P38A First long trip expensive?!!

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britaddict

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Yesterday my best friend of many years asked if I fancied a road trip deep into wales to collect a 1953 Chrysler new yorker that has been sitting for a few years and follow him back in it. It was a round trip of about 400 milles, What could go wrong driving a 4.6 p38 with no history and 163000 miles that I only got a few weeks ago?? We made the trip down in 4 hrs but The entire passenger side headlamp grille has gone!! Any ideas where to get one of those?? On the way back we stopped for fuel (surprise!) and queued for 5 minutes to leave in traffic and stopped again at which point the v8 decided to boil off 5 litres of water!. having let it cool for a bit it was topped up and 8 hours, 6 stops and 250 miles later the rangey still has nearly all it's water. I did keep alternating between hot and cold on heater with and without a/c to make sure it wasn,t cooking and tick over seems smooth. I am guessng the temp guage won't go above half way? ( the xj40 did this as designed by jaguar so as not to alarm the owner!!). I averaged 18 mpg with lots of hills and incredible scenery so not a bad start to my first p38 trip!!
 
With the boiling over you need to make sure the viscous fan is working properly it should roar like a tank on start up then go quiet and roar again when it gets up to temp just because its tuning does not mean its working properly,
normal test is to get it well up to temp and try and stop the fan with a rolled up news paper if it stops its no good if you get shredded paper you are good to go.
 
brianp38dse said:
With the boiling over you need to make sure the viscous fan is working properly it should roar like a tank on start up then go quiet and roar again when it gets up to temp just because its tuning does not mean its working properly,
normal test is to get it well up to temp and try and stop the fan with a rolled up news paper if it stops its no good if you get shredded paper you are good to go.
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Thanks for the quick reply I did wonder if the viscous fan felt a bit feeble. Do the temp guages only read half way? It is a 2002 reg.
 
Oh dear as wife already giving me grief do you know the part numbers or who to ask for a grille and how do I stop another departing as the fixings are quite crap
 
britaddict said:
Oh dear as wife already giving me grief do you know the part numbers or who to ask for a grille and how do I stop another departing as the fixings are quite crap
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EBay for the grills. Just remember the phrase “the dildo of P38 ownership rarely comes lubed”. I've been on the look out for a set for a while and they’re always a high cost item.. wonder if I can 3D print a set?
 
Apart from not having a pattern I do like the theory of that! Maybe add some extra lugs for cable ties to secure them better too!!!
 
The cap looks fairly new and some twit has used red antifreeze!!!! The return trip saw maximum 60mph occasionally as I was following the chrysler with drum brakes up and down some very steep winding valleys which may well account for the unusually high mpg reading! When I started the engine it sounded like catalytic converter rattling but stopped after a minute and hasn't done it since! Really need a seasoned range rover mechanic to look at it and see if I bought a lemon and budget for it's future. All the trustable local mechanics have 2 post ramps which was always a worry with something this big and heavy. Any suggestions gratefully received.
 
My Merc C180 Coupe gauge is quite good & seems to be within a few degrees of the OBD value. Totally agree on the uselessness of most car gauges. Many don't have one at all anymore.

Just before I fixed the thermostat !! Now sits a smidge above 80 mark.
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Well put datatek. I am probably jinxing it but the 1977 xj6 broke down twice in two years so wife wants it gone so I buy a p38!!! I do still have the xj6 but wife loves rangey so it will stay as long as possible. I has to live on the street so will never be a show motor but still gets lots of looks and still sounds great. Just need more volume from stereo being deaf old git although only used it briefly in Wales as two v8s going up mountains sounded too good!!!!
 
Datatek said:
It's a Range Rover If you got there and back without a ride on the back of a recovery truck IMO you have got a good one.
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A sad reflection of the brand, but probably true of any RR made after the Classic era.

Any vehicle can suffer an unexpected breakdown & for that eventuality I have breakdown/recovery cover, but the thought of starting a journey lacking confidence in my vehicle's ability to get me back home .. o_O
 
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