Continued: Rover 75 Diesel

[Split_Pin]

Yes it appears to be held in by about 300 8mm bolts.

[montytom]

Congratulations on the pass and I hope you get some resolution regarding the brake lines.

[Cavcraft]

Great result on the MOT and what a cracking looking car that Rover is.

[Split_Pin]

Cheers Billy, it's definitely a car that I've never got tired of since I got it 8 months ago that's good going for me!

[wuvvum]

I've had mine nearly 2 1/2 years and I'm still not tired of it.

[Split_Pin]

The last few mornings my 75 has been frozen solid and once I have finally got in the doors haven't wanted to close again. Usual 75, I can live with that but now the driver's door won't open at all. Something called over-slam? I had the same issue with my last 75 although it was the passenger door. I sold it on before it was fixed though although the present owner did sort it quickly. As such I've always been really careful since not to slam the doors when cold and just let them thaw out. 

At the moment it's running on the drive with 3 doors lying open and the driver's door not opening.

I got into my Mini and 21 year old Audi cabriolet without too much bother, apart from the doors needing a bit of a tug to break the ice seal around the frame, but once you're in you're in. It's a complete carry on.

I'm actually fed up with this now and am thinking of moving it on. It's a relatively minor issue but a major inconvenience.

Anyway I'm going to need to rip the door card off to get to the mechanism and somehow free it off. Hopefully they're not in a rare trim colour.....

[Cookiesouwest]

Moving it on?

Much want

[Split_Pin]

When I was inside the passenger door deadlocked itself as well. I panicked for a bit but remembered the back door was wide open as it had frozen too so I got out. Very unsafe, I'm not taking my Mrs and son in this car again. Not sure I'd even sell it in such an unsafe condition.

Anyone with a 75 take all your doorcards off now, dry the mechanism chase it out with WD40 and then apply silicone grease to make sure this doesn't happen.

[Split_Pin]

Looks as though the doors were just completely frozen, giving the symptoms of being deadlocked. 

Job for the weekend, doorcards off and all locks lubed.

[CortinaDave]

I had this whole door not  closing issue on a couple of the ZTs I had. It was a major pain on a freezing morning at 5am when I needed to get to work but ultimately they were fine again after they defrosted. 

Worst case scenario you could always climb out the window!

[BorniteIdentity]

Kudos to you for being a far better parent than I am.

Buy one of these

https://www.screwfix.com/p/fire-safety-emergency-hammer-seatbelt-knife/48101?tc=VT3&ds_kid=92700048793290415&ds_rl=1244069&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EuINGkikIhVX9vtaYxygpLphjlLiZXMfGT2kY63AMMPgitu9K98J2kaAhiAEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Or maybe a couple?

And carry on.  

Try not to worry too much.  If you have an accident on a main road, people will do anything and everything to get y'all out.  But the hammers will help if you're elsewhere.

[dollywobbler]

Not sure you need a specific tool. A well-aimed spark plug will do the job just as well I imagine. Aim for corners rather than the middle of the glass. Doors freezing up reminds me of the BX. They're an absolute sod for it. 

[beko1987]

I had door latches freeze open on all of my zx's over the years. Lift handle, pull, Crunch, door would open but latch would not return. Could never get it all hot enough to thaw it out with a kettle either. 

Drove to work a few times with the back window open a crack and the doors and B pillar cable tied together. Cut myself out at work and it's all warmed up enough to work again. Green one was the worse for it but the other 2 did it as well

[camryv6]

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Not sure you need a specific tool. A well-aimed spark plug will do the job just as well I imagine. Aim for corners rather than the middle of the glass. Doors freezing up reminds me of the BX. They're an absolute sod for it. 

So you would have to carry a ratchet extension and spark plug socket around, what happens if it is a diesel ? 😎 

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

I had door latches freeze open on all of my zx's over the years. Lift handle, pull, Crunch, door would open but latch would not return. Could never get it all hot enough to thaw it out with a kettle either. 

Drove to work a few times with the back window open a crack and the doors and B pillar cable tied together. Cut myself out at work and it's all warmed up enough to work again. Green one was the worse for it but the other 2 did it as well

I only find that amusing because I've nearly had to use a ratchet strap myself, as I needed to get to the station!

[Bren]

On 11/29/2020 at 5:57 PM, dome said:

Good work!

I've got the same Clarke impact gun and find it a bit shite too. In fact, now I've got a Milwaukee battery jobber I think I'll flog it.

I borrowed a clarke mains one. As much use as tits on a boar. I4st (me) on the end of a breaker bar loosened the bastards. If I ever see anybody rattle gunning my wheels nuts i'll give them an enema with the bastard.

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I only find that amusing because I've nearly had to use a ratchet strap myself, as I needed to get to the station!

Would have been easier! I had to stomp back in the house and find the cable ties and not wake anyone up

Although in my Ford puma I remember having to leave the forecourt at 6am on occasion, pull over, heat the key blade red hot with a lighter and melt the frozen fuel cap lock to be able to spin round and put fuel in a few times! Its filler cap always was fucking shit though, always scared the key would snap

[Cookiesouwest]

@Split_Pin I note yours has headlight washers. Does that mean it also has zenons? 

Spotted an add for a contemporary SE spec down south, which also has headlight washers, hence the question.

[Split_Pin]

15 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

@Split_Pin I note yours has headlight washers. Does that mean it also has zenons? 

Spotted an add for a contemporary SE spec down south, which also has headlight washers, hence the question.

Yes mine has factory Xenons. Make sure the lights are on before testing the skooshers, I had a bit of a panic the night before the MOT because I thought they weren't working!

I'm going to get all the doorcards off on Sunday which is meant to be dry and snow-free when I will lube all the door mechanisms.

My Symphony radio arrived and so did the adaptors for the steering wheel controls. I need to get a code for it but I might just take a picture of the serial number and fire it in.

I have the CD 30 which unbelievably is factory, it looks hideously cheap:

To one the same as was in my first 75:

 

 

 

 

[wuvvum]

The Project Drive Rovers did seem to get any old Halfords stereo bunged in at the factory.

[Split_Pin]

Time to stop the door mechanisms freezing again and getting trapped in the car:

 

 

[sierraman]

On 1/14/2021 at 11:57 AM, wuvvum said:

The Project Drive Rovers did seem to get any old Halfords stereo bunged in at the factory.

I think by that point they were struggling to get credit so that’s where the £45 Goodmans sets came in. 

[Split_Pin]

Travelling home from the supermarket today I was about to overtake a cyclist but saw a traffic island ahead. I decided just to wait a bit behind the cyclist so brakes down to his speed. The pedal sank and there was no braking. Not right to the floor but further than I expected. Pressing it again restored braking. Not an ideal situation.

Went into a quiet industrial estate to test the brakes again, all normal. Got home, level in the MC is fine, goes up and down a touch by pressing the pedal as you'd expect.

As this is clearly going to be an intermittent fault, I suspect the master cylinder seals are failing.  Looks OK to get to, will need to read up if the ABS unit needs bled when this is changed, if so, job for the garage.

It also needs a new battery, it was flat again this morning.

Another day another problem, I'd call this a bit of a rough patch after the MOT success.

[Split_Pin]

Consoled myself by fitting the symphony radio in place of the horrible project drive item.

Original

MK1 Symphony

There is some repositioning of the wires required to make the volume control on the steering wheel work, but it functions perfectly as is for now.

Also saved myself £18 on a radio code by just firing it in and seeing what happened. I was all ready to buy a code too!

 

 

[sierraman]

Could be the servo vac pump. 

[bezzabsa]

I REALLY need a 75 in my life......

Most for sale round here are the K series with and without turbo...Really want a dizzel estate

[dollywobbler]

If you want a diesel, make sure the alternator works...

[Split_Pin]

3 hours ago, sierraman said:

Could be the servo vac pump. 

I came back to the car after half an hour and have the pedal a few pumps to see if it went hard to confirm whether the servo has a leak but all was good.

Don't seem to be able to find master cylinders anywhere, I wonder if I can rebuild it?

[colino]

It was probably the MOT that highlighted the issue:  For most it is the only time in the year that brakes are used in anger.  Don't condemn the m/c until you have checked out the vacuum pump.

[Split_Pin]

Went out to the car at lunch time, checked the pipe from vac pump to the servo together with all 4 flexible hoses for hernias, of course 'nothing obvious'.

And when I was under the back of the car I noticed this:

Well fuck.