Classic RR Classic - 3.9 V8 Mechanical pre purchase checks

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sjr202 said:
Hi All
I wanted to thank you all for taking the time with the guidance and help you have put on here, as a RRC newbie you cant imagine how reassuring and valuable you're comments have been. One of the reasons I love Land Rovers is the community around them and we all help each other through the ups and downs :)

I've decided to leave this RRC sadly, it was disappointing to make the decision and taking time to think about it with head not heart helped. There was water ingress into the footwells and chasing water leaks isnt any fun at all, I also need it to live outside until I find suitable shelter for it! The engine tapping I sent a video to my mate who has had RRCs and he thought it was a little noisy, again based on above then I thought it wasnt worth the risk, at 98k miles the cam is a very likely suspect but liklihood of liner isnt ideal.

The upside is I fell in love with the RRC once I drove it, I love the looks, but the engine noise and character of the whole things was everything I hoped, people waved, smiled and one old chap even dothed his cap! :)

I'll keep looking, thanks for your help and sure I'll be back next time to pick your brains.
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Good decision to walk away if you had doubts. Buy sensibly and you won't fall out of love after a short period of owning one!
 
One another note, don't dismiss the earlier 3.5efi as they have all the character with slightly less electrical complication (only one ECU & that's for the EFI system) marginally more frugal on the unleaded, pretty much bullet-proof when it comes to cylinder liner problems, slightly less likely to be a rust-bucket (up to early '89 anyway) & to be honest, having owned both 3.9 & 3.5, there is very little difference in performance (with a small P) when it comes to everyday driving.
Automatics employed the Chrysler 3 speed up to Oct. '85 then the ZF 4 speed which retained the less troublesome manual selection of the centre diff-lock until the intro. of the viscous coupling equipped Borg-Warner transfer box in '89.
 
Thanks norseman, I'd kind of ruled out the 3.5 but not sure why, but its all about getting a good car in the first place, when they're 30+ years old performance will be down to how good all the components are. :)
 
Does have the same rust issues as all RRC, but basically the Classic's are big boy's Meccano kits.

The 3.5EFi doesn't have much in the way of electronics, but the 4CU ECU isn't particularly reliable. I'm on my 4th since I got the car in 1994.
The flapper AFM that it's paired with are generally OK unless they've had the top taken off & been fiddled with.
Only controls the fuelling, not the spark.
Not noted for liner issues.

Given to understand converting to the later Hotwire AFM & 14CUX ECU is the way to go. I'm told it's not difficult & there's a few online 'how tos' but I've no experience of it & electrickery isn't my strongest suit!

Higher mileage ZF auto boxes can sometimes play up after a fluid & filter change as this can disturb the very fine dust that's deposited by wear of the various clutch plates & it finishes up in the governor at the rear of the box.
Can be removed & cleaned without having to remove the whole gearbox, but that won't stop it recurring. That holds true for all Classics with that box.
 
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Any lack of performance is more likely to be as a result of having a 2 tonne brick-on-wheels that was underpowered from the design stage, although obviously wear in components will effect what performance was there in the first place. These cars are cruisers on the highway & very capable off it hence the engine was tuned to fulfil both functions, which inevitably leads to a compromise.

I've had 3 EFI's with the flapper AFM & only once had a problem, cured by a used AFM for 30 quid.

Ratae's points about the ZF box ring true with me. Mine has never had the fluid changed in nearly 35 years, but official wisdom is to leave it alone as doing so now will do more harm than good :rolleyes:
 
Thanks chaps - interesting about the auto fluid change, it would have been the first thing I do. Having driven one for a good 20+ minutes, It was more spritely than I expected, certainly off the mark and pulled nicely if not ever deemed quick of course. Given me a good baseline. Now to find one which doesnt have the rot but also isnt excessively over priced!
 
This is Ashcroft Transmission's view:
I have a 4 speed ZF Auto and it sticks in first gear in the morning or when cold and is reluctant to change up from 1st gear. Once the gearbox has warmed up it shifts normally. Why?
The governor valve is sticking, which can be caused by contamination. i.e. clutch plates or other parts disintegrating. The fine debris finds its way past the filter and tends to accumulate in the governor, causing it to stick. A temporary solution is to remove and clean the governor. The problem will often recur as debris from damaged parts continues to build up in the governor. If the problem continues after cleaning the governor then it may be necessary it replace your Autobox.We have noticed many customers reporting this fault starting a few days after an oil and filter change and after researching this using our experience and the expertise of others in the trade we have come to the conclusion that as ATF oil is a detergent type oil, when the oil is changed this will dislodge and stir up settled debris in the autobox which in turn jams the governor valve. In light of this although it sounds controversial it is debateable if changing the oil and filter is a good idea, some say if the box it going to fail it will fail if the oil is good or bad and their advice is leave it alone. I am still undecided but the truth is I get a lot of calls from customers thinking they are looking after the autobox by servicing it and a few days later this fault occurs.
 
sjr202 said:
Thanks chaps - interesting about the auto fluid change, it would have been the first thing I do. Having driven one for a good 20+ minutes, It was more spritely than I expected, certainly off the mark and pulled nicely if not ever deemed quick of course. Given me a good baseline. Now to find one which doesnt have the rot but also isnt excessively over priced!
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Performance is adequate, but can still be exceeded by 'white van man' in a modern turbo diesel, especially when climbing hills :rolleyes:
Good luck in your quest, unfortunately the two words you have underlined rarely go together.
 
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Hi All, quick update, I put a deposit on a very nice RRC at the weekend after finding one that has had all the rust treated and in very nice condition top and bottom. Its not only solid, but the engine has had a new cam/tappets etc and chains, runs smoothly and sounds great.
Thank you all for your help and wisdom, it has helped me wait for the right car and I cant wait to collect it and be driving it this spring! :)
 
Enjoy your Classic. like so many of us do.
Timeless shape & style with reliability stemming from the lack of technology found in later models. 'Oh & cared-for Classics don't depreciate like today's JLR products ;)
 
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Finally remembered to pop a photo up of the RRC that you helped me buy confidently :)
 

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Looks very nice, did the private plate come with it ?
Is it a Vouge or Vouge SE? My guess is the latter as the rims seem to be colour-coded to the body.
By co-incidence it's the same colour as mine, although my sun roof was retro-fitted as they were not a factory option until the '88 model year.
Enjoy, with a capital 'E' :D
 
norseman said:
Looks very nice, did the private plate come with it ?
Is it a Vouge or Vouge SE? My guess is the latter as the rims seem to be colour-coded to the body.
By co-incidence it's the same colour as mine, although my sun roof was retro-fitted as they were not a factory option until the '88 model year.
Enjoy, with a capital 'E' :D
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I was lucky the plate did come with it :)
It is actually a Vogue (not SE) the wheels were reconditioned by the previous owner and colour coded, I think I quite like the gun metal Vogue ones so if they ever need doing again I'll go back to grey, but as they are as new then will leave the nice green centres. Its also SE leather interior with the Teddy interior under a cover out of the car.
It was the only colour for me, just seems the perfect choice for the RRC, others a nice but it had to be Ardennes for mine, yours sounds lovely, sounds like you've an earlier one, I like the added character of the external hinges and older style petrol fillers of the pre 88 :)
 
I never know which way round the rear mud flaps are supposed to be installed. Are the ones on this Range Rover right or wrong?
 
sjr202 said:
I was lucky the plate did come with it :)
It is actually a Vogue (not SE) the wheels were reconditioned by the previous owner and colour coded, I think I quite like the gun metal Vogue ones so if they ever need doing again I'll go back to grey, but as they are as new then will leave the nice green centres. Its also SE leather interior with the Teddy interior under a cover out of the car.
It was the only colour for me, just seems the perfect choice for the RRC, others a nice but it had to be Ardennes for mine, yours sounds lovely, sounds like you've an earlier one, I like the added character of the external hinges and older style petrol fillers of the pre 88 :)
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Yes mine is a Vouge built in June '87 so just coming up for 35 years. It had 40k on the clock with just 2 owners when I bought it nearly 14 years ago & now at 60k. I too had my grey wheels refurbished by a friend in the trade & have fitted SE wheel nuts.
I'm surprised at the Ardennes colour, what year is your car ? From the images I could have sworn it was Cyprus Green like mine, but maybe it's the light conditions (or my eyes) that's responsible ;)
 
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