Escape

Exactly what I had, consider it sold. :-)

Do you mean the connection above the rear axle? All others are 2 or 3 bolt flanges IIRC. I can measure tonight.

I certainly am interested. It looks like the same valveblock I had on my Defender and Range. But I don't think it will be salvageable after the fire, so will need to source another if I want to go hydraulic again (and I do!). How much are you looking for? Filip

Yeah, we tried different setting of the boost pins and different preload. Good tip to apply grease to see how far it moves, we didn't do that. But as it runs OK now, I think I'll leave it alone. Filip

With a normal oil change you only get around 50%. But if you leave it overnight, a lot more will leak out. Last time I left a car for a couple of days, luckily with a big drip tray underneath. To my surprise I needed about 9 liters to refill it, instead of the usual 5 when done immediately. Not a proper flush, but better then changing only half. You could add a gearbox flush additive, with or without a quick oil change, drive it a bit and then do a complete drain and refill. Filip

Last weekend we finally found the courage to have another look at the engine... Started by resetting timing, though it appeared to be quite good. We had already tried to advance it a bit with the cover on, so it was not spot on. We advanced it a bit, using an 8.5mm drill bit instead of the usual 9.5mm bit. This stopped the smoke, but still very low on power. We then played around with the boost pin, by increasing the preload (and thus fuelling at low boost). Again some improvement, but not quite there yet. Finally replaced to boost pipe from the turbo to the FIP. It didn't seem blocked, but not much pressure could be felt when revving (under no load) either. And that seemed to be the cure, she now revs as should, power not great but very much acceptable for a 300Tdi that had been stood for some time. We'll do some more finetuning and then we'll be very very glad to see this car go back to its owner. :-) To see it again on the Gentlemen Drivers Rally in May. Thanks for all the tips! Filip

NGK BPR6ES seem to work well in the Rover V8, regardless of the engine management. Only thing I've found is that they don't recover well when flooded. Price is very reasonable, so nothing keeping you from regular replacements.

On occasion I've had to cut such slips in a standard flange just to get the (broken) studs out. I used washer afterwards, and never had problems. So I kinda like the idea of the slots as a factory feature.

- Camtiming was checked by Elbekko and myself when replacing the timing belt, not afterwards. - Haven't had time to do further checks, but the boost fuel pin sounds plausible as it's definitely dumping too much fuel. Does the FIP need to come apart or can it be checked from outside? Thanks! Filip

Posted here, as the engine came from a Disco. We got a replacement 300Tdi engine for a 90 that was previously upgraded to a 300Tdi but threw a bearing. The engine had been sitting for some time and we never saw it running. Fitted everything, with a new timing belt and the FIP from the old engine, as the replacement had EDC. We had some problem at first start-up to get all the air out, afterwards it starts fine every time. But, it wont rev up and has no power at all. 25mph was about the best we got out of it. Lots of smoke, white-grey, pointing to unburned diesel. Very rarely a black puff, usually when backing off the throttle. Idle is fine, car moves off without applying power, but once you try and raise the revs, it starts smoking and boggs down. We tried about everything we could think of: - fuel filter has been replaced and we're now running it from a jar of fresh diesel, with some added cleaner, to rule out dirty diesel and/or blocked pipes. - lift pump reused from the old engine, as it was replaced recently. We get a good steady flow from the return pipe, no signs of air. - injectors swapped with those from the old engine, no change. We get fuel at all 4. - compression checked, above 21 on all 4. - disconnected the air intake at the manifold, to rule out turbo or intercooler problems. No apparent change in behavior, still smoking and sluggish to rev. - double checked timing and tried advancing the FIP a bit, to little effect. - valve clearance seems OK. I'm sure Elbekko will add anything I might have forgotten. Really at wits end... Greetz, Filip

Yeah, I spoke to soon I'm afraid... :-( The original measurement was 90mm, which confirmed a TVR 5.0 crank in a standard 4.6 block. But upon measuring again and more accurately, it was only 80mm. Which is a low measurement even for a 4.6 (should be 82mm). So unfortunately no deal for me. On the up side, instead of being stripped for parts, the car stands a chance of being rebuild to its proper glory. I've since learned that it's impossible to fit the TVR 90mm crank to a P38 V8, because TVR used the short nose crank with distributor and distributor driven oilpump. The GEMS/Bosch V8 have the oil pump directly on the crank, and need a long nose crank. Already finalizing a different approach, I will get my 5.0 one way or another. ;-) Filip

The problem is, by removing the alternator you also remove the drive belt. And this is used to drive the water pump as well, so without an alternator in place, you wont get coolant flow either. OK to just move the car around, not for driving it any distance. You could rig an idler pulley to keep the drive belt on and tensionned if you really need the car running...

I didn't knew they did sumo bars for the P38a! Just fitted a standard Lemforder track rod, but we'll keep it in mind. To be fair, I've not seen a bent one yet. They are considerably thicker than the standard items on a Defender or Classic. Filip

With some help from Simon, who had a good chat with the owner, I've made a deal on the car. Just need to see when we can get there.

Another vote for hydraulic. An easy place to mount the pump is the bracket for the AC compressor. Driven by a chain (on my Defender) or by the drive belt (on my Range Rover), with an electromagnetic clutch (like the compressor) for easy (dis)engaging on the fly. Not the cheapest setup though...

I'm not a fan of the L322, and this one looks like a very poor example! The coil conversion alone means it's unlikely to have gotten the care it deserved/needed. If you have an itch for an L322, go and drive one. I know plenty of people that are very happy with it. Like Elbekko, I'm not one of them, but then I dislike everything remotely modern. To each his/her own. Filip

Mike, are you kidding about the pigeon?? Hope things turn around quickly now, you deserve a break! Filip

It's about time they did anoter 2-door Range Rover. After all, that's how the original Range Rover earned its fame. I never understood why LR didn't do a 2-door RRS, after the good responses the Range Stormer concept got. Now, finally we get one, unfortunately out of reach for most... And no, the 2-door Evoque does not count as a Range Rover. But as a 2-door Freelander it certainly has its place.

Simon, that would be very kind of you! Whatever paperwork there may have been, seems to have been lost between the different owners. I've contacted V8Developments, fingers crossed they still have something (and are willing to spend the time digging it up).

Yeah, that's why I want to be sure before driving a 1000km. ;-)

You sure it's LR? I have a small loader with a similar-but-not-quite-identical filter housing. Would have been to easy if I could just throw in a cheap LR filter, instead of trying to track down an original...

I was thinking the same to measure the bore. I tried it on a 3.9 we have lying around yesterday, using the thin end of a caliper. Result was not exact but definitely close enough to tell the different cranks apart. But that still requires us to drive up there and check, or trust the seller to do the measurement. And it wont be that easy with the engine in the car. Good suggestion about contacting V8Developments, you never know they keep records. Thanks for all the suggestions guys! Filip

I've been looking for a Range Rover with the Bosch/Thor engine as a donor for a MS project for my own P38. I came across one that the seller claims has a 5.0 TVR engine. However, the engine number is for a standard 4.6. This is not to say it isn't stroked and/or bored. For a 5.0 TVR I'd expect a standard 94mm bore but a 90mm crank. However, V8 Developments was apparently involved, so nothing is certain. Problem is, the car is located near Glasgow. A bit far, even for us, to drive over for a quick look. I'm not even sure much could be learned about the engine without taking the heads off. And I certainly don't want to bring it back to than find out it's just a standard 4.6. I can find those cheaper and closer by. If anyone as any suggestions, or if anyone is from the area and thinks he could learn something viewing the engine, I'd be eternally grateful (think beer tokens ). Greetz, Filip

Tough luck Mike :-(. Hope you get a break soon!

As above, 10V is not enough. If you don't get more without load, there is a bad connection in the circuit, and as soon as current is required, the resistance/voltage drop will be to big for the lights to work.