Dollywobbler's Dead Rover 600 - Replacement sorted

[purplebargeken]

230 quid bargain!!!

[wuvvum]

I've never given the slightest bit of thought to timing belts on L serieseses.  They are one of those engines that just seem to keep chugging on and on however badly you treat them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I accept no responsibility if your timing belt lets go spectacularly in 500 miles' time.

[dollywobbler]

Anyone know what's likely to be up with the non working heater? He said smacking the dash sometimes gets it working. Perhaps I'm not hitting it right, or perhaps he was just having a laugh.

 

Also, may need to change the indicator stalk as the light-press does not work on the left hand indicator. I looked like a frigging BMW driver on the motorway until I noticed.

[purplebargeken]

Isn't it always a resistor pack issue on Rovahs?

[dollywobbler]

Seems likely, though that usually at least gives you the fastest setting. I NEED MOAR COLDZ. Especially as it's bloody sweltering down here in that there London. Crikey. It was 12 degrees at home yesterday evening. 12!

[dollywobbler]

That's nice to know. Apparently, getting the heater fan assembly out isn't actually that much of a ballache. It's what I suspect I'll be doing this weekend. There's no sunroof. It needs aircon! It's bloody noisy at 70 with the windows open. Can't hear Test Match Special. That's just not on.

[Brodders]

That's nice to know. Apparently, getting the heater fan assembly out isn't actually that much of a ballache. It's what I suspect I'll be doing this weekend. There's no sunroof. It needs aircon! It's bloody noisy at 70 with the windows open. Can't hear Test Match Special. That's just not on.

Does it get LW too? Apparently you can listen to Radio 4 whilst in France, if you have a stereo that can receive long wave.

 

Not quite Test Match Special, but at least you will be able to listen to the comedy half hour whilst over there.

[Junkman]

Oooh, good old cambelt roulette...

What a terrible piece of shite, I really like it.

Especially in that OAP green.

[dollywobbler]

Turns out that it probably isn't cambelt roulette. And it's not green. It's blue! Possibly the darkest shade of blue that there has ever been.

 

But yes, despite a horrible JVC modern stereo, there is long wave and it was good. If it works in Frogland, so much the better!

[dollywobbler]

The car has spent the night in a secure, underground car park. Chap collected me in the car, so this'll be my first cold start. Slightly anxious.

 

Later, it's over 200 miles to get back home. More cricket, more Rover. May need Werther's Originals.

[chaseracer]

Before I 'charity shop' it, would you like a Richie Benaud book I rescued while clearing the monster-in-law's gaff? 

[fatharris]

An L series wouldn't dream of not starting.

 

NOTHING TO FEAR.

[dollywobbler]

Before I 'charity shop' it, would you like a Richie Benaud book I rescued while clearing the monster-in-law's gaff? 

 

Go on then. 

 

 

An L series wouldn't dream of not starting.

 

NOTHING TO FEAR.

 

I wouldn't normally stress, but the owner of said parking space will be watching. Do cars get nervous when people are watching?

[DaveDorson]

That's nice to know. Apparently, getting the heater fan assembly out isn't actually that much of a ballache. It's what I suspect I'll be doing this weekend. There's no sunroof. It needs aircon! It's bloody noisy at 70 with the windows open. Can't hear Test Match Special. That's just not on.

If it's anything like the ones on 25's, I did my old ZR in about 5 minutes, including a kitkat chunky and a cup of tea. 

[Twiggy]

Looks like you`ve done spectacularly well there Sir !

[DaveDorson]

I miss the motor i my old 400 diesel.

 

I might look for something else with one in.

[Lankytim]

Did it start?????

[rantingYoof]

I bought my L-series 45 with just over 80k on the clock with no history. It was £1,195 so no cheapy disposable motor. I drove it hard for two years knowing it had no cambelt history and put another 18k on it.

 

No fear.

 

The L-Series doesn't have enough moving parts to fail in any significant way.

[rantingYoof]

Oh, and I paid a visit to that Coventry garage a long while ago to look at a Rover 825 diesel. It had flat tyres and a broken wing mirror. It was £750.

 

I noped my way out of that fast.

[scruff]

They are great engines alright. I have seen a dead one though, the belt went and took the cam with it, so maybe worth chucking a belt on at some point. Super value at what you paid. 

[Royale80]

I remember the 600 when they first came out-went out and bought the first Autocar test on them-they beat the contemporary 3 series.

 

An excellent car-well done!

 

SAteve

[forddeliveryboy]

That looks a belting buy - hope she proves a good'un!

[Lacquer Peel]

http://www.theaa.com/staticdocs/pdf/carreports/AA_REPORTS/ROVER_620_SDI(DIESEL)_R9505A.PDF

[dollywobbler]

She did start this morning, and I'm now over 100 miles into the journey home. Ride settles down nicely at speed. Not great crawling in traffic though, and I've been doing that for over half an hour.

 

Also, disaster. The nearside front indicator has packed up.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

our ex AngryDicky 600 petrol was virtually indestructible and only got pensioned off because my daughters head was turned by a modern Teutonic device ( actually the same age).

 

A few years ago a taxi company owner I know had a fleet of about 30 L series 600's that he rented out. They were his first diesels, replacing loads of Mk3 Cavaliers.

Anyway, he employed a lazy fucker as a mechanic and had a strict maintenance regime that meant oil was changed at 5,000 miles and cambelts at 36,000.

After years of his skiving he eventually sacked the mechanic and sold the unit- in a back room behind a wall of tyres was a stack of about 200 Cavalier and Rover 600 cambelts!! He'd never changed one, some of those 600's were on about 350,000 miles . He reckoned he'd never changed the oil either , but either sold it or used it on private jobs.

Not one of the 600's ever had a cambelt break or major engine problem,

[twosmoke300]

True story ! ðŸ‘

[dome]

I bought a bubble shaped 200 with the L series engine for a couple of hundred quid a few years ago. Whilst the rest of the car gradually fell apart the engine was a wonderful thing. Tweakable if you so desire and at the age of yours should love a bit of veg...

[Rusty_Rocket]

The L series is a good solid lump. But I have seen plenty of failures. The electronic pump on the later cars suffers SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME and a colleague suffered total meltdown when the aux belt tensioner failed, which in turn went through the timing belt cover, took the timing belt out and destroyed the engine. The fly-by-wire with cable setup is a nasty Rover bodge.

 

Don't fear a timing belt change however, they're both simple and need no special tools.

Overall - it's a good engine imo.

[richardmorris]

Even modern cars with MW only stereo can get down to 198LW lengths. Also there's an echo signal at something like 620 or 720 m.

 

Edit, it's 720.

 

From the test match special sort of internet page.

 

 

 

You can listen to Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 Long Wave by tuning in to 198 LW.

 

If you have trouble with Long Wave it is also possible to listen on Medium Wave in some areas:

 

London 720; Plymouth 774; Hayle (Cornwall) 756; Newcastle 603; Carlisle 1495; Aberdeen 1449; Enniskillen 774; Derry 720; Glasgow 720.

[dollywobbler]

The collection caper is complete. It went thusly.

 

The car started fine this morning and I actually put some fuel in it for the first time. Naturally, I forgot to take a picture of said process. I could do with finding a proper fuel cap, as it only has a temporary one - mentioned as an advisory on several MOTs, though I thought such things were actually a failure...

 

With the fuel gauge pretty low but the low fuel light not on, it took less than 60 litres of fuel. Which was nice. No idea what the tank capacity is, but clearly a fair bit less than the XM.

 

Then I hit the M4, where there was much traffic. Occasionally, I got a nice, effortless cruise on, but it was stop start all the way. Then I got on the A419 up to Gloucester. That was horrible too. Once I was out the other side, I stopped at a natural Rover sort of a spot for tea and cake.

 

In Gloucester, the nearside front indicator had stopped working. Fortified by tea and cake, I decided to investigate.

 

This was a seriously mucky job, and access wasn't superb. As I removed the bulb holder, the bulb fell out. Into the light. That was probably the issue then, but I had no way of recovering said bulb. Oh well. Don't really need indicators in the countryside! I refitted the bulb holder, discovered that the soap in the garden centre toilets was excellent, and continued.

 

I hit more sodding traffic near Leominster. FFS!

 

At least I've proved that it doesn't overheat.

 

After what felt like hours, I reached the Elan Valley near home. This would be an interesting test.

 

It passed with flying colours. At speed, the ride does seem to improve, and it's beautifully composed over undulating ground, even though you're always aware of the undulating. It corners very nicely indeed too, very positive, very little roll. 

 

Somewhere between the above shot being taken and my driveway, the side indicator fell out.

 

Looks like the clips have broken at some point and it was just glued in. I shall seek a replacement.

 

Stats for the trip - 195 miles from filling up this morning, fuel gauge still has some way to go. I like that.

 

This weekend, I'll explore the non-working heater fan and do something about my various indicator issues.

 

PS - richardmorris - I have encounted plenty of modern vehicles that really do not have an LW setting on their radios. Hateful idea! The Rover's JVC has one AM setting, but will scroll through LW and MW.