New Member P38, For My Sins...

Hi Folks. Just joined as I feel I may need advice (in the near future) on my latest purchase. I've had 2 x 1998 300TDi Defenders & a 2005 Mk2 Discovery (one of the last). For my sins, I recently took delivery of a 1995 2.5DT Manual P38. Only 103,350m from new & a stack of docs & invoices collected by the previous owner of 26 years. Its the 'basic' model, specced with leather but that's fine by me. Two things to address at the moment. 1, An intermittent rumble from the rear of the engine, when in neutral. Quiet when in gear driving or when the clutch pedal is depressed - DMF I think. £!!. 2, Doesn't start straight away - needs two glowplug cycles to fire up when cold. No problem when warm. Glow plugs allegedly replaced this year. Are there discussions already on the forum about these issues ?. Many thanks. LandyFanTD. West Yorks.

Hi and welcome!

Thanks K. Let the 'fun' begin.

DTs are supposed to be basic but mine had hevac fogs the lot. Manual box is very hardy and capable. Metal inlet, no MAF nonsense to worry about the list of positives goes on and on. Telltale sign when they are troublesome is they don’t like starting hot so sounds like you have found a gem. Early ones in my experience don’t seem to suffer rot underneath unless the have been dipped in the sea. If you can bare to live without having dhse cupholders they are a dream

Welcome to LandyZone

Hi RR dt. Yes, it appears to be a good one. The underside is mint - almost totally rust free. Spent its early life in & around Surrey, then North of London until three weeks ago..... The gearbox is the R380 - used in the Defenders - never had a problem with mine. Still need to resolve the 2 issues mentioned in my first post. I've been advised to ensure the ECUs & BECM are kept moisture free - first job, I placed a domestic dehumidifier in the back for 10 hours - collected about 100ml - not a real problem. Also bought some Silica Gel packs - will be placing strategically near these items & crossing fingers. Looking forward to using for a while to come.