lookjng for a new p38 advuce sought

langley · Aug 10, 2013

As some will know I had a dhse prior to losing it dje to wedding costs...

Well ive now won the battle and am considering another one, so looking for some advice.

There are loads more petrols about than diesels so wondering about one on lpg, have read many good things but would be interested I any feedback.

Also if I did go petrol what is the best engine??

Thanks in advance.

martynv8 · Aug 10, 2013

You've no doubt started a diesel / petrol debate here.
If you were happy with the performance of the diesel then it's the most reliable option. BUT, IMHO you cant beat a petrol for performance & refinement. The 4.6 would be the better option with a better gearbox & very little difference in MPG. On LPG i get the equivalent of 32 MPG on a decent run. Obviously there are HG / slipped liner issues with V8's especially on LPG but personally i'd rather have a V8 & run the risk of having to have the block top hatted if it ever needs it.

Druim · Aug 10, 2013

Unlikely to find a new P38

- Budget?

langley · Aug 10, 2013

Druim said:
Unlikely to find a new P38 - Budget?

Well aware of that one. Hoping the search wont be as long this time as it was for dhse

I like the sound of the v8, an with lpg an valve saver I guess its affordable.. is the 4 or 4.6 the lsss hassle of the two??

odysseus · Aug 10, 2013

Best option would be a late model (Bosch electronics) 4.6, with a decent multi point LPG system.

martynv8 · Aug 10, 2013

odysseus said:
Best option would be a late model (Bosch electronics) 4.6, with a decent multi point LPG system.

+1 on that. The Bosch electronics are more robust than the earlier Gems. My Tartarini multipoint system has never missed a beat.
Flashlube has been recently discussed on here & the general concensus is that it's not needed for the harder valves on the Rover V8's.
There is some opinion that the later blocks are more prone to failure though....probably to do with tooling getting old & tolerances being compromised. Mine is a last model '02 with a replacement full engine at 60k & 2 HGF's around 115k.

Saint.V8 · Aug 10, 2013

Flashlube ( valve oil) not required on the Rover V8's as they already have hardened valve seats....

That being said it wouldn't go a miss!

donp38 · Aug 10, 2013

I would suggest you fix a budget and specification.
then buy whichever fits that.

I did hear a diesel the other day that was incredibly quiet..

whatever you do....try and buy a good one...and as always put some 000 to sort it out once you have bought it.

langley · Aug 10, 2013

donp38 said:
I would suggest you fix a budget and specification.
then buy whichever fits that.

I did hear a diesel the other day that was incredibly quiet..

whatever you do....try and buy a good one...and as always put some 000 to sort it out once you have bought it.

MySpace previous p38 was a diesel they arent that quiet inside...

Thanks for the good advice. Shall check some petrols out.

Vehicles going to be used on and offroad, so this one should be an interesting project.

Datatek · Aug 10, 2013

langley said:
MySpace previous p38 was a diesel they arent that quiet inside...

Thanks for the good advice. Shall check some petrols out.

Vehicles going to be used on and offroad, so this one should be an interesting project.

The engine on my late 2000 diesel is inaudible inside above idle.
If you buy a V8, put £3.5K to one side for the top hat block you will need when the liners slip on LPG.

langley · Aug 10, 2013

Datatek said:
The engine on my late 2000 diesel is inaudible inside above idle.
If you buy a V8, put £3.5K to one side for the top hat block you will need when the liners slip on LPG.

I think its safe to say my last one wasnt a "good one"....

Sound advice as ever data, tis a shame though, the v8 does sound nice

Druim · Aug 10, 2013

langley said:
I think its safe to say my last one wasnt a "good one"....

Sound advice as ever data, tis a shame though, the v8 does sound nice

I was looking and test driving diesels when it was time for another P38, couldn't live with the noise and lack of power.

V8 just sounds so sweet - pleasure every time you fire it up:lalala:

stjohnsmythe · Aug 11, 2013

Datatek said:
The engine on my late 2000 diesel is inaudible inside above idle.
If you buy a V8, put £3.5K to one side for the top hat block you will need when the liners slip on LPG.

In the same regard, make sure you put a couple of k aside for when the head cracks on the diesel

Datatek · Aug 11, 2013

stjohnsmythe said:
In the same regard, make sure you put a couple of k aside for when the head cracks on the diesel

New head for the diesel can be found for £900 and they only crack due to overheating caused by cooling system faults.

stjohnsmythe · Aug 11, 2013

Datatek said:
New head for the diesel can be found for £900 and they only crack due to overheating caused by cooling system faults.

Plus the associated labour costs of removal/fitting. In the last year on here I've seen more posts on diesel engine problems than v8s. Point is these cars are old and regardless of the engine they all have the possibility of giving you trouble

kevwill · Aug 11, 2013

stjohnsmythe said:
Plus the associated labour costs of removal/fitting. In the last year on here I've seen more posts on diesel engine problems than v8s. Point is these cars are old and regardless of the engine they all have the possibility of giving you trouble

+1 on that. The majority of P38s have got well over 100k on the clock by now, so it's sort of surprising when new owners start complaining about unreliability. You take yer chances on any 15 year old second hand motor, knowing full well its going to need money spent on it along the way.

Datatek · Aug 11, 2013

stjohnsmythe said:
Plus the associated labour costs of removal/fitting. In the last year on here I've seen more posts on diesel engine problems than v8s. Point is these cars are old and regardless of the engine they all have the possibility of giving you trouble

You obviosly don't read all the posts, there have been several V8 failures in the last couple of months the last being Mozz Smith, diesels have been confined to water pump, radiator, viscous and stat problems plus a HGF as I recall. Add to that the cam failures, coil packs, plugs and leads on the V8 against a few FIP wear problems and the diesel comes out top for reliability.

lowfat · Aug 11, 2013

Look after the cooling system on a V8 and it wont fail either .. Come on Data. The diesels are just as big a piece of cra@ as the V8s... Do you own a diesel repair shop or something?
The reason you hear about more V8 problems is there are far more sold and abused than the stinky diesel...

Grit Valve · Aug 11, 2013

I'd always suggest diesel myself its a good engine cheap and easy to service and should lastlonger than a petrol engine they hardly loose sync and maim problems are
down to fip glows injector and cps unlike the petrols that have way more electrics to go wrong in the engine bay .

dogsbody · Aug 11, 2013

I wouldn't ignore the diesels just because you had a bad 'un. If it's speed you're after try contacting Steve000, he's in North Bristol with a chipped diesel. It goes like stink.
O.K. maybe his gearbox won't last as long as it might but that's a much easier and cheaper swap out than a V8 with gas.

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