P38A Interior

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[edit] Airbag/SRS System

SRS warning light oÂn? This can happen if you remove the battery with the key in the ignition. But if it came oÂn while driving, especially oÂn a high mileage vehicle, the odds are it's the rotary coupler that's at fault.

WARNING: SRS/Airbag systems contain electrically activated high powered explosives. Don't touch them unless you're REALLY sure you know what you're doing.

Matt Reeve's Rangie.com site has an article by Carsten Hoelper oÂn repairing the rotary coupler. You can if you're brave, but if you introduce a short circuit you'll fire the airbag next time you change tracks oÂn the CD player (or some equally unrelated event).

A new rotary coupler will cost around Â£150+VAT in the UK. It's relatively simple to replace as long as you follow the warnings in the workshop manual for disconnecting the SRS harness - basically disconnect the battery and wait 10 minutes before proceeding, and handle everything with care. Before you think this is enough money to be worth saving that you'll go for the repair, bear in mind that a replacement airbag module for the steering wheel will cost over Â£1,000 and you will need to replace the SRS DCU, entire SRS wiring harness, and the rotary coupler if this happens because the heat generated in the SRS activation will fry the wiring.

I was kind of surprised to find that the fault light reset itself when the repair was completed. I expected to have to dig out the Rovacom to sort that last bit out.

It's worth noting that the rotary coupler is a completely passive component and can be tested with a continuity tester when out of circuit. In other words, after disconnecting both ends of the coupler you can test it. Don't even think of putting a multi-meter anywhere near the airbag harness or the modules themselves unless you like high explosives going off in your face. You will need some find point probes though as the sockets oÂn the end that connect to the airbag are pretty small.

A question to the wise: how does it detect an open circuit without setting the airbags off? I presume there's some ultra-low current used to detect the presence of the airbag without activating it.

After I wrote he above, I got the opportunity to see an airbag being deployed under controlled conditions. This is a European spec passenger side air bag from a P38A Range Rover. It inflates in some 40ms (4 hundredths of a second) from the initial impact to a capacity of around 120 litres, and the bag is travelling at up to 200mph during inflation, which is accompanied by a sound like a shotgun being fired.

Many thanks to Geoff Miller of the Range Rover Register for these photos.

http://www.cunningham.me.uk/images/VideoStill_1.jpg Before Deployment. Just.

http://www.cunningham.me.uk/images/VideoStill_2.jpg During Deployment:1/30 of a second, or 30ms later, the airbag is almost fully deployed.

http://www.cunningham.me.uk/images/VideoStill_3.jpg After Deployment:Another 1/30 of a second, 60ms in total, and the airbag is fully deployed.

http://www.cunningham.me.uk/images/VideoStill_4.jpg This is a few frames further oÂn when the bag has already begun to deflate

[edit] Seats

[edit] Heating Element Replacement

For the second time the heated seat has stopped working on my car. This time I decided to do some investigation before taking it to be fixed, so I pulled out the drivers seat to see what was actually in there.

The good news is that replacement is within the scope of a DIY job - I reckon to allow 2-3 hours for the job. To prove the fault, check continuity on the two small connectors under the seat. They're a bit fiddly to reach, but you should see 1-2 Ohms resistance on a working element. One will usually show as open circuit if there's a fault, and the seat base is the usual bet as this one gets all the abuse.

The heater is part of the cushion, and there are multiple part numbers depending on the seat type. Talk to a dealer how has a complete clue!

Note that if you have a 1999MY or later vehcile with side air bags and pretensioners you will need to disconnect BOTH battery leads, negative first, and wait 10 minutes before starting.

To get the seat out, you'll need a phillips screwdriver and a couple of Torx drivers - a TX50, perferably on some kind of ratchet, and a TX40 which needs to fit into a small space. I ended up using them from two different sets as the 1/2" drive ones wouldn't fit on two of the screws. A couple of needle nosed pliers and a small screwdriver will also be needed.

Remove the screw under the fusebox cover and clips to remove the

plinth for access.

raise it to it's highest setting and fairly

central on the rails, then disconnect the two wires to the heater elements.

There is a third group of wires going to a multiplug on the seat

which also need to be disconnected, and probably more if you have the later model.

Remove the cover from the seatbelt mounting bolt and then unclip the seatbelt. There's a catch on the seatbelt end, but you don't need to undo the bolt.

Remove 4 TX50 bolts holding the seat in place. The two at the

back of the seat have fold down rubber covers. These are fairly tight!

Tilt the seat backwards to check you've removed all the wiring

and you can now remove the seat. It's not too heavy, but is rather bulky and you don't want to scratch the leather!

Remove the trim panels on each side of the seat, then undo the 4

bolts that hold the back to the base.

The back is now still held to the base along the rear edge by three

clips. You'll need to lever this off with a small screwdriver - it takes a bit of fiddling but the clip is pretty flexible. Take care because there is a second clip underneath (which you also need to remove).

You can now under the 4 TX40 bolts holding the slide mechanism to

the base.

Finally, you have just the base in your hands. Remove the small

clips all the way around the underside and then unclip the longer clips and fold back the cover.

Now you need to delve into the fixed edge to get at the rings

that hold the cover to the cushion. Undo them all and the cushion will come off.

Refit is the reverse of removal. Replacing the rings on the cushion is a bit fiddly, and you need to take a little care to line up the cover when you clip it back into place, but apart from this it's fairly straightforward.

[edit] Factory Radio System

[edit] Where Can I Get The Alarm Code

Assuming it's the original factory-fit, call your nearest dealer with the VIN number to hand.

[edit] Pinouts

How do I connect up a car kit for my mobile? How can I connect a different stereo?

I don't know if it changed post '97, but the pinouts on my '97 4.0SE are the same as listed in the D-90 FAQ.

There are 3 plugs on the back on the lefts side (left side if you are looking at the back of the radio, the antennae input is at the top right corner). Plug A (top left), plug B (middle left), plug C (bottom left). The pins are numbered in the following manner (pins in the radio, looking at it from the back):

Plug A 8 6 4 2 7 5 3 1	Plug B 10 8 6 4 2 9 7 5 3 1
1. Telephone Mute 2. Amp Trig 3. Handle Remote Control 4. Battery Plus. Permanent 5. Remote (auto ant.) 6. Illumination 7. Acc. 8. Ground	1. Rear Right + 2. Rear Right - 3. Front Right + 4. Front Right - 5. Front Left + 6. Front Left - 7. Rear Left + 8. Rear Left - 9. Woofer + 10. Woofer -

There is also a round plug to the right of the 3 rectangular plugs that is for the CD changer connection. A Clarion changer will plug right in and allow the stock head unit to control it.

[edit] Radio Mute Fault

A fault that I've had, and have seen reported on various mailing lists is that the radio mutes the volume (and displays MUTE) in response to pressing a steering wheel switch (or possibly a combination). Once it happens you have to remove power to the radio (remove Fuse 1).

It appears to be a fault caused by increased resistance in the switches, so a contact cleaner might help (mind that airbag module!). Digging out the ETM it appears that there is at least one mistake in the pre-1999 MY model year diagram.

The wire is carried on an Grey/Orange wire from radio which becomes a yellow wire into rotary coupler. This is connected to ground on a PB (Purple/Black?) wire.

Track Fwd: 470k+380 Ohms, or 4k7+380 in the 1998 and earlier manual.
Track Back: 4k7, 470k on 1999 MY ETM
Mode: 0 Ohms
Vol. Incr: 4k7, corrected to 820K on 1999 MY ETM
Vol. Decr: 15k + 820K

If someone can confirm these values by measuring, then I'd greatly appreciate it.

[edit] Technical Information on the Audio System

This thread is a good place to start.

[edit] Manual Gear Knob

Kev Jackson bought a new gear knob as his was very worn on the top. Once the old one was off, he removed the leather out of curiosity and found a perfectly acceptable rubber gear knob underneath complete with proper gear layout imprint and even a â€˜leather effectâ€™ moulded into it complete with fake stitching! So, if your manual gear knob is worn, and youâ€™d be happy with a rubber one, simply remove the leather cover!