Clarky130
New Member
Hello all - have lurked here for some time, but now decided to register so I can join in the fun of RR ownership (for "fun", read many hours under / over vehicle, skinning knuckles and swearing!)
I bought a '97 P38 DSE a few weeks ago - and it is not without issues! I already have a list of jobs to do and was wondering if anyone would like to share hints / tips? I have read through alot of threads / FAQs, etc, so am already armed with some knowledge. This is what I have so far:
1. EAS - works fine, rises up majestically as soon as engine is running, although rear tends to sink if left parked for more than a few minutes. Rear Air Springs are quite perished right at the bottom, so have a new pair waiting to go on.
2. HVAC - flow from the vents pretty weak, and sometimes intermittent, blower failed completely a couple of days ago. Have pulled out BOTH blower motors - RH one has intermittent dead armature windings (tested with jump-start battery and multimeter) and sometimes runs, but mostly doesn't. LH one fired up just fine when connected to the battery - investigated relays in fuse box, one of them (6, or 7?) appeared burned out. New relay on order, 2nd-hand blower motor sourced from fleaBay for £20 - awaiting delivery. EDIT: FIXED! See post #22
3. Oil seepage from engine oil cooler lines - common, from what I understand? The oil is finding its way all the way down to the front chassis crossmember, under the rads. Does this mean my oil cooler is shot also, or could it just be run-along from the pipes? From what I've read here, changing the pipes almost always means changing the cooler too.
4. Engine Vibes - worst at idle and 1500rpm, smooth as silk everywhere else. Vibration is constant, and felt through the whole of the car. Exhaust is not touching the body and engine & gearbox mounts look sound. Idle is not 'lumpy' and no mis-firing. At idle, I can see the gearbox filler tube vibrating and feel it through the engine with a hand on the cam cover - so looks like the whole engine is vibrating. I hear that the harmonic damper in the crank pulley can cause this? Although it is an expensive part (£249 from Island 4x4) for a 'trial' fit to see if the vibes go away. Anybody had any success curing such vibration by replacing said damper? EDIT - after the recent pub meet, everybody else's DSE vibes almost as much as mine! A classic case of 'they all do that, sir!'
5. Rhythmic 'squeak' when driving, worse on acceleration / de-celeration, in time with road speed. FIXED - knackered front propshaft rear UJ.
6. Gearbox slippage - (Auto) - slips when changing into, or out of, 4th gear. Engine will rev up for a second or two before the gear will engage, does the same when kicking down 4th to 3rd. All other gear changes smooth as silk, no unusual noise from gearbox, fluid checked - nicely pink, no crap on the dipstick, no burning smell - and changed, no difference. Anybody have knowledge of auto boxes? I'm thinking sticky solenoid or valve....?EDIT - tried a bottle of Lucas Tranny Fix, along with new fluid. No difference.
7. The 'Death Wander'! Most annoying thing of all, wanders all over the road. Was positively dangerous at first, then decided to change all 4 tyres for Falkens (had a hotch-potch of various brands and wear states when i bought it). Made a BIG difference, although still not particularly stable. Have been underneath with BIG crowbar, radius arm bushes not cracked, split or perished, but do seem very soft. Have a full set of poly bushes waiting to be fitted, also doing panhard rod bushes for good measure. I have a 6-ton press which should help. Steering wise, there is some play at the steering box but not much - translates to about 1/2 inch either way at the steering wheel. All ball joints (steering arm, track rod end, drag link) solid with no play whatsoever. Will report on what difference new bushes make.... (when I get round to it!) EDIT - Changed Radius Arm bushes (used Polys) - big improvement. Changed steering damper - further big improvement. Fitted 16" wheels - huge reduction in tramlining
All in all, i am quite happy with my P38 - it's my first RR and my first 4x4. Seems like I have my work cut out for me though, so any advice that can be given would be gladly received!
EDIT: Just to add, it has 130k on the clock, and a full service history up to 97k, so clearly spent most of it's life being looked after.
I bought a '97 P38 DSE a few weeks ago - and it is not without issues! I already have a list of jobs to do and was wondering if anyone would like to share hints / tips? I have read through alot of threads / FAQs, etc, so am already armed with some knowledge. This is what I have so far:
1. EAS - works fine, rises up majestically as soon as engine is running, although rear tends to sink if left parked for more than a few minutes. Rear Air Springs are quite perished right at the bottom, so have a new pair waiting to go on.
2. HVAC - flow from the vents pretty weak, and sometimes intermittent, blower failed completely a couple of days ago. Have pulled out BOTH blower motors - RH one has intermittent dead armature windings (tested with jump-start battery and multimeter) and sometimes runs, but mostly doesn't. LH one fired up just fine when connected to the battery - investigated relays in fuse box, one of them (6, or 7?) appeared burned out. New relay on order, 2nd-hand blower motor sourced from fleaBay for £20 - awaiting delivery. EDIT: FIXED! See post #22
3. Oil seepage from engine oil cooler lines - common, from what I understand? The oil is finding its way all the way down to the front chassis crossmember, under the rads. Does this mean my oil cooler is shot also, or could it just be run-along from the pipes? From what I've read here, changing the pipes almost always means changing the cooler too.
4. Engine Vibes - worst at idle and 1500rpm, smooth as silk everywhere else. Vibration is constant, and felt through the whole of the car. Exhaust is not touching the body and engine & gearbox mounts look sound. Idle is not 'lumpy' and no mis-firing. At idle, I can see the gearbox filler tube vibrating and feel it through the engine with a hand on the cam cover - so looks like the whole engine is vibrating. I hear that the harmonic damper in the crank pulley can cause this? Although it is an expensive part (£249 from Island 4x4) for a 'trial' fit to see if the vibes go away. Anybody had any success curing such vibration by replacing said damper? EDIT - after the recent pub meet, everybody else's DSE vibes almost as much as mine! A classic case of 'they all do that, sir!'
5. Rhythmic 'squeak' when driving, worse on acceleration / de-celeration, in time with road speed. FIXED - knackered front propshaft rear UJ.
6. Gearbox slippage - (Auto) - slips when changing into, or out of, 4th gear. Engine will rev up for a second or two before the gear will engage, does the same when kicking down 4th to 3rd. All other gear changes smooth as silk, no unusual noise from gearbox, fluid checked - nicely pink, no crap on the dipstick, no burning smell - and changed, no difference. Anybody have knowledge of auto boxes? I'm thinking sticky solenoid or valve....?EDIT - tried a bottle of Lucas Tranny Fix, along with new fluid. No difference.
7. The 'Death Wander'! Most annoying thing of all, wanders all over the road. Was positively dangerous at first, then decided to change all 4 tyres for Falkens (had a hotch-potch of various brands and wear states when i bought it). Made a BIG difference, although still not particularly stable. Have been underneath with BIG crowbar, radius arm bushes not cracked, split or perished, but do seem very soft. Have a full set of poly bushes waiting to be fitted, also doing panhard rod bushes for good measure. I have a 6-ton press which should help. Steering wise, there is some play at the steering box but not much - translates to about 1/2 inch either way at the steering wheel. All ball joints (steering arm, track rod end, drag link) solid with no play whatsoever. Will report on what difference new bushes make.... (when I get round to it!) EDIT - Changed Radius Arm bushes (used Polys) - big improvement. Changed steering damper - further big improvement. Fitted 16" wheels - huge reduction in tramlining
All in all, i am quite happy with my P38 - it's my first RR and my first 4x4. Seems like I have my work cut out for me though, so any advice that can be given would be gladly received!
EDIT: Just to add, it has 130k on the clock, and a full service history up to 97k, so clearly spent most of it's life being looked after.
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