Not what I did today but what I did last week. I was driving to the next village a distance of about five miles & noticed that it was running a bit roughly. It revived up OK but was rough at low revs. I run on E85 (85% bioethanol) when in France & had about a quarter of a tank full. I decided that I would fill up with E5 (98 octane) & probably get a bottle of one of those magic potions alleged to clean the fuel injector etc. I filled uo then drove the five miles back to our cottage. I then sat with it on the drive as I put the Nanocom on to see if I could discover what the problem was. I eventually got to the Nanocom screen that shows misfires & saw 9 misfires on cylinder 3. After revving the engine for a bit the misfires disappeared & it was running smoothly again.
I'm not sure what the problem was. I subsequently filled up with E85 & drove back to the UK with no further issues.
A couple of days ago just before I set off from dance to the UK the same damn error message appeared again. This time ABS FAULT & TRACTION FAILURE appeared without any touch on the brake pedal. I thought that a wheel sensor might have failed but of course as I had just recently replaced the brake switch I was suspicious this could be the cause of the problem.
When I put the Nanocom on it actually displayed a Fault that the brake switch had failed. It also showed both brake switches closed Closed & only Brake Switch 1 flipped to Open when I put my foot on the brake.
I didn't have a spare brake switch or time to wait for one to be delivered before I headed back to the UK. The brake lights were working & there wasn't obviously anything wrong with performance of the brakes so I risked driving the 250 miles. I ordered a switch for delivery in the UK so it was waiting for me when we returned.
Today I fitted the new brake switch which was working OK according to the Nanocom wee between each wheel up to 5mph. Both brake light switches were flipping from Closed to Open when the brake pedal was pressed. The voltage at all the wheel sensors was the same (2.7V I think) & I could see the wheel speeds were comparable up to 5mph. The problem was I still had a beep followed by ABS FAULT then TRACTION FAILURE appearing on the message centre. I took the car for a short drive stopping & switching off the engine then restarting several times. Finally after about 5 or 6 times restarting the engine there are now no errors appearing & I can book it in for an MOT.
I don't understand why the ABS FAULT & TRACTION FAILURE messages still kept appearing even after the problem was corrected & faults cleared. It's just another quirk of the P38 I suppose.😀
Hilariously this is the fitting instructions on the Amazon web page.
Installation:
Reassemble the handbrake control switch of the car panel.
Depending on your make and model you may need to remove the door panel to access the switch wiring.
Install a new parking brake control switch in the door panel.
Reconnect the parking brake control switch.Test the operation of the window and switch before installing the door panel.
Reinstall the door panel and power it.
It's fixed. The €15 stop light switch was not a genuine LR part but was embossed with the LR part number XKB100170. It's a bit of a fiddle lying upside down under the steering wheel to fit but it is really only a ten minute job.
It's a pity that the BECM doesn't indicate a failed stop light switch with a more useful error message than ABS FAULT & TRACTION FAILUREthe
I checked with my Nanocom & in the Inputs for WABCO D it has Brake Switch 1 & Brake Switch 2. The old failed switch showed both Closed & only Brake Switch 2 flips to Open when I put my foot on the brake. The new switch shows both Brake Switch 1 & 2 flip from Closed to Open when I put my foot on the brake.
Gilbertd wrote:
Chapter 70, Brakes - Repair - Stop Light Switch From 99MY.
It has a sort of bayonet fixing so just needs twisting out and the new one pushing in and twisting (although you do have to wrestle one of the heater ducts out of the way to get to it).
Aha! When I looked through RAVE I searched on 'Brake light switch' which drew a blank. I have now found the correct section:-
STOP LIGHT SWITCH - FROM 99MY
Service repair no - 70.35.42
Remove closing panel from fascia. See
CHASSIS AND BODY, Repair.
Remove screw and remove heater outlet duct.
Remove 4 scrivets and remove access panel
from fascia.
Release and remove heater air duct for access
to stop light switch.
Refit
Ensure new stop light switch plunger is fully
extended for initial setting.
Fit stop light switch to pedal bracket and connect
multiplug.
Fit heater air duct.
Fit access panel and secure with scrivets.
Fit heater outlet duct and secure with screw.
Fit closing panel to fascia. See CHASSIS AND
BODY, Repair.
In further research I have dug up various threads in various forums including this one where the ABS FAULT & TRACTION FAILURE precipitated by a light dab on the brake pedal is fixed with a new brake light switch. Importantly that error message indicates that the switch has failed & that the brake lights are not working so needs fixing ASAP.
Please can someone point me to the section of RAVE that covers replacement of the brake switch? I have been searching but cannot find any detail.
The car starts & runs OK. I can hear the ABS pump running. If I drive off without touching the brakes the ABS light goes out. However if I touch the brake pedal even very lightly then I get a beep & then ABS FAULT appears on the dash closely followed by TRACTION FAILURE. Another important data point is that the brake lights don't work. Nanocom finds no faults in ABS (WABCO D) or gearbox.
Googling I found a couple of threads where a new brake switch fixed the problem so I just ordered a replacement for delivery on Tuesday for €15.99 delivered from Amazon. It's not genuine but a genuine LR part costs €50 & I can't get delivery until after Xmas.
Here is someone with the same problem. https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/p38-brake-light-switch-abs-fault-traction-failure.200305/
Anyone care to speculate why a duff brake switch would throw the ABS FAULT & TRACTION FAILURE? If anyone sees these messages it's definitely worth checking whether the brake lights are working. I realise now that I was driving about all day yesterday without brake lights.
I just turned 72 & intend to keep my P38 until I am no longer able to drive. My wife is ten years younger than me so I am encouraging her to drive the car so hopefully even when I am too frail to drive we will still keep the car.
Morat wrote:
Comma does oil with Zinc. It sold as "Motorsport" but I think that's just to let them put what they want in it.
https://www.commaoil.com/en-gb/product/moove/moove/comma/engine-oil/motorsport-5w-50/pdf/tds
0.1% / 1000ppm. It's not as high as some, but up there. It's also very high VI and pretty cheap on Amazon at £32 for 5l
Valvoline VR1 Racing 20w-50 is £29.99 + £4.99 delivery from Opie Oils
https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-73741-valvoline-vr1-racing-20w-50-engine-oil.aspx?variantid=96506
Pete12345 wrote:
I put a 7" Android stereo in the dash on one of my P38's many years back. The OS is getting old & a bit slow now, so thinking of replacing it with a modern Chinese unit. There are many 2DIN units out there which are shallow enough to not need my "remote screen solution".
No need to GROM or FM connection on either. The android uses transformers for the RCA to Harmon Kardon amps, and the Pioneer just works from speaker out to amps directly. No need for attenuators.
I have the top of the line Harmon Kardon DSP amplifier so the simplest solution for me is to get a GROM bluetooth adapter. The FM transmitter for the CarPlay device is pretty good but like all thee devices is prone to interference.
I also have an occasional but persistent crackle from the speakers in the passenger door. I'm not sure whether it's the wiring, the FM transmitter, a speaker, the HK DSP amplifier or whatever that is the origin of the crackling. It would be annoying to fit the GROM bluetooth device but still have a crackle from the speakers.
My plan is first to swap over the speaker from the passenger door to the driver's door & vice versa. Then if the crackle has moved over to the driver's door I know that I need to get a new speaker.
Clive603 wrote:
Actually thats good news! Now I know it ought to work.
Fortunately there is a UK supplier address on the label so I've E-Mailed them to see if they will swop it.
If not I'll just get another from Amazon, swop over and send the new box back with the old one in it for a refund. Be in trouble if the new one doesn't work either tho'.
Tested an android phone earlier and it still won't bluetooth pair so something wrong with the embedded software.
Clive
I'm sorry that you are having this problem & I feel guilty as I have been endorsing this CarPlay device. It's unfortunate that you got a dodgy one but the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to repair or refund for six months after purchase. The onus is on the trader to effect a remedy. I'm using an iPhone 12 Pro Max & it works very nicely.
After I had V8 Developments rebuild the engine in my P38 Ray's recommendation was to use Valvoline VR1 20W50 changing oil every 5K miles.
At the moment I am using the windscreen suction mount to secure the Carplay device. I didn't want to glue anything permanent until I was absolutely sure of the location. I could just remove the rubber mat from the top of the dashboard & stick it there. I have order a couple of rolls of the magic sumo strip referenced upthread that looks very nifty & could be the solution.
Before I bought my Carplay device I used TomTom on my iPhone as my satnav. The iPhone is secured in a Brodit holder that fits over the air vents. It would be neat if I could use this Brodit holder but I think that it may be too low for the dashcam to get a decent view. I shall experiment.
Once I have fixed the device I still need to discretely run the wires so they are out of sight. I have replaced the supplied power cord that plugs in the cigar lighter with another adapter that gives me 2 x USB 3.0 & 1 x USB-C so I can still charge a phone at the same time. The Carplay device only works with the 3A USB-C supply not the 2.4A from the USB 3.0 sockets. I also intend to install the rear camera near or on the tow hitch then will need to run the wire all the way back through the car to the Carplay device on the dashboard.
The connection using the FM transmitter can be great but can be awful when you get interference. I am going to get one of those Grom Bluetooth widgets that plugs into the CD changer socket on the back of the radio.
What Have You done To Your Range Rover Today? Well it wasn't yesterday but last Thursday & I took my car to see @Gilbertd again as I have had an increasingly loud rumble at the front of the car. It's been coming on for a few thousand miles. At first I wasn't sure that it was present at all but over time it has got much louder & I have become increasingly more conscious of it. Richard concurred with my diagnosis of a driver's side front wheel bearing that needed replacement. As it happened in his garage he had a whole half-shaft with bearing & hub that he had nabbed when Marty cleared his UK workshop a while ago. There was no provenance on the state of the used wheel bearing but as Richard pointed wheel bearing failure on the P38 is uncommon & that as far as he knows the wheel bearings are original in his ex-police P38 with over 500K miles on the clock so not risky.
Changing the whole half-shaft including the hub & bearing assembly is the easiest way of replacing a wheel bearing. For those without access to a suitable press i.e. most of us, the simplest option is to buy a hub with a new bearing fitted but for a decent bearing (non-Britpart) that's pretty expensive compared to the cost of a used part (£0 in this case😀. Changing the whole half-shaft also means that you don't need to get undone the big nut that holds the hub on the end of the half-shaft.
The work all went smoothly & while some of the bolts were stiff to undo there were no great problems. Just a long breaker bar & a lump hammer was all it took so no heat was required & no nuts or bolts got rounded off. The only specialist workshop tool was an old brake disc that was bolted on prior to being struck with a sledgehammer to get the old half-shaft with hub assemble out of the front diff. A new ABS sensor purchased in anticipation of destroying the old one while removing it from the hub proved unnecessary as it pulled out easily.
Once it was all back together again I took it for a spin up & down the road to confirm that the rumble had gone but now I have it back home I've been getting a bit OCD about noises related to road speed. I came up to a roundabout yesterday & convinced myself that I could hear the wheel bearing again but then realised it was the thump-thump-thump burbling of a 4.6L V8 at low revs.
I am once again immensely grateful to @Gilbertd for help with work on the car as my contribution this time apart from chat was not much more than holding the half-shaft vertical while he rolled on a new rubber gaiter & cleaning up bolts that had traces of red Loctite.
v8vroom wrote:
This is my unit - paid £44 on AliExpress. Works a lovely treat.
There are so many different models on the market that the choice is bewildering. I don't see any point in the risks of a personal import from China when the device that I purchased included a 64GB micro-SD card & next day delivery from Amazon.
Gilbertd wrote:
That is my only complaint (other than the crackle when trying to use line in), no instructions. Step daughter asked me how she saves a clip from the dashcam and I have no idea. I have a dedicated dashcam with a red button that marks the current clip so it doesn't get over written and I would assume it has something similar but no idea how to do it. The same with displaying a split screen. At one point it was showing the sat nav map and the title of the music she was streaming, but how we got it into that state we couldn't work out.
Poor instructions would be my complaint too. I have never had a dash cam before so hadn't appreciated that being able to save the current clip so it doesn't get over written would be useful. I have figured out how to toggle between different layouts of split screen though. I will show you how it is done when I see you later in the week.
As may be gathered I'm pretty chuffed with my purchase. Even just having the dash cam & reversing camera for £55 looks like a good deal never mind the lovely satnav tablet.
I have been using TomTom on my iPhone as my satnav but just bought this brilliant CarPlay tablet. It's priced at £70 but there is a 20% voucher that gets applied at checkout to make it £56 which is less than half the price that these devices usually are. It allows me to run TomTom on my iPhone but have display on the large 1600x600 pixel. Other apps can be run too like BBC Sounds or Podcasts. I believe Android Auto offers similar facilities.
It runs off the cigar lighter & can connect to the car audio via Bluetooth (when I get round to fitting a GROM dongle) or FM transmitter. It is permanently connected & starts up every time the car starts. I'm so impressed with the value for money that I thought I would share the news😀.
10.26" display
4K Front Dash Cam including 64GB SD Card
1080P Reversing Camera (wired)
Car Play & Android Auto
Bluetooth
FM transmitter
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FKMRCKPJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Gilbertd wrote:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404025564146, he replaces the switches on the circuit board and fully checks them before sending them back. You get a shiny new case too. As you have two keys, then it isn't a problem to do one at a time.
+1 for this. I just had a spare key refurbished by him. Before I sent it off the red LED didn't work & it would unlock but not lock the car. Now it's all working correctly. If you aren't getting the LED operating then the fob is faulty.