think you know about p38? help needed or just fresh blood

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swan-off-roader

New Member
Posts
93
Location
swansea
hi all been a while on here :/
right basics of help i would like
its a 2.5 dse manual over heating on very odd terms
electric fault

right long story now :
over heating
i bought the p38 only as it was a minter and loads on new parts and fell in love
the only thing was it over heat the guy is no mechanic
and all ways been to land rover for all work until the last year
the garage he now deals with said the head gasket
but changed the radiator as it was leaking any way
the guy never goes far and never cooked it ( i beleve him he loved it to much )
so i knew of a engine out of a 325td
so bought it the p38
on my findings there was no water flow and leave it tick over
it would stay normal temp pulled the water pump off
found the plastic fins snapped off :eek::D
new water pump i was landed used it for a good while :D
went on a trip 100+ miles on the way home hot day
up hills etc lack of power looked at the dash temp in the red :cool:
turned it off straight away and pulled over asap:eek:
steam under the bonnet got water from a house as i putting it in
steam was coming from the radiator cracked on the top wasn't happy
still 80+ miles from home lucky we had a camping stove and metal plate
smooth over the crack filled with water and left the cap off
slowly drove home no probs. ;)
went to get a new radiator and the guy said really common
cheap are crap and dont cool fast enough
brought a h/d copper and brass one off him
put all back together
fine again 100+ miles trips fine
one day i was late so pushing it a bit hard for miles 50+ say
soon i came to traffic lights boom hot again
so i thought the fan not work fully
new fan fitted same again fine for ages but then
towing a load up a hill and was creeping up thinking shell do it
(should of changed down )
but any way near the top blown that radiator :mad2:
so guessed the fan couldn't turn fast enough as the revs was low
so been parked up for a while lost interest
until a guy i know seen it and wanted it.
so i thought well worth putting a new radiator in and electric fan kit
while the front end was off i re checked the water pump and thermostat ,ok
put it back together and this time really trying and notice the water isnt coming from the radiator to the header tank via the small pipe :confused:
but filled it up and got it warm topped up water left it over night topped back up and road tested to be ok when i got back left for 10 mins running and jumped in and revved up ti 2k for 2 min and it got hot again and keep trying to spit out all the water turn it off let it stop messing (2min) refill water and seems fine again:confused::confused::confused::confused::crazy::crazy::crazy::confused::confused::confused:


electric fault :
last time it got hot i was under the bonnet head in my hands
and horn came on for 6-8 sec (long time with it in your ear pi**ed off)
thought it was the misses but it wasn't found the horn didnt work since
looked in to it and the replay was dud so changed it and fine but to night it stuck on again so pulled out the relay and tested the signal feed and it postive all the time playing with the horn switch makes no difference but then the horn was messing about so left the relay out noticed i lost power the heater control / radio so pulled the plug off the horn and put relay back in but no difference
turn the key off and restart and 10 sec all go off again cant to make it do ot any more or less

please help :mad2:


thank you
:eek::(:confused::mad:
​
 
It has crossed my mind a air lock and have heard they can be a bugger to bleed , what the best or correct way to bleed it?

I know never wrote so much since school in fact don't think I even wrote that much in school.
 
The diesels aren't difficult to fill, that's the V8s. As long as you've got a trickle back down the overflow pipe then you're basically in business. I'm afraid that yours sounds a lot like a cracked head.

As for your electrical fault have you done the basic checks, the under bonnet fuse box for smells / signs of burning and the rotary coupler behind the steering wheel?
 
Always fill the radiator up as much as possible from the left hand top hose , make sure bleed pipe to header tank isn't blocked, blow it out with compressed air , if you have blown two radiators I would get the system pressure tested and fit a new Expansion tank cap just incase :)
 
the fins was just siting there on the hub the plastic to the shaft and 99% sure every thing was there
been looking and looking to day and one thing i notice is the air pipe i have never notice water passing though it and yes i have checked it not blocked but didnt know what it was for also i have always filled it up on a hill with the back end up as i thought the air would come in the the tank but found out it water the other way and the air goes in to the radiator and thought the pipe so learn something today
going to try bleeding it later now

cant smell anything but if water has got in to the fuse box it might of crossed something in there :/
 
swan-off-roader said:
the fins was just siting there on the hub the plastic to the shaft and 99% sure every thing was there
been looking and looking to day and one thing i notice is the air pipe i have never notice water passing though it and yes i have checked it not blocked but didnt know what it was for also i have always filled it up on a hill with the back end up as i thought the air would come in the the tank but found out it water the other way and the air goes in to the radiator and thought the pipe so learn something today
going to try bleeding it later now

cant smell anything but if water has got in to the fuse box it might of crossed something in there :/
Click to expand...

To get the air out, you need the front end up or level, back end up will guarantee an air lock.
 
+1 on cracked head (ask me how I know).

Do a sniff test for exhaust gases on the coolant and it'll let you know.
 
yep :eek: silly me that half the problem having the ass in the air ,

i pulled one of the plugs off the fuse box and full of water and stripped the fuse box and green as grass cant believe that all the fault with the electrics

need a new one now any one got one:p;)

phoned a breaker today and doesn't have a dse he think there different :confused:

soon i get a fuse box re bleed and hope for the best :crazy_driver:

oh and there a new thermostat and been checked x2

thanks
 
swan-off-roader said:
yep :eek: silly me that half the problem having the ass in the air ,

i pulled one of the plugs off the fuse box and full of water and stripped the fuse box and green as grass cant believe that all the fault with the electrics

need a new one now any one got one:p;)

phoned a breaker today and doesn't have a dse he think there different :confused:

soon i get a fuse box re bleed and hope for the best :crazy_driver:

oh and there a new thermostat and been checked x2

thanks
Click to expand...
Please bear in mind they are only a£160 new;)
 
How easy is it to flush and reverse flush these? That'd eliminate a blockage problem.

Head gasket: smell & water reservoir repressurising itself everytime you release the pressure when the engine is already at temperature. Of course, that's if the leak is into the water system part.
 
Grrrrrr said:
How easy is it to flush and reverse flush these? That'd eliminate a blockage problem.

Head gasket: smell & water reservoir repressurising itself everytime you release the pressure when the engine is already at temperature. Of course, that's if the leak is into the water system part.
Click to expand...
Because of the stupid RAD design, back flushing will not clear a blocked RAD, you need to remove it and invert it.:)
 
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