What to look out for?

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natdawson

Member
Posts
82
Location
North Norfolk
All being well I'll be having a look at P38 2.5 DSE tomorrow. 128000 miles on the clock but I really don't know what to look out for on these beasties.
Is rust an issue?
Any telltales of impending doom?
Any questions I should be asking?
 
Do a search, covered many times but a quick list, check the EAS goes up and down on the button, that the engine will restart easily when hot, no book symbol on the HEVAC, carpets dry in the drivers footwell and that windows, locking and everything else works.
What year is it?
If you buy, plan to change all the oils & filters ASAP especially the auto box and transfer box as they have probably never been done.
 
If its an auto check the H gear shift set up works take it trough all the gears PRND321 then back to N and into low range and again PRND321. If its a manual check the LOW RANGE button on the dash works and it actually engages...any trouble doing this or what data said... walk away unless hes giving it away.. to many people have bought the first one they have seen and are now paying for it! :)


W
 
Check the rear spare wheel well for water leaks, tilt the back seat and check the carpet as the sunroof draine tubes can leake and the sponge under the carpet sucks the water up, both front floor carpets as datatek as said and the list just keeps going. :D
 
Had a look today although not as in depth as I'd like, having a crazy 4 year old minion in tow made that a little difficult.

Overall it looked ok, a minor bit of paint bubbling on a rear arch and a smaller bit on the bottom of the drivers but nothing else which I could see rot wise.
The air suspension gubbins had been replaced with a more conventional spring set up and there weren't any warning lights up on the dash when started up.
The sunroof didn't appear to be leaking, wet on the outside not on the inside and the spare wheel well was dry.

All being well I should be going be going back for a test drive in a day or two.

Now providing it drives ok does a 128000 mile 2.5 DSE Manual for £2800 with 12 months MOT sound like a good deal or not?
 
1996, spring conversion not a good thing then? I'm not going to be using for lots off road stuff mainly a daily driver which is large enough for everyone and everything we need to move about.
 
One of the good thinks about a p38 is the lovely air suspention, price sounds very high for a 96 especialy on spring, get ready to duck for cover your in for some flak with the word springs.
 
Ah ok, best to give that a miss then.
So if removing the air gubbins from a P38 is a bad thing why do people remove them from Discoverys of the same age or even from the P38s in the first place. I do appreciate they are different beasts just assumed it would be a similar thing.

I'm more at home bashing steam engines with big hammers than all this air suspension malarkey.
 
natdawson said:
Ah ok, best to give that a miss then.
So if removing the air gubbins from a P38 is a bad thing why do people remove them from Discoverys of the same age or even from the P38s in the first place. I do appreciate they are different beasts just assumed it would be a similar thing.

I'm more at home bashing steam engines with big hammers than all this air suspension malarkey.
Click to expand...

The real worry is that, if they've removed the air rather than repairing what is a fairly simple system, what else have they bodged or ignored.
 
Going on what I've been told which I have taken with a very large dollop of salt is that the conversion was done by a Land Rover specialist. I now have mixed feelings about it as everything else seemed really quite good plus it had wife approval which is all important.
 
and because many mechanics see air suspension and think 'here be dragons' if it not got coils they are stuck. and don't know what to do so recommend replacing the air with coils.

basically it goes like this.. an air bag leaks.. the compressor works over time to compensate... the air bag gets replaced.. the next one goes (they have all been on the car the same amount of time so will deteriorate at the same rate) the compressor is working overtime .. again..

by the time all 4 have been replaced, the compressor is now worn out, the owner has been back to a garage 5 times and the garage recommends fitting coils .. about the same price as a new compressor from 'land rover .. mate!'.

one the eas system you are looking at only a few items of failure - Airbags through age.

compressor from use.

valve block through age.

oh and a thermal switch (usually from over use.

the 4 airbags can be repalced in about an hour, even for a newbie..

the valve block overhaul kit set of o-rings and diaphram can be had for about £30 and an hour to do it.. even for a newbie

the compressor is rarely fecked.. it's usually either the thermal switch £7 or the piston and sleeve and worn out.. they can be replaced for less than £30 and about an hour.

the EAS system freaks so many people out.. its a very simple system, if you have the datatek cable £16 and a laptop and some basic tools, you've got all you need to repair it !

A P38 on coils is like dating a supermodel and making her wear a burqua
 
Going on what I've been told which I have taken with a very large dollop of salt is that the conversion was done by a Land Rover specialist.
Click to expand...

The f**k it has. A Land Rover specialist would know how to fix it. it's not rocket surgery.

Sheesh! i know how to fix EAS and i'm not a Land Rover specialist.
 
ukadamwest said:
and because many mechanics see air suspension and think 'here be dragons' if it not got coils they are stuck. and don't know what to do so recommend replacing the air with coils.

basically it goes like this.. an air bag leaks.. the compressor works over time to compensate... the air bag gets replaced.. the next one goes (they have all been on the car the same amount of time so will deteriorate at the same rate) the compressor is working overtime .. again..

by the time all 4 have been replaced, the compressor is now worn out, the owner has been back to a garage 5 times and the garage recommends fitting coils .. about the same price as a new compressor from 'land rover .. mate!'.

one the eas system you are looking at only a few items of failure - Airbags through age.

compressor from use.

valve block through age.

oh and a thermal switch (usually from over use.

the 4 airbags can be repalced in about an hour, even for a newbie..

the valve block overhaul kit set of o-rings and diaphram can be had for about £30 and an hour to do it.. even for a newbie

the compressor is rarely fecked.. it's usually either the thermal switch £7 or the piston and sleeve and worn out.. they can be replaced for less than £30 and about an hour.

the EAS system freaks so many people out.. its a very simple system, if you have the datatek cable £16 and a laptop and some basic tools, you've got all you need to repair it !

A P38 on coils is like dating a supermodel and making her wear a burqua
Click to expand...
:clap2: all you need to know.. spot on!
 
There is lots to be said for putting it on a set of springs, not much of it good. Basically the car will not be as safe to drive or as nice. The handling will also be adversely affected (as I witnessed a local coil sprung P38 nearly fall over the other day). As the old saying goes... "if you want to spoil it, coil it!" - Wammers 4c BC ;)

One thing to compare to discovery's, they only had rear air suspension which was designed for self leveling and dropping the rear for attaching trailers I believe. Where the P38 has 5 different ride heights based on the inflation of the air springs to give greater clearance underneath or greater stability at speed for safety. Plus the ability to drop right down for passenger access.

As for Steam engines, I also share this passion - what are you hitting with hammers?
 
Fair enough, that's that one off the list then. Annoyingly trying to find anything in Norfolk is a nightmare and usually over priced.
So is a disco with coils instead or the air system bad news as well as I was thinking about looking at one this weekend.

On a separate note is the head lining slightly higher in one without a sun roof?
 
So is a disco with coils instead or the air system bad news as well as I was thinking about looking at one this weekend.
Click to expand...

Be off with you to the dungeon of the discovery forum !

The disco and the range rover are different beasts, don't rush yourself there are a lot of good of P38s out there . if you go for one that isn't so good, be prepared to pay a price that demands of one needing TLC.

No matter what condition do a gearbox oil and filter change as a first call.

On a separate note is the head lining slightly higher in one without a sun roof?

all the P38's have sunroofs. AFAIK
 
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