PROBLEMS WITH A P38A

[gasman]

Hi all.
After selling all my landies its about time I came back to the fold as all the new vehicles are too expensive and have too many problems for a new car.
However, the misses has spoken "NO HEAPS OF S*&T THAT SPEND ALL THEIR TIME AT COOPERS".:censored:
Well is there a Landy that isn't?

Missed out on the Sahara Dust 2 door classic in Emerald this week, so are now looking for a original P38A.
Don't know a thing about them or anything else for that matter, so please tell me what to look out for and there associated costs.

Thank you.

[TheTree]

Hi

This thread has a fair bit of info, the bottom line is if you are going to send it to a dealer every time you have a problem, you need a big bank account:eek:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/p38a-range-rover/200698-basics-p38a-ownership.html

Steve

[poleonpom]

If you're reliant on a mechanic to maintain your vehicle, then a P38 is not for you.

[gasman]

Thanks for the quick response.

As far as repairs goes, I'm talking rebuilding gearboxes and alike at a cost of 7k in the D3.
Having owned an 09 110 I got heaps of practice learning new mechanical skills, so everyday probe are easy.

Heard a lot about suspension woes which I'm concerned about?

[benji]

Eas is definately diy now, practically all the parts you can get, and once understood the system is quite reliable. I would have no hesitation taking the eas anywhere in Australia - with appropriate spares of course.
Transmission problems seem few and far between.

Sent from my GT-I9305T using AULRO mobile app

[TheTree]

They seem to be one of the last truly repairable "by the side of the road" Range Rovers.

As as been said they are like a giant mechano set, there are a few jobs which are bastards like the :censored: blend motors and heater o-rings, but generally they are not hard to work on

You can see what I have done in 18 months, slowly going through everything I can think of, with the odd stumble

http://p38.hts.com.au/service_programme.html:D

There are also a few much needed additions, such as a low coolant alarm and an EAS bypass switch

You will get heaps of help here, both with choosing a vehicle and fixing problems :cool:

Steve

[daf11e]

Gasman, you specifically mention suspension woes which I think have been unjustly attacked over the years and as stated above are just misunderstood .
I am not a mechanic but reading forums and help from same I rebuilt mine 2 years ago and have not had a problem since.
(I'll probably go out to the car now and it will be on the bump stops.)

[gasman]

DAF11e I hope you haven't jinxed yourself either.

[gasman]

Thanks again to all who have and who will reply over the coming days.
Can you tell me then, which would be the best model to go for?
I have read that the 2000 onwards is the go………?

[poleonpom]

Hi Gas man
Glad to hear you sleep with a spanner in your hand: the P38 is perfect for you :-)
Everything on the P38 is learnable. Once you get to grips with the foibles then it becomes almost joy.
Pre 2000 is the Gems management system and post 2000 iz the Bosch. I have heard Bosch is better but I have Gems and it has been no problem.
Steer away from anything that has overheated or has had coolant probs. Overheated P38s slip their liners and cost a bomb to fix (probably same as D2s I'm guessing).
The P38 has always drawn more negative comment about.it than others. When mine did blow a Tyre on the Westgate the tow man told.me that RRs were always breaking down. I asked him how.many he'd been called out to and it turns out I was the first!

[daf11e]

Gasman I have the 2000 4.6 Bosch and has been excellent over the past 10 years of ownership.....never let me down and always got me home ( even though a couple of times It was very uncomfortable on bump stops).i now always carry a small compressor and four valves for the airlines...

[mtb_gary]

As a rule the one with the lowest mileage. However, a well maintained GEMS will be better than a poorly maintained THOR. Maintainence is the key here!

Gary

[gasman]

There are are a few very nice P38A examples on Carsales with around 85-160klms.
However I'm head shy since the D3 auto rebuild and other issues, So whats the difference with the 4 speed against the 6 speed in the D3?
I'm also hearing from this forum and elsewhere about over heating issues…….
Geez, when will the pain stop Doctor?

So do I buy a P38A expecting the worst and go from there, or……….

I just had an epiphany… Don't ever miss out on a completely rebuilt Rangy ever again….
Yes thats the answer. No need for anymore conjecture on the subject folks.

I have found Rangy religion. I have also found weekend beer drinking, (all week actually)makes you say things that you have no control over.

That and the Rolling Stones at full vol helps as well.

Welcome to the club, hey

[gasman]

Sorry all, I'm on my medication now and back with the living which is a real shame, as I love dogs.

[daf11e]

Gasman on the two points transmission and overheating....firstly from what I have read and experienced the trannies are pretty well bulletproof and secondly I have experienced overheating issues in mine, but I didn't muck around and replaced the radiator,clutch fan,coolant pressure cap,water pump and thermostat....all good no problem...and all for under $900. (It did however take 3 thermostats...not the cars fault)

[Hoges]

Head gaskets can be an issue and they are known for "soft" cams. I bought mine 7 yrs ago...it had 103k on the clock and I've only done 45k in that time... but I have replaced the head gaskets...also at that time did the camshaft, rockers, lifters and water pump and radiator, plus hoses and thermostat, spark plugs, coil blocks and camshaft position sensor...because it was all apart so was easy. I also replaced the ABS accumulator, a couple of idler pulleys and the serpentine belt (twice) and the viscous coupling in the transfer case, front ball joints, brake pads and rotors, brushes/regulator in the alternator; universal joints in both prop shafts; all air suspension bellows, height sensors(new), compressor(new) and valve block (new). Body-wise I've refurbed the roof lining and replaced the heater O-rings. I was surprised at the deterioration of the camshaft (there's a pic somewhere on this forum after only 130k km ..it was completely "shot" and several lifters had massive grooves across the base where the cam lobe had constantly run. Obviously they were not rotating as they should have...I suspect the previous owner/owners had neglected the oil changes or used the wrong sort of oil...

I did all the work personally, it's not hard, just time consuming. I don't have a "tradie" background but I have tinkered with cars since I was a kid. Biggest trip was to Cape York towing a home made camper trailer. 8,000 km. Didn't need to repair anything for whole trip. All it required was a feed of 2-3 L oil. (SWMBO did a fair bit of driving on both dirt roads and bitumen and was very much at ease with it)

Things to be done: Replace front suspension bushes (in radius arms), replace fuel pump (proactive replacement) and crankshaft position sensor (proactive), and the "self tapping screw" fix to free up the flaps in the heater plenum...don't get $book symbol in winter, only summer when the heater box has warped slightly and the flap seizes which causes problems for the blend motor which sets off the so-called check book symbol...

I get frustrated with it, I've been a bit crook lately so haven't driven it for 5 months because I can't get motivated to give it the time due to a million other DIY jobs I've got going on the house at present...but it will get on the road and I'll be a very happy chappy:D

I would dearly love to be able to undertake the D3 TDV6 3.0 transplant available in the UK (Simtek UK BodyLogic) ... would be a perfect match...pigs might fly also:angel:

[TheTree]

Actually the Bosch stuff started in 99 from around VIN XA410xxx

I have a 99 and it seems pretty solid apart from the usual issues.

There was a cosmetic update in 2000 I believe

Steve

[gasman]

I would dearly love to be able to undertake the D3 TDV6 3.0 transplant available in the UK (Simtek UK BodyLogic)

Anyone done this or no more about it please.

[Bigbjorn]

I only know what I read about them here. They do seem to have caused much expense and heartbreak for their owners. I spent much of my working life in the motor trade and still go to auctions. I can tell you this. No used dealer other than a specialist would buy one at auction unless he had it virtually presold to a wood duck. They have an appalling reputation in the trade for being a troublesome high warranty vehicle. Remember that dealers have to give warranty and they take out warranty insurance for this purpose. Troublesome vehicles have higher premiums and higher excess so tend to be avoided by the trade.

Edit:- these are now quite old vehicles of low value and of little interest to the used trade except "bomb" dealers who sell cheap vehicles preferably below the threshold which requires dealers to give a warranty. You should be able to pick one up cheaply at auction of from an exasperated private seller.

[TheTree]

While they have a reputation for being unreliable there are many reasons for this which have been well covered, they were a ground breaking vehicle when they were released.

LR Monthly had an article recently entitled "Bad Boy or Just misunderstood" where a few journos discussed the P38

One of them, Frank Elsom, who wrote a fairly unenthusiastic article about it when it was released is now an owner and describes it as "one of the finest vehicles ever built"

Several of the LR monthly writers, who one assumes could own pretty much any model they desired, are P38 owners.

Just reading the forum is of course going to give a negative impression, mostly we post about problems we are having, not about what an amazing vehicle we have.

There are examples of course :p

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/p38a-range-rover/177420-what-tough-vehicle-we-have.html

If you are a reasonably skilled mechanic and are prepared to invest in some diagnostics, then I think that it is possible to tame one of these "Bad Boys" with a little understanding and patience .. oh yeah and of course your wallet :eek:

Steve

[daf11e]

Steve your spot on that is a very good article and I would add that the more bad news out in "Carland " the better for us!