Just bought a Rover 25 with issues ~
Discussion
My younger son James, unlike his elder brother, has absolutely no interest in cars. Recently he asked me to find him a Rover 25 as he has limited funds.
Spotted this on ebay and despite it's very remote location in north wales and it's issues ~ suspected cylinder head gasket damage, it actually reached a higher price than I anticipated.
Collected it yesterday using an A-Frame. Here it is:~
Ready for the journey home:~
Yee olde Menai Bridge :~
We took a break on the run home. The Rover 620ti never missed a beat and recorded over 33 mpg for the 350 mile round trip ~ no motoways ~ had I used the Motorway ( not suitable for this trip ) it would have been better for the economy but would have put extra miles on the journey. That consumption figure was not exceptional ~ driving with economy in mind, these 620ti can record the high 30s ~ I checked the consumption figures in the driver's handbook recently and these 'official' figures confirmed the 620ti is the more economical to run of all the 600s except for the diesel of course.
Nice sunny morning and I will have a closer look at the engine to see what's what. We have a known good spare 1.4 K so even if this engine is beyond economical repair, we have a standby availabe. First things first. To do... a compression test. More follows:~
.
Spotted this on ebay and despite it's very remote location in north wales and it's issues ~ suspected cylinder head gasket damage, it actually reached a higher price than I anticipated.
Collected it yesterday using an A-Frame. Here it is:~
Ready for the journey home:~
Yee olde Menai Bridge :~
We took a break on the run home. The Rover 620ti never missed a beat and recorded over 33 mpg for the 350 mile round trip ~ no motoways ~ had I used the Motorway ( not suitable for this trip ) it would have been better for the economy but would have put extra miles on the journey. That consumption figure was not exceptional ~ driving with economy in mind, these 620ti can record the high 30s ~ I checked the consumption figures in the driver's handbook recently and these 'official' figures confirmed the 620ti is the more economical to run of all the 600s except for the diesel of course.
Nice sunny morning and I will have a closer look at the engine to see what's what. We have a known good spare 1.4 K so even if this engine is beyond economical repair, we have a standby availabe. First things first. To do... a compression test. More follows:~
.
Motorrad said:
I like your 620Ti, the 25 I'm not sure I'd have bothered with unless it was really cheap. There are plenty of cars out there that have had the head gasket issue resolved and I'd probably have saved myself the hassle and bought one of them........
Can appreciate that point of view but, this one had just had a fresh MoT issued and new front tyres fitted ... then the suspect head gasket. We bought it as doing the job ourselves, we know it will be done correctly ~ something not always guaranteed with a pro-workshop ~ here I do speak from experience.Picked the car up yesterday ( Friday ) ... here's today's update :~
11.30 am Saturday ....
Son No.1 said:
.
Dad, where the keys for the Rover 25?
.
They soon had the four spark plugs out. Did a compression test and these are the poor results through cylinders 1 to 4 :~Dad, where the keys for the Rover 25?
.
5 bar 5 bar 5 bar ZERO bar ...
Zero bar ~ never had that before ~ my elder son remarked he did find that spark plug in No. 4 cylinder was not tight ... Must check those spark plug hole threads
Went in leaving them to it.
A little over an hour later, my two sons working together ( very unusual ...;) )soon had the cylinder head removed to reveal this messy scene. My son knows the K-Series so well I was not surprised by how soon the cylinder head was removed.
I was pleased to 'feel'each of the four cylinder liners were a tad proud of the surrounding block.
Here's the freshly removed cylinder head 'as is' prior to a thorough clean up ~ it's the cleansing and cleaning up of the components which is so time consuming but, it is always worth that extra effort so rarely obtained in a pro workshop :~
A quick look at the area around the fire rings in the alloy of the cylinder head showed little or no evidence of indentation which if light, requires a head skim but if sverely fire ring indented, could mean the cylinder head is scrap.
Tomorrow a closer inspection will show what neeeds or need not be done. Much more flushing and cleaning up of that block is required... plus drain the oil-coolant mix in the sump .... about an hour of careful work should do it.
So far the signs look good.
The car is quite a nice spec with electric windows and Air Conditioning... When I first drove a Rover 25 when they first appeared ~ a friendly neighbour got one for his wife, I was surprised how well it went for a mere 1.4 ~ I suspected it was a 1.6 at least as we had four adults in the car at the time and it carried them all well and was still lively.
There was no radio with the car ~ my son tells me the connectors are BMW so we will need an adaptor to match the terminals to the spare CD player we have fit. Anyone know which adaptor ? Just done a Google searcfh and it came up with this ... for £2.95p cannot be bad.
The steering wheel has remote buttons ~ hope those work.
Edited by MGJohn on Saturday 30th October 19:52
rallycross said:
Why?
Did they offer to pay you to take it away?
Attentione ... PH "Mindset" ALERT ..... Achtung ... Sound the Klaxons .... Did they offer to pay you to take it away?
No, silly boy. We gave them millyons for it.
Fully expected something like this.... ACE posting rallycross .... are you as quick off the mark behind the wheel...
My sons and their Rover Mad mates swap K-Series engines for fun. Even if this one needs a complete engine replacement, we have a 1.4 spare surplus when his friend slotted in a 1.8 upgrade. That's what mates are for.... apparently.
My younger son is a student with limited funds. When the car is fixed he will have inexpensive reliable motoring .... and most importantly, reasonable Insurance ... in his own name ... none of your fronting here matey!
By pure coincidence, just had a call from my son wanting to borrow some tools for his mates. Straight edge to check a head face... Apparently one hit a fox at speed in his MG ZR and that somehow put a hole in his car's radiator unknown to him. They brought the cylinder head round. It appears sound and only needs a quick spruce up with a wire brush in a drill.
Youngsters eh! He continued his journey at speed and too late noticed the loss of coolant ... and his engine overheated. So another K-Series needs a replacement gasket and head clean up ~ a doddle for these boys who do it all for fun. Plus a new radaitor of course.
Motorrad said:
Makes more sense now I see what a thorough job you're going to do. Good luck giving the car a new lease of life.
That's more like it ...
Motorrad said:
.
I like your 620Ti, the 25 I'm not sure I'd have bothered with unless it was really cheap. There are plenty of cars out there that have had the head gasket issue resolved and I'd probably have saved myself the hassle and bought one of them........
.
We have several 620ti in the family ~ here's a couple of the others :~I like your 620Ti, the 25 I'm not sure I'd have bothered with unless it was really cheap. There are plenty of cars out there that have had the head gasket issue resolved and I'd probably have saved myself the hassle and bought one of them........
.
We like Rovers .... and MGs.... Unfashionable for a Brit to admit something so un-British as that here on PH but, them's the facts....
Not only Rovers. My son also has an Elise... However, he did insist that his Elise had the Rover K-Series engine .... none of yer Nipponese rubbish ...
..
.
That little 25 will be a good car when it's sorted. They may look a little dated/oldfashioned but they drive really well.
I remember driving a 214SLi back in the day. It was a 1993 or 1994 I think. So much faster and responsive than an 8v Golf GTi from the same era. Independant rear suspension on the Honda bodyshelled variants too from what I recall on a car launched in 1989. Took Ford nearly 10 years to catch up with the launch of the Focus.
Incedentally, a friend bought a 618 the other week missing an MOT for £100. He asked me to transport it to the MOT station for him. Passed without a single advisory. He was delighted. I had a drive of it around the yard before the test and it was as tight as a drum with 102k miles on the clock.
I remember driving a 214SLi back in the day. It was a 1993 or 1994 I think. So much faster and responsive than an 8v Golf GTi from the same era. Independant rear suspension on the Honda bodyshelled variants too from what I recall on a car launched in 1989. Took Ford nearly 10 years to catch up with the launch of the Focus.
Incedentally, a friend bought a 618 the other week missing an MOT for £100. He asked me to transport it to the MOT station for him. Passed without a single advisory. He was delighted. I had a drive of it around the yard before the test and it was as tight as a drum with 102k miles on the clock.
Quinny said:
MGJohn said:
Yee olde Menai Bridge :~
.
Nope.
that's the Britannia bridge.... that makes it a Menai Bridge ..... )
Rule Britannia ...
Uhura fighter said:
Always enjoy your posts John.
Is it an easy job on these?
I know my little 'How to' threads are appreciated that's why I take the time to post them up. One or two folks when faced with a problem with their car, have tackled the job following 'how to' guides like these and saved themselves a nice few quid as well as having a car they can rely on.Is it an easy job on these?
Like so many other things in life, it's easy when you know how. In my experience, the lightweight K-Series is one of the easiest 16 valve four cylinder engines to work on.... a doddle in fact ... the trade see them as a "Nice little earner" complete with the obligatory sharp intake of breath and "They all do that. It'll cost ya"... as a result of the huge negativity overkill associated with anything Rover car related....Trouble is, not all the pro-operators in the trade know how to repair them competently and that adds to the reputation as repeat "failures" soon after the pro-fix are frequent.
..
Adz The Rat said:
A friend of mine has a MG ZR 1.4 and it has just suffered a head gasket failure, he is getting stupid quotes from everywhere to repair it as nobody wants to do it.
Whereabouts is your friend's car located?If you or they post a request over on Rovertech.net or MG-Rover.org, chances are someone there who knows how to do this job at reasonable cost or can suggest someone who can. There's one or two mobile mechanics over there who come well recommended and specialise in this particular job..
Of course, if your friend drove on ignoring the first signs or was simply unaware and the resulting overheating of the engine was severe, the car may need more than a £30 gasket kit.
Sadly there are far too many simple parts swappers in the trade now compared to skillful folks who can repair things ...
Far too much "Computer says no" .... and the endagered species .... Man says Yes!
..
Great thread as always John! I had a 3 door 1.6 in silver that was the most reliable car I ever owned. Stuck 30000 miles on it in 2 years and the only things I ever had to do were a new back box and new ignition leads.
IMHO there was nothing to touch them for cheap motoring whilst being reliable, nippy, and decent handling. The 1.6 was pretty torquey and not bad on the motorway.
I reckon the TD would be a good daily shed.
Edited to add a pic of mine:
Seems it's no longer taxed, my brother used to see it around and then it disappeared off her drive. Reckon she must have written it off
IMHO there was nothing to touch them for cheap motoring whilst being reliable, nippy, and decent handling. The 1.6 was pretty torquey and not bad on the motorway.
I reckon the TD would be a good daily shed.
Edited to add a pic of mine:
Seems it's no longer taxed, my brother used to see it around and then it disappeared off her drive. Reckon she must have written it off
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Saturday 30th October 22:24
Progress Report ~ Day 3
Made good progress today with those time consuming cleansing and checking jobs. However the news is good following various checks and the cylinder head and block are far better than I anticipated for a 75,000 mile car.
Remember how the block and cylinder head looked ~ see pictures in my original post. This is how they look today following a leisurely spent three hours ~ with frequnet stops for a cuppa :~
Here's the dressed Cylinder Block:~
Here's the dressed Cylinder Head:~
I used my trusty old Engineer's Rule to check the Cylinder Head surface for truth. Spot on good as new readings all round. Here's a few pictures I took of the checks :~
I then turned my attention to the Valves and their seating in each of the four combustion chambers ~ in sequence 1 to 4 all tested with their four valves fully closed and soapy water placed into the combustion chambers to see if any passed the valve seats. All checked out splendidly.
There are 'evidence' traces in all four of the Fire Ring locations in the alloy in the Cylinder head ~ no real indentations. Even so, I shall use the head saver shim as I have done in the past and so far, no repeats. Others have not used the head saver shim and have had a 'repeat' after 17-20,000 miles but, that may be pure coincidence.
I finished off flushing the Heater Matrix and Radiator as well as the various coolant pipes and hoses. I was pleasantly surprised that there was little oil-coolant mix present ~ even the coolant passageways in the block were reasonably clear.
On the whole, delighted with the results today. Weather permitting, I'll start rebuilding the little engine tomorrow.
Ongoing ...
..
.
Made good progress today with those time consuming cleansing and checking jobs. However the news is good following various checks and the cylinder head and block are far better than I anticipated for a 75,000 mile car.
Remember how the block and cylinder head looked ~ see pictures in my original post. This is how they look today following a leisurely spent three hours ~ with frequnet stops for a cuppa :~
Here's the dressed Cylinder Block:~
Here's the dressed Cylinder Head:~
I used my trusty old Engineer's Rule to check the Cylinder Head surface for truth. Spot on good as new readings all round. Here's a few pictures I took of the checks :~
I then turned my attention to the Valves and their seating in each of the four combustion chambers ~ in sequence 1 to 4 all tested with their four valves fully closed and soapy water placed into the combustion chambers to see if any passed the valve seats. All checked out splendidly.
There are 'evidence' traces in all four of the Fire Ring locations in the alloy in the Cylinder head ~ no real indentations. Even so, I shall use the head saver shim as I have done in the past and so far, no repeats. Others have not used the head saver shim and have had a 'repeat' after 17-20,000 miles but, that may be pure coincidence.
I finished off flushing the Heater Matrix and Radiator as well as the various coolant pipes and hoses. I was pleasantly surprised that there was little oil-coolant mix present ~ even the coolant passageways in the block were reasonably clear.
On the whole, delighted with the results today. Weather permitting, I'll start rebuilding the little engine tomorrow.
Ongoing ...
..
.
General Price said:
No interest in Rovers whatsoever but I find myself drawn to your threads.Great write up.
Thanks ~ I know folks appreciate these write ups. I too enjoy reading similar threads put up by others. There's a paucity of them on PH ...This car will be used by my younger son and so I'll ensure the car is in good shape for the lad... It will be his first.
He had very little interest in cars until the past couple of weeks when he asked me to find him a Rover 25. Totally different to my other son who has seven cars at the last count including a Lotus and a Porsche but, he likes Rovers and also runs a web site specialising in Metros and R100s..
Like you, some marques held in high esteem here on PH, such as VWs and other ordinary production stuff hold no interest for me whatsoever...
After fifty one years of employment and fast approaching my seventieth birthday, including a decade of self employment, my contract was terminated last year. I suddenly find I have more time on my hands but, despite that, I'm very active and busier than ever. I still have much to contribute. Breathing new life into old motors gives me pleasure and appeals to my creative and artistic bents....
... I find it is theraputic too.....
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff