Watchdog Rover 1.8k series
Discussion
look down the page
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=63227&f=23&h=0
lol
Land Rovers tend to fall apart. Ive had countless faults on my 90, which for the money you pay to buy it isn't on. Lucky for me the main dealer is 3 mins down the road and when a part drops of or packs up I just take it in and they fix it. They know me quite well now
>> Edited by All Terrain on Tuesday 21st October 19:31
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=63227&f=23&h=0
lol
Land Rovers tend to fall apart. Ive had countless faults on my 90, which for the money you pay to buy it isn't on. Lucky for me the main dealer is 3 mins down the road and when a part drops of or packs up I just take it in and they fix it. They know me quite well now
>> Edited by All Terrain on Tuesday 21st October 19:31
Only saw the bit of chat Quentin Wilson gave, but they didn't fully wash their hands of it. Head gaskets failures have been known by Rover for yonks and things are being done about it, with various upgraded bits which can be fitted (although no doubt for a price) by dealers etc....
not excusing it at all, but its a known quantity.
There is a website which can be found from info at www.mgcars.org.uk that lists members HGF at various mileages.
I know of a number of cases of HGF however that IMO have arisen solely through poor maintence of the owner... Its amazing how many people don't even check oil and water on a regular basis!
not excusing it at all, but its a known quantity.
There is a website which can be found from info at www.mgcars.org.uk that lists members HGF at various mileages.
I know of a number of cases of HGF however that IMO have arisen solely through poor maintence of the owner... Its amazing how many people don't even check oil and water on a regular basis!
I liked the mgf owner, got to work and steam comming from the engine hatch...erm has he eaver heard of a teperature guage ?
most of the damage comes from runnning low on coolant then cooking the engine, which being ally tends to get trashed...
In my experience rover /lr have always been quite good and i know of qyuite a few people with out of warranty problems who have had new motors foc for various reasons, so i think they were being a bit harsh..
most of the damage comes from runnning low on coolant then cooking the engine, which being ally tends to get trashed...
In my experience rover /lr have always been quite good and i know of qyuite a few people with out of warranty problems who have had new motors foc for various reasons, so i think they were being a bit harsh..
Graham said:
most of the damage comes from runnning low on coolant then cooking the engine, which being ally tends to get trashed...
My mothers rover sufferd HGF for exactly this reason. Noone (except me who doesn't live at home and visits infrequently) ever bothered to check the coolant.
It ran dry on a number of occasions before developing a leak. Due to circumstances i managed to soldier it on for another year, making sure someone checked coolant levels regularly if i wasn't about. Gave the car to my sister, who didn't check the levels (despite me telling them of leak) and of cause HGF goes poof!!
i could of course write and complain about our own stupidity...
I'm no fan of Rover products, but there are plenty of other makes with more serious known engine problems that are proven NOT to be the result of neglect(some form Germany 
).
Give the K-Series a break, Its there best achievement of about the last 35years!
>> Edited by lotusnobles on Tuesday 21st October 21:23
). Give the K-Series a break, Its there best achievement of about the last 35years!
>> Edited by lotusnobles on Tuesday 21st October 21:23
Rover shouldn't develop a mass market engine that needs checking on a weekly basis.
It's alright for the likes of you and me who may know and care about such things, but the ignoramus needs a greater safety margin.
Rover only have themselves to blame for designing an all alloy motor with through bolts and inadequate coolant capacity.
No wonder Lotus decided to use a Rover motor.....
It's alright for the likes of you and me who may know and care about such things, but the ignoramus needs a greater safety margin.
Rover only have themselves to blame for designing an all alloy motor with through bolts and inadequate coolant capacity.
No wonder Lotus decided to use a Rover motor.....
PatHeald said:
Rover shouldn't develop a mass market engine that needs checking on a weekly basis.
Why not? If they TELL you it needs checking on a weekly basis then you check it as instructed.
PatHeald said:
It's alright for the likes of you and me who may know and care about such things, but the ignoramus needs a greater safety margin.
People who spend thosands of pounds on potentially dangerous machinery should at the very least be able to keep it in working order, or pay someone to do it for them. Fluids and tyres (to name but two items) should be checked at the very minimum on a weekly basis ANYWAY.
PatHeald said:
Rover only have themselves to blame for designing an all alloy motor with through bolts and inadequate coolant capacity.
Its a light, highly tuneable and inexpensive engine. The coolant capacity is perfectly adequate for its usage. Anyone failing to follow best practise advice for maintenance quite frankly deserves what they get.
PatHeald said:
No wonder Lotus decided to use a Rover motor.....
Lotus used the K series because of the reasons Ive noted above. Its inexpensive, very light and highly tuneable.
Yes, it has its flaws - may I suggest that most engines do - but it does what it says on the tin.
DennisTheMenace said:
Agree with sparkyjohn if they had checked it once a week as recomened by the manufacture would it of happened ?? doubt it
Just another case of people to kin lazy to check the fluids etc on their cars .
Absolute Bull, Denny! I check my coolant level every DAY because it's easy to look at when I open the boot to put my laptop in and I'm paranoid about HGF (and always have been).
Did it prevent my head gasket giving up after 24k miles? Did it hell!
Header tank was full at start of journey, empty and steaming after 10 miles. Go figure.
The other half and I were in a car park in Guildford the other week as an MGF went passed with steam pouring from it and that lovely smell of a f
ed head gaskett.
Went over to help the woman (young thing and her mate) and explained that she really shouldn't be driving it anymore. Took out a bottle of Evian and said she would fill it up and it should be ok!!!!
Used to work with Rover/MG and Lotus and HGF were a frequent thing. Given how long the problem has existed I am surprised that Rover MG haven't come up with a cure.
That said, it is an excellent little unit. My Elises were belters.
ed head gaskett. Went over to help the woman (young thing and her mate) and explained that she really shouldn't be driving it anymore. Took out a bottle of Evian and said she would fill it up and it should be ok!!!!
Used to work with Rover/MG and Lotus and HGF were a frequent thing. Given how long the problem has existed I am surprised that Rover MG haven't come up with a cure.
That said, it is an excellent little unit. My Elises were belters.
v12bry said:
"....Took out a bottle of Evian and said she would fill it up and it should be ok!!!! ..."
I was always under the impression that all-alloy engines were particular about their coolant mixture and that neat water was a particularly bad idea.........
I know alloy heads on iron block engines is a particular bind, but of course you have problems with mixing metals type......
It's a bit of an old story really going back years.
My girlfriend bought a TF (don't say a word, I wanted her to get an Elise) and MGR told her to check the oil and water every week.
The AA tell everyone you should check it when you fill the tank regardless of make and model.
She's had no aggro at all in 30,000 miles, nothing has gone wrong. When she bought it I did ask the salesman about the HGFs and he said that MGR had traced it to plastic locator dowels being used to ensure the correct fit between the head and block. However, these were not always machined accurately allowing for tolerances to be violated and subsequent HGF.
MGR had replaced these with metal ones and the number of HGF's have dropped off considerably. Also they now used toughened steel long bolts and more precisely machined flywheels. The toughened bolts are used to stop the bolts stretching (the bolts run the whole length of the engine) and the flywheels are more accurately machined to reduce premature wear through excessive vibration when not balanced correctly.
The K engine is a marvel for power/weight bearing in mind the basic 1.4 only weights 95Kg.
My girlfriend bought a TF (don't say a word, I wanted her to get an Elise) and MGR told her to check the oil and water every week.
The AA tell everyone you should check it when you fill the tank regardless of make and model.
She's had no aggro at all in 30,000 miles, nothing has gone wrong. When she bought it I did ask the salesman about the HGFs and he said that MGR had traced it to plastic locator dowels being used to ensure the correct fit between the head and block. However, these were not always machined accurately allowing for tolerances to be violated and subsequent HGF.
MGR had replaced these with metal ones and the number of HGF's have dropped off considerably. Also they now used toughened steel long bolts and more precisely machined flywheels. The toughened bolts are used to stop the bolts stretching (the bolts run the whole length of the engine) and the flywheels are more accurately machined to reduce premature wear through excessive vibration when not balanced correctly.
The K engine is a marvel for power/weight bearing in mind the basic 1.4 only weights 95Kg.
Rovertron said:
The toughened bolts are used to stop the bolts stretching (the bolts run the whole length of the engine
Erm this seems unlikely given that the bolts are stretch bolts! If they lose their spring they are no longer stretch bolts they are... ...well bolts!
CHeck your manual - you don't torque all the way you torque them, them you turn them a certain rotation.
K series is an great engine!
pss1 said:
I was a bit shocked about the construction of the gasket itself. Does anyone know why they can't replace the funny steel / silicone gasket with an old fashioned affair, with a bit of Blue Hymol sealant for good measure?
And me! That sealant stuff didn't look very convincing to me.
The theory from the Elise's point of view is that the dowels holding the gasket are plastic and they fail, removing support for the gasket, so it blows.
On the later (S2) Elises the dowels are metal and instances of HGF have been reduced seemingly.
And before anyone asks/flames me - no, I don't know why they don't do that for the Rover and Land Rover engines too
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