P38 Monkey's latest activity

Operate the wiper and in mid swing open the boot lid it that helps? The wiper will stop instantly in its position when the button is pressed on the boot👍

Good tip though - at least I’ll be able to clean the rust off the arm itself. I had never managed to stop the arm before!!

Bottom of both those gaskets look pretty bad to me.

My engine (4.0 GEMS) was rebuilt by V8 Developments. Top hats, and kept same capacity as before. All major components reused - engine had done about 90k miles. Superb job and runs like a Swiss watch. Total cost about £6k. I like the way they...

Thinking of removing the rear wiper arm on my P38 to de-rust and repaint it. RAVE says just lift the cap and undo the nut, but it is so tucked away under the rear spoiler that there is no clearance for that. Any tips?

Update: as we are in the process of moving home, I bypassed the matrix by cross-connecting the pipes in the engine compartment. People have said that they are ID 19mm, but mine are 22mm. Draining the matrix through the cut pipes was less dodgy...

Can allegedly be done without removing the dash, just need to do some cutting - Paulp38a.com is a very useful information source…. As I have panels and ducts removed for the o-ring job, I am already halfway there.

Been there done that 👍 :D

Looks good to me, well worth a try, who needs a heater anyway just imagine your driving series the heaters never worked in them:p

Not this week sadly ...

I’ll fit a u bend, get a little electric heater, wear my sheepskin pilot jacket, good gloves, and pray for warmer weather!

Could be - I tightened to 3Nm when it started to leak, but prior to that it was at 2.2 Nm, which is not much.. To put it in perspective, RR Rave lists it at 5Nm. As you say, looks like an Audi matrix upgrade and no more O-ring problems.

Am not getting anywhere with this - the leak gets worse and worse. Different o-rings, same result. Photo of original (replacement) rings attached - they look different sizes but that’s just the photo. As soon as I start the engine, coolant drips...

I used genuine ones from LR, £9 the pair, pricey but I wasn't risking it. Wiped out the ports with toilet paper and wire wooled the pipe ends rotational. Bit of spit for lube.

Might pay to have a quick eyeball over the O-rings in case they have a 'pinch' or flat on them now ....

The gap between the metal pipes & matrix is definitely at an angle in that picture. Does look mis-aligned to me ?

I ga I gave the O rings a coat of silicone grease when I did mine.

Mine are Allmakes from Wick 4x4, long term eBay dealer, so should be OK. I’ll check alignment and see if that’s the problem. Loosen screw, wiggle joint, the usual procedure.

You previously mentioned fatter ones - do you have the spec perchance? While I have the joint apart, may as well fit the best…

The old ones were perished, hard, and broke when removed. I fitted new Britpart ones, bought off ebay, what could possibly go wrong…

The leak suddenly got worse. See the photo - looks like the o-ring joint is leaking and coolant runs down the end of the matrix. But the screw is tight. I guess I’ll take the joint apart and see what’s wrong. Does the joint look OK and correctly...

Let me double-check the leak and if the matrix is leaking I’ll buy it off you… thanks! UV dye is on order to do some leak detection…

This is the one I fitted a few years back NISSENS 70220 HEAT EXCHANGER Cost £20 4 years ago

You will also need a pair of reducers to go between the matrix hoses & the engine hoses. Can't remember the size, but there's threads on here with the correct size. Nissens 70220 has 17mm fittings. I think the engine bay needs 19mm ?

Oh dear, the coolant leak has returned. I took off all the panels etc - the allen bolt is still tight and there is no leaking coolant on and under that o-ring joint. The leakage seems to be under the matrix itself - looks like a new matrix...