Jon Cull

Thank you for that, who knows what spec it was built to ? There is only a single 90A 24v alternator, where the 12v unit,(As shown in the download on P138) would normally sit there is a brake vac pump. Below that is the PAS pump, none of it looks cobbled up, there is also an engine hour meter at the back of the rh side of the engine. As it is I can't see any option but to feed the switched side of the glow relay from the positive side of the first battery. I can then use the standard type Champion CH63 glows or equivalent.

I have a customers 110 in for repair which I'm told came back to the UK a couple of years back. It is fitted with the 2.5 N/A Diesel and has a single very large 24v alternator. It came to me as a non runner, the electrics have had a few poorly done repairs, but for the large part looks original. It arrived on a recovery truck as a non - runner, a quick inspection revealed a burnt out 12v stop solenoid on the pump, This was no problem to replace with a 24v unit, I then found all the glow plugs to be burnt out as they were 12v as well. There is no ballast resistor fitted so the glow plugs need to handle 24v .I can't find a listing anywhere for 24v glows with an M12x1.25 thread, Putting the Vin into the Landrover EPC only shows it as a 110,there is no detail of equipment specs. I'm thinking a ballast resistor and the standard 12v plugs may be the only way to fix it. Is anyone familiar with what may have been fitted back in 1988 ?

If it runs well once going then you have to assume that valve and ignition timing are good and the engine is generally healthy. Poor starting then points towards ignition - A weak spark.Are the gaps correct in both spark plug and magneto points. Are the points clean in the mag ? A spark at the plug when its laying on the cylinder head may not be any good under compression. A failing condensor,HT windings, dirty HT pickup or sticking points can all lead to a weak spark. Often failing HT windings show up more when the engine is hot. Once you are used to the bike's preferences for its starting ritual it ought really fire up withing one or two kicks,hot or cold. My Matchless G3l never needs tickling,just air lever closed,a few slow rotations with the valve lifter pulled. A little bit of ignition advance and a long swinging kick and its away,hardly ever more than one kick.

Some very nicely made parts there,always good to see. Its a good job I don't have a Big 4 or I'd be having to add a chair with a driven wheel !

Is it possible that it was built from all new spares after the war ? Les at Russell Motors told me the story of how he spent about 6 years building brand new Matchless G3l's from WD spares.

Petrol, unlike engine oil,(Which in a way I think we are spoilt with) is a nightmare.As said the more you know,the less you know.I had problems a few years back with Ethanol eating a fibreglass tank on one bike.Also my rigid AJS trials bike suffered badly from the ethanol drawing in moisture and causing low speed running problems.At the time I solved it by using Aspen Alkylate petrol which has no ethanol and a 5 year shelf life.The engines run really well on it,but its very expensive. I still run all my chainsaws and strimmer on it because they are all 20+ years old and modern petrol ruins the rubber/plastic components in the fuel system. I can happily leave them over winter and they still fire up with no issues. My G3l and the AJS now seem happy on Shell Optimax which was "Supposed" to be free of ethanol... I never worry about valve seat additive, I rebuilt the AJS engine 9 years ago,its done alot of work since then and shows no sign of compression loss or needing pushrod adjustment.

I've fitted little 10A blade fuses in all our G3l's,they don't seem to suffer any battery drain but I like the fuse being there in case of a direct short. Some people don't think they should be fitted,but things get very hot very quickly and with an open carb mouth it wouldn't take much...

The civvy stand was already on the bike when my son bought it,so it was just a case of himm copying the foot on my bikes stand then welding it on, Ron is absolutely right about trying either Steve or Les for parts,both are very helpful. The other thought is the Kempton Autojumble - Steve Surbey is usually there and we often arrange to collect parts from him there to avoid postage costs.

Welding a foot onto a civvy one is exactly what we did on my sons G3l. Oil and fuel caps are the same.

I didn't actually see the Dodge in the water,but was told about it the next morning.Apparently it was held up by the traffic trying to get off the beach because the traffic in the village was all jammed up. Only what I was told...

Well we made it home yesterday afternoon,just the one breakdown on the way back ! Steve's Matchy cried enough just south of Salisbury and ended up in the van,he rode back to my place on my bike... The carbon brush in the mag had made loads of dust and was shorting the spark out,not something I can remember seeing before.It was a new one fitted before the trip... My bike went very well apart from the new voltage reg packing up,my brothers bike suffered a failed head gasket,(Also new) my son Jack's bike had the gearbox mainshaft nut come undone, allowing the clutch to move in and out. Easily fixed,as was the head gasket kindly donated by Chris Orchard, just my reg that couldn't be fixed.The other Steve's very freshly built M20 went very well and is getting better all the time. The picture shows the Cull family's trio of old ladies back in the workshop drying out...

Hi Ron, very sorry I didn't manage to catch up with you at the campsite.We had a very busy time,so much to see and do. I was also kept busy during the week with a head gasket job on my brothers G3l,(Replacement donated by Chris Orchard - Owe him a big favour) gearbox mainshaft nut on my son's G3l ,dry clutch rollers protesting on Steve's G3l and the clutch trying to explode on Rob's 16H. A suspect voltage reg on my G3l meant a flat battery for me all week too.Then the other Steve's G3l had a mag "issue" and conked out just south of Salisbury on the way home in the rain, took a lift back to my workshop in the van... So a busy,but very interesting and emotional time. Is it possible for you to post caps to me ? I am happy to pay whatever postage and packing is necessary.I would like at least three if they are available please.

Just realised it was you Steve that my son Jack and I met at the steam rally in Abergavenny on Sunday. Jack had popped in to the rally whilst waiting for me and my Aussie brother to pick him up. That Triumph looks very smart,see you next week !

Thank you for doing that Ron, I spent all day behind a steering wheel - didn't make it into my workshop...

I'll take some pics for you,won't be until late tomorrow as I have two long journeys to do in the morning.

Our plans are moving forward,nearly a full day on our two G3L's, and the very welcome sight of Stevo on his first test ride out on the newly built M20.Nearly 30 miles to get to us, so a reasonable test.It sounds lovely and starts first kick,been a while since I rode an M20,a very different ride to the Matchy !

Tony, I think there is confusion here.Low Fat is talking about P38 EKA entry,if yours is cranking then its past the EKA stage and the BECM and engine ecu are needing to share the same security code - Nothing to do with the EKA.

Cheers, I'll have a look on the M20 site. Be nice to get our bikes on the list too.I'm sure the Normandy trip is going to be very interesting, plenty of things to see and people to catch up with.

Fitting a new fusebox may be part of your problem,it needs 5 mins with the BCU in an unlocked state to pal up with it.The IDM in the fusebox,(So called intelligent driver module) shares many of the duties for locking etc with the BCU. Other possibilities are the wiring to the drivers door latch,or the switches in the latch itself.Its not clear from your post,(To me anyway) if you just checked the BCU for water ingress or swapped it. Either way you still need to get the BCU to an unlocked state before you can talk to it with any diagnostic gear,do RF tests,alter locking settings etc.

The problem is that none of the diagnostic machines can communicate with the BCU when its in a locked state,so no help to you. Are you sure the EKA code you have is correct ? Also you have to follow the procedure EXACTLY as it says in the handbook or it simply won't work.Do you get any of the responses from the car when you input the code as it says in the handbook. If you do,and you are 110% sure you are doing the code input correctly then the only choice you have is to get the RF system working. Checking the wiring,live feed,earth and signal wire.Swapping the RF unit for a known good one is often a good start.(I keep a new one in stock because its such a common job to me) I have had to swap over a secondhand BCU from another car when it had water in it and fried everything. This was easy as it was unlocked and had a working fob coded to it.This is where the Nanocom really shines, I used a BCU from a v8,auto,A/C,ACE and SLS. Fitted it to a TD5,manual, no ACE,A/C and on coil springs. You can even switch off mileage mismatch to stop the instrument pack from flashing the mileage mismatch between it and the BCU. But it all relies on the BCU being unlocked.

OK, in the first instance the DII does not need diagnostics, its BCU is in a locked state.If it wont respond to a keyfob then the only chance you have with it is to either get it to respond to the fob or use the EKA code which you can input with they key in the drivers door. The RF receivers are a common failure point on them as well as water ingress into the wiring on the LH a pillar.(They are plug and play) Look at the wires in the multiplugs there,often full of water,green gunge or both.(RF receiver is often dead due to water/condensation) Leaking sunroof's also cause ingress in the BCU itself and the passenger compartment fusebox. Inputting the EKA code is explained in the handbook,if you don't have the code you can get it from a LR main dealer with proof of ownership etc. Most garages have fob testers if you don't know if its working.(We all have the testers cos they are cheap...) Once you have mobilised the BCU, then you can start looking properly at the rest of the car via diagnostics.One of the nice things about the little Nanocoms is that you can code secondhand key fobs to the car.(Reason I bought mine,and have done loads) something which Testbook would not do to my frustration... Your P38 like I said needs a resynch on Testbook or Nanocom,this was a common thing back in the day,which improved alot when the latest type of RF receiver came along - part # YWY500170.

The number 4 injector just has a needle lift sensor,it is not coded. All it does is to give closed loop feedback to the engine ECU to tell it the actual start of injection.The ecu can then use the crankshaft position sensor to modify pump timing according to the fuel map. It is almost 100% certain that your car needs a security re-learn.The BECM,(Body computer) sends a coded signal to the engine ecu,which must be the same as the one the engine ecu has learnt. This code can get scrambled,often when opening the car via the keyfob if other strong RF signals are present.Used to be a favourite in petrol stations where mobile phone transmitters were hidden in the petrol price signs outside the station. The security relearn can only be done by LR specific diagnostic tools such as Testbook or Nanocom etc.

A Nanocom Evolution is the best and cheapest option for your situation. They will have the same capabilities or sometimes better than the original Landrover Testbook T4 that dealers have.(And should still be able to use) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nanocom-Evolution-Land-Rover-Discovery-2-TD5-Diagnostics-NCOM02/231561378000?hash=item35ea2238d0:g:RMYAAOxy77hSF2R2&frcectupt=true If you don't want to buy a unit I think some of the forums have lists of members prepared to help out. What problems are you having ?

Well the Jeep starter is completely worn out,I've spoken to Jeffery Engineering who were very helpful.(And pleased that I want to replace the worn out support bush in the bell housing for the starter.) Carb is full of gunge and otherwise just needs a kit and clean. A day off today to visit Bovington, Tiger day - Very impressive ! The G3l's will have a run out tomorrow to Cotswolds at War,maybe with a 16H or two in tow. Tom M - Did we meet at the Double Hills Memorial last year ? I was on my G3L and my son was on his D14 Bantam.

Hi Ron, yes its still running its Carter carb. I'll get it stripped down later today and report back !