Rover P6 2000TC - it was #3 wot dunnit

[ETCHY]

On 12/04/2025 at 14:25, N Dentressangle said:

So that's that job completed. 

Coat of paint and then Waxoyl underseal over the surface rust at the front:

Good enough for the girls we date.

All the cavities sprayed with Waxoyl and the outside recoated with waxoyl underseal - spot the drilled hole and bung. 

New bungs arrived for the jacking points this morning, so here's the finished job:

Bloody gorgeous car,
I have wood.
 

[N Dentressangle]

Jury's out on the brakes. Think it's to do with this:

https://classicroverforum.net/index.php?threads/brake-servo-booster-air-valve-spring.45204/

Anyhow, the more pressing matter is the beginnings of what the septics call 'rod knock'. Typical on the 2000 engines apparently - the big ends are a 50k mile service item. So I guess I'll be doing this:

https://roverp6.blogspot.com/2009/

Which is fine. Just got to finish off the MINI waterpump change currently occupying the garage and then I'll get the Rover in the air, sump off and see what's what.

Watch this space!

[Split_Pin]

I haven't read it all but who'd have thought a lolly stick would save you a whole world of pain and time! Great write up too. Even I could probably work through that in my wee garage, given time!

Best of luck, sure you won't need it though!

[Asimo]

On 09/04/2025 at 15:21, N Dentressangle said:

Stomil tyres. Don't try and tell me you weren't ever so tight as to buy those death rings 

I bought Stomils for my end-of-life Renault 20. They were bloody good in the snow but sounded like duff wheel bearings. Nobody died...

[Asimo]

On 09/04/2025 at 15:21, N Dentressangle said:

Stomil tyres. Don't try and tell me you weren't ever so tight as to buy those death rings 

I bought Stomils for my end-of-life Renault 20. They were bloody good in the snow but sounded like duff wheel bearings. Nobody died...

[Asimo]

On 09/04/2025 at 15:21, N Dentressangle said:

Stomil tyres. Don't try and tell me you weren't ever so tight as to buy those death rings 

I bought Stomils for my end-of-life Renault 20. They were bloody good in the snow but sounded like duff wheel bearings. Nobody died...

[SiC]

I remember on my P4 the general consensus was the Girling servo was crap and if you're not bothered about originality, put a Lockheed unit on it. 

[N Dentressangle]

So, after a slight delay whilst I replaced the MINI water pump, shown here still buried under the alternator. What a fab piece of design:

which is as boring a job as it sounds, I now have the more interesting patient in theatre, prepped and ready for heart surgery:

Wish me luck - I'm going in.

[camryv6]

22 hours ago, Asimo said:

I bought Stomils for my end-of-life Renault 20. They were bloody good in the snow but sounded like duff wheel bearings. Nobody died...

You should of had a gofund me for the tyres

[Talbot]

On 14/04/2025 at 20:18, Asimo said:

I bought Stomils for my end-of-life Renault 20. They were bloody good in the snow but sounded like duff wheel bearings. Nobody died...

Every Stomil I have ever seen has failed spectacularly.

I'm also reliably* advised that in Polish, "Sto Mil" sounds a lot like "a hundred miles" which is about as far as they stay together for.

I'd rather drive on part-worn no-name rubbish bought from the local scrapyard than a Stomil.

[Joey spud]

This P6 is just how I would want one to look well done that man.

I worked at a village garage in the 80's and the boss did recovery work for the local Police as the storage charges were a nice easy earner. One day we were called to collect a burnt out Austin 1100 from Cliffe Marshes and strangely the only things that seemed to survive the fire were the back wheels with new tyres fitted and the back lights.

So being very young and poor and desperately needing tyres the 155x12 Stomils ended up on the front of my Datsun 120A coupe and did me proud that Summer. They had quite an aggressive tread pattern too that was good for a bit of off roading.

Around our way they were known affectionately as Stoma's back in the day.

[N Dentressangle]

[Joey spud]

1 hour ago, N Dentressangle said:

Yep. Once seen never forgotten.

[N Dentressangle]

OK, started by removing the thousands of bolts around the sump, including the two big 'uns which bolt through the bell housing horizontally into it. To drop the pan you actually need to remove the clutch slave and sling it out of the way, hydraulics undisturbed and just a couple of easy 9/16" bolts. A little wrestling later and we have one filthy sump pan:

Given this oil is only 500 miles old, it's black as you like. Definitely filling with fresh once everything's clean and going back together. Those sump baffles can come out and the whole thing get a proper clean too.

First look at the crank:

Oil pickup needs to come off yet, but I can already see how choked it is:

Well that won't be helping. I have a mate with a parts washer, so I might just take him a little present 🤔

To be continued...

[N Dentressangle]

So, what's behind door #1?

Looks fine. Obviously not our culprit.

Next...

[N Dentressangle]

It's not #2 either:

[Matty]

Suspense killing. Are you going to put a set of mains and big ends in while the bottoms off?

[N Dentressangle]

How about #3?

Winner winner chicken dinner? There's definitely some copper showing and light score all the way around, but I've seen far, far worse.

Let's see what #4 has for us...

[N Dentressangle]

1 minute ago, Matty said:

Suspense killing. Are you going to put a set of mains and big ends in while the bottoms off?

Absolutely. No sense not doing so.

[Matty]

2 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

Absolutely. No sense not doing so.

Careful. It's becoming a keeper this. Once you've fumbled about in the nether regions you've to marry em. It's the law.

[N Dentressangle]

and here's #4 at the bottom of the pic:

So looks like #3 was the guilty party, presumably having picked up some filth at some stage.

[Stinkwheel]

As Meatloaf once sang - "One out of four aint bad" 

I'm sure it was something like that anyway

[N Dentressangle]

4 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

As Meatloaf once sang - "One out of four aint bad" 

I'm sure it was something like that anyway

Pretty much.

Good to have caught it at this stage. The crank will be fine without a grind I reckon, and the bores look really good too.

Plus a really good clean of everything will keep everything sorted in future.

[SiC]

Number 3 doesn't even look that tragic. I've seen worse on engines with no knocking!

[N Dentressangle]

20 minutes ago, SiC said:

Number 3 doesn't even look that tragic. I've seen worse on engines with no knocking!

Me too. But it was definitely there. Needs sorting anyway.

See what the mains are like tomorrow, but that's a very different noise in my experience.