'96 Rangie P38 4.6 HSE loosing coolant

Hi! Yet again, another problem with the P38. Loosing coolant this
time. The heater stopped giving hot air 4 weeks ago, checked the
coolant level to find the header tank empty, it took 3 litres to fill
it. Can't remember when I last checked it prior to this though, prob
2 months ago, was fine then. Couldn't see any external leaks, so kept
using the car. Re-checked the coolant 2 weeks later, it required
another 1 litre. Driven it now about 250 miles since and it's not
lost anymore, so far. I've checked the obvious, loose hoses etc,
nothing. I've also done the "radiator hose squidge test" when the
engine was hot, and they are not presurizing, hopefully indicating
that the head gaskets are OK. Don't tell me, it's gonna have a
cracked block? It's booked in for an "exhaust gas in coolant" check
and a coolant presure test next week, the independant LR dealer says a
cracked block can be sealed with some sort of special sealer, which
they can do. Anyone had any experience of this, and does it last?

Cheers!

Alan C
'96 RR 4.6 HSE
'75 Series III 109

Alan Hi,

I have used the SEAL UP additive for cracked engine blocks or cylinder heads
on two 3.9 V8 Efi and one 200Tdi engine with 100% positive results.

One of the two V8 engines required a second treatment when the first one had
decreased the consumption of water but had not totally rectified the
problem. After the second treatment there was no problem at all.

The oldest application dates more than 6 months now and everything appears
100% OK.

At the cost of those bottles I would say that you have absolutely nothing to
lose to try it.

You can buy direct from www.kalimex.co.uk

If it is not a problem please let them know I have recommended them to you.
I do cooperate with them but if they were not good I would not have done so.
Another good thing they sell is the QuikTape. Have a look at it in the
website. I have repaired the main water hose from the radiator to the engine
on my AUDI RS2 and have left it on purpose there for 10.000 Km (even though
I had a new hose and water in the trunk) so as to test how long it would
last. I ended up replacing the hose on the last big service of the car
because I got fed up of waiting for it to leak or get ruptured (which it
didn't)

Take care and I hope this will help you.
Pantelis

"cutlea01" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi! Yet again, another problem with the P38. Loosing coolant this
> time. The heater stopped giving hot air 4 weeks ago, checked the
> coolant level to find the header tank empty, it took 3 litres to fill
> it. Can't remember when I last checked it prior to this though, prob
> 2 months ago, was fine then. Couldn't see any external leaks, so kept
> using the car. Re-checked the coolant 2 weeks later, it required
> another 1 litre. Driven it now about 250 miles since and it's not
> lost anymore, so far. I've checked the obvious, loose hoses etc,
> nothing. I've also done the "radiator hose squidge test" when the
> engine was hot, and they are not presurizing, hopefully indicating
> that the head gaskets are OK. Don't tell me, it's gonna have a
> cracked block? It's booked in for an "exhaust gas in coolant" check
> and a coolant presure test next week, the independant LR dealer says a
> cracked block can be sealed with some sort of special sealer, which
> they can do. Anyone had any experience of this, and does it last?
>
> Cheers!
>
> Alan C
> '96 RR 4.6 HSE
> '75 Series III 109

"cutlea01" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi! Yet again, another problem with the P38. Loosing coolant this
> time. The heater stopped giving hot air 4 weeks ago, checked the
> coolant level to find the header tank empty, it took 3 litres to fill
> it. Can't remember when I last checked it prior to this though, prob
> 2 months ago, was fine then. Couldn't see any external leaks, so kept
> using the car. Re-checked the coolant 2 weeks later, it required
> another 1 litre. Driven it now about 250 miles since and it's not
> lost anymore, so far. I've checked the obvious, loose hoses etc,
> nothing. I've also done the "radiator hose squidge test" when the
> engine was hot, and they are not presurizing, hopefully indicating
> that the head gaskets are OK. Don't tell me, it's gonna have a
> cracked block?

Ok, I won't.
Seriously, it might have.

> It's booked in for an "exhaust gas in coolant" check
> and a coolant presure test next week, the independant LR dealer says a
> cracked block can be sealed with some sort of special sealer, which
> they can do. Anyone had any experience of this, and does it last?

Always dubious about such claims, I'd suggest it'd only be a short-term fix,
if it worked at all.
Have a look in the drivers footwell, up towards the heater matrix, and check
for a leak around the aluminium coolant pipes where they connect to the
matrix. I can't remember if you need to lower the dash lower trim to see
them or not. If they're wet, then that's your coolant loss, very common
fault on P38's and the cure is to dismantle the interior to get the matrix
out and replace 2 rubber "o" ring seals! A pain in the butt task, but a lot
better than a new engine block!

Badger.

Badger wrote:
>> Don't tell me, it's gonna have a cracked block?
>
> Ok, I won't.
> Seriously, it might have.

Mine was the dreaded slipped liner. It blew water out of the overflow as it warmed up
then ran as good as gold. Each time it started it threw out a bit more water until it
started to overheat.

Then it started to get bitchy about starting. Flat battery like symptoms, won't turn over,
won't, won't, will and starts. I suspect it was water leaking back into the cylinder and
causing a hydraulic lock.

Compression test. Failed. New engine. Fixed. (3K5 at Legs. A lot less than my main dealer.)

'96 Rangie HSE.? My what a coincidence.

I hope your luck is better than mine.

I have been told it was a generic problem caused by 'lean-burning' the already designed
engine causing it to run too hot and there is a 'rechip' that fixes it. Can anybody confirm
this? If there is an electronic 'fix' to stop it happening again in a few years I'd like to know.

nigelH

RPI have details of the ECU fix on their website. It's the reason I went for
the 3.9 Disco - different ECU which don't burn lean, less MPG but also a lot
less chance of the slipped liner problem


"Nigel Hewitt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Badger wrote:
>>> Don't tell me, it's gonna have a cracked block?
>>
>> Ok, I won't.
>> Seriously, it might have.
>
> Mine was the dreaded slipped liner. It blew water out of the overflow as
> it warmed up
> then ran as good as gold. Each time it started it threw out a bit more
> water until it
> started to overheat.
>
> Then it started to get bitchy about starting. Flat battery like symptoms,
> won't turn over,
> won't, won't, will and starts. I suspect it was water leaking back into
> the cylinder and
> causing a hydraulic lock.
>
> Compression test. Failed. New engine. Fixed. (3K5 at Legs. A lot less than
> my main dealer.)
>
> '96 Rangie HSE.? My what a coincidence.
>
> I hope your luck is better than mine.
>
> I have been told it was a generic problem caused by 'lean-burning' the
> already designed
> engine causing it to run too hot and there is a 'rechip' that fixes it.
> Can anybody confirm
> this? If there is an electronic 'fix' to stop it happening again in a few
> years I'd like to know.
>
> nigelH
>
>

"Nigel Hewitt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Badger wrote:
>>> Don't tell me, it's gonna have a cracked block?
>>
>> Ok, I won't.
>> Seriously, it might have.
>
> Mine was the dreaded slipped liner. It blew water out of the overflow as
> it warmed up
> then ran as good as gold. Each time it started it threw out a bit more
> water until it
> started to overheat.
>
> Then it started to get bitchy about starting. Flat battery like symptoms,
> won't turn over,
> won't, won't, will and starts. I suspect it was water leaking back into
> the cylinder and
> causing a hydraulic lock.
>
> Compression test. Failed. New engine. Fixed. (3K5 at Legs. A lot less than
> my main dealer.)
>
> '96 Rangie HSE.? My what a coincidence.

A coincidence indeed.

>
> I hope your luck is better than mine.
>
> I have been told it was a generic problem caused by 'lean-burning' the
> already designed
> engine causing it to run too hot and there is a 'rechip' that fixes it.
> Can anybody confirm
> this? If there is an electronic 'fix' to stop it happening again in a few
> years I'd like to know.
>
Yes, that's one theory as to why it happens, a sound theory by all accounts
that holds water as far as I am concerned. (no pun intended!) I personally
dislike the firm selling the upgraded ecu's as they are prone to open your
wallet and drain it for you given the chance, but if you can resist the
occasional (regular and constant if it's the boss man) bit of bull**** and
scaremongering tactics to assist in the wallet-draining procedure (depending
on who answers the phone) then give RPI a call.
I think their ecu's are actually done by a guy down south called Mark Adams
who used to advertise as Pharmhouse Marketing or summat similar, that being
the case then nothing to worry about as he is THE man when it comes to
reprogramming rover V8 ecu's. He's expensive in his own right, but then you
don't mind that so much when you know how good he is.
You can't simply fit a rising rate pressure regulator as the ecu will sense
the increased fuelling via the lambda probes and lean it back to where it
was. Another decent thing to do on these engines is make sure they are
fitted with an 82 degree thermostat instead of an 88 degree one, every
little helps as they say.

Badger.

Mmm, have to agree with you on the scaremongering open wallet bit!!
"Badger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Nigel Hewitt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Badger wrote:
>>>> Don't tell me, it's gonna have a cracked block?
>>>
>>> Ok, I won't.
>>> Seriously, it might have.
>>
>> Mine was the dreaded slipped liner. It blew water out of the overflow as
>> it warmed up
>> then ran as good as gold. Each time it started it threw out a bit more
>> water until it
>> started to overheat.
>>
>> Then it started to get bitchy about starting. Flat battery like symptoms,
>> won't turn over,
>> won't, won't, will and starts. I suspect it was water leaking back into
>> the cylinder and
>> causing a hydraulic lock.
>>
>> Compression test. Failed. New engine. Fixed. (3K5 at Legs. A lot less
>> than my main dealer.)
>>
>> '96 Rangie HSE.? My what a coincidence.
>
> A coincidence indeed.
>
>>
>> I hope your luck is better than mine.
>>
>> I have been told it was a generic problem caused by 'lean-burning' the
>> already designed
>> engine causing it to run too hot and there is a 'rechip' that fixes it.
>> Can anybody confirm
>> this? If there is an electronic 'fix' to stop it happening again in a few
>> years I'd like to know.
>>
> Yes, that's one theory as to why it happens, a sound theory by all
> accounts that holds water as far as I am concerned. (no pun intended!) I
> personally dislike the firm selling the upgraded ecu's as they are prone
> to open your wallet and drain it for you given the chance, but if you can
> resist the occasional (regular and constant if it's the boss man) bit of
> bull**** and scaremongering tactics to assist in the wallet-draining
> procedure (depending on who answers the phone) then give RPI a call.
> I think their ecu's are actually done by a guy down south called Mark
> Adams who used to advertise as Pharmhouse Marketing or summat similar,
> that being the case then nothing to worry about as he is THE man when it
> comes to reprogramming rover V8 ecu's. He's expensive in his own right,
> but then you don't mind that so much when you know how good he is.
> You can't simply fit a rising rate pressure regulator as the ecu will
> sense the increased fuelling via the lambda probes and lean it back to
> where it was. Another decent thing to do on these engines is make sure
> they are fitted with an 82 degree thermostat instead of an 88 degree one,
> every little helps as they say.
>
> Badger.
>

John Brabyn and I have written a few words about replacing the O-rings
athttp://rangerovers.net/repairdetails/heateroring.html

Ron Beckett
Emu Plains, Australia
1995 P38A Range Rover HSE 4.6 Litre V8


"Badger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "cutlea01" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi! Yet again, another problem with the P38. Loosing coolant this
> > time. The heater stopped giving hot air 4 weeks ago, checked the
> > coolant level to find the header tank empty, it took 3 litres to fill
> > it. Can't remember when I last checked it prior to this though, prob
> > 2 months ago, was fine then. Couldn't see any external leaks, so kept
> > using the car. Re-checked the coolant 2 weeks later, it required
> > another 1 litre. Driven it now about 250 miles since and it's not
> > lost anymore, so far. I've checked the obvious, loose hoses etc,
> > nothing. I've also done the "radiator hose squidge test" when the
> > engine was hot, and they are not presurizing, hopefully indicating
> > that the head gaskets are OK. Don't tell me, it's gonna have a
> > cracked block?
>
> Ok, I won't.
> Seriously, it might have.
>
> > It's booked in for an "exhaust gas in coolant" check
> > and a coolant presure test next week, the independant LR dealer says a
> > cracked block can be sealed with some sort of special sealer, which
> > they can do. Anyone had any experience of this, and does it last?
>
> Always dubious about such claims, I'd suggest it'd only be a short-term fix,
> if it worked at all.
> Have a look in the drivers footwell, up towards the heater matrix, and check
> for a leak around the aluminium coolant pipes where they connect to the
> matrix. I can't remember if you need to lower the dash lower trim to see
> them or not. If they're wet, then that's your coolant loss, very common
> fault on P38's and the cure is to dismantle the interior to get the matrix
> out and replace 2 rubber "o" ring seals! A pain in the butt task, but a lot
> better than a new engine block!
>
> Badger.
>
>

Early Australian delivery P38As (like mine) don't have lambda (O2) sensors so
I wonder if it's worth a try.

Ron Beckett
Emu Plains, Australia
1995 P38A Range Rover HSE 4.6 Litre V8


"Badger" wrote
> You can't simply fit a rising rate pressure regulator as the ecu will sense
> the increased fuelling via the lambda probes and lean it back to where it
> was. Another decent thing to do on these engines is make sure they are
> fitted with an 82 degree thermostat instead of an 88 degree one, every
> little helps as they say.

I have to back up Badger on all points in his post, Chris Crane of RPi is a
salesman, and a damn good one. In fact I've never before or since met a man
that likes the sound of his own voice as much as Chris.

But if you want to talk to a man that knows Rover V8 engines inside out,
espiecially the associated electronics the Mark Adams really is the man.

My experience, I bought a 4.6 stage 1 from RPi which blew both heads (and
three radiators) after 40K miles of normal road use.

The only good to come out of it was meeting Mark Adams, I wouldn't hesitate
to recommend him to anyone for this line of work on your Rangie.

Alan M.

On or around Mon, 24 Jan 2005 21:55:45 +0000 (UTC), "Alan Mudd"
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>I have to back up Badger on all points in his post, Chris Crane of RPi is a
>salesman, and a damn good one. In fact I've never before or since met a man
>that likes the sound of his own voice as much as Chris.
>
>But if you want to talk to a man that knows Rover V8 engines inside out,
>espiecially the associated electronics the Mark Adams really is the man.
>
>My experience, I bought a 4.6 stage 1 from RPi which blew both heads (and
>three radiators) after 40K miles of normal road use.
>
>The only good to come out of it was meeting Mark Adams, I wouldn't hesitate
>to recommend him to anyone for this line of work on your Rangie.

have to say that in my experience, the blokes at Real Steel know their
engines and bits. Had good service from them.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"Pereant qui ante nos nostra dixerunt"
(confound the men who have made our remarks before us.)
Aelius Donatus (4th Cent.) [St. Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes]