well happy birthday. I'm sure your rr will have another little present for you soon :-)

i've been watching ebay of late, and decent diesels seem to fetch 3k pretty consistently.

are we talking a reinforcement/sealing ring on the gasket is bent up? Does it line up woth a bolt hole or something else? Doesn't sound good!

Blimey, that was a more interesting thread than I was expecting given the title. More grammatical and spelling errors than I'd have expected from OP though.

since I might have to do this one day, should that be 9 o'clock for the inlet at tdc, rather than 6? That would be a flat V.

i don't think it'll be your fuel pump leak. Could be partially blocked injectors. Might be worth trying a bottle of injector cleaner in 1/2 tank of fuel.

I'd guess a hose has split near the steering box. If you can find it and repair it, you may get away with no lasting damage to anything else. At least... Thats how simillar symptoms worked out with my old Alfa. Drive it for a couple of weeks before I repaired the hose.

there should be a temp difference between inlet and outlet when the stat is open. That's kind of what the rad is there for.....

iirc rave talks of spinning the engine over before tightening the fuel lines again if you've adjusted. Is that not necessary?

crinkle?

yes, its in RR workshop manual vol 1->fuel system->bmw diesel->adjustment

was that compared to a dirty std filter or a new filter? I'll be amazed if the oe air filter is limiting power on a std engine. V happy to learn otherwise. I'll have to whip my filter out to test!

the hole is under the starter i think. It's meant to have a little plastic plug in it with a finger pull on it. i've seen a hole further out towards edge of the flywheel too. Havent spotted a 3rd yet though.

ah - interesting. my one from 325 td has EGR and IAT & MAP.

I think IAT failure might well give that effect. Easy and cheap to replace.

Id suggest take it for that 20 mile drive again. can't believe putting a thermostat in will stop overheating. Can believe it takes 20 miles for it to get up to temperature without one. Good luck

I think 1800 is rather high for a start point. From memory, I think I've seen simillar year & spec sell for not a lot more than that, but without your honest comprehensive fault list. But then again, still 4 days to go. I'd expect more interest in the next few days.

is the oil on top of the diff too? if its clean & clear, but doesn't smell, I think it would have to be brake fluid. it feels oily, but doesn't taste like oil for sure.

i've been mucking about with fip timing on mine this weekend, and when i had it slightly retarded i had the exact same no reverse symptons. has your mate made any changes in fuel setup?

are you sure the timing sprocket is in the right position? I'm not sure, (I've not done it) but I think its possible to get it back in the wrong position when you remove and replace the FIP. also - did you reconnect the wiring to the timing device?