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Evening all, just thought I would share a surreal experience. I bought a very high mileage (220k) P38 GEMS with LPG conversion last September. The fuel gauge didn't work, it had to be started on a doorbell switch, there was an intermittent windscreen wiper fault, and the suspension had been...

Hi all, When I start my 97 P39 (4.6 petrol), the alternator is not kicking in right away. The ignition continues to run off the battery, causing the voltage to progressively drop (probably not doing it much good). After a minute or so it kicks in suddenly and begins recharging the battery. I...

So the leak is resolved, but the battery drain continued. Have just replaced the battery and using a clamp ammeter I discovered a 0.3amp parasitic draw on the bodged starter doorbell switch. Will replace the switch as a short term fix until I can investigate why it needs it...

Thanks David, that is a very comprehensive list. I haven't noticed any bearing noise so the ball joint will be a good place to start and it is a job I am confident I can do. I am reluctant to replace the tyres until I get the rest of the geometry sorted, they are probably the most expensive...

Problem is, even though I have the original air springs (seller told me at least one has a leak) and various other spares, it would probably be an awful lot of work to reinstate the EAS with an uncertain outcome as I have to figure out what they have done to it, like EAS ECU bypass etc. Could...

Hi all, Got another thread on the go regarding battery/heater matrix o-ring dramas. But I also wanted to get some advice about the coil suspension (yes I know, it was like that when I bought it). Two issues really, that may actually be one: When driving, it wanders with road seams/camber, not...

The good news is, so much coolant had leaked out already that it only dumped about a pint on my kitchen towel footwell bundle

If you know what this is, you'll know how I feel right now...

I did wonder what the pz stood for on my tools, now I know. So I (inadvertently) used the right bit, the screw is just pretty much welded in there and was rounded before I even started. Going to try getting a long hacksaw blade across the head tomorrow and use a bloody big flathead in a final...

Bloody screw was rounded off. Tried getting it out with an extractor bit and copious amounts of wd40, but no luck so far. It is going to be very tricky to cut a notch in, but I am out of options. Whose idea was it to use a normal Philips screw in a spot so prone to coolant leakage?!?!

So the coolant leak is confirmed. Just got my 5 year old to lick the carpet and watched for the facial expression. Pretty much finished stripping it down ready for when the replacement orings arrive. It has obviously been attempted before, including having a hole cut (in the wrong place)...

Yeah I didn't really think that through.

Hard to tell the difference at the moment as the coolant was topped up with water following the catastophoc hose leak the other week. I have been topping it up with mixed antifreeze as it is slowly losing coolant (guess I now know where it is going...). I did spot a suspiciously pink drip on...

OK so I have discovered that the problem is not the battery (although the problem may have knackered the battery). I tested the current across the battery with the engine off, and it blew the 10amp fuse (twice). Something is drawing an awful lot of current when it shouldn't. Upon further...

No got a proper load tester, just one of the electronic ones. It isn't flagging any bad cells, but it seems it may be sulphated. Regardless, it should have enough life left to run a few tests on the draw

OK now even more confused. Removed the battery to charge and it is still reading as 12.7v, but the tester is now showing State of Health as 0%-replace. It tested at 88% SoH yesterday?!?! So it appears the battery might be duff. But I will try to charge it again so I can do a draw test and...

It does have an aftermarket stereo, but this drain issue has only just started the past couple of weeks. Have pulled the removable face off the stereo to see if that makes a difference, but no luck so far. And it was the blue wire I pulled

The engine tested out ok and doesn't seem to have suffered, I was able to switch off within minutes so no apparent damage. I am going to get a decent ammeter today as my multimeter doesn't seem up to the task of tracking down this issue, will update once I have accurate figures. The front...

The plot thickens... went out to clean the positive terminals up, thought I would turn it over to test, and lo and behold it was dead again. A fully charged battery drained to the point where it would only turn over once (not enough to fire), then gave the "gearbox failure" error, in just over...

Thanks gents, always good to have your suspicions backed up. Is there actually any need for the positive feed to go to the alternator en route to the battery? In other words, if cleaning the contacts doesn't improve things (flagging a dodgy cable) would there be any point replacing the one from...