W

Willos

Active Member
Ive just about done every job you can do on a p38. The last 2 years have been a pain as one job comes just after repairing another.
Had a lot of problems with overheating. Ive cured the overheating but now sure ive got a slipped liner that dings away like a landlord for last orders.
It does not overheat or use water but its dinging away like a good un. Changed the cam and lifters thinking it was this but oh no its a f***** liner slipping up and down trying to break through the head gasket.
Ive put so much energy in it im at a cross roads. Do i go to the superior l322 or migrate to BMW or Mercedes or spend all my spare time trying to get this engine right.
Question Does the liner go past the bottom of the block or does it sit inside the block bore Ive asked this question as i was thinking of doing pop marks around the edge of the block at the bottom of the liner to stop it from moving down. Drastic measures but the cost of a new block is silly compared to the value of the car. Yes im fussy , but the amount of folks trying to sell a crap block is not funny. Im after an engine in a accident damaged car. That way you casn be 50% sure its ok. Most cars are broken as the engine is fooched.
Looking at L322 that are 02 plate. The overall quality of the car is far better than the old rover p38. It makes the p38 look like the old SD1.
 
Willos said:
Ive just about done every job you can do on a p38. The last 2 years have been a pain as one job comes just after repairing another.
Had a lot of problems with overheating. Ive cured the overheating but now sure ive got a slipped liner that dings away like a landlord for last orders.
It does not overheat or use water but its dinging away like a good un. Changed the cam and lifters thinking it was this but oh no its a f***** liner slipping up and down trying to break through the head gasket.
Ive put so much energy in it im at a cross roads. Do i go to the superior l322 or migrate to BMW or Mercedes or spend all my spare time trying to get this engine right.
Question Does the liner go past the bottom of the block or does it sit inside the block bore Ive asked this question as i was thinking of doing pop marks around the edge of the block at the bottom of the liner to stop it from moving down. Drastic measures but the cost of a new block is silly compared to the value of the car. Yes im fussy , but the amount of folks trying to sell a crap block is not funny. Im after an engine in a accident damaged car. That way you casn be 50% sure its ok. Most cars are broken as the engine is fooched.
Looking at L322 that are 02 plate. The overall quality of the car is far better than the old rover p38. It makes the p38 look like the old SD1.
Click to expand...

You can't be serious? The plastics are crap compared to the P38 and it suffers many of the same problems as the P38 apart from slipped liners including water leaks, EAS and electronic problems plus a host of it's own special problems like the steering column, suspension bushes, gearboxes which will cost you as much to fix as a new short block for the P38.:eek:
 
Datatek said:
You can't be serious? The plastics are crap compared to the P38 and it suffers many of the same problems as the P38 apart from slipped liners including water leaks, EAS and electronic problems plus a host of it's own special problems like the steering column, suspension bushes, gearboxes which will cost you as much to fix as a new short block for the P38.:eek:
Click to expand...

Is the L322 really that bad? I fancy one next. What do the owners of them on here generally think?
 
A short block on a p38 is not cheap. Then you put on lots of new items to go with it.
I went to see a 51 plate p38 the other day as it had a new block. Boy was that car rough. Yes the engine was ok, but the rust underneath and the general state of everything made me think that its flogging a dead horse.
 
Look the recent problem threads, sestorius with EAS, Paulvesey & Dick Bal with water in the electronics, Saint V8 and others with fuel pump failures, door handle failures, final stage resistor failures, gearbox failures, the list is endless.
 
I think the only cure for a slipped liner is to replace with top hats & as said not a cheap job. I did read somewhere about pinning the liner but this sounds very risky & could well end in catastrophe! Getting a used engine from a breaker can lead to the same issue in time. Slipped liners are inevitable in the V8's.
Liners moving dont always cause the usual overheating but will blow the head gaskets on a regular basis (speaking from experience).
I agree with Datatek, the interior trim on the L322's are very poor & while the engines are an improvement, the gearboxes are not.
 
L322's are awesome, the p38 can't be compared !
Yes there always going wrong and they cost more to repair than a p38

But there worth the trouble :)
 
Willos said:
A short block on a p38 is not cheap. Then you put on lots of new items to go with it.
I went to see a 51 plate p38 the other day as it had a new block. Boy was that car rough. Yes the engine was ok, but the rust underneath and the general state of everything made me think that its flogging a dead horse.
Click to expand...


A short block on it's own is only around the £1500 mark - shop around some engineering places are a rip off, as you've done the cam the engine should last years with top hat liners.
 
2.0_hippo said:
L322's are awesome, the p38 can't be compared !
Yes there always going wrong and they cost more to repair than a p38

But there worth the trouble :)
Click to expand...
+1 to that...

They are much more than the P38, but they are just as reliable, much more expense to repair and that much more complex to diagnose....

Would I be without it and go back to my P38's - No
Do I regret my descion - No
Did I make a rash descion - Yes
Has it been problem free -No
Have I enjoyed it more than the P38 - Yes

Problems and Rough costs in the 7.5 months of ownership:

2x ABS sensors - £45ish
New Pads all round - £103ish
Thermostat - £70ish
Fuel Pump - £170ish
New Radiator - £170ish
Gearbox Oil/filter change - £135ish parts £25ish tools (Pressure Sprayer and a couple of Torx Bits)

EAS Recal - £80ish (LR Dealer)
Rear Height Sensor Issue - £65ish (1/2hr labour at dealer)
New Load Cover - £50 Ebizle
All Comms - £189ish

RAC Membership - £110ish (Fuel Pump Issue)
Wheel Nut fiasco - £160ish (Hotels, long drive fuel etc)
New Jack - £120ish (to handle the heavier weight)
New Ramps - £45ish (to do the GB Oil Change)

Need to do:
Still got a faint judder at 45-50 - do another flush at the end of the month and pray the Gearbox isn't on its way south!
2 Tyres
Service

Awesome car though - simply awesome.....
 
well your at that cross roads,do you put about another 1500-2000 into the car for a tophat linered block or swap for say a l322, a l322 will probably cost you about 10,000ish and could be inheriting somebody elses problems car,so is the p38 worth your time and effort or do you take the chance you get a good l322.me i would stick with the p38 fix the engine you've done everything else so it should be the last problem for a while
 
2.0_hippo said:
L322's are awesome, the p38 can't be compared !
Yes there always going wrong and they cost more to repair than a p38

But there worth the trouble :)
Click to expand...
+2,ive owned most varieties of p38s inc a vogue 50 carin top of the shop, although it was nicely finished i still prefer my l322 vogue by far if anything id steer more to a classic lse instead of a dated metrocab :eek: sorry p38
 
Would I have bought a RR before the L322 - No
Did I want an L322 the moment I saw one - Yes
Is the truth that P38 owners will defend their model to the death and L322 will defend theirs -YES
You are unlikely to get an objective reply to 'which is best' on a forum where everyone thinks theirs is best ;)
 
gold rover said:
Would I have bought a RR before the L322 - No
Did I want an L322 the moment I saw one - Yes
Is the truth that P38 owners will defend their model to the death and L322 will defend theirs -YES
You are unlikely to get an objective reply to 'which is best' on a forum where everyone thinks theirs is best ;)
Click to expand...


too true :D:D:D
 
Ill throw a spanner in the works!
5x classics 2x p38's and disco 300tdi ES..
what would I have if I had a better budget?
L322 as I personaly think they look the business!!
But I still like my p38,nothing wrong with them..it's the same as when I had my 1st classic in 1996 and the p38 was out my reach..now with the p38 the l322 is just a little out of reach budget wise..but yes I would like 1 if anyone is giving 1 away lol
 
I like the into to the bodged slipped sleeve fix......
THIS “REPAIR” COMES WITH A VERY HIGH RISK OF COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF YOUR ENGINE AND OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS. THIS SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED AS A LAST RESORT REPAIR. THERE ARE PROBABLY A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS TO RUIN YOUR ENGINE WHILE DOING THIS.
DO NOT DO THIS REPAIR IF YOU NEED YOUR LAND ROVER AS A MAIN VEHICLE AS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IS ALMOST GAURANTEED!!
I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW YOU WRECKED YOUR ENGINE
 
if you read all 9 pages one chap did indeed destroy his engine,however most people haven't.one chap even pinned his liners at the top having removed the cylinder heads fiirst.ps in america/canada if you do not put on a **** load of disclaimers first, you leave yourself wide open to shysters(lawyers).
 
mmmmmmm.....still sounds like a bodge to me. It could solve the problem of a moving liner blowing a HG but doubt it would stop water getting between the block & liner causing overheating. Personally with the work involved in pinning & the subsequent paranoia i'd rather have the block re-machined & top hatted.
 
If the liners moving up and down in the alloy block that will eventually lead to destruction of the engine. You will get water in the combustion chamber and the oil bye bye bearings and everything. They are not wet liners as most know but the ally is that thin on some blocks this goes before the liners move. Themal expansion of Alluminium is more than iron so thats why they only move when hot to start with.

Tophat it!
 
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