Lots of Questions

[Stuart555]

I am a new owner of a 95/96 Range Rover 4.6 HSE. I have so many questions it is hard to know where to start! Firstly, my climate control. The fan of my climate control seems to only work automatically, I mean, no matter how much I turn the heater fan control knob, it seems not to make any difference to it's operation....I can't even turn the fan off! Plus, I have no heat to the left side of the vehicle. I believe this to be a blend motor or servo problem. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Also, my suspension must have leaks in it as if I leave the vehicle for any length of time, it goes down. It is as if some relief valve is letting the air out after I park it. Like I said, I have so many questions.....prepare for more...he he .
Thanks.

[redandy3575]

I am a new owner of a 95/96 Range Rover 4.6 HSE. I have so many questions it is hard to know where to start! Firstly, my climate control. The fan of my climate control seems to only work automatically, I mean, no matter how much I turn the heater fan control knob, it seems not to make any difference to it's operation....I can't even turn the fan off! Plus, I have no heat to the left side of the vehicle. I believe this to be a blend motor or servo problem. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Also, my suspension must have leaks in it as if I leave the vehicle for any length of time, it goes down. It is as if some relief valve is letting the air out after I park it. Like I said, I have so many questions.....prepare for more...he he .
Thanks.

Hi Stuart

The fan to me seems to be a faulty fan controller knob which have been known to go faulty from time to time. The only solution is a new HEVAC controller, not really worth fixing unless your selling the vehicle or the entire HEVAC fails (as you still have the auto system to go with!!). Your believe is correct, it will most likely be the blend motor, just check the fuses before commencing to tear the dash apart. Mine just failed two days ago on the driver side (lucky me!!!) but is not an urgent fix just yet until about spring.
The Air suspension does make the vehicle go down if left for prolonged periods on uneven ground as the BECM tries to correct the vehicle even when shut down, eventually running out of air. But having said that, it should return to normal after approx 2 minutes after starting up the vehicle. If it takes longer than that, then you can be sure that there's a leak somewhere, most likely the valve block seals. Get in contact with Paul from Hard Range Australia | Range Rover and other Land Rover Parts, http://hardrange.com [ABN 21 141 975 493] (http://www.hardrange.com.au) and he'll hook you up with some rubbers (rubber o-ring seal kit). Only takes 2 minutes to replace, test it out by listening carefully for any air hissing out of the valve block, or get some soapy water and a brush.

Hope this helps!!;)

BTW what are your other issues??

[Stuart555]

Thanks for your advice....I was worried I was losing air in the suspension too quickly but it raises back up almost as soon as I start up.

Other questions I have are about the brakes, well, at least one question. Very often after driving for a while the first brake application seems like the pedal is travelling too far......brakes still work but it is a bit disconcerting when that pedal travels so far. Second application is fine and it works well untill I don't use them for a while.
One other thing, my rear view mirror which is supposed to be automatic does nothing. I have read somewhere where the mirror from a WH Statesman can be used with a little modification, have you heard that? Or any other suggestions short of just fitting a standard mirror. Thanks.

[wayneg]

I had a similar issue with the fan. I took the knob apart and found a trident shaped piece of copper conductor had become unstuck from the knob, glued it back and after re-assembly all good.
The job requires removing the hevac unit and a good deal of patience and dexterity. Search for hevac and there are pics available to help

[redandy3575]

Thanks for your advice....I was worried I was losing air in the suspension too quickly but it raises back up almost as soon as I start up.

Other questions I have are about the brakes, well, at least one question. Very often after driving for a while the first brake application seems like the pedal is travelling too far......brakes still work but it is a bit disconcerting when that pedal travels so far. Second application is fine and it works well untill I don't use them for a while.
One other thing, my rear view mirror which is supposed to be automatic does nothing. I have read somewhere where the mirror from a WH Statesman can be used with a little modification, have you heard that? Or any other suggestions short of just fitting a standard mirror. Thanks.

When you say automatic are you referring to the 'Memory seat 1 or 2' setting? or the mirror dip when selecting reverse? I'm not 100% on the Memory seat setting, but i think you can disable it from adjusting when the button is pressed. I know for sure you can stop the mirror dip, as my missus absolutely hates that feature and i must admit i'm not a huge fan of this feature either. Never heard of the statesman remedy though, but then again anything is possible. As far as the brakes are concerned, mine does this also but not as severe as you described it. I'd say the brakes need to be bled and maybe even have the brake fluid replaced, cause old brake fluid or even a little air in the line will generally do that after a while. On you next service, get it looked at for sure.

[Keithy P38]

I have heard also that you can use a WH Statesman mirror (redandy - he's talking about the one in-cab with the button on the underside). I don't have mine in auto, am not even sure what it's supposed to do!! If you don't plan on ever using it in auto mode you are probably better off getting one that doesn't have that function and using the 12v wire for some other project!

As for the brakes i'm not sure!

Cheers
Keithy

[RR P38]

Your brake issue is the Accumulator the bladder inside the black bulb that sits on top of your brake booster pump is cactus you need to replace the accumulator.
Take it to a work shop that specialises in RRs and im sure they will tell you the same thing from the pedal pressure experience that you describe in your post.

[p38arover]

I am a new owner of a 95/96 Range Rover 4.6 HSE. I have so many questions it is hard to know where to start! .

Start here:

Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes (http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm)

and

rrepairs (http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdetails/index.html#4point0)

[Stuart555]

Well, once again guys thanks for your advice. Yes, I was talking about the interior mirror and I have also disabled that mirror dip function for the exterior mirrors, I found it of no help at all when reversing. As for the brake accumulator, is this part easy to replace and is the part costly? I also have this annoying "Sunroof not set" message that keeps coming up and I have tried opening and closing the roof but it still appears......any suggestions? Thanks guys

[p38arover]

Well, once again guys thanks for your advice. Yes, I was talking about the interior mirror and I have also disabled that mirror dip function for the exterior mirrors, I found it of no help at all when reversing. As for the brake accumulator, is this part easy to replace and is the part costly? I also have this annoying "Sunroof not set" message that keeps coming up and I have tried opening and closing the roof but it still appears......any suggestions? Thanks guys

I love the dipping mirrors. As I noted in another thread, it's one of the things I would miss if it was taken away.

Accumulator $165 from the UK. See my recent post in this area of the forum. Simple to replace.

Sunroof - you have to open it up and down and fore and aft (I can't remember in which order so I usually to it up/down/aft/fore/up/down)

[adm333]

Stuart

Welcome aboard. I hate to be an alarmist, but regarding your brakes, I think you should boil the kettle, make a strong cup of tea and sit down and read this thread.....

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/p38a-range-rover/53794-all-p38-owners-up-mid-1999-please-read.html


If its the original brake modulator on your 95/96 model, then it would be wise to consider this repair. I have posted some pics in that thread from when I did the repair.

If your problem is the accumulator, it is quite common for the 2 brake warning lights to flash on momentarily if you brake heavily.

Dave

[Stuart555]

Thanks again. Are there not any accumulators available in Australia? Or are they too expensive here? How long should the ABS pump run upon start up. I read somewhere that this can be the clue to identifying a faulty accumulator?
I don't know if anyone has done it before but I just replaced the buttons on both my key remotes with silicone ones. Thought I did well paying $32 for both remotes and they are easy to fit, brings the remotes back to almost new!
I am also in need of an air filter cover, my original is broken as a result of a backfire which must have happened before I bought the vehicle. Any ideas where I may get one?
Thanks guys.

[Scouse]

I don't know if anyone has done it before but I just replaced the buttons on both my key remotes with silicone ones. Thought I did well paying $32 for both remotes and they are easy to fit, brings the remotes back to almost new!
Genuines are available from Land Rover for about $5 each :).

[Scouse]

Thanks again. Are there not any accumulators available in Australia? Or are they too expensive here? How long should the ABS pump run upon start up. I read somewhere that this can be the clue to identifying a faulty accumulator?
They're readily available but are quite expensive out here, even from a non- LR dealer.
Usually, the first symptom of the accumulator getting weak is the hard brake pedal first thing in the morning. If this is the case, let the pump run for 15-30sec & it will build up pressure for braking.

[Stuart555]

Genuines are available from Land Rover for about $5 each :).
Gee thanks......just what i wanted to hear. Hopefully these silicone ones will last a lot longer than the crappy rubber ones:p

[Scouse]

Gee thanks.No problem ;).

The LR ones only last about 3 years in my experience so hopefully the silicone jobbies last longer.

[adm333]

My genuine LR ones only lasted a bit over 2 years.

I bought the silicon ones and they seem to be doing alright.

Main thing is, if they wear out don't wait too long to replace them.

Dave

[Stuart555]

Hello guys.....I am back. In an earlier post I spoke about my heater not working on the left side and that I thought it was a blend motor gone wrong, well I think it is still that but now the readout on the HEVAC is faulty sometimes, sometimes not, and I was just wondering if this could be related to the heater problems? Another thing I was wondering, has anyone had cause to repair the rear window demister? I have a couple of bars not working but I can't find any breaks using visual and multimeter methods. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[adm333]

If you mean the LCD display is playing up and intermittently displaying incomplete numbers etc, then this is quite common and unlikely related to the heating issues which is most likely the blend motors.

I live in Brisbane and would not have a clue if my demister works or not.

I'll assume it doesn't.

Dave

[Stuart555]

Thanks Dave. I don't suppose you would have a need for a rear window demister up there, not like us down here in the south. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with this problem, never mind...I can live with it.
BTW....where do I find reasonably priced used parts for my Rangie.....one item I need is an air cleaner box lid because mine is broken (at some time the vehicle fired back through it and broke it...before my time....)
Thanks.

[redandy3575]

If you mean the LCD display is playing up and intermittently displaying incomplete numbers etc, then this is quite common and unlikely related to the heating issues which is most likely the blend motors.

I live in Brisbane and would not have a clue if my demister works or not.

I'll assume it doesn't.

Dave

Mine does this. Sometimes on cold mornings it won't even show the detail at all, but the background is still luminated. Has a mind of it's own

[Stuart555]

Hi guys!
Just noticed on my Rangie that the door locking function does not include the rear doors.....I mean, I have to manually lock and unlock the rear doors with the sill buttons. Is this normal?????

[PaulP38a]

Stuart - no, something is broken. If the interior lights do not come on when you open the rear doors as well then I would be checking that the outstations in the doors are getting power through the wiring loom in the doors.

Cheers, Paul.

[Stuart555]

Well, the right hand rear door does not operate the interior lights but the left does. Do you think mabe there will be just a problem in the rhr door??

[PaulP38a]

probably just the switch in the door, especially if the speaker and power window control works ok.

Cheers, Paul.

[Stuart555]

Well, I took the trim off the RH door and found a plug loose....plugged it in and now the interior light works again but the RHR lock will only unlock with the remote but not lock. The LHR door lock does nothing at all....not even "click". I put a test light on the plug on the left hand door and could only get an unlock signal....but nothing for locking. Maybe a faulty outstation?????? Help.
Thanks.

[PaulP38a]

probably a dodgy outstation then.

Contact "Andrew E" on this forum (Andy is the other half of Hard Range). He might have an outstation to suit.

If you have a "shopping list", pm me or email to info@hardrange.com and I'll run it past Andy to see what he/we can do.

Cheers
Paul.