Fun with Rovers.

[Pete-M]

Turns out that the problem with the stereo wasn't a dry joint

 

This makes me happy.

 

Decided this morning to fit the Nakamichi, so toddled off outside to the car. Went to remove the Pioneer and spotted this tucked away behind a trim panel near the stereo.

 

 

Hmm, thinks I. That means that a couple of amps must be somewhere..

 

Lift carpet and find this;

 

 

Which isn't an amp. It does however have a dodgy looking bullet connector near it, which I fiddle with for a moment or two. Getting a decent connection results in this making a clicky sound from under the ECU shroud.

 

It's sitting on top of this;

 

 

After fiddling with a couple more dodgy connections, this is the result

 

 

This lot must have cost a bloody fortune in the 80's.

 

The Nakamichi can stay unfitted for now, just for fun, but I suspect it'll be going in at the weekend as I don't 'do' tapes and don't own an ipod (The Pioneer has an ipod type input socket on a little lead).

[whitevanman]

That stereo is fuckin' amzingly cool

[seth]

Excellent, and presumably well fitted (rather than being bodged in) if you've only just found it all

[Station]

Sell the Pioneer!! What does the Nakamichi look like?

[Minimad5]

Can't beat an old Radio Keep the Pioneer, looks like a quality set-up(secret radio perv too)

[Pete-M]

Spent a few more hours fiddling with the car today, just having a good look around. A lot of the interior wasn't really screwed in, more like 'placed', so I've been rooting through the old screw collection looking for authentic looking replacements for the missing ones. The centre console no longer resembles something Rolf Harris would play.Keep finding strange gubbin boxes all over the place. It's good fun.Oh, and the tape deck works! (A-ha! in more ways than one) The radio reception isn't wonderful on FM - very 80's, I'll have to explore that more on my next day off. Also the feeds to the rear speakers aren't that good, I've tested them with a spare speaker on a lead and the amp is fine, so I need to run fresh leads through.

[Pete-M]

I've just made an offer to buy another black VdP EFi, I think I'd like one to use, and the nutter one for Sunday best

[garethj]

The radio reception isn't wonderful on FM

Last week I got an amplified aerial and it really helped with FM reception on my crappy 80s radio.

I've just made an offer to buy another black VdP EFi

I think we all agree that's a sensible idea

[Station]

Dunno if this'll interest you:

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=80439

[garethj]

Dunno if this'll interest you:http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=80439

A 2.6 to Pete-give-me-V8-SD1-or-give-me-death?

[GJR 11L]

thats all been sorted out now in the same way that the Stag engines overheating issues were dealt with?

Yeah, by fitting a Rover V8 in its place......

 

Having an SD1 without the bent eight is, IMHO, a bit like having one of those electric bikes and carrying the motor around in your pocket.

 

In fairness to BL, yes, the Stag's sweet little eight can now be made reliable....

[Milford Cubicle]

Surely the only proper engine for an SD1 is the 2.4 VM turbo diesel.

[GJR 11L]

Surely the only proper engine for an SD1 is the 2.4 VM turbo diesel.

Hmm, for the rarity value and to capture the attention of the enthusiasts at shows, yes, 2.4D every time, but as a car to use regularly and for the boastage factor that comes with 8 cylinders, V...........anden Plas EFi please.

[Pete-M]

Off to collect the other one on Sunday. Can't wait

[shite_meister]

I once suggested on Autoshite that an SD1 without a V8 was a bit pants and was berated for it, sure we like to champion the underdog here but come on who in their right mind would prefer anything other than a V8? hmmmm a flat-as-fuck straight-six that has all the aural delight of a wet fart or a manly guttural V8 throbbing away like it wants to escape from its mountings? no contest.

 

I'm wondering if I should acheive a long-term ambition of mine and buy a Targa red Twin-Plenum Vitesse, trouble is I suspect after my 4.5i SD1 I had two years ago I'll always be somewhat disappointed.

[Pete-M]

Even I admit that on here, a beige, Indian built Standard 2000 is the ultimate.

[Pete-M]

Wandered off to Dahhhhn Sahhhhf to pick up my latest SD1 purchase today. Another black SD1 VdP EFi. C reg this time, registered on 1/8/85, no less.105,000 miles on the clock with MOT's back to 1990 and almost totally standard. It's got the obligatory big stainless exhaust system but running standard Rover manifolds instead of the hyuge great four branch things on the other one. It's almost quiet, but the exhaust note never goes away completely. Bushes, brakes, shocks are all newish and it's had one sill and one side of the floorpan replaced but it looks like a good enough job - genuine bits are easy to fit, easy to get and cheap. Owners club stickers in it, the one on the rear window looks like it has been there for a long, long time. It's gone that brown colour that dealer stickers go, there's another in the front window from 2003.Interior is lovely in it, like an orangey browny beigey colour with dark brown carpets. Sounds awful but it's vastly nicer than the grey interior in the other one, so much so that I'm contemplating changing the interior colour on the other one so they match. No A/C, which is unusual for a VdP but it was a delete option so someone must have ticked it. People do mysterious things like that. It's got a nearly working trip computer and inoperative cruise control but other than that most things seem to work happily enough. Ride quality is a whole league better than in the other one, but it doesn't go, brake or handle anywhere near as well. It is, however, massively better on fuel, the trip from London to Liverpool used half a tank of fuel at a steady 70ish mph. I'm happy with that, the 4.2 used not much less to go to Cholmondely and back, which is less than half the distance. It's a much more relaxing drive than the 4.2 as it doesn't mind cruising along, the 4.2 just wants to go fast.It needs a bit of cosmetic attention to the wheel arches and one door skin, but it is a nice clean car so I'm mucho happy.

[trigger]

Nice work Pete, I saw a very nice SD1 yesterday, I'm sure this is a Ex-MOTOR road test car?...

 

 

[Pete-M]

Nice work Pete, I saw a very nice SD1 yesterday, I'm sure this is a Ex-MOTOR road test car?...

That's one of 10 or so, yeah. Nice innit.

[Pete-M]

I've been using the 'new' SD1 now for a few days. It is a properly nice old thing, feels more like an SD1 than the 4.2 one does. It's relaxed, quietish (it's also got a big loud stainless pipe, but it's not got the four branch manifolds or silly high compression ratio of the 4.2), comfy, doesn't rattle much and takes bugger all effort to drive.

 

However, I'd like it to be a bit quicker and the exhaust a bit quieter when it's cruising. The other one is quicker and the engine seems quieter when cruising, but it's a bastard in traffic. It just wants to go all the time, have to hold the bloody thing on the brakes in slow moving traffic as it does 25 mph at idle and won't idle much lower than 800ish rpm anyway. If I put it in neutral at the lights I have to trick it into a slow idle before selecting drive or it sends a bit of a shock through the transmission. It's also abysmal on fuel compared to the 3.5, strangely enough. But it's bloody quick and handles amusingly because the suspension has been replaced with much more handling based setup.

 

I'm going to have to restore them both. Bollocks. I don't want to break the mad 4.2 to make the 3.5 fast and I don't want to ruin the 3.5s relaxing nature. There's also the history of the 4.2 and the fact that the bloody thing is so much fun.

 

I sense madness ahead. Quite possibly a 3.9 Rangie lump for the 3.5.

[Minimad5]

You should pop up a picture of the "new" SD1

[garethj]

If I put it in neutral at the lights I have to trick it into a slow idle before selecting drive or it sends a bit of a shock through the transmission.

I think Mercedes had a similar problem with the 6.9, didn't they do some trick with retarding the ignition further? Can you do something similar?Did you get the throttle pot sorted eventually? That might let you set a lower idle speed, I'm sure my old V8 Land Rover would idle at 650rpm

[Pete-M]

I think Mercedes had a similar problem with the 6.9, didn't they do some trick with retarding the ignition further? Can you do something similar?Did you get the throttle pot sorted eventually? That might let you set a lower idle speed, I'm sure my old V8 Land Rover would idle at 650rpm

I think the idle speed of the 4.2 is mainly decided by the BFO injectors and lairy cam in the 4.2. I've got it idling reasonably happily at 800ish, but there is bugger all chance of it being able to sustain an idle much lower. EFi SD1s are meant to idle at 825-875ish.Engineering something in to retard the ignition at idle sounds like a bit of a pain, there are already about a billion vac pipes in the area with it having AC and cruise.

[shite_meister]

So its not stalling or nearly stalling? this was a very common problem on the auto injection SD1s so much so that Rover issued a mod.

After introducing the Rover SD1 Auto Efi Vdp and Auto Vitesse Rover started to receive reports of engine stalling when Drive was selected. To overcome this an Anti-stall modification was devised.When the problem was confirmed on a customer’s car, the Anti-stall alteration was carried out at dealer level. Although the dealerships retained details of the change, no Anti-stall documentation ever appeared in the Rover SD1 Workshop Manuals.About 1000 Rover SD1 Efi Vdp's were manufactured and perhaps a few dozen Rover SD1 Vitesse versions. Over time, as ownership of these vehicles changed, less dealership servicing was performed and knowledge of the alteration became lost, particularly for newer owners.This essay is written to explain the whole curious story though it is unlikely there are many owners who may need the information it is a fascinating tale of Rover's approach to problem solving.

I'll pm you a PDF which might be of interest if thats what the issue is if the issue is too high then the throttle potentionmeter should be tested, these are unique to the SD1 although you can replace the carbon tracks or adapt a Jag one.

[Pete-M]

Are you saying that it stalls or nearly stalls? this was a very common problem on the auto injection SD1s so much so that Rover issued a mod.

Ah, no. The 4.2 is producing not much less torque at 1000 rpm than a standard 3.5 Vitesse does at its peak, so when drive is selected at 800 ish rpm the auto box is having to cope with close to 200 lb ft of torque being thrust upon it. It doesn't stall, it's just not happy.As for the anti-stall mod, my 3.5 apparantly had that but it has been removed by the previous keeper. Don't know why.

[shite_meister]

Sorry, I edited my post.

[garethj]

I've just thought of a simple fix!Put a manual box in

[Pete-M]

I've just thought of a simple fix!Put a manual box in

I'm very tempted to do that to the mad one, thing is, I'd only want to fit a Vitesse box to it, and they're getting rare.