P38 Heating & Air Con

Hi My P38 has just been in for air con repair. They also told me that the right hand side heater moter wasn't blowing and that I may need a new one. Whilst they allready had the vehicle I told them to go ahead and fit a new motor.

They have just rang me to say that they have tried two new motors, but cannot get it to work,and because they are very busy they can only replace the motor and check the wiring in a couple of weeks time.

Anybody any ideas what the problem could be please?

Could be a few things, I'd start by checking that the wiring at both ends is fine.

Does the garage have the right diagnostics kit for the RR ? Rovacomm, Testbook etc. You may find there is a problem elswhere that is telling the motor not to blow because the flaps are not responding. Are you getting the book symbol on the screen as my avatar?

Yes the garage has the test equiptment, it's what they diagnosed the fault with, and yes the open book is on display on my screen. The auto button doesn't work now, but it did before the car went into the garage for repair.

It's now a few weeks since my local stealers tried to repair my heating fault.
They have had it in again today for further investigation and told me that the unit behind the dash has several cogs and cams, two of which are totally seized up. They say that it requires a new unit costing between £700-£1000 plus fitting. Anyone know what this unit is please ,and any pictures.

Sounds lke the flaps that the blend motors operate have stuck. I refuse to believe they cannot be freed off. The blend motors themselves are about £50 each or £150 - £175 for the three. Look here.

The fan blower motors have "Blend" type motors attached. These divert the airflow from through flow (External) to Recirculating. The motors should still run however. Check the relays and fuses first. Repair to the blower motors is not as bad as the heater blend motors with regard to access. If you cannot select manual mode on the HEVAC, could be that it's shot. Try turning the fan speed knob on the HEVAC-"Bars" showing fan speed should appear and increase as the knob is turned. Pressing the Auto button in the centre should change the display back to Auto mode.

Afterthought
The diagnostics can run the fan motors from external to recirc. mode and calibrate the flaps. It can also run the fans through the speed range.

Thanks rewmer thats a cracking bit of information,& I will approach the stealer with some pictures of that & ask if he can do that to get my problem sorted. I'm a bit too old to try it for myself as I'm in my early 70s and not as agile as I used to be. Thanks everyone I apprciate your coments and help.
Regards John

I bought a range rover P38 DSE 2.5 P reg last year i have had severly problems with the air con i took it to a local specialist which charged me the earth twice they replaced several parts i went away to france for two just over a week ago since returning i havent used my beast i went to drive it yesterday and the air con book is now on again and no cool air coming into cockpit........
Can anyone help me out with out expensive costs surely it doesnt cost upto a £1000 to replace all the air con???????
[email protected]
07917402100

Questions:
1.
Is the compressor clutch cutting in & out. Is one pipe freezing cold & the other hot at the compressor.
2.
Are you getting cold (Ambient) air through the vents, both sides, when the HEVAC is set to LO & warm/hot air when set to HI.
3.
Is there gas in the system. Pop the fill valve (Looks like a large tyre valve) located in the solid pipe at the bulkhead-Passenger side.

Possibly the gas has leaked out, common fault on the P38 is the Condenser, located in front of the engine radiator leaks, usually at the top l.h. corner, cost around £120 to replace. If the aircon people have used UV dye in the system and it is a bad leak, patches of green will be seen around the area without a UV lamp.Remove the grille & Slam panel for access. I have had two new condensers fitted to my P38 in 5 years.

Hi there,

I have read the threads above and am trying to find parallels between this problem and my own.

My RR P38 2001 has an open book with exclamation. But it is intermittent, it comes and goes.

3 related symptoms:

1. There has recently been a noisy or slight rattling which is coming from the centre unit somewhere, sounds like a motor, but even more like a fan motor.

2. The whole console heating and aircon gets extremely hot on long journeys. Really hot, and even the stereo just above gets hot too.

3. There is wetness on the carpet at the drivers side foot well, particular near the door/sill and by the base of the seat ....that corner so to speak.

I haven't taken it in as I am in Slovakia at the moment, and I'm unsure of their ability to test and diagnose properly, and of their experience.

Anyway, if there is anyone here who could tell me where to start with this, I'd like to know.

There seems to be a lot of advise given around checking motors and fans......does that mean that it's possible to take the whole central console out? And if so could anyone talk me through that?

Is it worth me buying software and cables from ebay and starting to get used to doing my own diagnostics.

Kind regards and thank you in advance for any suggestions


Richard