High mileage P38 2.5 Diesel?

Hi All,
I am thinking of buying a 2000 diesel P38 with 200k miles should i be concerned about such high mileage the car has been used by a company with trips to London and back many times so not a town car it was bought by the company with no keys or history a few years ago. It has been maintained buy them faultlessly ever since the car is cheap and is still being used as we speak so it leaks not oil or water does not overheat. The autobox runs perfect and it starts on the button the only problem is it sometimes does not want to go into low ratio is difficult to select so should i be concerned about anything any help or advice very much appreciated

200k is usually time to start rebuilding some major components like gearbox, chains & sprockets.
If maintained faultlessly 200k should not be a problem. All depends on definition of maintenance.
Itl be 20 years old minimum so expect problems of that age. If you think of it that’s only 10k a year which if serviced regularly and thoroughly could be decent.

Chasses are good but still rust so check mot history for advisory's outriggers for bumpers rear arches and inside rear doors , see if its had a head change some say they only last 120,000 miles then start to fail ,and they can run all day with no problems ,till you try n tow then things can get hot .o and check every thing works

Mine has just shy of 220k on it and is alright, its currently broken waiting for a fuse box to turn up as it has a couple of electrical gremlins but have done and am happy to jump in it and do a 400 mile round trip

If its done 200k there's no reason it won't do 200k more. If its cheap enough its definitely worth the gamble, but be prepared to spend on some key maintenance items.

Check the rear brake pipes over the chassis they rust and fail but are easy to change.

Thanks for the replies i have owned several P38s over the years but never a diesel i am hoping there's less problems with a derv ie no liner or porous block issues i drive an XC90 2.4 d5 auto which averages about 34 mpg on a run but still have the Range Rover bug i'm presuming a P38 diesel auto will do a lot less but i really do miss my Rangies

I have a shade over 260k on my derv and beyond rust appearing on rear arches, she is pretty good shape. Although I have recently developed a slight fuel leak I can't find, but seems to drop a few ml on shutdown.

[Edit, I get mid to high 20s, although around town that drops to high teens]

Bix said:

I have a shade over 260k on my derv and beyond rust appearing on rear arches, she is pretty good shape. Although I have recently developed a slight fuel leak I can't find, but seems to drop a few ml on shutdown.

[Edit, I get mid to high 20s, although around town that drops to high teens]

Click to expand...

Is your leak on the engine??

I get around 34 out of mine with mixed driving. End tuning chip, decat with straight through mid section, hybrid turbo but I’m running a manual box.

dubbleRR said:

Chasses are good but still rust so check mot history for advisory's outriggers for bumpers rear arches and inside rear doors , see if its had a head change some say they only last 120,000 miles then start to fail ,and they can run all day with no problems ,till you try n tow then things can get hot .o and check every thing works

Click to expand...

Nah, diesel heads last 200k easy unless it has been allowed ro overheat. FIP is a different matter. At 200k a lot of big jobs may have already been done. If it drives like a bone-shaker then not!

Bern768 said:

Is your leak on the engine??

Click to expand...

Wish I knew, I replaced a good chunk of fuel hose in the engine bay (all bar clear pipe), but I still get a little dribble/diesel smell, I did get some fuel pooling around #1 injector, but replacing the spill off pipe solved that. Need to get it on the ramps at work to see if it is somewhere underneath.

Bix said:

Wish I knew, I replaced a good chunk of fuel hose in the engine bay (all bar clear pipe), but I still get a little dribble/diesel smell, I did get some fuel pooling around #1 injector, but replacing the spill off pipe solved that. Need to get it on the ramps at work to see if it is somewhere underneath.

Click to expand...

I have to replace spill pipes n a regular basis the quality of pipe available is sh1te.

Bix said:

Wish I knew, I replaced a good chunk of fuel hose in the engine bay (all bar clear pipe), but I still get a little dribble/diesel smell, I did get some fuel pooling around #1 injector, but replacing the spill off pipe solved that. Need to get it on the ramps at work to see if it is somewhere underneath.

Click to expand...

Has the pump ever been done they tend to leak where the pump body meets the injection head and drip from there mine was leaking when I bought it and got a seal kit dor the pump and redone the lot

Bix said:

Wish I knew, I replaced a good chunk of fuel hose in the engine bay (all bar clear pipe), but I still get a little dribble/diesel smell, I did get some fuel pooling around #1 injector, but replacing the spill off pipe solved that. Need to get it on the ramps at work to see if it is somewhere underneath.

Click to expand...

Quite a few seals on the FIP can fail. There's one on the side port between the pump and the engine block that is a sod to get access to vut can be done in situ with a bit of care. I seem to recall a big spring that tries to escape so be ready for that. Then there's the big seals between each section of the pump top that are usually the first to let go but I think you already did those?

tomcat59alan said:

I have to replace spill pipes n a regular basis the quality of pipe available is sh1te.

Click to expand...

I used tygon fuel line its yellow and comes in all sizes ,,so far its not failed ,it will now iv said it its for chainsaws and the like,not cheep but lasts

Grrrrrr said:

Nah, diesel heads last 200k easy unless it has been allowed ro overheat.

Click to expand...

Well i hope so cause mine just turned 120k and ,,no no im not going to say it , but some people say the head , it should be considered a consumable item,But they last as long as they last...

dubbleRR said:

Well i hope so cause mine just turned 120k and ,,no no im not going to say it , but some people say the head , it should be considered a consumable item,But they last as long as they last...

Click to expand...

Most of the heads I have heard of cracking were on engines fitted with a Powerbox. I suspect the extra fuel causes uneven cooling on the head leading to microcracks that grow. That or it was allowed to overheat.

That said, Brian has had one fitted for years with no issues but maybe he is lighter with his right foot.

Me lighter on the right foot not when you used to hoooon round in rally cars

Bern768 said:

Has the pump ever been done they tend to leak where the pump body meets the injection head and drip from there mine was leaking when I bought it and got a seal kit dor the pump and redone the lot

Click to expand...

Grrrrrr said:

Quite a few seals on the FIP can fail. There's one on the side port between the pump and the engine block that is a sod to get access to vut can be done in situ with a bit of care. I seem to recall a big spring that tries to escape so be ready for that. Then there's the big seals between each section of the pump top that are usually the first to let go but I think you already did those?

Click to expand...

It was a refurbished FIP a couple of years back (I think 2018), but it won't hurt to check, I'll pop out with a torch later and have a proper butchers around. Be a pain if a seal has gone, currently my only mode of transport... so knowing my luck, that is exactly what will be the source of my leak.