Range Rover P38 (1994-2001) Buyer's Guide

A quick reference guide for those interested in buying a Range Rover P38 (1994-2001). This is not by any means a comprehensive list of all the common known issues with this vehicle, but may serve as a useful prompt. This is a strictly amateur enthusiast video based on my experiences of the Range Rover P38 and is in no way sanctioned by Jaguar Land Rover LTD or any professional body. As such this video is for entertainment purposes only. Applicable to 1994-2001 models. The example car here is a diesel. Petrol V8 engines have separate issues not covered here.

Below is a quick recap of the main problem areas on old Range Rover P38's

Air suspension issues:
Perishing suspension airbags, failing air compressor, leaking valve-block. Also, ride height sensors can fail. Some vehicles have been converted to coil springs.

Rust:
Not a big problem on the P38 due to the very durable chassis. Badly neglected examples will rust on the body on doors, sills, boot floor.

Engines:
There were two petrol engines, the 4.0 V8 and the later 4.6 V8. The 4.6 V8 can have serious heat management issues and suffers also from dropping cylinder liners. These 4.0 V8 is generally more reliable.

Diesel engines (2.5 BMW M51 turbo diesel inline six) are more durable but can suffer from injector pump problems and failing injectors. Check the injector leak-off pipes, which are rubber and perish with age. These are easy to replace. Also check for air bubbles in the clear sections of fuel line in the engine bay as they indicate a fuel supply problem. Injector pumps do wear and require rebuilding, but often overlooked is the in-tank fuel pump, which is liable to failure after many years. Watch out for the flashing amber injector warning light on the dashboard.

Transmission:
Most P38s have an automatic transmission (ZF 4 speed). These are generally durable if serviced (oil and filter). Note the transmission oil cooler is prone to leaking when old.

Brakes:
The main trouble area of the brakes is the brake pressure sphere, which replaces a traditional brake servo. The sphere has a diaphragm and nitrogen inside and over time starts to leak. This leads to ineffective brakes. If you notice your ABS and brake warning light flashing when you press the brakes, it can be an indication of an issue with the brake sphere. The brake spehere can be replaced.

Electrical:
The P38 has many electrical modules, which can fail. The main ECU is called the BeCM and it can fail due to age, causing many seemingly unrelated electrical failures. Specialist companies can rebuild these units.

Make sure the alternator and battery are healthy on the vehicle as many issues are caused by low voltage in the system. Only use a lead-acid battery in these cars as the alternator cannot charge more modern batteries effectively. Also make sure your battery cables and all earth points are free of corrosion.

The main fuse-board in the engine bay is known to overheat and fail, again causing problems. Replacements are available and the fusebox is easy to replace.

Each door has an module called an "Outstation", controlling the door locks and windows. These can fail.

There is a great deal of wiring loom along each sill and under the carpet. If the interior gets wet you can run into issues with wires and plugs corroding, leading to hard to pin down electrical issues.

Heater blender door units usually fail leading to a situation where you cannot change the desired heat on one or both sides of the climate control. The units are buried deep in the dashboard and are difficult to replace. Look for a symbol of a instruction manual on the heater control screen to indicate a fault.

Window switch pack failure often leads to electric window failure, although often the window regulator itself fails.

Central locking problems are caused by failing door latch modules. Each door latch has a series of microswitches inside to indicate door open/closed and locked/unlocked. If the car cannot tell these conditions properly it will lead to issues with the air suspension and the BeCM going to sleep, leading to a battery drain.

Also the remote central locking antenna module is susceptible to interference from WiFi networks, which interferes with the system, leading to a bad parasitic battery drain. Replacement parts are more reliable.

Make sure your car comes with the EKA-code. This is a four number combination entered by special sequence into the driver's door lock. This is sometimes required when the car becomes immobilized. If say the car is immobilized due to the battery being disconnected you must have this code available. It is possible to remove this feature from the BeCM by special process, but not many examples have had this done.

Interior:
Generally hard wearing, but it is very common for the headlining material to start detaching from the backing material and sagging. Front heated seats also often fail due to the heating element inside the seat getting damaged.