P38 head unit replacement update!

Since I own the car I didn't look at the radio because it didn't work anymore. I did not have the code for the old radio and the display wasn't working anymore either.

So I decided to install a new more modern unit instead. However it is not plug and play. The car is equipped with 10 loudspeakers and each door has its own amplifier.

In order to make it work you either buy a loom to go from the stock iso connectors to an interface and then connect to the newly provided loom from the radio brand manufacturer. Or alternatively you rewire the speakers to allow you to use the radio's amplifier and 2 or 3 way speakers.

I managed to source a loom with an interface on ebay from the company Icarsoft. This makes it plug and play.

I choose a 1 din unit with bluetooth and dab, digital radio from kenwood.

I still need to finish the installation but I wanted to go ahead and try it at least. I also have speakers on the way to replace the old door units.
More to come soon.

In the meanwhile the speakers have arrived and are installed! Very happy how they sound on the original amps.

P38 new tyres

Et voila a new set of tyres are mounted on the 20” wheels. They will primarily be used for daily driving.

I will have another set coming soon with more off-road focused tires on 16” wheels.

That is if the car passes MOT.

These are Continental crosscontact Atr 265 45 R20

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P38 suspension upgrade

The Range Rover p38 is quitte a heavy car and it suffers from body roll, at least mine does. 

Because the goal is to travel with the car, weight will be added in the back under the guise of a small kitchen and dual battery system.

After some reading online I found that many people appreciate the better Bilstein gas struts for their p38. So I went ahead and bought a complete kit front and back.

Installation is fairly easy, I took of the wheels for better access.

You immediately notice that they are firmer because there is less body movement.

I took it for a short spin and let me tell you it’s a night and day difference already. Maybe the smaller wheels make a difference as well but that remains to be seen.

Anyway it’s well worth the price and surely one of the best upgrades I did.

The wheels had to come off anyways because I also bought new tires. Nothing aggressive they are 20” after all. But they'll serve as a my summer set.

P38 head lining installed

 Finally I came around to install the head lining on the p38. Getting it back in was no joke. Extra hands are needed if you want to successfully install it. 

It looks a lot nicer and cleaner. Another small project of the to do list.

P38 headliner cleanup

 Trying to remove the remaining glue… sticky business 

Glad it’s done… more difficult then you would expect

Finished product and definitely not perfect but it’ll do , it’s much better than before anyway.

 

Look what came in the mail today!

 

I ordered this intercooler last week, look at this thing it's absolutely beautiful! 

It's almost a shame to hide it under the bonnet.

I'm really curious about the performance gains💪 I'll share my thoughts later.

Range rover P38 2.5 and engine cooling

 As some of you know the P38 diesel can be prone to overheating especially when offroading. The cylinder head might warp and this results in a head gasket failure.

Nowadays these cars start to get old and they are not always very well maintained. Especially the cooling system is often neglected and often the cause for overheating.

While working on my own car I noticed that when the engine temperature needle sits in the middle on the dash, the actual temperature can ranges between 85 and 105 degrees celsius!  

Ideally the temperature should be 95-98 degrees. I noticed the temperature going up quite a bit while driving especially when driving uphill. Ok it settles fast enough to normal values after that but I'm not sure if  I can live with that.

Fortunately there is a workaround to aid in the cooling process.

The solution is the removal and the implementation of an electric fan(s) rather than a viscous coupling clutch fan.

There are existing aftermarket solutions available for that, with complete kits ready to install. However, if your vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning system one could use these fans instead.

They are used by the aircon system in 2 modes, slow and high speed  mode depending on the pressure in the aircon system. The engine ECU also uses these fans when it detects an overheating situation but by than it might already  be to late.

A possible solution is to install a capillary thermostat with a range from  0-120 degrees celsius. You'll have to connect it electrically to the dual pressure switch and to (chassis) ground. 

Note: These are not rated for use outdoors or even 12v. However they are easy to find and cheap. You'll also have to make a waterproof  case to make sure it does not get wet. 

It is a simple diy job, anybody can do it really. Also before you do this mod make sure all other components in the cooling system are in good working order so you don't mask any underlying problems. 

Here you'll find more information about the Ac-fan mod in more detail .