Thread: Advice for a newcomer!

G'day Yuri.

My recomendation is to leave the EAS on the vehicle - it is a great system.

The EAS is generally not as unreliable as the the rather poor reputation it has gathered would indicate. Problems are usually age and use related and this principle applies to any moving part of any vehicle in that things eventually wear out. And it is not that expensive to maintain.

The LPG conversion.....hmmm..this may depend on the number of kilometres you travel every year. I looked at this for mine some time ago and decided it just wasn't economical for me. The other thing is that it is an added layer of complexity which Range Rover engines seem to have a strained relationship with. Again I decided that I didn't want or need this in my life.

Your Rangie with 180,000 kms on it is fast approaching that point at which some things may need attention. One that springs to mind is the transmission viscous coupling. Also at that age and distance I would be looking at servicing the cooling system if it hasn't already been done. By that I mean replacing/refurbishing the viscous cooling fan hub, cooling and heater hoses and getting the radiator removed, rodded and refurbished. Use the same sort of coolant that is already in the car too. The cooling systems black expansion tank is prone to cracking due to engine heat. I don't see the point of just flushing the radiator either as this doesn't do a good enough job. Over heating is a known killer of Rangie engines and just one overheating incident will normally be terminal for the heads and head gasket.

I'd be very inclined with a "new to you" Rangie to give it a full service ie change all fluids and filters over [including the fuel filter - this is often overlooked]and also replace the spark plugs and leads. This means that you have a solid base to start with.

Perhaps it may be advantageous to just drive your Rangie for a bit and then determine what if anything you want to change or add.

Me? I've got a 94 Classic LSE - standard as per the day it came from the factory and it is my daily drive. I wouldn't alter a thing about it.

Good luck to you with your Rangie and enjoy it.

Many people remove the EAS from their RRC's at the parts to do the conversion are cheap. However the EAS is a useful piece of kit when it is working. Having a set of bypass valves, a couple of spare bags on hand and a tyre inflating compressor allows you to continue travelling.

As far as the LPG is concerned, I know many installers will do a bad job and cause problems. They are quite straight forward to get right. I suggest you spend some time reading through the LPG section of the forum. The main issue is about where you put the gas tank/s and how much interior space you lose. One positive point is that second hand bits off a Disco 1 can be used as they fit the same way. Under floor kits give the best interior space but give poor petrol range. One sill panel petrol tank can be added on EAS vehicles.

Keep the EAS, if only because a coil conversion will not give you the full perforance of steel springs... - you miss out on the Auto leveller gizmo on the rear axle.

Three things will kill the EAS, leaks, the compressor air filter..and leaks. - Did I mention slow leaks ?

The air (intake) filter is mounted in the RH rear panel behind the sub-woofer, so naturally its 'never' inspected as its supposed to be, and the foam material turns to crud, gets sucked down the line and fouls the reed valve of the compressor. Or just restricts the air flow. Or both.

The Comp. is regarded as an Engineering Marvel.. or typical LR penny-pinching and just barely sufficient for the job when everything is perfect.
- Select according to your mood !

Leaks will make it work longer....and therefore hotter...which reduces the life of the reed valve...which then don't seal as well...so it runs longer...and hotter..... Check for leaks on and around the ValveBody, as well as each air-spring fitting.
Visit your local toy shop and buy some bubble-blowing solution. Works a treat!

You can replace the O rings in the valve body, but I strongly suggest *not* to indulge in preventative maintainance unless you can prove a problem there. Leave well alone! (yes, wish I'd taken my own advice!)

Build in - as has been suggested above - a self-rescue kit, with a tap and schrader valve for each corner, the tap to isolate the bag from the Valve-Body, in case it fails. The tyre valve goes on a T piece between the tap and air-spring. Simple.

Best part of the EAS is the KOOL factor, how the car picks itself up on start-up... drops down when you stop, and how it wiggles when waiting at traffic lights...

Cheers!

The Event Horizon, 95 Vague SE with working Cruise Control and almost perfect EAS...

Brilliant! Thank you all for this advice! I will start assembling an emergency kit for the EAS and stick with it! I will also check all other points suggested. (In terms of the viscous coupling, is there a major service applicable or am I looking at a total replacement at some point?) I do know that the cruise control doesn't function. I never really use such a thing but I so plan on maintaining the Rangie to a top level so do I fiddle or do I steer clear? (my past british car ownership experiences have led me to believe that it's easy to trigger a chain reaction of mysterious failures when starting with one simple fix!!!) I'll also hang back on any LPG thoughts until I've done a lot more research.

Another job to do would be replacing the memory battery in the electric seat ECU (under the drivers seat) If it hasn't been replaced it's probably leaking and eating it's way through the printed circuit board etc. I ended getting my ECU board repaired by a local video/tv repair guy and supplied him with a couple of chips that I got from jaycar + a replacement battery.

Another tip I have for you are the fusible links that are located next to the battery wrapped in a black heshem bag. Might be worth having a look for corrosion. My headlights stopped working + the electric sunroof had problems due to corrosion around this joint. I ended up replacing the main battery cable and resoldered all joints as it was brittle anyway.

I got rid of my eas, and put a coil kit in it as I love the ride of the coil spring better + less things to go wrong, but everyones different in what they prefer.

I could go on but I wont scare you yet LOL

Cheers

hay hay!
welcome!
I'm in Northcote too! so if ya get stuck with stuff, give me a bell!
0417 318 475

there are 3 big rangies in my local heard.

welcome again!

Cheers NAT

The tranmission viscous coupling can be serviced in that you can drain and refill it but you will only get half the fluid out. The Landy mech did this to mine when it first started to fail but I didn't think it did much good so I spat the dummy and had a new one put in. End of problem for life.

I've been what could possibly be termed as very fussy with my LSE which means at the first sign of trouble the "what ever bit is failing" is instantly replaced and it this practice which has resulted in me having an LSE filled with mostly all new whirry bits. The cost is a downer but the upside is that I have a very reliable Rangie which I can confidently take at any time to wherever I choose.

One extra which you should [must?] add to your Rangie Yuri is an engine saver gauge. It will instantly tell you if the engine is beginning to over heat or is loosing its coolant and this allows you to turn it off before expensive damage is done.

[QUOTE=Grumbles;1526943]G'day Yuri.

Perhaps it may be advantageous to just drive your Rangie for a bit and then determine what if anything you want to change or add.

....... I did just this.... In short:. I am addicted. What a ride! An absolute pleasure to drive, and magnificent in the wet through the hills. Why didn't I do this earlier! (I originally started looking at Rangies after destroying a disc in my lower back. The cabin access is brilliant, The standard Aussie sedan is a total torture device if you're cursed with a bad spine) I just cant get over the road feel! A good friend has a current Dualis and it feels like rubbish in comparison. (Thankfully I have another mate who swears by his discos and Series' - That and I thought a Vogue would look nice next to a bright orange 78 moke!) I am glad that I turned down a couple of 'bargains' with very high mileage and found a 2 owner full service history car as it drives like new!

2 more questions for you all:

- One definite bug is non functioning cruise control, What's a good debug procedure for this? What are the common failure points

-Also my Rangie is suffering from a fairly shabby roof (topcoat breaking down) and similar scenario on the rear right corner. Does anyone have any recommendations for a partial respray?- (in the melbourne area) I dont need a concourse 2 pack job - just a high quality acrylic

Cheers again everybody!