£600 Rover 75 Connoisseur SE, 2.5 v6

[mattyprice4004]

If you need a hand with anything, until recently I owned one of the larger MG Rover parts suppliers - feel free to drop me an email

Have had many happy years behind the wheel of a 75, marvellous cars.

[defblade]

PrinceRupert said:

I've ordered an angle grinder.

Proper safety googles and decent gloves an absolute must with my favourite tool. It flings off thousands of tiny splinters of metal, you don't want them in your eye... or embedded into any glass in the area.
Have a practise on a piece of scrap metal (well clamped down) first so you can get a feel for how they handle... they will run away a bit with themselves sometimes; the direction depends on how you are holding it and which way you're cutting. Also, the firework display direction varies in the same fashion. Keep the disc perpendicular to the cut - cutting discs do not like sideways pressure and may shatter at high speed (grinding discs, which are much thicker, not so bad, but then you're working with them on an edge generally, not gettign deeper into a slot). Keep both hands on it at all times. Let it run to a complete stop before even thinking of putting it down. Make sure you get the disc mounted on and tightened up properly. And make sure it's not plugged in while you do that.

Apart from blinding you, ruining your windows, taking off fingers or chunks out of various limbs, and occasionally exploding the disc like a frag grenade... they're great tools! Just use them with great respect.

[helix402]

defblade said:

Proper safety googles and decent gloves an absolute must with my favourite tool. It flings off thousands of tiny splinters of metal, you don't want them in your eye... or embedded into any glass in the area.
Have a practise on a piece of scrap metal (well clamped down) first so you can get a feel for how they handle... they will run away a bit with themselves sometimes; the direction depends on how you are holding it and which way you're cutting. Also, the firework display direction varies in the same fashion. Keep the disc perpendicular to the cut - cutting discs do not like sideways pressure and may shatter at high speed (grinding discs, which are much thicker, not so bad, but then you're working with them on an edge generally, not gettign deeper into a slot). Keep both hands on it at all times. Let it run to a complete stop before even thinking of putting it down. Make sure you get the disc mounted on and tightened up properly. And make sure it's not plugged in while you do that.

Apart from blinding you, ruining your windows, taking off fingers or chunks out of various limbs, and occasionally exploding the disc like a frag grenade... they're great tools! Just use them with great respect.

Wise words. I always wear long sleeves too when using them after a piece of chisel once entered my forearm. (Still in it).

[guru_1071]

dai1983 said:

If you think it's a drop link then ones with a 4 year warranty:

https://www.dmgrs.co.uk/collections/suspension/pro...

They are a pain in the arse on the R75 as the top nut is behind the back of the shock so I just took the strut out which I wouldn't say is a DIY job for a newbie. You'll need narrow spanners as it's easy to nick the rubber using regular ones which means they fail again.

I'd fit the spring protectors at the same time. In fact I bought complete strut assemblies from DMGRS as my origonal springs were looking shoddy and they were on offer.

first time i did the arb links on my beloved 75 i took the strut out, over the years ive learnt that its not needed, once you have done them once its an easy job. i think mines had about 4 sets on it until i found some that where decent quality.

ace cars though, i absolutely love mines, 600 quid, 4 years and 40,000 miles later still going strong

[PrinceRupert]

Thank you all, safety tips taken on board.

I got the car up and wheel off this morning to diagnose the noise. Doesnt seem to be any movement off the ARB, seems solid?



If I pull the part circled - which I believe is the lower control arm - in red forwards and backwards, I recreate a clunking noise. It looks like it might be more painful to replace.



There is also a small hole in the shock. Problem?

[PrinceRupert]

Okay rookie error that is apparently the drive shaft and should clunk...how embarassing

Apparently arb links can clunk when driving even if no play so might still be them.

Edited by PrinceRupert on Saturday 27th June 10:57

[Spinakerr]

Great to see another 75 getting some love on PH!

The purple/green/black plug is for the seatbelt reminder I think - not an option many cars had ticked so likely redundant.

Non working heated seats are very common and likely to require more surgery on the inner panels of the seats.

The knocking noise could also be the engine mount, as previously mentioned, or the top of the strut tower, but ARBs are agood idea to do in any case.

As an outside issue, it may be a broken spring that 'looks correct' but is actually snapped in the carrier. Very common on the rears, not so much on the fronts.

Plenty of other owners on PH that can help out out or just offer concerned nodding - good luck!

[PrinceRupert]

Thanks! Just need to try and diagnose where the issue is. Spring looks fine but as you say it may be hidden away.

Turns out the heated seats do work - they just take a bit of time to heat up, arent that warm and only seem to do so when you're sitting on them.

[anonymous-user]

I've just read through those Project Drive changes; you can see them getting increasingly desperate and, frankly, unacceptable as time goes on!

[Krikkit]

I'd replace that droplink anyway, it looks more than done, and can stop some odd tyre wear issues.

[PrinceRupert]

Krikkit said:

I'd replace that droplink anyway, it looks more than done, and can stop some odd tyre wear issues.

I've ordered the parts and they seem straightforward enough to replace so plan to replace them. If that doesn't sort the knocking might need to stick it into a garage to diagnose if I cant find it.

[Deep Thought]

PrinceRupert said:

And it is reinstalled.

The knocking noise is coming from front n/s suspension. Pushing down on that corner makes a very audible knocking noise. Sounds like it needs some suspension parts. Wonder if they're something I could learn to fix myself...

Thinking about it it is a bit odd given it apparently got two front shocks late last year only a few thousand miles ago.

Edited by PrinceRupert on Thursday 25th June 20:51

I had a MG ZT 2.5 v6 a couple of years back. I spent a small fortune sorting out the knocking noises from the front suspension. Sounded for all the world like anti roll bar bushings. Ended up being shock absorber top mounts.

[dai1983]

stickleback123 said:

I've just read through those Project Drive changes; you can see them getting increasingly desperate and, frankly, unacceptable as time goes on!

The face-lift is utterly minging too but don't mind the zt version of it.

[PrinceRupert]

So, the knocking noise is definitely the drop links. Diagnosed it by taking off both front wheels and comparing play on each side. Tugging on the anti roll bar on the driver side causes a knock, but doesnt on the passenger side.

At least now I know what the problem is! Hopefully I am able to replace them without too much difficulty. If not it wont be expensive to ask a mechanic to do it for me.

[carinaman]

Well done identifying the noise.

[PrinceRupert]

Parts have arrived. Now to fit them to the car!

[PrinceRupert]

Something I have been thinking about over the weekend - cambelts. As it has no service history, who knows when its belt was last changed (if ever). Apparently they should be changed every 90k miles/6 years - it is on 55k miles/??? years. It seems it is a pig of a job - £450 at certain mobile specialists but can't seem to see one nearby, or probably closer to £700 at a normal mechanic who, if they haven't done them before on a kv6, would need to get the special tools and work out how to do it (though how hard can it really be ...)?

So, given the few miles I do and the value of the car, would you recommend getting it done or playing cambelt roulette?

[Muddle238]

I'd get it done, preferably by someone who knows what they're doing. If it munches its own engine it'll be worth nothing, then you'll have to fork out anyway for a new car. Numbers of good 75/ZT are dropping quite rapidly, would be a shame for another to go just because of cambelt roulette.

[carinaman]

Your unusually long toes photo bombed the drop link photo.

Some say the cambelt change is easier on the ZS180:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yztTtYsFF0Q

[ian316]

Well having watched a youtube video it looks a pain in the arse of a job, if you're keeping it get it done if it's only a few months I wouldn't bother