Best of the best P38 Mechanics in Melbourne

[poleonpom]

I'm in need of a mechanic, pref Footscray area.

Just as I was getting my head around how the EAS system works and repairing it, it looks like the head gasket has gone on the 4.6. The car hasn't overheated, so fingers and everything else crossed there's no real damage to the block.

The job is beyond my abilities, so can anyone recommend a knowlegable mechanic in central'ish Melbourne?

The other thing is, can anyone guestimate what a straightforward head gasket swop over job costs? (presuming the best case scenario)

[willem]

I'm in need of a mechanic, pref Footscray area.

Just as I was getting my head around how the EAS system works and repairing it, it looks like the head gasket has gone on the 4.6. The car hasn't overheated, so fingers and everything else crossed there's no real damage to the block.

The job is beyond my abilities, so can anyone recommend a knowlegable mechanic in central'ish Melbourne?

The other thing is, can anyone guestimate what a straightforward head gasket swop over job costs? (presuming the best case scenario)

If Geelong is not too far away, Hunter Cuthill in Autumn Street Geelong 5229 4299 are excellent.

Willem

[**Discovery300Tdi**]

Ferntree gully prob would be out your way but thats where i take my landy. just did a engine rebuild for my D1.

he's on dorset rd ferntree gull and is called roverland. pm me if ya want his number. he helped me when i had my p38 as well.

[Aussie]

Can you post why you think its a head Gasket? The reason why I ask is that I also went through a similar thing a few years back where it was assumed my Head Gasket was knackered only too eventually find that the problem was an airlock.

[poleonpom]

The car is using about 2l of water a day, I checked the oil filler cap and it had mayonaissed. I had hoped that it was an airlock, but the signs are troubling.....

Thanks to Simo and Willem: FTG is a bit too far away, but Geelong is not far from my home in Newport - does anyone know of anyone close rto me?

Thanks guys

[poleonpom]

p.s. meant to say that even though the car gives me the sh**s sometimes and tests me to the limit; I still love it

[adm333]

p.s. meant to say that even though the car gives me the sh**s sometimes and tests me to the limit; I still love it

Yes, we all hear you ....... brother poleonpom

[Aussie]

Yes, we all hear you ....... brother poleonpom

LOL...

[poleonpom]

Yes, we all hear you ....... brother poleonpom
Aye, there's solidarity in them words, brother. Who'd have though the vehicle of the bourgeouise could unite a common brotherhood amongst the honest working (on his RR) man?

I stand united, fellow brothers, but does anyone know a good mechanis near me in Newport - answers on apostcardplease!

[MoodyBlue]

Les Richmond in Thomastown is the ONLY outsider I will trust with my P38.

Rangie Spares Pty Ltd T/A Les Richmond Automotive
41 Wood St Thomastown VIC 3074
ph: (03) 9464 4094
Plenty of posts if you search this site.

Cheers
Jeff

[poleonpom]

Sounds good Jeff,

I'll give Les a call.

Thanks,

Jonathan

[PeterH]

Hi Polenpom, we are almost neighbours, I live in WIlliamstown.
There is a mechanic in North Melb who is supposed to be really good with Rangies, I think he even has a P38 himself.
I got onto him through Graeme Urch at British Car Components, a great Land Rover parts supplier in Nth Melb, knows what he's talking about.
I have not got his number handy but I'll post it if you are interested.
Would not hurt to at least get his opinion on your problem.
Cheers, Pete.

[poleonpom]

Hi Peter,

That would be great - I called Graham the other day and he told me to get in touch with Louis - does that ring a bell with you?
I see a couple of Range Rovers regularly around the Newport/Willie area, one of which is an identical dark green to mine.

Regards,

Jonathan

[PeterH]

Yes mine is a dark green one with tinted windows, you probably have seen me around, I'll have to keep an eye out for yours.
I bet I've seen you go past at some stage, I was probably envying yours before I got mine!
I have to call Graeme today anyway so I'll find out for you...Louis might be right, will let you know.
Cheers, Pete.

[PeterH]

I saw Graeme today, the mechanic's name is Louie.
He said he is probably not the cheapest but he is really good, good mechanics and equipment, worth a look at least.
European Vehicle Services,
5-9 Baillie St Nth Melbourne.
9329 7559.
Let me know how you go, will be interested to hear.
Hope this helps, Cheers, Pete.

[M.Allison]

hey,

i use AMV in Ringwood my dads discovery 2 had his head gasket replaced for $1800..he has a 4.6 in it :D. heads recoed and warranted....they do a really good job ive been taking mine there for a year now ....they are cheap aswell compared to the ones around here...his wife owns/owned a p38 as well im not sure which but yeah his always up for free advice.


Mike

[poleonpom]

That's brilliant Mike, as I had a budget of around $2k, so I'm in the ball park area, I'll look AMV up

[poleonpom]

Hi Pete, I know you, I've seen you driving around!

Good taste in wagon, do you sometimes drive down Maddox and are you well known in the area?

The reason I ask is that people wave and then when they see me behind the wheel, they have the look that suggests they have just waved to the wrong person :-)

Apart from ours there's a few P38's around our area. I know there's two in Newport; a white one and a silver one with clear indicator lights and there's a very smart Autobiography in Willie - we must have a large RR per m2.

I hae a love/hate with mine: Every time I think of selling it, when I get behind the wheel any thought of getting rid of it dissipates even though the list of things to fix increases on a daily basis:
Engine - head gasket/liner
Windows - drivers side gear stripped, passenger side poly bush broken (courtesy of window tint guys)
Stereo - pants, both the deck and the CD player have fault codes
HeVac - works fine but shows bookmark
EAS - just plumbed in manual valve lines and currently re-building pump (awaiting new teflon ring seal to arrive).

I want to change the airbags later this year, plumb in an airline and update the music system.

So, a few things and a few things planned and with the re-build of my Mercedes Fintail and a respray of my old Mercedes Coupe, I'm kept busy!

Thanks for Louie's details

[PeterH]

Yes people do know me around here, I do drive along Maddox a bit, it is possible they thought you were me!
If they ask I'll tell them you are my stunt double :)
I'll have to keep an eye out for you, I'm sure I have spotted you though, hard to miss a P38 driving past.
Sounds like you have a few bugs to deal with, not much fun.
I have owned a classic Rangie for 8 years before the P38 since November, I know what you mean about love hate!
From my personal experience my classic has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned, never had a breakdown to speak of, thats pretty good going.
Maintenance is the key, I did it all myself so I know it's done properly.
They do have their share of small annoying faults though, and fortunatley not so common bigger issues like your head gasket. Hope you get that sorted ok.
With your check book symbol, I found these great articles:

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

Blend Motor Diagnosis and Replacement (http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdetails/blendmotor.html)

You have probably already seen those, one common problem that causes the check book symbol to appear is a faulty relay, which is an easy fix.
I'm getting myself a faultmate code reader in the next few weeks, so if you are still having problems with it we can meet up and read the fault codes to see what the cause of the problem is.
Cheers, Pete.

[willem]

Hi Peter,

That would be great - I called Graham the other day and he told me to get in touch with Louis - does that ring a bell with you?
I see a couple of Range Rovers regularly around the Newport/Willie area, one of which is an identical dark green to mine.

Regards,

Jonathan



Yes mine is a dark green one with tinted windows, you probably have seen me around, I'll have to keep an eye out for yours.
I bet I've seen you go past at some stage, I was probably envying yours before I got mine!
I have to call Graeme today anyway so I'll find out for you...Louis might be right, will let you know.
Cheers, Pete.

Dark green P38s everywhere. Mine's that colour too - 99 4.0.

Willem

[PaulP38a]

Dark green P38s everywhere. Mine's that colour too - 99 4.0.

Willem

Huh? I thought your was "Oxford Blue" like mine? Obviously I'm losing it :o

[poleonpom]

You have probably already seen those, one common problem that causes the check book symbol to appear is a faulty relay, which is an easy fix.
I'm getting myself a faultmate code reader in the next few weeks, so if you are still having problems with it we can meet up and read the fault codes to see what the cause of the problem is.
Cheers, Pete.

That'd be great - I've just re-built my EAS pump with parts from Rover-Renovations - easy to do and good instructions online. It looks really good, but will it work???? If you ever have any questions on the EAS system, I maybe able to help....

Now trying to clear the EAS fault and am using Storey Wilson's software on the laptop - couldn't get the bugger to read the fault codes, looking at Storey's website I realise I can't use a stock OBDII cable, so I'm having a crack at making one to Storey's specs: I can't have a re-con EAS pump and lits of new fancy pipe work for the car to remain on its bump stops:D

I've also been talking to my Uncle who knows the Rover engines back to front, he's built and heavily modified a Rover 4 litre block in his (my old) MGB. He has suggested that it's the liners that are at fault and that I should use a product called Irontite as my first step to resolve the issue. I've looked at a lot of websites and forums and think that for $100 it's worth trying - if worst comes to worst, I'm up for a rebuild anyway.

So I've taken the plunge and if anyone is interested, I'll tell you all what I think.....

In response to colour, it's amazing how many green ones that are out there. I have to admit that when I bought mine, I originally thought it was blue!

[Aussie]

Reagrding liners, I remember seeing somewhere that theres a UK company that makes "non slip" liners. The put a small lip on top of them that stops them slipping.

[PeterH]

I made up my own lead for the EAS unlock software and it works a treat!
If you go to Dick Smiths I found them to be much cheaper than Jaycar for those parts, but Dick Smiths did not have the OBD2 connector plug.
There is a great video on making up the lead, if you follow that, you should not have any problems: http://www.rswsolutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=58

Here are the bits you need:
9 pin sub D connector
9-Pin Sub D Connector (P2685) | Dick Smith Online Store (http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4b60e5db0092f986273fc0a87e0106f0/Product/View/P2685)
USB to serial adaptor, they sell for around $80 in Australia for some reason, but if you can wait for delivery you can pick one up really cheaply on ebay:
USB TO RS232 SERIAL DB9 9 PIN ADAPTER CABLE PDA GPS - eBay Other Adaptors, Adaptors, Components, Computers. (end time 28-Jan-10 13:51:19 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/USB-TO-RS232-SERIAL-DB9-9-PIN-ADAPTER-CABLE-PDA-GPS_W0QQitemZ120464643081QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Com ponents?hash=item1c0c409409)
OBD2 plug on ebay as well, you can also get them at Jaycar but pretty pricey
OBD OBD2 OBDII EOBD 16 Pin Male Connector DLC Plug Diag : eBay Motors (item 260453546394 end time Jan-31-10 06:38:00 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBD-OBD2-OBDII-EOBD-16-Pin-Male-Connector-DLC-Plug-Diag_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3ca43db99aQQitemZ2 60453546394QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools)
9 core computer cable is pretty cheap at any electronics store.
I have a spare clam shell cover you can have for the 9 pin sub D connector, I got 2 from ebay, only needed one, so it's yours if you want it, it's just going to waste here!

If you do want to check yours sooner you are welcome to borrow my lead to try out your EAS software.
Hope this helps, Cheers, Pete.

[willem]

Huh? I thought your was "Oxford Blue" like mine? Obviously I'm losing it :o

No comment!!! :D:D:D

It's green. Trust me!

Willem

[poleonpom]

Pete,

I just may take you up on the lead.

For some reason I cannot get mine to register. I've split an exitsing OBDII lead and soldered it to the EAS Unlock specs, I've also tested it with a multimeter to make sure there is a connection and then connected it to an ancient Dell Laptop with 9 pin plug - the Laptop then decided to loose the monitor and so had to be taken apart and re-jigged and then finally it was all ready - do you think I could get a sugnal from the EAS and the software to work???

Next step, drive the car to under the window of my home office and run the diagnostic lead (thank God it's a long one) through the window to an equally ancient Desk Top (latent server) which of course will not run the programme as it needs a copy of .NET installed....that didn't take me too long to work that out!

I feel this is more Apollo 13 than Range Rover and while I sit here cursing computers, I am thnkful that Microsoft didn't build the Range Rover - then we would be in real trouble....

Jonathan

[Aussie]

Where abouts in Melbourne are you poloenpom? I'm over by Chelsea if its close too you, I have cable and lappy if its needed.

[poleonpom]

Pete,

I'd love to borrow your lead - I can't work out what is going on with mine, perhaps it's too long and there's too much resistance...that said, it checked out on the multimeter.

[poleonpom]

Where abouts in Melbourne are you poloenpom? I'm over by Chelsea if its close too you, I have cable and lappy if its needed.

Thanks Aussie, really appreciated. I'm the other side of the bay in Newport near Williamstown. On a clear day we can see one another through a telescope;)

[Aussie]

No worries, I'm suprised my cable works, its a real botch job but its done the trick on several occasions :)

[poleonpom]

No worries, I'm suprised my cable works, its a real botch job but its done the trick on several occasions :)

Now that's just not fair. I've slaved over mine and cannot get it to work.....

[Aussie]

The only problem I had when I made mine was too many cans of beer. I shorted one of the pins, lucky I checked before I used it. I would post a photo but I'm a little embarrased by the state of it..LOL

[poleonpom]

Me:D

Guys,

There I was struck dumb by the fact that I couldn't get the EAS Unlock software to work; I tried more positions than the Karma Sutra to get the damn thing to work and there was a fair bit of prodding and a few choice pornographic expressions used too. I checked my wiring back and it all connected, I reloaded the software, even tried it on different computers, it went so far that I also stripped down and put together my ancient creaking Dell to get it going for the software. Did it work, did it f***

Walk away, walk away....

And then all those kind offers of being able to use Pete's and Aussie's cables - cables that they made themselves mind you, and in Aussie's case it was 'a bit of a botch job' - but eveyone elses works, so why not mine:confused:

Another day, same setting; in the shed. I take apart the cable and I think to myself; self, I should check the 9 pin diagram - so I go back and look and yes it looks right , until I realise the diagram is shown from the solder pins, not the from the connection pins as I had done it, wrong that is - WHAT AN EEEJIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

So, back I go, re-solder and connect and YES, it works :)

So the EAS fault is gone, the pump pumps up and down, rollover and beg and the system is now adapted to allow manual pump up if and when needed. Here's some photos of the adapted system:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/133.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/134.jpg

I'd forgotten how lovely it is to drive when the EAS is working properly. I couldn't resist showing a few other 4wd drivers that my car can go up and down when I parked it and went to fetch my daughter from school. No fears with the EAS system from now on....

Now I have the dreaded over-heating to contend with - Did a quick run locally and the temp gauge didn't move, however, when I got out the car, the radiator overflow was leaking water:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/135.jpg

I've got the Irontite on order and I'll take some photos and do a wee write up when I do it.

Thanks again,

Jonathan

[PeterH]

Nice one poleonpom, glad you got it sorted.
Don't feel too bad, I did exactly the same thing, after making up the lead the first time, I tested for continuity and something was not right....when I realised I did it in reverse, I made up a reverse diagram for the solder lugs on the 9 pin connector and it worked...happy me!
It's great to have the eas doing what it is supposed to...even better feeling good about fixing it yourself and not spending $$$$ to have a LR mechanic do it.
I'll be interested to hear how you go with the overheating issue.
Cheers, Pete.

[tech_support]

Hi everyone,

I've just had some work done by AMV. I've bought parts from them on other occasions, but the Rangie needed some TLC this time! :eek:

The LPG system has been playing up, so in she went for diagnosis.
Well... I thought that there was an inlet manifold leak somewhere... I couldn't find it, but the guys at AMV did! They also found a leaking radiator top tank (where the overflow hose comes out), it was cracked about 3/4 of the way around, so that was replaced, so was the gasket around the water pump :)
Oh, and they found a third leak in the water line to the LPG vaporizer, that too was fixed.

All in all, I received top quality service from the team there and will recommend them to anyone :cool:

Cheers,
Mick.

[Cannon]

I've got the Irontite on order and I'll take some photos and do a wee write up when I do it.

Thanks again,

Jonathan

Just wondering if you've done the IronTite yet & how did it go?

I'm kind of in the same boat (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/105343-externally-leaking-head-gasket-v8.html)


Thanks

[nrs91]

i know this is a massively old thread but i was just wondering where you guys got the Shrader Valves that can connect directly to 6mm pipe? i make mine from steel wheel valves, bench grinder and super glue but id rather have a correct solution

[33chinacars]

Got my 6mm shroeder valves from the local farm/ engineering surply store. The stock welders, lawn mowers, hydraulic's etc. Had valves, "t"'s and 6mm air line in stock no problems

Gary