Thinking of buying a 38 A

[defender90]

Thinking of buying a 38 A. What are the weak points on the truck?
air suspension,heater matrix ???
Any aftermarket off road stuff available for the truck like steering proctection sliders etc.?

 

[Nick D]

I have an 01 HSE and have had very few issues. Be aware of the EAS (Electronic Air Suspension) and take the time to check for leaks. A very simple way is to apply soapy water to all of the connections from the valve block and from the air springs. Generally the o-rings need replacement. Also the heater 0-rings can leak coolant into the passenger footwell which can be a lengthy repair. I really like my P38. It drives very well and can be modified for even better offroad capabilities. I have upgraded my tires and wheels and have adjusted the height settings on my EAS.

Here are a couple of great links for P38 enthusiasts.

http://www.rangerovers.net/

http://www.rockrover.com/

http://www.rover-renovations.com/

 

[defender90]

wow cool links. Im found a 2000 se with 112k miles for under $6000

 

[MikeD]

electrical, nightmare

 

[defender90]

electrical, nightmare yep heard about that.

My plan is to do a 3" lift. get rid of the front and rear bumpers and slap on some south down under carriage protection.

I was thinking of a spring switch but like the idea of the air suspesion.

Are there ways to add spacers and adjust the standard riding height?

I have heard that you give up a significant amount of drivability on road is that true?

 

[skippy3k]

electrical, nightmare yep heard about that.

My plan is to do a 3" lift. get rid of the front and rear bumpers and slap on some south down under carriage protection.

I was thinking of a spring switch but like the idea of the air suspesion.

Are there ways to add spacers and adjust the standard riding height?

I have heard that you give up a significant amount of drivability on road is that true?

If you want to do a lift, I would think about ditching the EAS. It can be done, but it's such a headache to do with EAS. The poor man's way to do it with EAS is to use Arnott GenIII air springs and then recalibrate your EAS for extra height. Then hope you don't overextend your height sensors. So then you relocate them. Then it becomes a big hassle. And the GenIII's aren't cheap, so maybe this is not the poor man's route after all.

Check out this link for EAS lifts;

http://rangerovers.net/rrupgrades/airlifts.html

and

http://rangerovers.net/rrupgrades/suspension/hardylift.html

With coils you can throw on some spacers and be done with it, assuming your driveshaft is ok. Plus, a coil lift is more common, so you've got a greater pool of experienced people out there to draw upon.

As for bumpers, check out rockrover.com. Alan makes great stuff.

 

[DiscoJen]

Mine is for sale in St. Louis. Check the For Sale section for the details or shoot me a PM if you are interested.

I honestly love the P38 the bestestest of all Rovers. My Disco is fun and turns heads sure, but the comfort and luxury of the P38 is truly a pleasure.

Mine has been very reliable and although the air suspension can be a pain at times I still think it's worth the effort of keeping it. I'm installing a bypass system to keep the irritating components of the air suspension out of the way but I still get to keep the nice comfy air springs. I've spent less money on keeping my P38 happy than my Disco, and that's even considering that I did a complete engine rebuild in it.

Like with any car, you get a good one, you get a bad one. But either way, I love my P38!