p38 advice

[Rabzy]

hay guys i have had my p38 for a month or two and am planning a trip to fraser island in september.
Now im not new to the island, this will be my third visit. I guess im just wandering if anybody has any specilast advice about pre trip servicing,spares i might want to take for a particular reason or peoples past experiance with bigger off road trips with there rangies.

My main reason for asking is im already finding it hard to get aftermarket gear,help with servicing and parts in the illawarra, Plus the mechanic on fraser is a bit of an alcoholic so i dont really think he would be any help to me lol
cheers, Rabzy

[DT-P38]

Keep an eye on the temp gauge. Let it rest if it gets higher than 3/4. If you have time and cash flush your cooling system replace coolant to correct concentration. Do an oil change and filters service and carry back up fluids. If you haven't got an EAS kicker and EAS Bypass kit consider both. Bypass kit first. Make sure your RACQ membership is paid up and consider Top Cover (if its anything like the RACV version its the ultimate get out of jail card for cautious drivers!). If your really worried something's gonna go wrong, ignore the doubts and pack more beer! Most P38 breakdowns I have experienced were fixable or drive out-able with basic bush mechanic skills.

All the rest I can think of is as per normal... if bogged going forward move sand away from behind wheels and back out (and vice versa for going backward). If you can, take some Max Trax or sand ladders/bridges/mat's. Air bag jacks work well in sand too.

In loose sand momentum is your friend. If in doubt... don't spare the horses!

[Hoges]

double post...see below...sorry:wasntme:

[Hoges]

Buy a cheap netbook (Windows XP or Win 7) with a decent size HDD. Keep it for the P38. Download RAVE and Storey Wilson's P38EAS free!app called "Unlock suite".

http://www.rswsolutions.com

The unlock suite enables you to reset the EAS, calibrate it, read and clear faults. Storey has also uploaded a series of informative video clips explaining how to use the EAS suite...

you'll need to obtain an OBDII cable -either make it up yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron ...excellent simple instructions available... or buy one off the net. You'll also need a USB-Serial converter cable from Jaycar etc. The netbook becomes your electronic workshop manual and trouble shooter. Keep it charged up and store it in the vehicle!

[Scouse]

My main reason for asking is im already finding it hard to get aftermarket gear,help with servicing and parts in the illawarra, Plus the mechanic on fraser is a bit of an alcoholic so i dont really think he would be any help to me lol
cheers, RabzyGet in touch with Peter at mechanic2you:
www.mechanic2you.com.au (http://www.mechanic2you.com.au)
0419 427 162
He's a mobile mechanic operating out of Wollongong & has been working on Land Rovers for years. He also owns a P38 & knows them inside out.

[SpiggyTopes]

I don't do that much travel in the sticks here, but when we go for a significant trip I take:



spare air bags
eas air pipe splicers
o rings
Schraeder valves

Plus all the normal stuff like water, rad hose bandage, clips etc.


Don't forget the sprig of garlic ....



Yes, it begins to feel paranoid .....


If you go with the laptop, don't forget it will need charging (just when you need it - so you need a car charger with it) and storing carefully. I really think it's worth forking out for a Nano evo ....

[Rabzy]

thanks guys for the tips,im pretty shore i have a leaking front driver side bag as i left it in the lifted position last nite and this arvo when i got home from work she was on a bit of a lean;)

well iv got until september to do what i can, in the meantime ill just have to do some local tracks for research and development perposes:D

[SpiggyTopes]

Don't leave the air bag repair too long or it might wear out the compressor ...

[Keithy P38]

You could take a chance! I do loads of remote touring in mine, hard tracks too, ill keep a pair of spare bags (with coat hanger tool for removing if necessary), my faultmate and a set of jumper leads. The rest is standard "remote trip" stuff that you are likely to find in the back if any 4wd travelling away from civilization!

Only once in four-ish years have I needed to use my spare bag, never needed the faultmate and the jumper leads have come in handy for bush welding and jump starting my mates!

If you've had a good look over it, got your P38 in great mechanical shape then you are likely gonna have a great trip!

Don't forget your tyre pressures are your saviour!

Cheers
Keithy

[Rabzy]

[QUOTE=Keithy P38;1865555]You could take a chance! I do loads of remote touring in mine, hard tracks too, ill keep a pair of spare bags (with coat hanger tool for removing if necessary)=QUOTE]

i havnt had the pleasure of changing a bag just yet any info would be great,and whats this coat hanger tool you speak of?

[Keithy P38]

Changing a rear bag is very simple. Jack up the offending side and remove the wheel (by jacking up the chassis). Remove the air line. Remove the "R" clips top and bottom (hence the coat hanger tool - make one end into a hook), wiggle the old one out and the new one in!

The fronts are a bit more involved. It helps to remove the inner guard but it can be done with the inner guard in place. Remove the air line, remove the 2 small clips on the top of the spring, jack the chassis up, undo the small bolt that holds the bottom "R" clip (13mm from memory), remove the said clip, out with the old and in with the new!

The hardest part is getting the air lines off and back on again! I replaced one in the bush in less than 20mins with only my teeth and a nail file (ok - I kid, I used a screwdriver and a bottle jack)!!

Easy done

[benji]

A little thing I discovered the other day was that if you leave the bonnet or tailgate open, the becm won't go to sleep. I left it open all afternoon and all night didn't I - very slow to start the next morning. So you may want to manually lock the latch in the middle of the lower tailgate if your worried about battery drain.

I'd also pay to check that the wheel liner on the front passenger side is secure. Others will post in, but I don't think the intake is as water safe as the older rangies.

[Rabzy]

thanks heaps guys for all the help,i have one more question if anybody is still reading this post.
this weekend just gone i decided to take the rangie for a bit of a play :D
but i stuffed one of my tyres :mad: wich has just made me have to get muddies a bit sooner, i currently have 18s but am in the market for 16s and wandering what's the biggest size for a mickey thompson mtz or bfg km2?
sorry if this has been answerd a thousand times before but i havnt had much time to search yet
cheers

[PaulP38a]

depends if you want to keep the spare in the spare wheel well or not.

If you do, stick to standard size or less than 20mm taller.

If you don't care, go no larger than 30.5-31" tyres or you will have bad scrubbing.

Keep width to 265 or less to avoid scrubbing guards on articulation.

Can recommend the KM2's and like Maxxis Big Horns also.

[Keithy P38]

Yeah I've got 255/70/16 BFG KM2's on mine (one size up from standard), they rub lightly on articulation, however, there is a lad running 265/75/16 KM2's and he seems to feel that the rubbing isn't too bad, if only under articulation then that's not a bad thing, provided its not too much scrubbing.

I had to remove my front mudflaps to be able to turn with my tyres, and my spare tyres fit in the wheel well provided I've completely deflated them.

Cheers
Keithy

[Pete38]

I bought km2 in a 32 (265/75/16) and no regrets. No front mud guards and very rare minor scrubbing. Well rare off road even on full articulation and only minor scrub on corners in highway mode and hit a big bump. But no damage and only minor black marks on rear nothing on front.

But need packers for bump stop in case of a blown bag. But I have spare bags, and thanks to Paul I also have the emergency eas kit he supplied and made a switch to turn the eas off. Last thing you want is to be on the bump stops and drive while scrubbing.

See this thread I started. They are border line.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/p38a-range-rover/157785-yeh-yeh-another-tyre-thread.html


As Paul said, spare wheel no longer fits in wheel well when the km2's are on

[Keithy P38]

Did you end up changing your gearing with the 32's or does the old girl cope pretty well with them? How does your speedo now read at 100km/h?

[Pete38]

Did you end up changing your gearing with the 32's or does the old girl cope pretty well with them? How does your speedo now read at 100km/h?

No haven't changed the diffs because for the 10% odd taller gearing I couldn't justify spending $2k on diffs.. Il Although the rear will eventually be a ashcroft locker so could change the front as well to a shorter ratio. But I plan on going back to the stock HT's for most of my driving as I just bought a spare pair of rims finally so then again probably not.

I still have my front bull bar to sort, finally get round to getting my rock sliders fabricated and whatever other under body protection I can find or get made, so an extra different front diff is even less likely now I think about it.

The speedo is about 10% under so 100 on speedo is 110, 80 almost 90 etc. The speedo originally read slightly under. Doesn't bother me too much though because 10% is a good number.

[Keithy P38]

That's the go! And you're aware of it so it shouldn't give the government too much of your hard earned!

You'll love that locker once you get it! Mine cops it off road and keeps coming back for more!

[Pete38]

Yeh its on the to do list.. I remember you praising it a few months back.

My rear end makes a slight tick when I go from forwards to rear. Was told its normal for a Range Rover. Guess it's just slack in the driveline as its only when going from forwards to rear and vice versa... Be good excuse to put the new locker in just in case its more than slack huh :)

Peter

[Keithy P38]

They all do it! Mine did before I fitted the locker and still does now! Backlash has been set perfect in mine, and my diff looked fantastic when I pulled it out, no odd wear or missing teeth!

[Rabzy]

hay pbrown i read your link, very interesting. I do have to ask about these gen 3 bags. do thay add lift only to the 'high' mode?
just asking because i have standard air bags and i got a quoat for the km2s 265/75r16 but i would feel like a real tool if i got the tyres only to find out i needed the gen 3's lol

[Pete38]

The gen 3 bags are made by arnotts. They are bags designed to allow more travel downwards. So to me they seemed safer to lift the high mode using the eas (the computer lifts the car, without changing that the bags don't lift the car automatically) but I'm only up an inch these days because the stroke limit downwards is the shocks. So lift it too much and wheels can pop off the ground easier depending on the situation. But the bags are no where near stretched so I feel safer running permanently slightly higher on high mode.

I've had patches of research to get longer stroke shocks with the same closed length so no extended bump stops. No luck yet. Haven't given up though.

At normal height I have left it at standard as well as highway. But the ride is better with the gen 3 bags. There is loads of info on them buried in here about them. PaulP38 sold them to me and glad I bought them. Even more so once I find extended shocks. Spoke to Paul about the 2inch spacer lift kit he sold through hard range but was never convinced I always want to be 2 inches up in all modes.

[Pete38]

Even at standard mode and standard height they are ok so standard bags and standard height should be ok. But no front mud flaps and possibly the unusual minor rub. Where I would be more worried is highway height round corners with the softer spring rates of the standard bags. It's only light rubbing on the rear with black marks but be warned.

[Pete38]

They all do it! Mine did before I fitted the locker and still does now! Backlash has been set perfect in mine, and my diff looked fantastic when I pulled it out, no odd wear or missing teeth!

I think I'm thankful for hearing that again... But the tight arse in me isn't as thankful as it's now harder to spend the money lol. Just showing a Toyota or a Nissan up that little bit more would make it well worth it though ha ha.

Slightly off topic..... still. But the locker needs a pressure regulator to run off the eas air tank huh? Did you install it yourself and set the preload and backlash or pay someone? Either way how much or how hard? I've only ever replaced a whole centre so no settings needed.

[Keithy P38]

I ran my solenoid straight off the tank, no pressure regulator. I am not actually sure if you need one as all the lockers I've bought (I have an ARB one in our dmax) none have a pressure regulator. And mine in the Rangie does not leak.

I installed the locker with the help of a mate. It's not hard to set the backlash. Best thing you can do is feel it (use your sixth sense as well) when you pull your old centre out and when you bolt everything to your new centre, tighten it to feel the same.

That's the first diff centre I have ever removed, and I'd do it again.

[PaulP38a]

I ran my solenoid straight off the tank, no pressure regulator. I am not actually sure if you need one as all the lockers I've bought (I have an ARB one in our dmax) none have a pressure regulator. And mine in the Rangie does not leak.


I am going off memory now as I don't have Hard Rangie to go and check, am pretty sure the regulator to the locker was set at less than 100psi. With the pressure in the EAS tnak usually between 100-150psi it needed the regulator to keep the pressure down.

[Keithy P38]

Thanks Paul!

Might head out and get one, would be a 5min job to add to my setup.

[Pete38]

Yes I remember the Ashcroft locker was meant to be 90-100. And my tank says 130-135 according to the pressure gage on the emergency air kit.

[Pete38]

I ran my solenoid straight off the tank, no pressure regulator. I am not actually sure if you need one as all the lockers I've bought (I have an ARB one in our dmax) none have a pressure regulator. And mine in the Rangie does not leak.

I installed the locker with the help of a mate. It's not hard to set the backlash. Best thing you can do is feel it (use your sixth sense as well) when you pull your old centre out and when you bolt everything to your new centre, tighten it to feel the same.

That's the first diff centre I have ever removed, and I'd do it again.

Cool. I also have access to plenty of dial gauges as well in case the sixth sense is broken or I've been drinking :-)

[glenhendry]

Stop in here in Brissy en route to Fraser and I can loan you spare air springs and heaps of other bits. Plus Id like to look over your P38 :)

pm me if you get a chance to stop on the way for a chat and Ill sort my gear.