My Rover

Ron, just a question.
Do you wash the engine bay frequently in order to be retained so clean and tidy? :shock:

I do cover similar mileage with your Rover in my TC and some dust and dirt is always there.
However i admit i don't bother too much with the engine bay as it seems to attract dirt instantly.
 
Thanks Brenten :)

Hi Demetris,

Not really, I wipe around things every now and then, but generally it just seems to stay clean. Not having oil leaks certainly helps in that regard.

Ron.
 
I had been running the Rosyles on my Rover for the past couple of months, so today I refitted the Rover steel wheels shod with a set of new Maxxis MAP1 tyres. Before doing so, I checked the end float on the front wheel bearings, which was slightly more than it should have been. After adjusting them accordingly, I inspected the discs and measured the actual wear across each face, using a stainless steel straight edge and a set of feeler gauges. The wear across the front face was an even 0.006" (6 thou), across the rear 0.016" (16 thou) down to 0.010" (10 thou) just prior to the outside edge. So the maximum wear is 0.022" (22 thou) after some 292,000 Miles (470,000km), these being the original factory fitted items. The maximum wear allowed according to the workshop manual is 0.050" (50 thou). I think that is extremely impressive indeed to have less than half the allowed wear after almost half a million km!

They have never been skimmed and there is no evidence of warping, which when present can be felt through the pedal. Compared to modern items which require regular skimming and frequent replacement, Girling certainly made a quality item.



Ron.
 
That is quite remarkable Ron.
For the past 6 months, my daily has been a e36 320i (sold the little Alfa 33), which had brand new front rotors and pads fitted.
I notice the discs already have the beginnings of the little "lip" on the circumference. :(
 
Seconded, Brenten. E36s have rotor replacements factory stipulated at 40000 km intervals. Warping is also a major pain due to various factors. That's more or less 25 sets by the time Ron gets around to fitting his second. Ahem.
 
Tor said:
E36s have rotor replacements factory stipulated at 40000 km intervals
Click to expand...

Crikey!!
Didnt know that.
That means I'll get about 2 yrs out of them :shock:
Cant fault the motor though...242k and spins to redline effortlessly.
In fact, the first week I had it, I thought there was a some problem...I was dawdling along in first gear and put my foot down a little, only to have the car stutter and stumble.
"What the?", I thought...until I glanced at the tacho bouncing of the 7000rpm limiter!
Being so used to the raucous Alfa 33, I mentally thought the motor to be around the 3500-4000 rpm mark. :shock:
Change oil every 5-6k and its still pretty much golden.
 
DaveHerns wrote,...
Maybe the discs last so long because the pads are soft and wear out in preference to the discs ?
Click to expand...

Certainly disc longevity is both a function of pad material and driving style. The Australian made pads that I have almost exclusively used since about 1990, which covers the last 200,000 odd miles (322,000km) generally last a minimum of 20,000 miles per set (32,000km), and that would be mostly suburban driving in that scenario.

No matter how you look at it, the original Girling discs are just superb quality.

Ron.
 
Sorry Ron, but not necessarily! Modern discs are consciously made of different materials to our cars, this to improve the braking performance. But it does come at a price....

Chris
 
Hi Chris,

I have never found the brakes on the Rover wanting, certainly not in the way that I drive. Given a choice between modern brakes and what the Rover has, I know what I would choose. :wink:

Ron.
 
Following on from my last post, whilst the front was elevated, inspection of the steering idler for free play revealed rather more than I was prepared to accept, so it required changing. To check for unwanted play, hold the wheel with hands placed at a quarter to three. If when pushing and pulling simultaneously with both hands the wheel follows suit, then the idler will need replacing. When the idler is new, there is no discernable play at all.

The following day, with the valance removed so as to provide additional room, the track rod ball joint was released. The idler was then detached from its mounting points so as to provide better access for releasing the steering rod. With the air canister and accelerator linkage disconnected, the idler was manoeuvred free from its surroundings.


The steel support bracket and the rubber seal which forms a gutter for the windscreen.





The rubber seal which acts as a gutter can be clearly seen in both of the above two photos. When perished, water can flow past the seal and enter the foot wells through air vents directly above them.



The track rod ball joint awaits releasing from the idler.


The bush was worn and most if not all of the oil had leaked out, still it served for just over 90,000 Miles (145,000km).


The reconditioned replacement.








The replacement fitted.


Ron.
 
Thanks Brenten.

In theory it is quite straight forward, but expect to spend anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to remove and refit the replacement.

Ron.
 
SydneyRoverP6B said:
Thanks Brenten.

In theory it is quite straight forward, but expect to spend anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to remove and refit the replacement.

Ron.
Click to expand...

Very interesting Ron. I will, at some point, have to change my fathers steering idler on his P6, as it's probably past its best having had an advisory about it on the last MOT.

I'll plan a weekend for that job then :wink:
 
billoddie said:
SydneyRoverP6B said:
but expect to spend anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to remove and refit the replacement.
Click to expand...

Ok...that puts things into a little perspective now!
Click to expand...


Book time for remove/refit is 2h9m and I reckon like all Rover times that's generous, so I don't know what you've been doing under there.....
 
HarveyP6 wrote,...
Book time for remove/refit is 2h9m and I reckon like all Rover times that's generous, so I don't know what you've been doing under there.....
Click to expand...

I am not in a hurry when I am doing it, and the time I indicated covers everything from getting out the tools to raising the car etc, and of course as Dave mentioned, taking photographs to help others.

If I was changing them regularly, then like with all tasks undertaken, the time frame would fall as familiarity brings improvements in efficiency.

Ron.
 
If I was changing them regularly, then like with all tasks undertaken, the time frame would fall as familiarity brings improvements in efficiency.
Click to expand...

yup - dont ask me how long it takes to do some of these things! but on changing heads I can do them in about 6 hours now... (Took me about double that the first time!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top