Today I have written to you guys in this nice place :-)
I have also made the list of my wiring woes and wonders so I will bother with this soon.

Mine is with a fully stripped interior, dash seats plastics and the like, just recently put back the carpets.
As long as the BeCM is plugged in it starts and moves, I've done it a few times around the yard, mainly towing or moving stuff around - who would say, it is a workhorse even with an empty cabin!
I was not aware if would throw an ODO error, I know the instruments sync with the BeCM but I would imagine that happens automatically. Not that I've done much road with all disconnected ...

I have in my stable both auto and manual vehicles ... to each its own. In the sense that some cars are just 'right' with a manual, some with an auto.
For a large 4WD like the P38 I would stick to an automatic, it like it was born to have it ....

Hi, no, you should not be able to move it ... I think it does not reach the end-stop that locks it up in position.
Another option is that the end-stop in the rail is worn to the point that it stays 'up', but not strongly. It should stay up anyway as the motor and the cables are pulled into that position.
Does it rattle when you go around in the 'up' position?

Don't want to hijack the thread .... I know I am giving away a lot of surprises about my beloved a piece at the time (wanted to do it in one go but there is too much to tell, and you guys are opening up too many interesting topics! lool), but I did have a non-functioning sunroof when I bought it .... and I did buy some ebay repair kit which took me 3 days to fit (a lot of peeling and filing and grinding to fix that sh*t) and while it works, I do operate it with great care and dread it will fail again. Plus the frame is missing the end-stops which are not available separately elsewhere (probably disintegrated when the roof failed).
Now my donor rangie has also a non-functioning roof - obviously - and I hope it has a complete frame, want to pull it apart and fix it with ease and then swap them around. Short of getting the +300gbp kit OE from LR, is anyone aware of something of a better quality than the ebay stuff?

Did your ex-Police had some sort of larger mudflaps, possibly rubber, I have seen in some P38s in photos?

Wow now I see in what you were busy! Compliments, it is a fascinating albeit tiring life!!

In my university years (in Italy) by chance made a friend who, being an avid free-climber, had a spot as a rigger in a company supplying local crews for music and entertainment events. Once they were in short supply for a large event (that was Metallica on their 'Load' tour, they had 4 18-wheelers with their own stage - the 'guitar' shaped one) and he called me up in a hurry to ask if I was available ... I was peeling rubber even before he finished the sentence :-)
Long story short, combination of music love and interest and knowledge of stuff (I knew what most of the bands I've worked for would use in terms of stage arrangement, I was very young and dedicated back then), plus my more than average grasp of English - for an Italian lol - and willingness to go to and fro at odd hours gave me almost three amazing years of great enjoyment. I came to really know and appreciate the effort a road crew endures to make a show a great experience for artists and public alike! Plus you get to see the shows for free and sometimes get your local crew t-shirt!
Hope someday will have chance to swap funny stories!
Then I was ... compelled (parents did not appreciate this extravagant lifestyle) to get a "normal" job ... but the joy remains!

If you are forced to stay "home" off the tour I'd be glad to bother you to go through my list of ...issues :-)

:-) did not say it was!
But between that and its TU44 sibling with the dreadful VANOS and the advanced trickery of the ME7.2, I'd stick to the older version of it. In any case, I am not contemplating fitting any of these powerplants ... had a thought, quickly dismissed. Too much hassle (and expense) for too little gain.
We'll open another topic on options to "stimulate" the venerable Rover and give it a little more ooomph

Uh ... how does it miss 4th in the upshift when you have only 4th gears? :-) lol
From what I remember also mine will stick to 4th to very low speeds, try downshifting manually to '3' when dropping the speed and see how it reacts. Actually, try also all the manual selections and sport mode to see if the behavior changes, at least to gather more info.

That is an amazing work ... wow!

I have been following this thread with interest, as seeing the REAL possibility of being able to make an engine swap worthwhile without ... going crazy. Although I do like the old lump, as is a real workhorse, and I hate complex modern engines (I am doing for the third time a crap Audi V6 30V which has driven me nuts over the last 20K km and plan to be rid of it once I am done), for me to fix the 4.6 and give it a little bit more of ooomph would be very expensive, while I could sort out a M62 for much less, or even better an Audi 4.2 which I am fairly familiar with, but I think it don't fit.
But only if the electronics can be sorted out ... so we wait to see :-)
Most likely I guess will stick to the proven old horse ....

As for the suggestion to swap a M62TU out of a L322, I would not really consider it an easy task, not least because uses a Motronic 7.2 vs. the 5.2.1 of the P38. The M62 (non-VANOS) uses a 5.2. That would be my pick, especially considering VANOS' reputation, which equals that of the P38 lol.
Would be a revvier engine, though.... maybe I will stick to S/C one some day :-)

Marty thanks for your reply! I've read about your life (will post there separately!) and no, do not worry you never answered but you don't need to ... now that we are sharing this wonderful grazing ground you can read here my woes, and I'd rather contact you again for specifics and ...goodies :-)

To all: I promise after explaining how I got here, soon to narrate how and why a P38, mine specifically, and my eventful life with my queen so far :-)

lol!
mate you cannot imagine what has been happening in the terrafirma in the past weeks. end of the world nightmare.
two days ago I had a guy in front of me going out with 12 bottles of 1.5lt each of cooking oil. Just how many kilos of french fries you want to make? And 20 packets of 1kg flour? Bread for 10 years?

In any case, what's with all this toilet paper thing? I mean I usually buy bulk (30/40 rolls package) because is cheaper and it has been like 6/7 years I stick to this method, but ... what is going on with that? you expect to live in the toilet lol?

Uhm ... my 4.6 has always been in the hotside of the things, fitting early on a scangauge allowed me to have a more precise reading all the time without the cumber-ness of the nanocom. As it was always in the 95-105 area, with peaks of 108, I assumed this was normal after reading in all places where the "wise" write, that the engine likes to hear, the leanness of the recent ECM evolutions, and the like. I never liked it though.
When I started to see how easy it was to read 120 and plus ... oh well.

Well, I will save you details of my nightmare tale, but in 2yrs and 30k km, after going through 3 t-stats, 2 water pumps, 2 viscous couplings and one fan (!!!), hoses pipes, two caps and two overflow tanks, heater rad, o-rings, plus a radiator, and COUNTLESS liters of 50/50 antifreeze mix, I can say the V8 settled in 84-90 without missing a beat, every time.
If is more than that, I am sure there is something that needs looking at.

I have also learned to deeply mistrust any other foreign hand, and they are banished from my engine bay. I make an exception only for those known engine and gearbox rebuilder, whose services someday will need. The rest, bugger off my engine!!!
I have also learned the instrument is utterly useless, and the engineers who worked the logic of the cooling system have no clue of how a thermal engine operates. The instrument is useless as it stays upright and level until 117 deg. then rises slighty. Too late! At 120 goes into the red, and the lamp comes on at 123. Condenser fans are supposed to come on controlled by the engine ECU, but their logic and behavior is a mistery, seldom I've seen them on, and I was a lot of times in the high side of things ... I made a manual switch and I turn them on when I feel comfortable doing it.

One of my worst moments, and catalyst for a change, was being stuck in summer in the border under a scorching sun with a 76IAT and 123ECT, A/C off because the ECM turns it off to save the engine, 35 deg outside, and a bothered 2yrs old baby and a VERY bothered wife.
Shortly after that mt fan blew off and disintegrated (literally), taking with it battery enclosure, pipes, cowling, radiator, t-stst, steering reservoir, gearbox cooling pipes, and some other bits here and there. That was the .... tipping point.
From there onwards I replaced most of the components myself, and I have been looking at 84-90 since.
Before, every km in hot weather or slow traffic had a vague sense of doom to it.
Curiously enough, at 270K km the engine still soldiers on ... a real champ, can't beat the RV8! :-)

Glad to hear he went thru it. If he does not mind disclosing details about it, I guess it is useful to us all.
Coming from a family in the Milano region, and living in Sofia where now we started with heavier measures, I can only advice not to underestimate this one.
At best, not to be a hassle and not to take resources needed to those who are really fighting it.

Copy all of you guys, N for longer stops, use the manual downshifting. I also keep it off the overdrive in slow traffic if I do not want to go into 4th.

Since we are in the subject, I wonder if when warming up the vehicle in very cold weather, if is worth more to keep the selector in N rather than P, to get the pump/converter fluid moving.
And I am sure is a topic beaten to death, but use the handbrake when in slopes, and do not rely on the g-bx in P.

It would be nice if there was a coating you could apply to extend their life.

I am only aware of a single recommendation from a mate with good experience ... remove the springs, clean them up with warm soapy water to keep them supple and remove all grit which in turn wears them out earlier than expected.
I've fitted all new ones an year ago, but I will try his recommendation this summer, if i ever get the lady moving again ...

Welcome!
Here the ambient is very reassuring for P38 ownership, eh eh ...

Richard question on yours as it is an ex-Police: I've seen some photos of them sporting different mudflaps than the usual plastic contoured ones, and some others with spots in the front grille. Does yours has any of this?

Sorry for the delay, I've found the reference ... EAS System Information Document (1998)*, page 18: "The vehicle should not drop more than 15mm (.6 in.) per day due to leakage."
That is a generous amount ... they were expecting a mess, probably :-)

• need to check if it is in the "pub's library" :-)

I left the laptop with the EAS TS Manual at work, so I do not have the exact value of "accepted drop", but 1" in 6-7 days I think is a sign of a system that has seen better days. Remember this is with battery off, this mean pneumatic loss either from the air springs or valve block. Since it stands on the stands (no pun intended!) there is no way to know how level it stays (in the sense one or more corners are failing). One of my mate's beauty with a full renewed system stays without drop for more than 10 days ....

Ideally, you should leave it at high/off road height, this way the springs are fully inflated and extended. They already spend all their time in normal use at normal height, which contributes to create a uniform area of wear....
Leaving it on high and on stands is a good idea to diminish the crushing effect of the falling weight deflating the springs, even if the compressor will need to work to recover the pressure. How fast does it go up after startup?
Always good to test the system's endurance with electrics on and off, to differentiate from a problem with sensors, ECU or pressure switch, or with the pneumatic part (springs, connectors, lines, valves).

I am sure this is a topic beated to death, these are the only couple things I try to remember religiously ....

I've not used them since long time, I find this link much more useful - until I finally manage to install the cat, that is.

http://lrcat.com/#40

Uhm, this is a nice topic ... to bring a P38 to the XXI century after fixing all its issues (that's enough!) and putting all the options/accessories desired, I'd suggest:

• upgrade headlamps, maybe with suitable LED options;
• install a BMW coolant tank with sensor and a manual override switch for the A/C fans (because is never enoguh redundancy);
• improve soundproofing: the base layout is pretty good for a factory car, but there are a lot of resonance/hollow spots to work on;
• upgrade audio: the speakers are pretty good (at least the high line HK on mine), but the cassette is really outdated ... as mentioned by others, a touchscreen/navi is a nice addition, hands-free for the phone as well;
• make some sort of holder for the spare when you have LPG tank in its place (like I do);
• add lighting and tie-down hooks in the luggage area (considering it was a costly accessory and the threaded holes are there from the factory, makes you wonder why them dudes would not do that directly from the go);

Just some of the stuff on my list!

of course: tune engine :-)))