Ronnie the red Range Rover L322 (repairs) New Front Air Struts Now

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Okay, so time has come for me to lift the tools and begin the small repairs required for this new purchase. Starting with the easy jobs first, I replaced the original and now tired tailgait gas struts. 10 min job I thought and yes it was completed in ten mins with no issues.

 

Next up was anti-roll bar drop links as there was the tell tale rumble from the front when going over bumps and much more pronounced when off-road with the suspension at full height. Meyle heavy duty drop links x 2 bought £35, let the fun and games commence. Tools gathered, torque values checked it was time to get the front O/S up in the air and begin.

 

Newly purchased SGS 4x4 jack makes this an easy and straightforward task and once up there, new Halfords 3 tonne axle stands keep it there, safely. Once the 20" wheel was removed access to the tie rod could not be easier and I was saying to myself, this shouldn't take more than 20 mins. Famous last words. Jack now repositioned to jack up the strut a bit to take the weight off I begin removing the bottom securing nut first. 19mm socket and it comes right off to finger tight at the first try. Oh yes, these Land Rovers are brilliant to work on, look how easy that was to get off. Child's play with spanners, ken....

 

 

Moving swiftly onto the top mounting nut, this one came a few turns and then jammed and began turning in the socket, like they can do. Feck, mole grips, feck it's still turning. Phoned my son and got him to give me a hand but we just couldn't get the bastard N mole grips to hold it tight enough to get past the nylock thread. Lots of trying and failing, lots of swearing and after about an hour I said right this bastard is not getting the better of me. Break out the grinder. I'll show it who's the boss o' this garage! Lots of sparks and ten mins later.....

 

 

Bastard thing put up quite a fight but it was defeated in the end.

 

 

Noticed that Melye don't provide nylock nuts and don't think they're needed either. New tie rod fitted, all that remained was to nip the securing nuts up to the required, 100nm, lower the strut off the jack, jack the car back up to remove the x2 axle stands and refit wheel and torque up wheel nuts to the required, 140nm. But not before taking a photo of the new shiny bit

 

 

I still have the N/S to do but that can wait until the battery impact wrench/rattle gun I've ordered arrives. O/S was rattling more and having taken it for a brisk run down a rutted farm track it's 90% rattle free, with just a faint rumble from the N/S. Job very nearly, jobbed and onto the next thing.....

[Hawkeyethenoo]

The bidet/rear wash wiper needed some care and attention.

 

The wiper washer jet was blocked and the wiper arm was 'the most rotten wiper arm' I have ever seen! It was so rotten, it would not lift up on the spindle as it was welded stuck with rust. Second hand wiper arm from evilBay and new Bosch blades x3 and I can see clearly now (even if) the rain (hasn't) gone.

 

Interiour tailgate inside cover removed, gives access to the spolier securing bolts x3.

 

 

Disconnect wiring for highlevel brake light and that lifts back and up and can be removed.

 

 

With the rottenest wiper arm in the known Universe removed, I set about making the wash of the rear wash wipe work. Paper clip cleared the gunk and once the hose was disconnected and run into a bucket half a dozen times I was getting the kind of flow of the type I can achieve after 12 pints of lager. Happy with that, I fitted the new arm and wiper and replced the plastic end cap into which the washer fluid is meant to pass through and squirt onto the rear glass.

 

 

It's not so much squirting through the jets as pouring down the window from the middle, but hey, it's working and is doing the bidet thing and will keep the MOT man happy come November. So I fitted the new front wipers and called it a day at 6.30pm.

 

Next up is N/S tie rod, rear discs N pads and probably, front pads as well having had a closer look at those today. Discs are okay tho, so that's a Ronnie bonus!

 

Cheers all. Hawkeye.

 

 

[stuboy]

that was a rusty wiper arm..

[The Moog]

I love the sight of shiny things on car. Well done on mechanical wrestling

[garethj]

Excellent work!  I think that still counts as pretty straightforward repairs, you only had to break out the grinder once.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Back at it like a good un tonight again! Not long back from replacing the N/S drop link. This one came off much easier and was genuinely easy to replace. My apprentice was there again to give a hand and all he requires as fuel is a chippy tea. 

 

We're off on a trip WAY down South on Saturday to see a man about a dog; so that'll be the first proper long distance test for Ronnie. AA card at the ready....

Parking sensors not working issue seems to be that 3 of the sensors are faulty or having wiring faults, as they're not 'clicking' like they should. I was hoping it was the control module as that's much easier to replace rather than sensors which will probably need the bumper removing to get at. Summer job.

 

 

Brakes are next on the list !

[Sheefag]

How long have you had this Hawkeye and how painful (or not) has it been?

[Hawkeyethenoo]

How long have you had this Hawkeye and how painful (or not) has it been?

 

Two weeks, just. So stay tuned...

[Redfred]

Watching with interest, have a real hankering for one of these beasties.

[Rocket88]

Two weeks, just. So stay tuned...

 

 

....and no FTP....? I would predicted two breakdowns, and at least three outbreaks of violent spanner throwing by now..............tsk, tsk, this place etc etc etc........

[dome]

How are the diesel versions of these to drive? Glacial?

 

Asking for a friend

[Sheefag]

Watching with interest, have a real hankering for one of these beasties.

 

Same here, I'm really surprised how long they've been around. They've aged very well in my opinion.

[Mrcento]

How are the diesel versions of these to drive? Glacial?

 

Asking for a friend

 

They pull really well onto the back of a towtruck with a winch when their gearbox has shat itself for the 2nd time that month.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

How are the diesel versions of these to drive? Glacial?

 

Asking for a friend

 

Fine. Best kept in the boost range. Reving beyond that just brings more noise. Tickling along at the NSL at 2000 revs with just a hint of turbo whistle is a nice experience. Reminds me of the sound of an Intercity 125 pulling away from the station. Overtaking is easy enough with the kickdown and I've seen the dizzy heights of 90mph on the dual carriageway, briefly. This one steers, handles and stops well and the gearbox was rebuilt at around 100k by Butlers of Forfar. All six injectors were also replaced about the same time. Cheers.

 

Later motor, Jag 2.7 TDV6 has more power, but chocolate camshafts allegedly. Most of the mega high mileage LR322s I see are the TD6. 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

They pull really well onto the back of a towtruck with a winch when their gearbox has shat itself for the 2nd time that month.

 

https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/The-GM-5L40-E-Automatic-Transmission-Common-Problems

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Popular with Vauxhall Omega pervs too. Would you lend this man your car?

 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Grinding metal on metal noise from O/S front brake disc meant front brake pad replacement went from being required soon, to urgently required! I'd checked the outer pads and they clearly had life in them yet, but still there was something far from right; it needed sorting!

 

Ordered and collected Pagid pads from Eroneous Car Parts (£28.50) and set about the bugger, the night. Got the caliper apart and the inner pad was, just, down to the metal. Outer pad wasn't, but then this is an original/tired single pot caliper so the inner pad is doing most of the work. N/S caliper has been replaced within the last while as it's quite shiny still, so I'm expecting that those pads will have worn more evenly? I'll find out tomorrow night.

 

Getting the caliper piston back into the bore enough to refit the new pads was a bit of a ball ache, mainly because all I'm working with is a C clamp and this wasn't really big enough for the job either, but I manged to get it done in a red neck mechanic fashion, as my son quite rightly pointed out.

 

Anyway. Job-jobbed for tonight and caught in time before it chewed up an otherwise okay brake disc.

 

 

No wonder Land Rover changed from Teves to Lucas brakes on the later RR as the Teves brakes are pretty bloody basic for something that is rated to tow 3.5 tonnes. Good luck stopping is all I can say....

 

Cheers.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

More tales from Ronnie's dirty bits. Set about N/S front brake today and replaced the pads, which were fubar, but not down to metal quite yet. Certainly not owe me anything then. This simple job was made much easier and much quicker by deploying ma new favourite tool - yon 12v impact wrench. It zipped off Ronnie's wheel nuts and then zipped out the caliper securing bolts nae bother at all. Yah dancer.

 

 

That done in like 5 mins. I pulled out new tool number two, something I should have bought fecking years ago - brake caliper piston squasher tool. £16.99.

 

 

 

Flange 3 selected, before I could say, where's the apprentice the day then? The piston was squarely and really easilly pushed back into the bore with almost no effort and zero swearing. Far from the usual C clamp ball ache - heavilly abused C clamp for sale....

 

 

Fubar pads, which the inner pad had been badly fitted by the last orangutan whom fitted them, badly. 

 

 

Goosed and fit only for the bin.

 

 

Skoosh round with brake clear and new pads slotted in like a fiver into ma wallet.

 

 

Oh and while we're here. Let's have a look at the bit of a Range Rover L322 you don't see unless it's gone very wrong indeed!

 

 

That sorted, I moved onto the next job.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Next job was one I'd read about. Replacing the filter of the PCV valve. I think that's what it's called and I think it has something to do with filtering the oil being fed to or coming from the turbo. I'm not sure which? But it is an often ignore/forgotten about job apparently. I'd been told that all the filters were replaced at the service before last - but they all say that, don't they. So let's have it apart and have a look?

 

 

Ronnie's big noisy dirty heart before all the plastic is removed and thrown away/placed down carefully. Working front to back. Front above the fan cover comes off first, x3 10mm bolts, then the top cover comes off next, then last off cover the air filter housing top which is secured by x5 5mm allen key bolts. There's one hidden right at the back LHS which you can't see, unless you're about 8 foot tall and has to be undone by feel and using The Force. Once that's done you can see that the air filter has been changed pretty recently.

 

 

This should mean that the PCV filter thing was also replaced at the same time, but they all say that, don't they.... So we/I plough on and carefully loosen the injector wiring loom enough to gain access and remove the x4 5mm allen bolts securing the filter housing. Ta da!

 

 

And here's the filter housing itself. Filter doesn't look too bad at all, so despite them all saying that; it would seem this one was indeed replaced at the same time of the air filter. It certainly wasn't blocked and was dong the job it was meant to.

 

 

Having gone this far, no point in not replacing the filter with a new yin and O ring and x2 rubber seals that came with it. Total cost £4.99. My time. Priceless.

 

 

That all done and refitted again using The Force. I left the two engine top covers off as I need to have the EGR valve off next and see what that's like for carbon build up and also investigate the reason for the motor running slightly cool. Anyway, enough of that. Time for a test-drive up a local Glen.

 

 

Noteable improvement from the front brakes, but the rears are shagged too and rumbling which spoils the otherwise utter silence and are due for replacement discs and pads, next weekend.

 

Continue to be impressed by Ronnie. Not the last word in speed, but the ride is amazing and he will lift his kilt and boogey up and down a Glen far quicker than other motorists might expect and the handling is really very good for a motor that weighs well North of two ton. I think it's actually slightly more responsive with the filter being changed, but that could be my imagination and the BP premium derv added at the last refuel. MPG is sitting around 25 which is also pretty bloody good and money well spent.

 

Cheers all.

[J-T]

I did the same job on my old E39 530d which shares this engine. Mine had that same sock thing round the air filter as well, I launched it.

 

Agree about the brakes, those calipers seem very weedy for a big old truck!

[Hawkeyethenoo]

I have just today picked up a new Circoli (BMW) EGR thermostat from ECP. Weirdly, ECP wanted £46 for the part which was about £20 over the odds and their 50% discount code didn't apply to this part.  I then found the very same part listed on ECP's eBay store discounted to, £26, so I bought that and collected it from the local(ish) depot. The BMW part is much cheaper than the LR part and they're the same apart from the hose connector which is secured by a spring clip so can be interchanged with the OE part. I hope this sorts out the cool running issue?

[Rocket88]

Be very wary of anything branded Circoli.................I have heard bad things about both their thermostats, and their water pumps.........

[Hawkeyethenoo]

First proper intermittent fault ! "Air suspension inactive" shows on dash - bong! Locks into standard running height. Diag' says: front left hand height sensor inoperative.

 

#Winning!

[Six-cylinder]

I have now changed 3 out of 4 of my height sensors, last one was January.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

I have now changed 3 out of 4 of my height sensors, last one was January.

 

Roger that. Can I ask where you sourced the replacements, please? Link would be appreciated too. TIA.

[Six-cylinder]

Roger that. Can I ask where you sourced the replacements, please? Link would be appreciated too. TIA.

 

When I say I have changed mine, I mean I put it into my favourite garage and they give it back fixed!

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Ronnie's feeling a bit tired today so he's away to Glenfarg for a couple days R&R. Thanks to the AA for arranging this for him. He's definitely not broken down. Just needing a wee pickup is all......

 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

After conveying/wafting me to work this morning as I happily puffed away on my empty pipe while waving to the happy locals on route, as per normal. Safely parked at my work and safely locked up; I left him there happily parked until I would need to leave for my appointment at 3:20pm at the Dental Surgery. At 2:45pm I slid into the hot seat, engaged ignition and for some unfathomable reason, Ronnie decided that actually, he wasn't going to start and that I would need to select another form of transport for my really quite important appointment some miles away.

Okay with this, to be honest. I jumped in the Transhit and made my way in slightly less comfortable surroundings to the dentist. While there, I phoned that very nice man at, The AA, and he too was rather surprised at this slight hiccup from Ronnie and would send his best AA patrol man/woman to see what support could be offered to Ronnie, to coaxe him back into life...... ?

 

All The AA's patrol men & all of The AA's patrol women, must have been busy dealing with far less reliable, non Land Rover products, as they dispatched a rather nice man and Range Rover fan, from Auto Services. Pleasantries exchanged, is it on '08? He asked. No, it's an '04. In lovely condiction for his age he retorted. Indeed, I concured.

Immobiliser issue? I offered. Could well be, he replied. Do you have a spare key? Yes, I'll go fetch it now. BRB. I returned with Ronnie's backup key and yet still he wasn't for starting. Okay, said the AA agent. Let's have the derv feed pipe off and yes, give him a whirl......

No. Nothing in way of derv being delivered, so it's a recovery job I'm afraid, Mr G. Luckily he'd brought a flatbed truck in the unlikely event this eventuality may occur. Good thinking my man. Please take it to Glenfarg and pass on my kind regards and with that he was away with a cheery wave a dock of his flat cap.

It seems that Ronnie's, GERMAN, fuel pump may have suffered a total and complete failure? While safely parked up, NOT, leaving me stranded at the roadside and heaven forbid, at the 'mercy of the local peasants'. In summary. The word is. Gallant....

 

Cheers. Hawkeye.

[stuboy]

ronnie just wanted a ride

[Six-cylinder]

Yes I have had fuel pump failure 2015 in Carlisle on my way to Scotland!

 

Dumped me in a Supermarket car park one evening.