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Should I break or Flog?


sotal

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I got a RR P38 project last year which I've run out of time/enthusiasm for.

The car itself runs OK and has MOT, but the engine smokes and is burning oil on one cylinder.

Just can't make my mind up on what to do, what would you do and please give reasons.

I've run out of enthusiasm to take the engine apart again as it just seems an endless job, costing each time for which may not fix it.

However I'm not as fussed about breaking it, obviously I'd like to get as much as possible - which do you think would fetch more - breaking or selling with an engine fault?

It's an 1998 4.6 v8. I mot'd it so it did have 12 months but that was in May. It's a HSE with a fantastic leather interior. It drives fine but smokes a little under hard acceleration, doesn't quite feel fast enough but is perfectly driveable.

Breaking wise I think it would mostly be down to the following parts:

Engine (with fault)

Auto gearbox - working fine

Full leather interior in great condition

Full set of 16" Alloys all in very good condition with great tyres

Lights

Axles

Air Suspension parts

Is there anything else which would bring a significant amount in? Any ideas on how much I'd be looking at for that little lot?

To repair it just needs the fault with the engine sorting, then a new bonnet (dent in this one) and a new wing mirror (current one is useable but broken on back cover). There are a few scruffs on bumper corners etc but nothing major. Mileage is 157,000

What do you think?

Please keep this to advice rather than offers for parts etc, as this is the general forum rather than for sale. Thanks in advance! :D

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Its a V8 P38 12 years old, so it 'aint worth much whatever, unless mintypoos, which it isn't

However, you will find only a few of the parts "Sellable" and many you'll suprisingly not be able to give away, and then you wil have

the rest of the c**p to get rid of. A V8 with a serious fault is worth sod all, GEMS systems are not excatly a exotic sort after system

and there are so many scrpa P38 bits about you'll struggle to get strong money IMHO for most of the bits you can sell.b Axles aren't sort after

either,

However.

You DO have an MOT'd P38, that sounds on visuals to be better than avaerge, shove some tax on it and there is a luxury mota m8 for

very little money, run it with the engine issue, or if the owner takes the fancy swap it for another / sort it

You won't get a fortune, but its easy, sold as is etc, and no scrap yard syndrome with selected oil stains to sort, alloys I think ONLY Fit P38s,

so small market as 99% have them already, autoboxes people are nervous of strong money (I bought a HP24 known good for £100,

and that doesn't leave much profit ?

Taxing it costs not a lot, but MOT & Tax and cheap with an engine fault seems a better route than breaking, price it to sell, don't

try to be greedy of cute or your find it never even gets a view.

Thats my thoughts anyway

Nige

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In would expect £2k to £2.5k with the problems fixed, maybe a bit less with that high mileage.

As is will be very low, the engine fault will scare most buyers.

Breaking is hard work with so many time wasters and staying in waiting for them to turn up. Lots of bits are going to be hard to sell or even give away.

It really depends on how much time you have to spare.

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when you say doesn't feel fast enough, is that relative to when you first got it? If not as Turbocharger says you can't be sure that a little smoke from an engine that has covered 157k isn't normal. not encouraging you to be dishonest but it could be that your expectations are higher than they should be.

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It defo isn't right and personally I couldn't sell it as being right :rolleyes:

Forgot to mention on the plus side it has LPG fitted!

Was hoping to try and get £1500, but might just stick it on ebay for £1k and cut my losses do you think it would go for that?

What would you think to trading it in?

When I say it doesn't feel fast enough, I've had it running right for short periods of time and it goes like a rocket, but then the oil fouls the spark plug and it messes with the fuelling, at this point the idle revs change and I belive it's missing on one cylinder (still feels quite smooth) after this it doesn't have as much poke, it feels more like a 1.8 mondeo, but still perfectly driveable all the way up to any speed limit etc.

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Been having a play today trying to fix it as much as possible before I try to sell.

I've done a quick video showing it running:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LSNaqmtxBo

That shows how it starts and runs fine, but rev it over 3k and it smokes, any ideas?!

Does it sound normal when ideling/revving? Does it sound like it's missing or only running on 7 cyclinders etc?

I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell as is on ebay

Just as an out of interest type thing, whilst testing I did a quick video of it running with the front 2 injectors disconnected - so it should only be running on 6 cylinders in this video - and to me it still doesn't sound bad - what do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koV05FkGrkk

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I think i can hear the knocking as well, not sure what it is exactly.

The viscous fan is drowning everything out, if the engines not hot then the coupling is probably siezed.

Try removing the Crankcase breather from the intake, point it into a bottle or something, and see if the smoke screen goes away? If theres something wrong with a piston/bore then it might be pressurising the crank case, which is then throwing the oil out of the breather into the inlet, causing mega-smoke at 3k+?

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I'm not sure of the routing on your particular engine, but there will be a large hose, usually 1" or so in diameter, feeding into the inlet plenum, or nearby pipework. Remove it and point it into a bottle, and plug the hole in the inlet so you've not got a huge air leak, and see what happens when you rev it.

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Depends really. You could sell it with 20-50 in and not have a guilty conscience I reckon. I have seen people pouring in those oil additives until the noises stop.....

To be honest I would prefer to sell with a clear conscience - so will leave it as is - I thought perhaps they were run with thicker oil as they got higher anyway?

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To be honest I would prefer to sell with a clear conscience - so will leave it as is - I thought perhaps they were run with thicker oil as they got higher anyway?

Agreed.

If one of you lot bought a motor and then found someone had shoved thicker oil in to mask a fault I bet you'd be well chuffed :rolleyes:

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Hmm, the little pipe on the left hand rover cover is certainly a breather by the looks of it.

The right hand rocker cover might also have a breather running to the side of the plenum? its hard to see for sure on that pic, but theres defo something going to the plenum on that side.

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Agreed.

If one of you lot bought a motor and then found someone had shoved thicker oil in to mask a fault I bet you'd be well chuffed :rolleyes:

^^^

I agree wholeheartyly

However, mate who had a P38 4.6 had rattles and smoke, and he was going to sell it and

buy something else as he thought engine was dying (he was told this by a LR "Specialist" :angry: )

He told me engine was on 10w/40w and I said too thin, use 20/50 esp with the milage.

The handbook says both oils dependant on country / heat etc, but JED Recomends 20/50 for serps etc, so he decided for a few quid

to do an oil change and shove valvoline VR1 in it.

He still has it, it only smokes a little, and no rattles any more

10/40 is ferkin thin stuff, and nmot all oils of the same grades are tghe same :)

Nige

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^^^

I agree wholeheartyly

However, mate who had a P38 4.6 had rattles and smoke, and he was going to sell it and

buy something else as he thought engine was dying (he was told this by a LR "Specialist" :angry: )

He told me engine was on 10w/40w and I said too thin, use 20/50 esp with the milage.

The handbook says both oils dependant on country / heat etc, but JED Recomends 20/50 for serps etc, so he decided for a few quid

to do an oil change and shove valvoline VR1 in it.

He still has it, it only smokes a little, and no rattles any more

10/40 is ferkin thin stuff, and nmot all oils of the same grades are tghe same :)

Nige

Oh I've run some worn lumps on thicker oil myself but that's quite the same as shoving it in to try and fool a potential purchaser. "You found sawdust and pair of tights in the axle? I know nuffink about that Guv, it was all-right when it left here!" ;)

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Hmm, the little pipe on the left hand rover cover is certainly a breather by the looks of it.

The right hand rocker cover might also have a breather running to the side of the plenum? its hard to see for sure on that pic, but theres defo something going to the plenum on that side.

I tried what you suggested and took both breathers off, one on each rocker cover, the one on the right is just a small pipe which goes into the top cover bit of the plenum.

I covered each inlet hole, and put each pipe into a 2 litre pop bottle. I then started the engine which ran perfectly fine, then I revved the engine using the cable under the bonnet, the car smoked at the usual time and there was nothing in the bottles except warm air, not a hint of oil. I left it running a while and still no oil at all, it just turned the left over pop at the bottom into steam.

Someone also said to take the filter off and put my hand over the air intake to see if it stalls, it did stall straight away so I presume there are no leaks further down.

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