Dollywobbler's Dead Rover 600 - Replacement sorted

[dollywobbler]

Aye, it was nice while it lasted. Too hot in most of England, so we just got on and drove until it got cooler. Now in Welsh border country, stopped for food. Must have covered over 500 miles today. Rover handling it better than my back...

[BorniteIdentity]

What are your MPGs?

[dollywobbler]

47 when I filled up in France. I was making the most of the 130kmh speed limit too, so pleased with that. Once we've eaten, still at least an hour until home. Think we'll sleep well!

[richardmorris]

I expect the gas has run away. At least you had a good holiday.

[dollywobbler]

It has a pressure sensor which was stopping the pump from kicking in while it was out of gas. Now, it just makes a strange whistling noise somewhere in the dash but provides no colds.

[richardmorris]

I had my Mercedes' system done by a local mobile guy who does all the classic car places round here ( Ferrari, maserati, Porsche etc). Good value, but he's a fair way from you unfortunately. When mine made a gurgling noise it was all the newly pressurised gas escaping because of a failed o ring on the expansion valve.

[dollywobbler]

Home. Cold enough in Wales that it feels like the air con is working. Gosh I'm knackered.

[dollywobbler]

I'd better update this.

 

As mentioned above, the air conditioning packed up just before our monster drive home in 30-35 degree heat. GREAT! Here is the Rover sweltering at a service station 45 mins from Calais.

 

Needless to say, the queue at Calais was not entirely welcome. I think this was the hottest I have ever been in my life.

 

Still, we managed to get on a train eventually, earlier than the one we were meant to be on, but delayed and only ten minutes earlier in the end. As we set off, I got a text from Eurotunnel advising that the train we should have been on was running 25 minutes late. I didn't much care by that point.

 

I drove straight from Folkestone to Cricklade in Gloucestershire. That took about 4 hours, and took our mileage total so far to a meaty 400 miles. We found these in a car park.

 

We stopped again at Kington, just before the Welsh border, for a spot of dinner, and eventually arrived home, in the dark, just after ten pm. We'd covered 520 miles in about 14 hours.

 

Air-con aside, the Rover could hardly have been much better. It did 48mpg on the first tank of fuel, 47mpg on the second (which involved rather more driving at 80mph). It behaved impeccably, even when tasked with driving at 80mpg in hot, hot, heat, and then being asked to queue for ages. 

 

Naturally, the motorways in France were about eleventy times better than the crowded 'brake every five minutes' fest of UK motorways, but the car didn't seem as bothered as I was. Could it be I've managed to buy another actually-good motor car?

 

My only complaints are the rather firm ride and rather firm seats. Oh, and the lack of a rear wiper. I'm reminded why I don't like saloons.

 

I've no idea what's wrong with the air con now, but I don't think it'll be worth my while doing any further investigations to be honest. I'll just enjoy it as is. A service is probably not too far away for this thing. I think it deserves it.

[320touring]

Good effort on the cruise on the Euroland:)

 

now imagine doing the same in an e30 with a fucked viscous fan and no air con..

 

the slog up the m20 is truly grim but I'm glad the rover did it in relative comfort and frugality- bought a belter by the sounds of it!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Must say, I have always considered air-con a needless luxury gimmick. But, thats because I have never had it before!!!! Having now driven to Spain in a car with 50% operational aircon, i have to say that I shall consider it an absolute pre-requisite in future for any long summer euro-trips.

[beko1987]

I nearly said grow a pair re no aircon, I've never had a car with it (the puma had it, and it was cold but there was something wrong with the compressor and it would out so much load on the engine it stalled at idle with the ac on)

 

With the xantia, if I put all the windows down front and back its quite nice, and doesn't buffet or blow about too much, I can light a rolly at 70 using a zippo

 

But Mrs DW may mot be so happy if her hair blows about, so it's probably not the fix for you.

 

Did someone not mention a wiring issue further up the page?

[dollywobbler]

We discovered on the M25 (of all places) that both front windows down and rears a few inches down was not actually that uncomfortable. The main issue was tyre noise from passing vehicles, especially on concrete sections. Absolutely deafening. It was still uncomfortably hot too, though we don't often get that sort of temperature.

 

Not sure it's a wiring issue, as you can hear/feel the pump kicking in as it should. I suspect there's a fault in whatever bit is in the dashboard, as that's where the strange whistling noise comes from. May not be that bad to get out, but I guess it means sucking all the gas out again. Having already spent £115 on my £230 car (though that did include a tyre), I'm not really feeling like spending much more when there are no guarantees that it'll actually result in working air con again. Do wish it had a sunroof though.

[beko1987]

At this time of year you may as well wait 3 weeks until it goes cold (then hope the heater works) the worry about it next spring

[dollywobbler]

It's only just breaking into the 20s here today. I can't say I'm missing it much.

[egg]

The concrete surface bit of the m20 must be one of the loudest roads in the UK. 320 is right, hateful road through the garden of England!

[xtriple]

I have three cars and three lots of working air con Even the one without a roof has it and I use it to keep Chesters arse cool! Now, having bragged and boasted watch all three systems pack up! The BGD you can't even turn off, you just set a temperature and it does it for you... it even does the heated rear screen - no switch which had me VERY confused at first!

 

Sorry to be a braggart, I am ashamed.... but not enough to delete the post

[RobT]

Sounds like you've got a good 'un there DW, enjoy it!

 

My problem with aircon is I end up with cold feet, even with it directed up on to the screen. I got chilblains once in the Rover 75 with the AC on in the height of summer, so I'd just rather have the windows down these days. I read a story once where a bloke got frostbitten toes in his Jag, but you've got to be a bit of a plonker to let it get that bad!

[dollywobbler]

The Rover has the next best thing - you can turn the heater up, but keep the centre face vents on fresh air. WINNING! Why do all cars not do this?!

 

Just went for a quick spin in it. Bloody hell that suspension is firm! Even after a jaunt in the RAV4. I do miss my Citroen days sometimes. It does handle nicely though, and far less of it feels like it's about to fall apart.

[JohnDeere]

 

We found these in a car park.

 

 

Wow... my grandad had an Avenger in that exact colour, also J-reg. I remember it being driven off after he died in 1977. This one is Chelmsford registered so I don't think it could be the same one.

[Lacquer Peel]

 

 

The Rover has the next best thing - you can turn the heater up, but keep the centre face vents on fresh air. WINNING! Why do all cars not do this?!

 

Just went for a quick spin in it. Bloody hell that suspension is firm! Even after a jaunt in the RAV4. I do miss my Citroen days sometimes. It does handle nicely though, and far less of it feels like it's about to fall apart.

You are a motoring journalist from the 1970s/80s and I claim my five pounds.

 

Does it ride and handle a bit like the Prelude?

[dollywobbler]

Ride, yes, though perhaps a little more forgiving. Not much though. Handling, no. There are not many PAS-equipped cars I've driven that handle quite as well as the Prelude did. That thing literally leaped into bends. I was staggered given what a horribly over-assisted mess Japanese steering often is (see RAV4, Colt, Sirion and the '91 Civic I used to own).

[JohnDeere]

Strange, but I don't find the Prelude's ride at all bad. I find it absorbs the corrugated Fenland roads just fine, and isn't noticeably uncomfortable compared with either the air suspended Disco or the floaty Visa.

 

Now, other half's new Honda Jizz is a different matter. I don't believe that actually has any suspension.

[dollywobbler]

The Rover gets a lot better at speed. It's pretty shambolic at 30mph or below over broken terrain. Get it belting along and it properly gets a lope on. A real test would be the section of the M6 near Spaghetti Junction. That's a proper test. XM barely noticed anything, Sirion felt like it was going to take off at every joint in the road.

[Lacquer Peel]

Imagine if Rover had been allowed to fit MacPherson struts and a torsion beam, they really are let down by short travel double wishbone suspension ill suited to British B roads.

[dollywobbler]

Yet, Rover somehow managed to get a decent ride out of the similarly-hampered 400 HH-R. I suspect the alloys don't help, nor the 55-profile tyres. I'm quite tempted to seek a set of early povo wheels - 14 inchers with a whopping 70 profile. That's more like it!

[M'coli]

Oh by the way, the cheese on this french holiday must have been consumed in M'coli-esque proportions, and it seems like you've taken up building rockets too:

Photo courtesy of: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37185211

[forddeliveryboy]

Yet, Rover somehow managed to get a decent ride out of the similarly-hampered 400 HH-R. I suspect the alloys don't help, nor the 55-profile tyres. I'm quite tempted to seek a set of early povo wheels - 14 inchers with a whopping 70 profile. That's more like it!

 

Didn't they come with 195 65 15s? Could be a fair compromise, I've fitted these to lots of more modern stuff which is meant to have 205-55-16s and so on, as well as older 205/60/15s and whatnot. Even the family V70 is destined to have the 195 60s replaced with them. UP to now they've always been an improvement in every way.

 

If I still used CXs day to day, this is what they've have fitted - on a set of Alfa or PSA steelies.

[dollywobbler]

Yup. That's what it should have. Now it has four mismatched 205s. I think one of the front wheels is buckled too.

[Lacquer Peel]

HH-R 400s were very much set up for ride not handling but the ones I've owned handled quite well.

It's just the 600s and 800s that seem to suffer for their Honda suspension.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I think the 400's had some sort of fairly state-of-the-art engine mounting system as well, i remember reading about it in some engineering textbook. Can't remember what was so spesh about it but it was tuned in to the natural frequency of the car suspension or something, anyway whatever it was I do remember Rover banging on about some utterly meaningless but supposedly class-leading NVH index of 2.06 in their TV ads.