SLROC Forum

See a really nice 4l on 150k original engine no lpg,what are the things to look out for when going for a look,has full service history,not bothered about mpg as its Wendy and she only does 70miles a week,all advice welcome

Hi John,
 have a nice new year.

Let those that own them or have done, be the ones that can really say,

but
I have looked at them, seen some real crackers over several years,
but walked away,
 knowing they could be a money pit..

Had the chance of 2 absolute crackers in the past that had replacement engines done under warranty
& had LPG fitted by RPI. (liners was the problem,
& is still being the problem with some original ones now)

Just couldnt take the gamble of the terrible electrics with so many on them,
other gremlins, suspension etc.

As they get older, i think i am even less inclined.
I wish i could buy one thats been totally overhauled & rewired etc,
for 'much cheapness'.

I am interested to see what those that own them say.
all the best
george

Hi John
Mine was a DSE, however, a couple of things that were at fault when I got it were the high/low ratio change motor was burnt out and also the ecu that once controlled it. I changed them both but I still couldn't get into Low box due to a previous owner fiddling about with the wiring. The other thing was the air con control didn't work. If theres a graphic of a book on the control screen, it means you'll need dealer assistance.
Oh, and my internal alarm sensor didn't work either. That's the thingy above the passenger seat on the top of the "B" pillar. The central locking alarm used to go off at the same time every morning, which I suspected was set off by someone elses alarm, so I disconnected it from the radio aerial. It stopped the problem, but meant I had no remote locking from the key fob.
The 4.0 is a good engine and with the right exhaust sounds good too.
Hope I havn't put you off, but these motors are, in my opinion, an electronic nightmare!!
Geoff 
PS Hope you all have a good New Year.

John, Liz has a P38 DHSE and loves it. On Pirrelli Scorpions its been the most sure-footed of our vehicles this last month. Our track remains a complete ice-rink....

On the plus side its got real presence, its like driving a leather arm-chair and its got all the toys..... MPG wise its no different to an old Turbo D - about 25 mpg in general use.

On the down side are the electrics. Parts unless sourced from a donor are horrendous - window regulator ?200. The longest spell of bad performance was down to a mix of an old battery, low fuel and 4 gubbed glow plugs. Looking back I'm amazed it was able to start at all. The computer showed all sorts of dire stuff - gearbox failure etc. - All bollix. New battery, never let it get below 1/8th and glow-plugs and it now fires up first time and purrs....  The biggest single bill for ours so far was for swapping out 3 air-bags, all perished. We have also replaced all four brake discs and the rear calipers - nothing unexpected on a 10 plus yo motor.

Get one with decent service history and be prepared to hunt about for parts from the usual suspects ..... Run a mile if it looks neglected ! 

Thanks Gene the one were going to look at has allegedly a full service history? What do I look out for on test drive its a 4l.

Thanks John

ps hows the track

i would ask someone who has experience of these motors to go along with you mate if you can. i have heard loads of horror stories about the electrics. good luck mate.

I know and have heard all about the electrics but its such a lot of motor for the money  and it has a full service history

the disco i have now is the same, its an es, full leather, elec sunroofs. air con, cruise. alloys. 3.9 v8, full service history. no rust. its just back in country from france. why not look for another disco or 110? much easier to work on if/ when something breaks. 

Thanks Gene the one were going to look at has allegedly a full service history? What do I look out for on test drive its a 4l.

Thanks John

ps hows the track

The track is still an ice-rink, my car has not moved in 5 weeks. Raining today so hopefully it'll finally thaw out.
My advice for a test drive would be to check that all the electrics work, that it engages low box and that it drives OK, same as anything else - I'd be keen to see if it gives the impression of being a well-maintained "loved" vehicle or a hack that some poseur has trashed about the place and neglected. I'm not a V8 guru so I can't advise on the 4l, other than I hope you sent your bank-manager a Christmas Card !

The day we saw Liz's we also saw another at a dealers, for similar money. It was just a heap. Ridiculous road bias low-profile tyres on bling 20in rims, bits of trim missing, flat battery, rusted wheel arches, almost no history and a tale ( from a bloke selling vehicles from a couple of portacabins...) about "we've known this vehicle from new" when the plates showed the name of a garage in Yorkshire..... we left ruts in the tarmac we ran so fast.            

Have you seen the prices for 110s No I Plan to get Wendy a nice landie that wont be going off road,meantime I will be working hard to get the rest of them back on the road.

What mpg you getting from your disco?

Gene you never mentioned mpg on the p38 am not to bothered as its only going to work and stables 9miles a day be cheaper than hay at the moment

Honestly? I put ?100 in the tank. That's full, I got just shy of 350 miles around town and some motorway.

Gene you never mentioned mpg on the p38 am not to bothered as its only going to work and stables 9miles a day be cheaper than hay at the moment

Ours is the Diesel - Pottering about I think its around 25 mpg.

Be happy if it does 20mpg worth it for the luxury and it will be great for towing tt

Hi John,
           we owned a p38 a good few years ago, a 4.6 hse. The most comfortable car I've ever owned and nearly as good as my v8 130 at towing ( if only my 130 had a 4.6 engine). We seen 19mpg on the motorway with the cruise control on and 14 mpg round the doors although we had ours lpg converted.
We were covering 24000 miles a year and had the highs and lows! but mainly only routine servicing was needed. First we had a suspension valve block fault which after far too much argueing with the dealer and me providing a valve block from another car to prove a point was replaced under warranty, dealer problem rather than the car. We also had the dreaded liner problem with the engine, it developed a bottom end knock which turned out to be 2 cylinder liners moving on cylinders 1 & 7. Enter a John Eales blue printed engine and a nice stainless steel sports exhaust and a bit further on a set of koni adjustable shocks.This was a car that cost a lot of money to buy and at times to put right but a cracking bit of kit and no regrets on buying it.
The 4.0 has a bit of a reputation of being a soft engine as they were the poorest castings although none were particularly great at that time. Check the colour of the engine oil and look for traces of water in it and also check the coolant level in the expansion tank and make sure it's clean antifreeze solution thats in it, check it again after a road test and make sure the temp gauge sits steady around the middle, I've seen a few with choked radiators causing problems.
I would say buy the best you can, rot's not a big problem but check the bottom tailgate for aluminium corrosion along the bottom edge. Check the front footwells on both sides are dry as they can leak rain water through the heater motors, check for antifreeze marks on the carpet, drivers side of the gearbox tunnel at the front under the dash. The o rings on the heater pipes can leak and it shows here. Check the operation of the heater controls, a picture of a book with an exclamation mark could mean the aircon needs charged(check the compressor clutch draws in and stays in) or a blend motor is knackered( one side of the car blowing hot and the other cold or not blowing upto the screen or feet).
 When you drive it make sure there's no knocks and clunks in the transmission and it changes gears smoothly and properly. Biggest thing we find with them now is they can be vague and wander on the road, they are big and heavy and tend to be quite hard on shock absorbers and now as they get older suspension bushes are becoming tired which doesn't help the ride. 

Main thing is be critical when checking the car and make sure everything works smoothly and quickly(especially suspension) and if you buy it, enjoy it!
Best of luck.
                Stevie.

Currently petrol is 5p a litre less than the smelly oily stuff so if you manage 20mpg then that is roughly equivalent to 21mpg driving a clunk wagon.  

Recently replaced the Series 3 with a 4L V8 Disco 2 and get about 18 to 20mpg but a lot of that has been running around town and dealing with snow. Expect more on journeys.

Calum.