Right, having my long awaited l322 on the road for just a week i am getting close to tears with it!!

I bought it cheap (read as find the cheapest on ebay and half it) with a list of faults as long as your arm, every warning on the dash possible and a rattly engine. 4.4 petrol vogue on a 53 plate. Ive fixed everything over the last six months and motd it. It drives fantastic and is probably the best car i have ever driven but now its in use its showing additional faults and im at a bit of a crossroads with what to do and just want peoples opinions.

Currently i have done 200 miles in it over the last six days, its used over 2 litres of oil, im using 5w.40 castrol magnetec and about three litres of water with no obvious leaks. I have noticed a bit of steam from exhaust when hot and a bit of blue smoke on the overrun. I also have a small amount of grey like substance in the headtank and on the inside of the cap. It smells like oil and when rubbed between my fingers and feels greasey. The temp gauge will sit all day at half way then at random creep up to 3/4mark. At this point i put the heater on full which is cold and then it gets warmer until it hot at the same time the temp gauge drops back to half way.

I also have the transmission overheat message at random, cold weather 5 miles into a journey then next day done 25 miles some of which was off road, and it was fine?

I also have the famous m62 tappet type noise.

Looked in the history and back in 2010 it had viscous fan, thermostat, oil cooler and thermostat, gearbox filter and correct oil. Also had temp sensor alternator battery and lots of other small items on the 3 page invoice!!!! I know that was 4 year ago but it literally hasnt moved for 3 years before i got it and done just 2k miles since 2010.

I also have issues with lpg system, intermittantly it stalls. Some days ticks over at about 750rpm fine on gas, other times revs drop to 500 and it judders real bad and then just dies. I assume a service on the lpg is required as as far as i can tell from the history the lpg system hasnt been touched since installation in 2009?

I am assuming headgaskets maybe but having googled it it looks a bit beyond my capabilities not to mention pricey done a rough calculation of gaskets bolts chain guides tensioners vanos sprockets pressure test and skim im going to be looking at roundabout 2k in parts. Replacments bmw engines on ebay are around the 800 mark. If it was just one thing i would sort it but the oil and water usage the smoke and the noise i think replacement engine is the only option. Or ebay 99p no reserve spares or repairs.....

I know its a lengthy post but please please please post your views and experiences im sure many of you have been in this position probably with the same issues, what did you do?

I had a V8 Disco 2 withh LPG conversion on it up till a month ago, i bought it Feb last year, ive been slowly rebuilding it to a point where it was perfect, then it needed MOT-ing and the gas needed a service, it needed welding to the chassis for the mot, this required the gas tanks removing, i then find out the tanks were leaking, then the sender unit in the petrol tank went U.S, so i sold it and got my current car, L322 Vogue, 03my, TD6 and have never been happier, i can get in, turn the key and simply drive it, not think about the next repair etc, so to be honest, id get rid of it and get a better one, just my opinion you understand, hope it all works out for you !!!

And that's exactly the reason I bought a TD6 and not a V8 with LPG. Why make a complicated car more complicated ?

And the V8 bmw unit does seem to have a few of these niggles as it ages. More than the potential td6 gearbox issue.

I will admit that a V8 is more in keeping with the rr, but the td6 unit is pretty bulletproof.

If it were me, I'd chop in for a diesel version if you know you may have to spend a fortune on it, if you still want an rr of course.

Alternatively, if you did get it cheap you may be able to spend a bit and end up with a good car for sensible money, but you will need diagnosis on the actual issues and a garage you trust.

There are plenty of peeps on here with petrol engines and LPG systems without any issues who will prob not agree with my thoughts.

I think the engine needs to be fairly sound for the LPG system to work properly.

Good luck with your project.

Plenty of help and advice on this forum whatever you decide.

Get a decent diagnosis and costs, and take decision from there.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Most cars don't like not being used and it sounds like yours was stood for a long time, gathering condensation in all the places you want to keep water from....

The LPG system will highlight any weakness in the engine, it has to run well to be good on LPG

A second hand engine could solve your problems but the associated expense when fitting one, all those little bits that need changing once you've taken it apart, need taking into account....

Can't answer the question for you but think if it were me I'd stick it on ebay and buy another, there are plenty around, you're better off with a high miler than one that's been stood for any length of time... Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

SELL, SELL, SELL. The can of worms will only become larger and swallow up more money, never mind people saying fix this then fix that, it seams to me the car has had its day or as far as common sense ££££ is concerned.

there's always a better FF out there and yours seems to be having a few problems, if you can afford to do it ,sell and find a nicer one.. ... - .- -.




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I like a challenge but it sounds like new engine time for your car , better to recover some monies and move on

Have to agree with the majority sell and buy another

@James,

If you can manage without the car on the road and have the time to indulge this as a hobby project, arguably, a glass half full perspective might be that with the work you've done, you're perhaps not a million miles away from turning a corner.

However, as someone who's had more than a few woes and has more than persevered with ours in the past 18 months, reading your previous and ongoing experiences gives me just one gut feeling in answer to your 'what would you do?' question... I'd call time on it.

Follow your own instinct though?

Thanks for the replies, im still not sure. I have the use of an engine crane air tools and a 4 post ramp, i also have somewhere to keep it and if its not finished in the next two years im not fussed. I'm in no rush and in 2 years time im sure it will still be worth 3 grand atleast by then it will be 100% fixed and usable reliably. Ultimately i have other cars and have no urgancey to get it back on the road.

Thought has crossed my mind to wrap it orange get some 18inch rims with a/t tyres and off road it. Cant be many l322 off roaders? But does seem such a crime to do that to a car with mint bodywork and especially since it drives so well!!!

I think i am going to keep driving on atm, run it for maybe another month and go from there. Perhaps a cooling system flush and refill should be my next step just incase the oily grime in the header tanks is left over from previous oil cooler failure. Atleast then i drive without worry of oil and water contamination just need to do a weekly/daily? (Lol) check on oil and water levels if this checks out ok then maybe get the lpg serviced so i can run it while trying to source a replacement engine....

To be continued.......

Given you have the facilities and by the sound of it you are pretty handy with a set of spanners, I would get the engine and cooling system checked out for leaks or HGF. You can then make a decision to cut an run, or fix based on the level of work required. 56 TDV8 Vogue SE
9 Freelanders, 2x 2002 TD4ES, 2001 TD4, 2002 1.8GS, 2000 XEDI, 2x 2000 1.8ES, 2004 1.8 & 2000 1.8 GS (rolled)
91 Lotus Carlton (sold)
90 Lotus Elan (BRG)

As Andy says above, first step would be to get a sniff test of the expansion tank for exhaust gases, if it's HGF then probably worth getting rid of it.
Sometimes it's better the devil you know though, you need to weigh up what you've spent on it against another potential purchase that could come down with other expensive problems.
I'm just about to do the timing chain and VANOS etc. on mine, parts and tools are probably about £1k (tools can be sold on so more like £700). Once it's done though I know it'll probably out last me!

With the cost of a replacement engine, would the FFRR be at market value, below or over ?? If it is over market value (and from your post it may still not be the case) then it makes economic sense to dump it now. Which doesn't mean you should but it would make sense.

However if, with a replacement engine (assuming a good refurbed one of course) it is still below or at market value, why not do it. Even if you then sell it you can make a (small) profit and since you have already done a lot of work to it to get it in good condition, keep it for years to come, either as an off-roader or just daily use.

If you keep it, all the work of the past 6 months has been an investment into a potential classic that can give you great service for many years to come .

To me it makes sense to keep it but that also depends on the potential other (costly) items that could still surface of course.

It is a car, it is a FFRR and that always means risk of more repairs later. If you look at that risk and consider it too high, sell, if it is low enough, why not keep a car you seem to like quite a bit and if it won't break the bank...............  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

New engine time, by the looks of it.

I'd say that would be easier than trying to fix what has become a dog of an engine.

If the rest of your FF is fine, it would seem a shame to sell and let the great unwashed chav it up.

A written-off L322 shouldn't be THAT hard to source, I imagine. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

If you keep it and you seem to do low miles then please keep the new(er) engine LPG free. As said before do not complicate matters to save a few pounds on fuel.

The BMW V8 is a good engine providing its been well serviced and not left to sit/abused.

In my experience the gearbox overheat messages may mean that damage is already done to the gearbox. The Oil cooler has been replaced but the problem is also the Engine Radiator as the sludge builds up in the bottom of it where the oll cooler feed is. The pipes should have been replaced too.

If you need a re-con Gearbox & a re-con engine then it may be time to say goodbye.....