Newbie here...Help Needed PLEASE!!! lol

Hi Ive just got my self a 1998 R Reg Range Rover P38 4.6 V8 HSE and dont get me wrong its a lovely machine and in 99.9% mint condition but have the odd few niggles that i hope some of you guy might be able to help me with... Here goes....

1. The previous owner has butchered the connections behind the headunit to fit his DVD head unit which mean im just left with aload of wires that i havent got a clue whats what and no plugs...

2. The key fob batterys had gone flat so ive replaced the batterys and the fob light works and it locks some of the doors but not the drivers door, which means i have to lock the door with the key

3. Just had brand new altornator fitted 2 days ago due to altornator going on me and the new 1 seems to have done the trick but when i turn the ignotion on it comes up as "altornator fault" then once i start the engine its goes away. Does the computer need reseting? if so how do i go about it?

That should do for now...lol dont want to lumber too much on you lot for my 1st post

Thank You. Willy! :croc:

Hi Willy,

Firstly, congrats on buying your new beast. I've only had mine for about a month but I love it to bits. I have an N reg and bought it for a few £K for taking to off road events and play days etc with my little lad. They are fantastic machines if you can cope with their "funnies" and killer fuel costs. They are superb off road and ignore the sniggers from some of the Defender and Disco boys. If you want something that is as comfortable on the motorway as it is charging up a mud covered slope, your P38 will do just great. The Defenders and Discos are utterly fab without doubt, but if you've ever done a 4 hour drive on a motorway in a Defender then you're probably sitting at home reading this with a hearing aid by now. Also given the fact that you've got traction control and an auto gearbox, plus a better turning circle, you can get yourself into some pretty nasty but fun places by working a whole lot less hard than the guy next to you in a Defender. I guess if you're a purest then fighting your way up a slime covered river bank whilst manically fiddling with levers and pumping your feet trying to work the clutch etc is where you'll get your kicks knowing that it's your driving skill that did it. If like me, you're a bit of a weekend warrior, looking for some easy fun and want to with a modicum of skill and the awesome capability of your car, get up the same slimy bank but with a lot less effort, you'll love your Rangey.

I'm probably not the best person on here to help you, and I can't offer any help at all on your head unit problem, however there are a couple of things you could possibly try for the others. You'll have to forgive me if you've already done them and they are too simple.

With regards the key problem, have you tried resetting the fob? It might not be the problem but it's worth a try. Lock the car using the key and then press the lock button on the fob. Then unlock the door using the key and press the unlock button on the fob. Take the key out and then try locking and unlocking the doors again with just the fob. Like I said that might not be your problem given that it's just one door that isn't playing ball but it's worth a try.

With regards your alternator, I had a weird problem with my gearbox saying that it had a fault when I started up but it want away when I got going. Apparently it can throw up a whole lot of spurious fault messages if the battery is getting past its sell by date. Mine had the original battery in it when I bought it and swapping that out for a decent quality new one has made a big difference. Not only did the fault messages disappear completely but it starts like a dream now where as before it struggled into life. Once again, it might be that you still have a real alternator fault but if the battery is an old croc it would be worth swapping it out anyway. Just make sure you keep the key in your pocket when you do it. You don't want to lock yourself out as the bugger locks the doors apparently when you disconnect the battery.

I hope this helps. Failing that you'll need the techy boys on here to give you some better advice. There's some clever chaps lurking about. Best of luck to you and welcome to the forum.

Hi glad you like your new money bit, hope this will help you to resync the key to the car put the key in drivers door lock hold the lock button while locking the car with the key return to key to center then hold unlock button while unlocking car with the key return to center job done , As for the stereo wiring its not that bad to work out either someone could pull there stereo out and list the colours for you or you could download a copy of RAVE which would help you out time and time again.

:welcome2:
Hi Willy.....Welcome to the forum.

If the keyfob remotely locks/unlocks all doors other than the drivers, it suggests that there is a fault within the drivers door latch...either the micro switch inside the latch assembly is playing up or disconnected or the latch motor is faulty.
If you have the original radio unit but not the plugs, the best bet is to get a replacement set from a breakers and solder them to the corresponding wires and cover the joints with heat shrink tubing to prevent shorts. I hope you have the security code for the original unit?, if not, you can get it from a Main Dealer by quoting the VIN.
A good source of second hand parts is Joe at Colne, Lancs Tel. 07785 240021.
As has been already written, the P38 battery needs to be in top condition otherwise it will cause all sort of "Ghost" fault messages and can even cause the ECU's to hang up. If you have fitted a brand new alternator, it could have a fault...get it changed.
The first thing to do though is to get a copy of RAVE..it's absolutely ESSENTIAL, you can either download it for free from the site (Search through the posts on here) or get it on CD....believe me you will need it sooner rather than later !!

Thanks all for the help. I shall go give the key fob in the locks a go )
Thanks again.
Willy