Escape

It's had a decent rebuild by a PO. Wiring etc could be better, but certainly a good example. I'm actually just a temporary keeper, I've put it on the road again for the last owner after about a year in storage with the intention to sell it on. I do like driving it, especially off road! So I'm in no hurry to sell and have already paid the bottom price with the agreement to split any profit. If next weekend turns out to be as much fun I might be tempted to keep it, but that will inevitably lead to all kinds of modifications. So I'm counting on some voices of reason to keep me on the straight and narrow, as this one should be kept stock and the Range Rover project finished instead. To be fair I have thought about upgrades like a winch, lockers, coil conversion, maybe a V8... Nothing that could end well! 😛 I have made sure the LED-bar can be removed without leaving a trace, it's using the existing mounts for the grill and I only needed to enlarge an existing hole in the dash to fit the switch. There was even a fused 12V feed ready behind the dash!

Thanks Simon, that's very useful info. Unfortunately I don't have a wiring diagram detailing the connector pins so don't know which pins to use to check resistance. I could unplug and clean the modules that are accessible, like the engine ECU, to start.

I know this is a long shot because it's such a recent vehicle, but here goes. I'm trying to help out a friend with a 2016 Sport TDV6. Last week he got a 'performance limited' error on the dash but the car kept driving normally, except for the cooling fan that came on and off at random. Even with the engine off and lowish temperature. Exterior temperature was also incorrectly displayed at 3°C instead of around 20°C. I read the fault codes, plenty there but none made much sense apart from 'fan control circuit short to ground' and 'fan control open circuit'. Others were for glow plugs, O2 sensors, fuel pump etc. I could clear most, some returned and others were added, so not much help. The other odd thing was that I could not reset the service interval, because 'conditions not met'. This had been the case after the service a couple of months ago as well but I didn't think much of it at the time. He made it home, and then was no longer able to start the car. I brought over my Ctek just in case (battery was replaced a few months ago but you never know) and tried to read the fault codes again but this time I couldn't even access the engine ECU. Going through some other systems revealed a CANbus error and some other, seemingly random codes. I had read about problems with the earth points in the front wheel wells so cleaned all of those. They were in pretty good shape, no corrosion or any other signs of poor connections. Checked and cleaned the ones at the battery and in the engine bay as well. No improvement, still no start and no communication with the engine ECU. The dash shows seemingly random faults: parking brake (which luckily was in fact working, so we could move the car!), DSC, TPMS, ... I really want to avoid taking his car to the stealer, but don't know what else to check. CANbus is a bit out of my league and I'm not about to tear down the dashboard to look for other earth points. Anyone know of similar problems and hopefully a solution? Filip

Added some brightness to the lightweight for the night stage. Now all that's needed is a check-up and quick service and sort some secure storage for the recovery gear and we're good to go.

The problem with lean in the suspension is it will move the CoG to the outside and possibly up, more so if the CoG is significantly higher than the axles or roll center. So while I agree it isn't a problem in itself and gives better damping control and feel, it will reduce traction. Rolling from one side to the other can be quite interesting during a series of opposing bends as well because the weight is constantly shifting side to side. Clearly illustrated when you see a Mini tackle the same corners as a 2CV on a classic car run.

It would look a lot better without the scaffolding! It's unlikely to have any internal triangulation, so pretty useless anyway.

Too bad Mike, would have been nice to catch up. And see the Ibex in action. Next time. 😉

That never fails to bring a smile. 🙂

I've just booked our crossing for next weekend. 😎 Me and @elbekko will be taking Tommy the Lightweight (on a trailer, we're not that extreme...). Looking forward to being back there and seeing what the lightweight can do! Who else is going? Filip

To be fair, the Facom tools that we broke were pushed above and beyond. Although one could argue a breaker bar is meant to be used with a pipe extension, the length of the pipe can make a difference. 😉

That some serious flex in the chassis! Even the roll cage has a single pivot point at the front. I had never heard of those, now I kinda want one. 🙂

I've had good experiences with Facom. The few tools we broke were replaced no questions asked, they just gave us a new one from the store. When I asked to service my fast ratchet (the ones with the rotating handle for quick, light work) because it was a bit stiff, the reply was they no longer service the old generation, but I would get a free new one as a replacement. That was after about 5 years, nothing really wrong with the tool, just a bit stiff, and even bought in a different store (and without an invoice as it was a gift at the time).

For £15 I wanna try one!

Are you sure the switch is fully seated and the pedal is pushing it in far enough? You can try removing it or plugging the old switch in again and testing it by hand without mounting it on the pedal box. The brake switch has 2 sets of contacts inside: one normally open that is closed when applying the brakes, like in most brake light switches. Standard wiring is GP and WP. The other set of contacts is for the signal to the ABS control unit, WS and GK.

Here you go: http://rave.stringsandints.com/Discovery II - Freelander '01.rar

Black soot on the fuel pump points to leaking injector washers, so I'd start with those. They are a known problem/ wear item on the TD5. The injector harness can also cause both failure to start and loss of power when warming up. Have a look at the connectors and try some cleaner if there is any sign of oil.

We've discusses this at length in another topic some time ago. I can understand why some would prefer to get a new(ish) 'normal'/boring/cheap/... car for commuting, for me that doesn't work. It would get on my nerves very quickly and I've found if I have to drive a car I don't like, I start trashing it which still isn't fun but isn't safe either. Cars and driving are an important aspect of my life (some would argue it's all there is), so no time or place for anything boring. Sure there are frustrations when driving a classic and something doesn't quite work as I want it to, but at least I know I can try to remedy or improve it, whereas in a new one it's probably by design. And on most if not all runs, even the commute to work, there is some enjoyment to be had. Be it that one corner where there's no one in front, a thumbs up from someone or just the sound of the V8 coming to life in the morning. 😎 I'd consider the Grenadier if for some reason I was forced to get a new car, but as it is I don't see any advantages over my old Range Rover but a lot of things I don't like: autobox, touchscreen & dash, BMW engine, and the unavoidable big brother stuff every car has to have these days.

Same here, my most recent car was a 2005 '90 TD5, I've not seen any new cars since that I'd actually like to drive. None that are remotely affordable that is. I wouldn't say no to a Noble M600 or Radford 62/2 (only if I can spec proper mirrors!), but that's not gonna happen. I can understand why you liked an XF, I've driven an F-pace and that was OK for a modern. But I wouldn't want to trade my 20 years older Range Rover for it.

As above, Ctek is not cheap but can pay itself back if you can revive a few batteries. And they're quite durable, I ran over my old one with a Range Rover once, it just kept working (no longer waterproof though). I have seen batteries suffer when left connected to (cheap) trickle chargers. All my batteries, in or out of cars, are stored with an occasional (i.e. when I remember) session on the Ctek and charged when needed. Seems to work OK.

Paid for or not, Mark Evans did get one thing right: "JLR no longer makes the sort of vehicles we (I) want to own". Mind you, I feel the same about the Grenadier as I don't want an autobox.

My P38, a 4.6 but with a manual, is consistently around 21mpg, on mixed use, including regular heavy traffic to and from work and occasional towing. I can live with that. Like @Chicken Drumstick the newer models are not my taste, I've driven an L322 TD6 for a while but hated it and though the Sport looks a lot better (IMHO) I don't particularly like driving that either. The TD6 averaged around 24mpg, so not worth it. I doubt the M57 would do much better in a P38. A TDV8 would be a different story, that could be fun and might be worth just to prove you can do it. Certainly wont be easy!

Just to be clear, I'm not building a camper, I don't even care much about creature comforts in my home (which is no more than a converted office space, probably smaller than some campers!), so certainly wouldn't spend money on a luxurious camper. But stuff like lockers, a hydraulic winch and a fancy motor that is something I'm willing to work for. Though that also takes away from the challenges you can encounter with a standard vehicle on a greenlane.

End of this month I'll be joining 2 mates on a little camping and greenlaning trip. I've decided I don't need a camper, I'll just throw my bed chair in the back of the P38, with some stuff underneath and maybe an extra cooler with a dedicated feed. I wouldn't mind a bigger/ more aggressive set of tyres but I'm sure I'll be fine. Which does beg the question why I'm putting all that money and effort in the build of my other P38... But it will be glorious if that ever gets finished. 🙂 So I guess I've just made a case for both the bare essentials approach ('cause I really want to go camping NOW) and an all-out no-expenses-spared project for the fun of it and to see if I/we can do it.

The V8 PAS pumps in the P38 and D2 look similar but have different part numbers. Could be different internal valving for different output pressures. Same for the TD5, which surprised me. I feel it more likely the D2 would match the TD5 as in the Defender than the higher pressure used in the P38. On the other hand, there are plenty of engine swaps out there using P38 V8s in a Defender or RRC, some with the P38 PAS pump. And they seem to cope without problems, so the other way round should be possible as well. Maybe the steering would be a bit heavier, but that shouldn't be a real problem.

Not sure what to think of it. Looks similar to some of the Indian vans. I like the boxy looks, that's easy to fabricate or repair and will maximize internal volume. But no tech details.