Range Rover - with Pasta POWAH!

[dollywobbler]

So, she's home. My scabby but delightfully solid Range Rover Vogue D - though originally it was a V8 Auto. Gave her a quick blast with the pressure washer underneath, so she currently looks like this.

 

Far from immaculate. This is the corner of the scuttle panel. Perfect!

 

Wheels are not in great condition. I'd quite like to fit Discovery steel wheels if I can find a set.

 

From the rear. Tow bar should be useful.

 

Perhaps this is why the seller thought it was a Tdi... That's coming off!

 

Because this sure ain't a Tdi lump! More cylinder heads than a KV6.

 

Plan is to get some anti-corrosion wax coverage on the underside ASAP, sort out the iffy door lock (driver's door requires you to shove it inwards before it opens - mechanism seems to be borked), clean the interior a bit and have some fun.

[Cavcraft]

Nice that Ian, reckon you've done well there. Much lol-age at the old stick-on-door-letters from B&Q's bargain bin, very '1984 council house' and all the better for it. Those alloys always did that, obv. they just need a bloody good rubbing down and repaint. Can't quite make out the tyre size from the pictures but if they're not low-pro's then it might be worth tubing them if they're not already because it's a bleeding nightmare fight against flaking on the inner part and slow punctures. Personally speaking reckon the wheels really suit the car and add to the sort of landed country gent type image they have. Now all you need is a couple of black lab's or retrievers, a deer stalker hat and wax jacket and the sort of aim at people to make them move type of driving style.

[Pete-M]

I love Rangie classics. Ace things.

[KruJoe]

I was just gawping at a gold one of these in Tesco's car park, with the rarer five spoke version of those wheels. Should have papped it really. But I did snap an old dear in a Carina-II.

I'd leave the badging, if only for the rofls. The tailgate seems surprisingly grot-free. Nice one.

[wuvvum]

I'm another one with a soft spot for Rangie Classics, and I reckon that colour really suits it. I do like the VM engine - I've had three 825Ds and they were the best towcars I ever had. You do have to rev them a bit to get the turbo to wake up, but once it's spinning they pull like a train. Should be a useful bit of kit for the wilds of Wales (and more affordable to run than the 90), although I suspect you may be a little on the hirsute side to pull off the "landed gentry" look.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. Yeah, I'm a bit too much of a hippy really. What people must think when they see me driving around in this posh thing... mind you, if I go ahead with my plan to run it on veg, that's all a bit more hippyish! I think these engines will take it and it'll help with the running costs...

[tonedepear]

Go down B&Q and get those slanty letters, and replace TDi with "O V E R F I N C H" spaced out across the tailgate. In italic house-number lettering. That would be fuggin awesome.

 

Or write it on in Tippex. That's what I'll do if I ever own one of these, and it will make me laugh every day until the day I come to sell it, I reckon.

[dollywobbler]

Door latch problem appears to be due to a tiny spring. Have ordered a pair of those - just in case I lose one while trying to fit it... Might give me an opportunity to see if I can make the door card fit a bit better. Or worse. Depends on how the job goes...

 

Have also ordered an upgraded resistor pack for the heater blower motor. Not sure yet how much of a laugh that job will be. Next plan is to investigate the non-functioning electric windows. Glad the driver's one works at least! My aim is to get more working and hopefully not cause that one to fail as well. Oh, and I might rip the headlining card out as it's drooping on my head. Will refurb it and put it back.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks Tayne. Original headlining is out while I ponder what to do. Card isn't too bad but the cover itself is filthy and shite.

 

Not sure what you mean by switch pack. I haven't checked the rear switches yet, but both the front switches are good and despite swapping them, no joy with the passenger window. There are two relays, but only one of them clicks. Swapped those and still no joy either. Was hunting for the fuse box - where on earth is it?!

 

I got fed up with that and opted for some serious anti-corrosion waxing. I've got Bilt Hamper spray cans, which are ideal. Rear seatbelt mountings and arches have been liberally coated!

[cort16]

Is this the same as the engine in the SD1 2400 dizzle but without the turbo?

[dollywobbler]

Is this the same as the engine in the SD1 2400 dizzle but without the turbo?

 

Sort of. VM Rangies always used a Turbo. Started off with the same engine as the SD1 but then enlarged to 2.5-litres. Same basic engine as the Granada, Rover 800 and Alfa Romeo 164, though there are enough minor block differences to make swapsies impossible.

[richardthestag]

Nice work DW and looking good. the G reg Rangies seem to survive better than the newer early 90's ones for some reason. My first was a rotbox, the second which is still my daily driver now has 105k on it 60k under my ownership. is still pretty much rot free. couple of tiny patches here and there

 

There is an awful lot to be said for v8 though.

 

Here is mine

 

 

And here it is last winter when everyone wanted to be my new best friend. Run it on standard A/T's and it never once got stuck, did slide about a bit when I was being lairy though

 

 

That scuttle panel is very soft and you should be able to press that dent out fairly easily. Alternatively I am sure that I have a dent free ardenes green panel in the back of my shed if you want it. I also have a spare set of alloys, they are easy enough to clean up but sealing the tyre bead up on a corroded one can be an arse. better off finding nicer ones on the bay.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. Fuses now located as you mention. One for the rear windows had blown, but even after replacing it, only one of them works. No opening windows on the passenger side at all, and can't seem to get power through to the motor on the front door (not tried the back one yet - less important).

 

I did look at LPG, but there wasn't any getting away from the tank location issue. Not without a fresh, tank-replacing install. Besides, I'm hoping to run this on veg...

 

I'm not going to get all smug about snow. Yes, my Land Rover did manage to drag the BX off the driveway last winter, but it should do. It's a 4x4. Once I dug the 2CV out of the garage, there was no stopping it either. Not sure the downsides of a 4x4 outweigh the one day of joy when it snows! As it happens, I'm happy to live with the downsides because having something to haul bits of house around is going to be very useful. Plus, it's rather pleasant to cruise about in really. Not quickly though. I'll use the 2CV when I'm in a hurry!

[scruff]

Nice work DW and looking good. the G reg Rangies seem to survive better than the newer early 90's ones for some reason.

 

Yep, my G plater was pretty good too.

 

Nice work DW

[Rhythm Thief]

Nice. I love "proper" Range Rovers.

[dollywobbler]

Nice. I love "proper" Range Rovers.

 

Yeah, goes nicely with our 'proper' Mini!

[CIH]

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/260553_10150278123778200_640023199_9114142_6915250_n.jpg

 

That's a van tyre lol

What engine has it got ?

[CIH]

19516C

 

Some tyre mokey probably threw it on because its the same dimensions. Use to see a lot of Chrysler Voyagers wearing Goodyear Wranglers ATs rather than the correct NCT5s for the same reason.

[Pillock]

It does have a C on the end which is for Commercial - however this just relates to loadings doesn't it? Still cope with the same speed (not that it should be an issue in fifteen tonnes of VM-powah RR!).

[dollywobbler]

Nice spot. A commercial application can't be too far off for a car that weighs over 2 tons empty. And as has been mentioned, not like I'll be hooning in it! Went out in some horrific rain last night, so I was taking it VERY easily - especially as new tyres tend to be very ungrippy when first fitted.

 

My cool was somewhat destroyed when we arrived at a friend's house and she announced that she thought a tractor was backing into her driveway. Yeah, it is pretty agricultural! Now have replacement springs to cure the iffy driver's door latch but have been busy today and unable to do anything to the car. The LH rear caliper is seizing slightly - gets warm but not hot. Disc is a bit lumpy so my guess is it's been doing that for a while. When the previous owner was trekking between mid-France and Wales! As soon as I get a chance, I'll strip it down and lube the pistons and see if that does the trick.

 

One slight query I've got is about the exact age of the thing. It's on a G, which suggests pre-Aug 1990, yet it's got the higher-mounted fuel flap which only came in later that year. I'll have a good look at the V5C when it arrives and see when it reckons it was first used.

[dollywobbler]

Progress has been less good today. Rangie wouldn't start. When the seller said he was just reconnected the battery because he'd borrowed it for his BMW, I think what he actually meant is that he'd pinched the good one for his BMW and this one is knackered. After two days, no chance it was going to start. Then the 2CV wouldn't start due to the damp. A wipe of the HT leads and coil and she did finally fire up and then she even managed to jump start the Rangie! 2CVs are ace. (it took quite a long time though!).

 

The Range Rover has some wonderful signs of bodgery too. Like the fact that the reverse lights and indicators stay on even when the ignition is turned off. Not useful! I do now have some bits to make certain aspects of this beast better (door latch spring, heater resistor pack - this will be a pig to fit) but I can see this thing turning into a bit of a money pit. A battery is now on the wish list.

[wuvvum]

I'll use the 2CV when I'm in a hurry!

This made me LOL.

[dollywobbler]

I'll use the 2CV when I'm in a hurry!

This made me LOL.

 

It does indeed sound very odd, but I can corner much more quickly in the 2CV than I dared in the Scimitar, and certainly the Range Rover!

[AnthonyG]

The Range Rover has some wonderful signs of bodgery too. Like the fact that the reverse lights and indicators stay on even when the ignition is turned off. Not useful! I do now have some bits to make certain aspects of this beast better (door latch spring, heater resistor pack - this will be a pig to fit) but I can see this thing turning into a bit of a money pit. A battery is now on the wish list.

 

Was it local? because bodged Rangies are very common in West Wales. If you need any bits give me a PM as my mate Trevor (he with the diesel P4) has a mate who runs a Land Rover specialist and breaks them too. He's local(ish) somewhere nr Llandovery I think.

[dollywobbler]

Was from south west Wales, and still pretty bodgeful. Have discovered that the heater switch was causing a big battery drain, even though the blower isn't working and the ignition in theory should kill power to the heater when the key is removed. Not so...

 

Once jump started off the Saab (a much better bet than the poor 2CV - instant power!) I took it for a drive and discovered that the front right caliper seems to be seizing as well. However, the priority was to make the driver's door handle work. I'd ordered a new spring for the latch mechanism but once I finally pulled it out - complete with scratch marks all up my arm that leave me looking like an Emo teenager - the spring was fine. So, put it all back (what fun!) and adjusted the rods to the two door handles. Success. However, I did fail to put the plastic sheet between door and door trim, so that'll be coming off again...

 

Next job was the calipers. The front one looked pretty good, so I greased the pins, as they looked rusty and with the pads out, lubed them up and 'exercised' them in and out a bit. Seems free now. Left hand rear is not so good. Pads are low, disc surface is as flat as Katie Price's chest and the caliper pistons are an absolute disgrace. Tried to improve things but the pistons are such a mess that I'm going to have to call a halt to proceedings and get a caliper rebuild kit. Still, all very similar to the Mini calipers, so at least I've done that before. Unlike the Mini, it's just the one caliper that seems borked.

[dollywobbler]

I rebuilt the left-rear caliper, but a lack of suitable tools means I'm farming out fitting discs and pads - an ideal chance to test a local specialist without committing to a huge, expensive job. He'll also be able to interrogate the ABS system and find out why the light is on.

 

A new battery cured the starting problems and I thought I'd got away with only having to bleed the caliper. Now I'm not so sure though...

 

Yesterday, I decided to explore the Rangie's off-road ability on a convenient green lanes. The Elan Valley has a few of them, and there's one I've tackled in the 90, so it would be interesting to compare and contrast. I turned off the road, engaged low second and we were off!

 

The first thing that struck me is how amazingly comfortable it is, even over broken up rock. The spring rates are much lower than the 90, this being compensated for by good dampers and the self-levelling Boge strut at the back. There was a pleasing lack of clonks and clanks compared to the 90 as well. I was soon able to get into low third - the dizzy heights of about 10mph! Off-roading at speed is not something you do on green lanes.

 

I was enjoying myself a great deal. The Rangie was effortlessly sauntering along the lane and here, the laggy tendencies of the engine are forgotten. There's strong torque from tickover, so you can forget about the clutch almost entirely. This was more enjoyable than my group outing in the 90. How much more enjoyable it was not to be surrounded by ONE LIFE LIVE IT types with their big tyres, roll bars and snorkels. Personally, I find it much more fun to explore the limits of the car as it left the factory.

 

I went down two steep and rocky sections in low first - it's amazing how slowly you can go in this gear. One of the side steps picked up a nice dent, but it did do a good job of protecting the actual sill. I had to be somewhere else though, so it was time to turn around and retrace my route - this time climbing up the tricky, rocky sections.

 

This generation of Range Rover uses a viscous centre differential. You need to be able to run the front and rear axles at different speeds when cornering, but if one wheel loses traction, the tendency is for the power to take the easiest route to that spinning wheel, so you get stuck. The viscous diff acts a bit like a limited slip diff. It'll allow some slip for the cornering forces, but if traction is lost at one end, it should prevent wheelspin by not allowing one axle to go much faster than the other, so the gripping axle still receives power. Hard to say whether these exploits made the diff do its job, but it was nice not to worry about having to manually lock the centre diff myself. Certainly, it didn't struggle for traction at all.

 

Sadly, the ABS pump now started running almost continuously - I reckon there is still air trapped in the system. It's now not raining, so I'm going to see if I can bleed it, though it's booked in for discs and pads next week now. Problem was, I was running a bit late, so it was time to see if I could hoon in the Rangie, while trying to keep off the brakes so that the pressure remained. To explain, the Range Rover brake system (with ABS) is remarkably similar to a hydro Citroen. There is a sphere that holds the pressure and an electric (rather than engine driven) pump to keep the system pressurised. It cuts in after a few applications of the brake pedal and should cut out pretty swiftly. The brake pedal itself feels very 'Citroen,' requiring very little pressure to effect a surprisingly swift halt. If I hit the brakes, the system needed pressure and the pump ran - only to struggle against the air and not cut out as it should. If I could keep off the brakes, the problem would be lessened - not easy in Wales in a big, two-tonne Landy.

 

A Range Rover isn't really for hooning at the best of times, and you really feel the height and the effects of that soft, soft suspension. It's like a 2CV but the steering box means that directional control isn't as accurate. However, hang in there and it does seem to go around bends well enough. The engine is something I'm increasingly liking too. Yes, it's a bit laggy, but I drive minibuses that are similar, and you learn to anticipate your need for power and floor the throttle early - not at the moment when you actually need the power. With more power than the Tdi, performance is actually slightly ahead of that engine and it will pick up speed well enough, without having to rag it. There doesn't really seem much point going beyond 3500rpm. There's not much power up there and it's bloody noisy! Keep the revs down and it's surprisingly refined.

 

So, after a rather iffy start, the Range Rover is perhaps starting to come good. Still lots to sort out, but I'm getting there, and I enjoy driving it far more than I did the Land Rover. With something that feels so agricultural under the skin, diesel really is the only way to go.