Rover 827 update.... MOT achieved ... daily driver?

[St.Jude]

44 minutes ago, Marina door handles said:

Also I have the PGM  EFI light on, this was on during the MOT but the tester either didn't notice or didn't know it was the engine warning light! Need to do some research on this one as I can't just plug in my code reader, just sort of ignoring that for now.........

Red flashing lights from the ECU will tell you the problem.

Isnt there a different EML light on the dash? The traditional orange one as well as the PGM EFI one?

[RoverFolkUs]

Any sort of engine MIL isn't testable on a car of this age anyway so it wouldn't be an issue from an MOT point of view

[Marina door handles]

3 hours ago, St.Jude said:

Red flashing lights from the ECU will tell you the problem.

Isnt there a different EML light on the dash? The traditional orange one as well as the PGM EFI one?

Good questions and I should really look into this but I am tempted to just wang some black electrical tape over the offending warning light and call it good! 

[Marina door handles]

Small road trip completed, have been to the local garden centre and then all the way to secret location in Tittensor (Stoke on toast) just opposite the Monkey park and slightly down from the garage selling all the camper vans. Who'ed have thought a car built by the Austin Rover group could do a whole 36 mile round trip without throwing a wobbly! 

In all seriousness its going well and is really nice to bomb about in, the only real issue the fuel gauge which is still all over the show it started working and then for the return trip decided to go back to empty so yep that hasn't fixed itself. As this is supposed to be a weekend car the fuel guage shouldn't be a massive issue but I have broken the Subaru again (the brand new starter motor has failed after less than 2 weeks use) so tomorrow the 827 will be doing the commute, it would be nice to know when I am about to run out of petrol............

Oh and I am still ignoring the Engine warning lamp! 

[Austin-Rover]

Congratulations on getting it back on the road. Enjoy your wafting!

Easiest way to deal with your fuel gauge in the meantime is just to fill it up, and then fill it up again after 200 miles or so. There's no stressing over the completely unknown quantity in the tank then. 

[bezzabsa]

still a damn good looking car!!

[Marina door handles]

Commuting update, firstly and most importantly I found the radio code and brought the Rover branded radio cassette player back to life. I tried a tape in it, sadly the Who have never sounded so wobbly so I ejected the cassette before it got eaten, no Dad rock for me! Anyway I probably ought to be listening for funny noises whilst driving, rather than moshing to my favourite tunes...

I made it to work....

Some of my colleagues seemed vaguely impressed, or maybe they were just being polite.....

I tried to add some fuel on the way home and have confirmed a bit of an issue. I think either the route to the tank is some how too restrictive or the breather is a bit blocked but pumping gas is frustrating ball ache, all the gun wants to do is click off. I suspect the my home brew modified Subaru filler neck to fit has some flaws, its okay with Jerry cans but anything with flow and pressure and it cannot cope.  I suspect the filler and not the fuel pump because I tried to fill up on Sunday at a different fuel station and had the same issue.

The fuel gauge is still an issue but it will briefly shows you what it has before nose diving back to empty, so after my attempted fill I am now up to half a tank, probably.

I am pretty sure the rear rocker cover gasket is leaking oil definitely getting a bit of a whiff at times. 

The view from the Captains chair.....

Maybe its my age but I enjoyed wafting through Stoke without having to change gear myself.  I am quite enjoying this old barge. 

 

[Marina door handles]

Update, I managed about 7 days commuting in the Rover and really enjoyed it before I managed to fix my Subaru get back to normality. On one occasion the 827 did get a bit hot and bothered, so before using/abusing it any further, I thought I best investigate.

To figure out what was going on I dug out  In my Fisher Price radiator pressure test kit... I found the right connector, fitted it to the coolant reservoir,  pumped it up and waited and then eventually spotted a gentle trickle from the water pump, bugger! So that's a cambelt off job then.... 

A couple of years ago I actually bought a cambelt and water pump for the car but never got around to fitting it so now would be a good time. I stripped the drive belts off and removed the alternator and free'ed off the PAS pump. Spent forever removing the upper cambelt covers and drivers side engine mount. I then pulled the starter motor to secure the flywheel so I could get the crank pulley off. The Haynes manual suggests that you can use a large screw driver to secure the flywheel, not a fucking chance that will work! I actually bought a cheap universal flywheel holding tool and adapted to the Rover to do that job, which worked.  Finally I could see the  belt and the obviously leaking water pump. 

First discovery, I had failed to buy a new idler pulley and the water pump was wrong,  no chance sending that back over a year later! After much faffing on line I found Autodoc (Deutschland) had the water pump in stock and I found the pulley for sale in Chatsworth...... Chatsworth California that is! Rover 827 bits really can be hard to find. The pulley and pump  arrived late this week, so I got back on it....

Managed to confirm TDC buying putting a long screw driver down one of the spark plug holes, which happily matched the markings on the cams and pulley. Took a brave pill and released the tensioner and removed the cambelt. 

Old water pump off, it was definitely leaking..

New one on...

Next the bit I dont like, re fitting the pulley and belt....

The rubber band is going on slowly....

Not a brilliant picture but thats the view I get, love working on transverse engines that are butted up to the front wing.......

Having a really fun time getting everything lined up properly, I did notice that when I got the belt tight over the bottom pulley it was moving the front camshaft forward a tooth! I then tried to work with this and wind the cam shaft back the opposite way so when you took up the slack it would move back to TDC but the valve springs kept popping the cam back to into position and no I don't have any cam locking tools.....

More later......

 

 

[beko1987]

That looks mega fun to work around 😬 Well done for getting that far!

You using a smear of a decent sealant around the pump gasket or going in dry?

[Marina door handles]

I used a smear of blue Hylomar, mainly to stop the rubber seal/gasket from falling off as I put the pump on.

Slight update on earlier, I have the belt on and it appears to be timed up!

I initially tried to follow the Haynes manual. But the order of putting the belt on  the various pulleys just didn't work and worse still kept moving the front camshaft.  So I went on Youtube and watched a bloke in Ohio fit a belt to a 1988 Honda Leg-end 2.7 and copied the order he used. Low and behold the belt was on properly. I whizzed it around a few times and re checked all the markings and my top dead centre finding screw driver and all was good! 

After watching bits of the Grand Prix I went back out and started buttoning up the belt covers, what an utter pain in the arse they are. To finish off todays activities I have loosely fitted the power steering pump and alternator fitted some of the auxiliary belts and re fitted the crank pulley. 

Jobs left to do over the next few evenings...... Actually still quite a bit to do, but essentially re fit lots of things and then bleed the coolant system..... Drive it some more! 

[Marina door handles]

Very casual no photos update....

I am a happy bunny. the Rover is back on the road, drives nicely and for the moment the fuel gauge has decided to join the party and work, weird....... Probably wont last!

 

[Marina door handles]

Another smoll update..

Bukkake party!!

Sorry I mean snow foam...  Dont worry this is no pro detail, just a quick one bucket gritty sponge scrub which was long over due....

Not too bad...

Regarding more mechanical matters I found the gearbox banged into drive and was a bit odd on tick over. I had checked the gearbox oil level but it occurred to me I hadn't really checked it when warm, so I did that on my return form work (18 miles should be warm enough really) and yep it was just a little under min, so I topped it and then fired it back up and slotted into drive.... No clonk! 

Its steadily improving and I am finding little niggly issues. Next up will be trying to sort the engine warning light, then front ARB drop links (they seem to be clonking) and also that fuel filling issue. Filling it from fuel cans is slow and boring! 

 

[High Jetter]

Using it should help wake it up