around the radiator and the hoses, to the extent that they look quite new, but the large finned viscous unit looks a fair bit corroded.

Any advice would be appreciated before I start to order replacement parts, I don't want to splash out £500 on an alloy radiator if the problem turns out to be the thermostat.

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether anybody can tell me if I can remove the bits and pieces storage box, or tray thingy, from the centre console upper surround, where the clock is located.

Here is the piece that I am thinking of buying:

As one can see there was a sat nav unit fitted, and now removed. The surround would be perfect for my car, but can I remove the remaining bit of the black panel and fit the complete black panel from my existing surround ?

I am hoping that it is possible to remove the section with in the red box in my existing upper console surround, and just fit it back into the walnut surround.

My question is - can I do this ? Does the clock surround and the bits and bobs storage box just unclip ?

Pierre3.