[YellowP38]

I have a 1997 4.6 HSE. It is an automatic. I have had it about 6 years and am pretty happy with it, my Nanocom has certainly earned its pay. I wonder though about the operating rev range. I understand the gas pedal has a long travel to smooth operation when going offroad. During "normal for me driving", the engine rarely if ever exceeds 2200 RPM. To get it to go above that, I almost have to floor the gas pedal, and I don't really like to do that on a car with 190000 miles on it. Other than that, the vehicle runs extremely well. When pulling away from a stop, it is into second, then third almost immediately. Does this seem to be right?

Thanks

 

[NoExpert]

Mine liked to get through the gears quickly as well. If you give the pedal a quick stab it should kick down and take off without the need to hold the pedal to the floor.

 

[Escape]

The Rover V8 has good torque low down, so if you're gentle with the throttle the autobox will shift up at low revs. I rarely exceed 2500rpm in mine (manual 4.6) unless on the highway or in a hurry. So that's sounds rather normal. But there should be a noticeable increase in power if you push the pedal further down. I've found if the engine is getting tired, it will often still do well at low revs but become gutless when pushed. At 190k miles, it should have had a new timing chain at some point and could probably do with a new camshaft if that's still original.

 

[Malibu]

+1 that this is my experience on my 4.6 as well. I was used to driving the Cayenne which is mostly gutless below 2000 RPM but then has a big fat torque curve above that. The guy I bought the P38 from said it would take a couple of weeks to get used to the driving characteristics and how it puts the power down. Yes, it's set up that way intentionally for smooth off-road use. I don't see much over 2500 RPM either in normal driving unless I'm intentionally trying to push it (like on an uphill freeway onramp). Even then, I sometimes think it should be revving higher but I think it's the engine management system making good use of the torque band vs. the throttle opening.

Also keep in mind that the driving characteristics of a cable throttle system are much different than a "drive-by-wire" throttle system. In drive by wire, the accelerator pedal acts as a "torque request device", and the computer determines how much to open the actual throttle plate based not only on accelerator position but also on how quickly the pedal delta was achieved (i.e. how quickly you put your foot down, even if you're not flooring it). So you can end up hitting the redline even if you're not flooring it. Since a cable throttle system is just physically opening the throttle plate with the accelerator pedal, it takes much more travel to produce revs, particularly in the P38 which is set up for long travel.

 

[YellowP38]

OK, thanks for the replies. I am considering replacing the timing chain along with the oil pump. I might replace the cam, I have to look at what exactly is involved there. It is still one of the smoothest running engines I have ever owned.