Range Rover L322 of GREATNESS Thread: Water Ingress

[dome]

15 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

My Father in Law has an L322. I tried to get him to buy this one but he spent a lot of time welding his up, restoring the rear subframe, converted it to springs, tidying it up etc…. But the 4.4 v8 petrol shit itself the other day. In no certain terms I’ve been told I’ve got to help him sort it out. Ideally I need to drop on a replacement 4.4 …….. but apparently they’re shite. And these l322s are worthless when the engines gone bang. 😥

Is it a BMW or Jag 4.4?

 

[Supernaut]

2 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

My Father in Law has an L322. I tried to get him to buy this one but he spent a lot of time welding his up, restoring the rear subframe, converted it to springs, tidying it up etc…. But the 4.4 v8 petrol shit itself the other day. In no certain terms I’ve been told I’ve got to help him sort it out. Ideally I need to drop on a replacement 4.4 …….. but apparently they’re shite. And these l322s are worthless when the engines gone bang. 😥

Would a Cummins 6BT fit?

[dome]

11 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Would a Cummins 6BT fit?

Absolutely*

I was thinking a later 4.8 M62 out of an X5 along with a zf 6 speed box. Definitely* worth the effort. 

[Split_Pin]

Took it for a run yesterday to bleed. Heaters nice and hot and the needle now sits just a bawhair below halfway. The 75 with the same engine but 2 less cylinders and a similar 5 thermostat in an identical location does exactly the same so I'd say the fix is working as it should.

10 L of Mannol 5/30 arrived yesterday together with 5L of Lanoguard (I also plan to treat the Saab underside) so thats September's jobs lined up (and anything else it cares to throw at me). 

[Split_Pin]

Brown trouser moment this evening. After a 15 minute drive on country roads I noticed I could hear the radiator fan on at full speed. Shortly after, the temp guage started rising very quickly. Just as it got to 3/4 and I was about to pull over it pinged back down to half way. It stayed there for the rest of the journey and no more fan either.

The heaters being hot and the temp guage staying in the middle on the test run had fooled me into thinking that the system was properly bled.

Coolant had only dropped a small amount, I thought it would have been more now that air has exited the system. All seems OK on the return journey though, so far.

Could have done without that 😂

[Split_Pin]

Aye, so thats a naw on the Renault 5 thermostat, its causing issues.

The radiator fan was coming on again last night and when I opened the bleed screw a big burp of coolant and air came out. No change in the temp guage this time though.

Car drove fine tonight but I thought Id try the bleed screw again and more air and coolant came out. More again when I got home.

Correct thermostat ordered and I should hopefully be able to get the 5 one out the top hose with some hot water as its brand new and quite malleable.

Oh and the battery died tonight. I was sitting  waiting  in the car with the engine off but ignition in and randomly I got a message saying the Hill Descent was inactive. Oh fuck, expense. Then the ABS light came on and thats when I thought ' the fucking battery's died hasn't it'. Absolutely, and it was stone cold out for the count. Mrs_Pin came to the rescue in the trusty Audi, again.

OLLI, or something. 

*waves hand dismissively, leaves to get a beer*

[Matty]

Only laughing at the last bit obvs.

I always have the feeling with these that whilst no one could say they're not needy, right spec and engine they're probably not bad. Plus I fuckin love em but never been brave enough.

[S2000]

I had a L322 Vogue Autobiography of 2004 vintage I think, it was like a mistress, kept you coming back for more and ruinously expensive. One particular FTP at a country pub the key went into the ignition but the electronic steering did not unlock, as a result the key would not turn. Recovered by the AA to my trusty garage (I learnt how to remove the shift cover to pull a lever to put the gearbox into neutral so it could be loaded onto a beaver tail) I carried on drinking and most likely got hammered. After a diagnosis at the garage it was either drill out the steering lock or a new part with fitting etc which was around 2K or some ridiculous figure…. I stood in the garage cursing JLR’s finest pulling hard on my Marlboro, the garage apprentice asked if I smoked in the car, do bears shit in woods was my response, which hand do you smoke with? Smoke with the left, drive with the right and use the ash tray. The wee bugger stuck the hoover over the ignition and normal service resumed, I must have been forcing ash down the barrel which I’d dropped when going for the tray with no key!!!!

Battery was a bitch too, water ingress in the boot would randomly cause infotainment to pack up or the amp to short out, boot lights would be on all the time so I removed the bulbs. It was that bad when I flew away with work I would disconnect the battery in long stay and leave it unlocked. Bloody loved it and miss it like my first love.

[Rust Collector]

15 minutes ago, Matty said:

Only laughing at the last bit obvs.

I always have the feeling with these that whilst no one could say they're not needy, right spec and engine they're probably not bad. Plus I fuckin love em but never been brave enough.

+1 for a chuckle at the random warnings coming up.

I’ve become conditioned so that when the dash in my Disco chimes, I immediately shit my pants.

[Matty]

4 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

+1 for a chuckle at the random warnings coming up.

I’ve become conditioned so that when the dash in my Disco chimes, I immediately shit my pants.

It could drive you mental. L322 Range Rovers and Disco 3s are lovely bits of design inside and out. I've driven both and there's just nothing like them. There's a good car in both trying to get out. Hopefully @Split_Pin can prove the doubters wrong. @NorthernMonkey is having a good do, but his efforts are somewhat cheapened in my eyes by having a unit, ramp and doing it for a living 🤣

[Tayne]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

 

Oh and the battery died tonight. I was sitting  waiting  in the car with the engine off but ignition in and randomly I got a message saying the Hill Descent was inactive. Oh fuck, expense. Then the ABS light came on and thats when I thought ' the fucking battery's died hasn't it'. Absolutely, and it was stone cold out for the count.

 

My p38 did that, decided it had a transfer box fault. My panic was probably similar to yours until the car then decided it was suffering from all the maladies in the message centre.

Battery AND alternator. 

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, Matty said:

It could drive you mental. L322 Range Rovers and Disco 3s are lovely bits of design inside and out. I've driven both and there's just nothing like them. There's a good car in both trying to get out. Hopefully @Split_Pin can prove the doubters wrong. @NorthernMonkey is having a good do, but his efforts are somewhat cheapened in my eyes by having a unit, ramp and doing it for a living 🤣

You don’t imagine I’d be stupid enough to own four of them without the back up, do you?!

(currently four…there’s a cat N facelift Overfinch currently winking at me from my Copart watch list for which I’ve got the required panels to sort. Plus it’s got a black leather quilted headliner. Just imagine that…)

[Matty]

24 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

You don’t imagine I’d be stupid enough to own four of them without the back up, do you?!

(currently four…there’s a cat N facelift Overfinch currently winking at me from my Copart watch list for which I’ve got the required panels to sort. Plus it’s got a black leather quilted headliner. Just imagine that…)

Keep in mind I'm only round the corner from you. If you get one of them sorted to the point a mere mortal could live with it for 12 month, give me a shout 😀 

[IronStar]

You lot are making me look at L322 prices, and I’ve realized they’re not all that expensive here either. This is coming from someone that doesn’t even like (s)off(t) roaders and has next to 0 ambition of towing things. It just seems so much car for the money, and so much deprecation as well!

Then on the other hand, it would probably make me look like a minor league football player or very unsuccessful drug pusher. 😄

[Wibble]

31 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

You don’t imagine I’d be stupid enough to own four of them without the back up, do you?!

(currently four…there’s a cat N facelift Overfinch currently winking at me from my Copart watch list for which I’ve got the required panels to sort. Plus it’s got a black leather quilted headliner. Just imagine that…)

A former director of Overfinch runs the classic friendly garage I use, if you ever need to pick his brains.

[Split_Pin]

I've had to order another new top hose as the thermostat is stuck fast inside there.

Does owning a Land Rover product make you take leave of your senses.

Actually, I already know the answer 😂

[Tayne]

On average it takes ownership of 2.7 Land Rover products to realise how bad an ownership proposition they are.

[Split_Pin]

Oil and filter change today, 9 litres, not a Junkman-friendly sump.

I also gave it a coat of Lanoguard. It goes on incredibly easily, all done in 20 minutes. I spent more time laying out the big sheets of cardboard underneath it than I did on the actual job.

I quite like the farmyard smell, not sure my neighbours will though 😂

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Oil and filter change today, 9 litres, not a Junkman-friendly sump.

I also gave it a coat of Lanoguard. It goes on incredibly easily, all done in 20 minutes. I spent more time laying out the big sheets of cardboard underneath it than I did on the actual job.

I quite like the farmyard smell, not sure my neighbours will though 😂

It’s lovely, isn’t it? It’ll smell like a sheep pen now for the next month or two! 😂

[Split_Pin]

I actually quite like it, reminds me of the countryside 😂

[NorthernMonkey]

3 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I actually quite like it, reminds me of the countryside 😂

I did one in the workshop last year and you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d filmed a full series of Lambing Live in there for the next few months.

As you say, it’s not at all unpleasant but it catches visitors out!

[sutty2006]

My disco 3 used to throw up hill descent faults when the battery failed. Typical LR stuff. I don’t know how the D2 battery has lasted this long, I’m waiting for that expense soon. That and a lack of power 👀

[beko1987]

19 hours ago, NorthernMonkey said:

I did one in the workshop last year and you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d filmed a full series of Lambing Live in there for the next few months.

As you say, it’s not at all unpleasant but it catches visitors out!

Fill one of those airwick self spraying air freshener things up with it and have it in the reception area 😂

Anyone who doesn't mind/notice/likes the smell is probably someone you want to deal with vs the people who run away quickly 👌

 

My stepmum has one in their bathroom and it sits at about my eye level on top of the cabinet above the sink... And I always fucking forget they have it... 😂 Their bad enough with the proper scents they come with 🤮

[Split_Pin]

Those automatic air fresheners are like snipers 😂

[NorthernMonkey]

37 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Fill one of those airwick self spraying air freshener things up with it and have it in the reception area 😂

Anyone who doesn't mind/notice/likes the smell is probably someone you want to deal with vs the people who run away quickly 👌

 

My stepmum has one in their bathroom and it sits at about my eye level on top of the cabinet above the sink... And I always fucking forget they have it... 😂 Their bad enough with the proper scents they come with 🤮

No chance, I love the smell!

I live in a rural village and a fair percentage of my customers are from an agri background so it’s unlikely they notice it tbh.

[sutty2006]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Those automatic air fresheners are like snipers 😂

Tell me about it 🤣. Drivers used to put them in wagons. Jump in, start her up then BOOM, smelling like a tarts boudoir for the rest of my shift. 🤣🤣 

[Split_Pin]

After the rain finally fucked off for longer than one hour I tackled the thermostat. 

I still had my viscous fan tools from the E46 and after some faffing I got it off.

Some members of the RR Facebook page had berated me for fitting a Renault 5 thermostat as the standard one 'is only 4 bolts'. Well, that's bullshit😂 its buried under the EGR which is held on by 2 Allen screws. Notwithstanding the fact that one looked chewed, I couldn't get to the screw anyway without taking the coolant pipe off the top of it, which I couldn't get off because another hard rubber hose was fouling one of the ten mils holding it on.

However with the plastic cover off the engine I noticed there are THREE bleed screws throughout the cooling system.

So I bled it up via all 3, went for a drive, top hose nice and hot so we will see.

Oh and the battery died again. 

[Split_Pin]

New battery ordered, Exide*, Amazon's finest. The shit Lion battery lasted 3 years so I've gambled on this.  Lets be honest I'm not likely to own any of my cars except the 75 for very long 😂

Next job is a suspension knock at the front.

Not gonna lie, this is one of 2 things that was not disclosed, the other being the dead thermostat but I'd travelled fucking hours to lift the car and wasn't leaving empty handed so there was no point mentioning it.

All the front suspension was renewed 3 years ago and from poking around I can't feel any obvious play. All the loons on the RR Facebook page say buy Lemforder if you care about kittens not dying but Delphi or Meyle bits is what it will get as the recommended brand is a ludicrous expenditure on a shit old car.

I'll hopefully be able to find a garage with the balls to take the job on, the set up is absolutely conventional.

[Gaffer]

Does it knock over potholes etc? Possibly the ball joint that presses into the hub (there is another one built into the other lower arm). They are a bit of a twat to change so no one ever does them when doing the rest of the bits but is a piece of cake with an air chisel. Mine is all Delphi/Meyle and no issues.

[dome]

I put a set of Delphi arms on mine and they seemed fine, the car was sold within 6 months though I think. There are cheaper options on eBay, maybe that's what your car got?

You're right in the setup being fairly conventional, I farmed out the job though as there was a lot of big rusty bolts that gave me the fear plus the front is a cunt to get up on stands from memory