P38A Is it time to jump to LPG ? (4.6l Gems)

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This is my own experience of running LPG; make whatever you like of it.

I had my 3.9 LPG adapted at 75k miles by an recognised convertor. 10k miles later the engine developed a light tapping at piston speed the moment it reached running temperature, no noise up to that point so I knew it wasn't the hydraulic tappets. Early on switching back to petrol whilst driving resulted in the 'tap' fading away only to return within a mile or so of switching back to gas. Before long the noise was appearing shortly after starting from cold & really loud. A subsequent strip down revealed #3 liner was moving & I had to source a new block.
Exactly the same thing happened to a mate's 3.9 after roughly the same post-conversion (by a different installer) mileage. Both RR's had enjoyed a perfectly healthy cooling system.

The good 'ole 3.5 may well be ok with the gas because it has more 'meat' around the liner, but IMO any 94mm bore RV8 is vulnerable :(
 
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all I know is mine has had lpg in since it was about 6 month old (previous owner did lots of motorway driving)
I have a few tweeks to get the lpg back up and running again as local lpg installers had decommissioned it
thanks @brianp38dse I will look in to the flash lube
@Datatek like you I previously owned a diesel p38
 
Karlos the jackal said:
thanks I'm not sure if mine has one fitted to the system or if I have to put it in the tank
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You don't put it in the tank,you drill the inlet manifold and fit the hose adapter and the lubricant is sucked into the manifold,the amount is controlled by the knurled brass knob, you will see a drop in the glass tube and I think it was one drop every five seconds.
 

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kermit_rr said:
I didn't think a regular petrol engine would run on e85?
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The 1960s V8 engine in the P38 is pretty agricultural. I have seen plenty of reports in French Range Rover forums confirming that you can run 100% E85 which is why I tried it in the first place. I started with 25% then 50% then 75% & now fill up with 100%. I get a shock when visiting the UK I need to fill up with E10. I see on www.leboncoin.fr a number of used P38s advertised as running on 100% E85.
 
nigelbb said:
The 1960s V8 engine in the P38 is pretty agricultural. I have seen plenty of reports in French Range Rover forums confirming that you can run 100% E85 which is why I tried it in the first place. I started with 25% then 50% then 75% & now fill up with 100%. I get a shock when visiting the UK I need to fill up with E10. I see on www.leboncoin.fr a number of used P38s advertised as running on 100% E85.
Click to expand...

Running on it is one thing, but what about all the concerns relating to the damage a high E content can do to an older vehicle's fuel system ?
I've been steering well clear of E10 in my RRC for that very reason, despite the now scandalous prices for the E5 'protection' grade.
 
tomcat59alan said:
You don't put it in the tank,you drill the inlet manifold and fit the hose adapter and the lubricant is sucked into the manifold,the amount is controlled by the knurled brass knob, you will see a drop in the glass tube and I think it was one drop every five seconds.
Click to expand...
thanks for that I'll have a look in engine and see what side it got the bottle has been fitted thats if one has been fitted to the system
 
norseman said:
Running on it is one thing, but what about all the concerns relating to the damage a high E content can do to an older vehicle's fuel system ?
I've been steering well clear of E10 in my RRC for that very reason, despite the now scandalous prices for the E5 'protection' grade.
Click to expand...
So long as you're not letting the fuel sit for weeks in the system you'll see no problem at all in any vehicle.
After a while the ethanol starts to turn acidic which is what affects parts of the fuel system in some vehicles, but the p38 is supposed to be immune.
 
kermit_rr said:
So long as you're not letting the fuel sit for weeks in the system you'll see no problem at all in any vehicle.
After a while the ethanol starts to turn acidic which is what affects parts of the fuel system in some vehicles, but the p38 is supposed to be immune.
Click to expand...
Ethanol is hygroscopic which will cause rust in older metal fuel tanks, it can also affect plastic components.
 
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