Thread: Intensive care for My Rangie - it lives again!

A long story, but true.

Initially, my P38 drove me spare. If something could go wrong, it did. If someone asked me about Range Rover, I would tell them if you want to buy one, be sure that you have a sense of humour. Some things were funny, like jerkiness running at constant throttle. When my wife fetched the car from the authorised service agent (no names here), the service manager said “We can find nothing wrong.” “But it is awful” said she. Service manager: “Well, is there more than one driver?” “Yes,” said she. “I see” says the service manager, “and is the driving style of both drivers the same?” “No,” replies my dearest “I am gentle and kind and my husband is a hoon and a leadfoot”. “That’s it then!” said the service agent “Your Range Rover is having an identity crisis!”

Our brand new Range Rover remained pretty ordinary. I’d have sold the car in frustration a long time ago, but a good mate with his own Range Rover suggested that I would get a far better result were I to take it to a specialist service garage who had transformed his own Rangie. I tried this company and found the owner to be hands on, a top bloke, who works alongside his own team of mechanics every day. His speciality is Range Rover and the results show. It took a while, but together he and I gradually resolved the issues and I ended up with a very fine motor car indeed, one that has given me lots of joy and satisfaction. I’ve recommended him to friends and they too have had a very good result. The fact that my car has been at one service provider for about 14 years says plenty, doesn’t it?

It is in context with the rest of this story that I should say that my service provider is Ayers Automotive on the Northern Beaches, and that Richard Ayers is a top guy who knows Range Rover like the back of his hand. Some years ago Richard appointed Mark as his service reception/customer liaison manager so that he, Richard, can concentrate upon customers’ cars and ensure that the standard of work is always superb, and this works very well indeed.

Planning a trip to Adelaide from Sydney towing my historic racing car, I figured that a decent service was needed before crossing the Hay plain in the heat of summer. As a precaution, all the rubber bits were changed. Just outside Mittagong, the top radiator hose blew off. Here’s something that is important. After 13 years, the plastic water inlet on the radiator had shrunk. Yours will probably have shrunk too. A brand new genuine Landrover water hose with a new clip had been fitted, but the clip no longer secured it adequately. Take note if you are changing hoses, consider using a screw clamping type as the preset of the genuine article may not be firm enough.

The NRMA guy who arrived to rescue me did a leakage check and told me that the cylinder head gasket was cactus, there were clear traces of leakage evident in his gas detector. (I could hear a faint tappet like noise that I was sure had not been there previously.) NRMA man told me not to use the traditional Barr’s leaks, there was a better product called Seal Up. For those who have not yet used this stuff, it is quite remarkable. A pain to use because the system needs to be flushed, but it really worked.

Seal up kept my engine going for another 2 years including many long distance towing trips. However, shortly before Christmas just past, the gentle tappet like noise became rapidly more strident. That’s when I found this forum and I greatly enjoy the sharing of knowledge and information. Richard advised that one of my cylinder liners had gone walkabout and was wafting up and down to the V8 beat and no, it was not a noisy tappet. After input from this forum and others overseas, I decided that I was not going to junk my now increasingly suspect and valueless P38, that was offensive to me. I would recycle it. This despite the obvious temptation of a newer replacement truck, especially an L322. (Get thee behind me, Satan!)

So, after a lot of input and reading, I specced my replacement engine. With thanks to all who have offered suggestions, here’s what I decided would work for me:

With the extensive towing that I do, I wanted more grunt and chose an engine capacity of 5.4 Litre with a 96.5mm top hat linered block. The engineering company that I selected to build the engine, check the whole geometry of the block and true it all up. I specced that everything possible be replaced by new; - cam bearings and front cover with new oil pump gears and a new water pump, oil pick up pipe and sump pan. A new forged crankshaft (92mm stroke) was fitted with new H beam section con rods which are rated 800bhp, all with ARP bolts.

We used custom made high compression forged pistons, made in America by Diamond, considered to be one of the best forged piston manufacturers; these are designed to give a better squish pattern and allow a higher compression ratio. The rotating assembly is fully internally balanced for smooth running. The camshaft is chill cast for longevity and is a special grind that matches the engine configuration to my requirement for oooodles of torque. (I described my driving style, towing needs and my expectations.) The cylinder heads are ported and polished to stage 3, with shorter bulleted guides, and the valves oversized by 2mm. The combustion chambers are reshaped and matched to within .01 of a cc. The heads are bolted down with competition head bolts and competition head gaskets. The inlet manifold is fully ported and polished and matched to the cylinder heads, the trumpet base is fitted with shorter 45mm trumpets and matched to the inlet manifold. The Plenum is bored out and fitted with an enlarged butterfly to improve power and throttle response. Apparently, most new rocker arms and shafts come from China and have not been up to scratch so the originals have been reconditioned instead of being replaced.

Armed with new found knowledge from this forum, I’ve ordered a new fuse box from England together with replacement blend motors and blowers (my aircon had failed about a year ago, but at that time I wasn’t going to spend the money). Richard Ayers suggested replacing the heater matrix and seals at the same time. We’ve also fitted a brand new radiator and new oil coolers for transmission and engine, as the hoses on those generally lock on and removing them damages the coolers. Every single hose has been replaced.

After further reading and research I signed up as a paid subscriber to the forum. Around about this time, I decided upon reprogrammed chips for the ECU with Bosch injectors which have a far superior spray pattern and much improved fuel atomisation.

While waiting for the replacement engine to arrive, I had the sagging roof lining repaired, the daggy vertical internal trim pieces recovered and the sunroof replaced with one where the frame has not rusted (yet).

Richard and Mark entered into the spirit of the refurbishment and went to the length of finding me a matching aluminium spare wheel so that I can ditch the awful original steel spare and now rotate my tyres without shame. Mark found me a replacement driver’s door trim panel because mine was decidedly second rate. I’ve just received the Nanocom Evolution that I learnt about on this forum, and will fit an EAS valve system shortly.

And tonight, Mark called to tell me that they were going to fire it up, so you can be sure I was there like a flash.

It lives!!!! It fired up sweet as a nut.

The engine has a serious note and feels as smooth as silk, too. The aircon blend motors and new flaps and fuse box are still to be fitted and I’ve yet to decide upon a suitable zorst. I’ve asked Richard to drive it home for a few days, put it under load to bed the rings in, and check it each day for leaks and any irregularity. He’s still to do the aircon and fuses, anyway and has also to fit the reprogrammed ECU chips.

When I get it back I’ll fit free flow catalytic converters together with a free flowing zorst system. It can be rorty, I don’t mind, it costs a fortune to run a truck that drinks 21 L per 100, I may as well listen to the burn and enjoy the VEE 8 sound.

SWMBO says we have been at home for too long, it is time to hit the road, please would I take her to Queensland by some circuitous route.

And as if that isn’t a fine enough end to this rather long story, how about this?

Richard Ayers has just phoned to tell me that he had put a claim in on an indemnity assurance which covers him for instances like this. The assessor has confirmed that they will pay to restore my car to the condition in which it was, prior to the hose blowing off. While that won’t cover my uprated spec, it will contribute handsomely to what is an unbudgeted and unwelcome hit to my Super fund.

How is that for superb service then?

Attached picture is a comparison between the standard Lucas fuel injector (on the right) and the Bosch one. I'm interested to find out whether my 21 L per 100 changes with the improved, more efficient engine, software and injectors and whether the change will be an improvement. Holding thumbs.