75 P6 V8 - Bye, this car

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I have this AA 'Drive' magazine somewhere, but every year the AA used to give a square wheel award to the most unreliable car an AA member owned. In second place this year (1974) was a Triumph Stag, third place was this Humber Septic and in first place, a 1973 Rover 3500S. In a year it shat out three engines, two gearboxes, a diff and Christ knows what else.

 

Seventies British cars were generally pretty rubbish - the really cheap stuff like Minis were alright with Jaguars being about the worst.

 

 

The Rover receives the square wheel award in the Summer 1975 issue. 

 

 

Here is the article in its entirety: https://imgur.com/a/hCAwK

 

Honourable mention to the new Hillman Imp delivered to a customer with mould on the seats and evidence of mice! 

[Junkman]

Mexico Brown. Need I say more?

[Ghosty]

1975, too.

[Junkman]

Seventies British cars were generally pretty rubbish

To be fair, all Seventies cars worldwide had their fair share of quality problems and yes, that does include Germany.

Hitherto untried and not entirely methodolically sound (to be fair once more, they couldn't have anticipated

the long term consequences) and increased government interference (which has consistently proven to be the worst

thing that can happen, no fairness applicable) has led to a decade of a record attrition rate.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that most Seventies saloons were actually facelifted carryover Sixties cars with added

black plastic trim and doubtful build quality due to a plethora of constraints comprising of a combination of factors

dictated by the times?

 

I feel we were actually denied a complete generation of cars, which is illustrated by countless concept cars that

never made it into production. I did a lot of research into this and have actually been tempted to open a thread to

illustrate what I mean for quite some time. If I'm meant to ever write a book, this is exactly what I would like to write about.

Well, this and the resurgence of Blues in England in the late Sixties.

Mind you, this is proper automotive history, not some pub talk.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

More square wheeling. The last time I used the car the alternator output had become very erratic, and fearing damage to the electrical system (it's already destroyed my radio) I decided not to use the car until the new regulator was fitted. It arrived today! Hooray. I fitted it. 

 

Result: the alternator didn't do anything at all. No charging. I put the old one back in, and at least the battery charges. 

 

Further result: going to Autotrader website

[Squire_Dawson]

More square wheeling. The last time I used the car the alternator output had become very erratic, and fearing damage to the electrical system (it's already destroyed my radio) I decided not to use the car until the new regulator was fitted. It arrived today! Hooray. I fitted it. 

 

Result: the alternator didn't do anything at all. No charging. I put the old one back in, and at least the battery charges. 

 

Further result: going to Autotrader website

 

What alternator do you need?

[Junkman]

ACR.

[Squire_Dawson]

I may have a 16 or 17 ACR here.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I might ask you to dig it out! But they get a chance to send me a new one first, so hopefully that'll work. 

 

Other progress? Kinda. While waiting for that voltage regulator, the car was parked up for a few days. During this time it drank quite a bit of brake fluid, and I still hadn't found out where it was going. Maybe there would be a clue when I moved the car?

 

 

There was. A large pool of brake fluid at the rear, just behind the leaking diff pinion seal pool and far away from the leaking everything else at the front pool. This might be good news, since one theory for the leak was that I'd not tightened the rear bleed nipple completely. This was, I'll admit, a highly optimistic theory.

 

With the car in the air it wasn't so clear. The bleed nipple was bone dry, and tightly closed. Everything was bone dry. I couldn't see any signs of leakage from my vantage point. While carefully examining the copper lines, I saw something in my peripheral vision. A drip. Time to fish out the inspection camera and look at some of the parts even Heineken couldn't reach. 

 

 

Oh no. 

 

 

It's leaking from one of the calipers. Now, I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be a cap in that threaded section. Whether that's the source of the leak or not (I don't think so), I wonder what happened to that?

[Junkman]

I just lost my will to live on your behalf.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Yeah, my mojo is flatlining. 

[320touring]

Can I make a suggestion?

 

Buy a Clio 172;)

[Guest Hooli]

My word that looks easy* to work on.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

The missing part is #606781, a cap and a spring. It is, of course, available nowhere. But it doesn't really matter, because that's not why it's leaking. 

 

Can I make a suggestion?

Buy a Clio 172;)

 

*nodding*

[Junkman]

It's leaking because the seal failed.

 

IIRC that's a caliper out job. The RH caliper by the looks of it?

[jonathan_dyane]

I have always loved these cars and have had a deep longing to own one.

 

 

 

I think between you and the Junkman you have cured me...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I have always loved these cars and have had a deep longing to own one.

 

 

 

I think between you and the Junkman you have cured me...

 

 

Call it a public service. Seriously though, if they weren't such wonderful cars, I'd have sold the thing on page one. 

 

The alternator came back out today. I re-fitted the new voltage regulator and it worked this time. No, I don't know why. I didn't do anything differently. But it's showing 13.5v across the battery and the ammeter needle sits stable in the centre, even with the lights on at idle. So we'll call that a victory.

[Ghosty]

Fix it, buy a 740, and revel in the increased reliability and similar dynamics.

[SiC]

I reckon he'd rather revolk his driving license and catch the bus than buy something with half the cylinders and a fraction of the style.

[dollywobbler]

Fix it, buy a 740, and revel in the increased reliability and similar dynamics.

 

Similar my arse!

[Ghosty]

Felt uncannily similar to me (in a field, admittedly).

[danthecapriman]

I reckon he'd rather revolk his driving license and catch the bus than buy something with half the cylinders and a fraction of the style.

Controversial comment time!

 

I think a 740 looks much better...

 

Am I shortly to incur The Junkmans wrath!?

[SiC]

I know which I'd prefer to walk up to in a car park!

 

P6 has class. The Volvo for me can't shed it's old banger image.

[danthecapriman]

The Volvo is a long lasting quality car. The Rover is the follow on from the P5...

 

The P5 was frankly automotive excellence. The P6 seemed such an enormous let down with awkward styling to me.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the P6, but in the same way I like all old stuff. But it just doesn't grab me like the P5 or P4 do. And the SD1 I actually prefer too.

 

Seriously though there is no comparison is there. The Volvo's aren't really even a classic yet. Will they ever be?

I just love them! They are brilliant cars.

[Junkman]

I'd rather fix the rear brakes of a P6 than drive an Ovlov.

[danthecapriman]

I'd rather fix the rear brakes of a P6 than drive an Ovlov.

I don't believe that!

[dollywobbler]

I sold my Volvo 740s because I tired of them. I sold my Rover P6s because they left me destitute. That was the only reason. They're gorgeous cars, containing that almost uniquely British mixture of sublime engineering, and complete half-measures at the same time. They make almost any of its rivals look horribly dated and feel terrible to drive. I drove one back to back with a Mercedes-Benz W123 once, and they felt very much of the same ilk. The Rover was the nicer drive though.

 

I have a horrible feeling another one may yet ruin me financially in the future. It seems unavoidable. 

[Junkman]

A P6 is not a taxicab and it doesn't remotely feel like one!

[dollywobbler]

A P6 is not a taxicab and it doesn't remotely feel like one!

 

It was more the comfort and solidity.

[danthecapriman]

You lot do know I was taking the piss don't you?! Well, mostly.

While I wouldn't be without a 740 and I wouldn't swap it for a P6 in a million years, they aren't even in the same league. But it's the P5 for me that was Rovers finest hour. Such a great looking car, and it was huge and hard as nails!

 

The last P6 I drove was a dark green estate version, 3.5 auto with black interior. Nice old thing. Sadly I don't think the owner knew quite what he had given how he let it deteriorate over the years I worked on it.

I remember one year going above and beyond by painting all the rusty blobs underneath it with grease to try and help stop it rotting!