elbekko

Let's see if I can put this in an analogy you can understand... Think about a gearbox. Every gearbox is about the same design, bunch of gears driven by an input shaft, driving an output shaft, selected by some sort of selector fork. But there are also tons of differences, bellhousing bolt pattern, output bolt pattern, spline count on input and output shafts, ... This is very comparable to the CAN-bus system used in modern vehicles. The standardised protocol describes how to send a message (basic workings of your gearbox), but not what's in the message (spline count of your in- and output shaft). Now, wouldn't your life be much easier if all that was standardised and every gearbox could be used in place of another?

Maybe it's time for a different point of view here Personally, I don't mind the electronics. When done right, they'll make your life much easier. Getting a £15 fault code reader that interfaces with your phone will direct you straight to what the problem is. The nice part of modern systems is that they're all CAN-bus, so no need to have a bazillion wires if things need to work together, nor does everything need to be handled by a single ECU (like the BeCM or BCU). If your seat heaters want to know if the engine is running, they just listen to the engine running signal on the CAN-bus. The biggest problem with all these systems is that's it's all proprietary. Just imagine how much easier this all would be if all the CAN messages were standardised (and not just the protocol, as it is now). I'm a software developer by trade, one of the projects I'm doing to my P38 is adding more electronics, and while this might make me look insane, I'm convinced it'll make life in the car nicer.

Yes, but if you got the proper version (the EXE), it has an index for easy navigation.

The RAVE should be able to tell you, it has a full ground distribution schematic with component locations.

Yeah, you have ground/power distribution issues.

Yeah, definitely sounds like a bad ground if it's related to other loads on the electrics. You'll get all those nice CAN errors too, because it's a very voltage-sensitive bus.

Interesting, so the rear axles aren't connected?

You can find the RAVE here: http://rave.stringsandints.com/ It has a logic table of what the XYZ switch should return.

Oh my Must resist.

The RAVE has the values it should give (at least the P38 RAVE does), so you can check with that.

I don't think that's really a problem, rear steer isn't usually something you use when at speed, but when crawling to get a tighter turn. So very rarely at the same time as your main steering IMO. And for this use, I don't think you'd want anything but a joystick, tying it into the main steering removes so many options you'd otherwise have to get out of a rut etc.

I saw someone on Pirate do it a while back, it was a little black box that had a rod/cable going in from each swivel. Inside the box there were a couple microswitches to detect the steering angle, and with a touch of a button it used the microswitches to operate the hydraulic valves. When centered, none of the microswitches are engaged, and thus the ram stays there. Probably very fiddly work to get it all dialled in, and not just spasm around uncontrollably, but I thought it was pretty fancy.

Jealous now.

Did a compression test yet?

I would't go for the Allmakes/Britpart one (same price, so most likely the same part), the bearings fail and can take out your rad... I fitted one I got from BCP, it certainly wasn't £250, but was definitely a proper OEM, if not genuine part.

Just wire your sidelights to always be on with the ignition? At least those aren't horribly annoying.

From what I can see there, it seems to be meshing at the top of the teeth? If that's so, it's way too high. You should be able to see where the gears meshing have worn away the paint. Maybe the diff isn't set up correctly side-to-side either, causing the paint to not be forced away? You should be able to do most of it by feel, then double-check with the paint.

Fitted a Britpart headlight to my RRC, it worked but you could actually see a dark spot in the centre of the lense when it's on, compared to the genuine Wipac next to it which did look properly. But it worked for a few years, so not going to complain too much, especially considering the price. I also fitted a Britpart indicator to my P38, the lamp that came with it was dead, but apart from that it worked fine.

The BW works well, but is prone to chain stretch and the VC locking up. I had chain stretch on my 300TDi RRC, and didn't bother with a new BW, just fitted an LT230. I noticed the road manners changed quite a bit, especially in the snow, but you get used to it. I think an LT230 with ATB would be the best of both worlds, but the Classic isn't driving at the moment, so no use spending money on that and finding out. Other than the output being on the other side and the high/low mechanism being operated by an electric motor, the P38 BW is identical to the RRC one. Not sure how much longer mine will last in the P38, but definitely researching options to adapt an LT230 (I think it's possible to turn it around and drive it through the PTO hole).

Or Romulan, all good if they make things disappear!

See, now the problem with that is the debris it leaves behind. What you need are some good disruptors.

DRLs are half of the damn problem, people think a light is on so it must be ok. I think I almost burned out my high beams and LED bar flashing people with either no lights on, or their fogs still burning holes in my retinas in a queue

No. Just no.

Check the auto box ECU's ground.

Ross, have you become a spider that you see everything as a floor?