Rover 75 1.8 Automatic Petrol - Missing a Gear? - Page 4

John3:16 · 7th October 2016, 02:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD1too

Have you done basic electrical continuity tests on the sports mode switch?

I happened to pick a switch up from my local scrappy for a couple of pounds whilst I was getting some rear springs and shocks during the summer. Didn't make any difference. S lights up on the dash next to D but part from that not a sausage l'm afraid. When we get the car up on the ramps we'll have a good look to make sure there's no loose wires or connectors which have come unplugged.

John3:16 · 12th October 2016, 15:42

Flip this Forum and it's postings and technical pages and lots of photo's and masses of advice from members ...

... sat down last night to review how to replace the Automatic Transmission Fluid ready for today and came across a very well presented, well photographed and very descriptive way to extract practically all the fluid via the cooler.

Damm !!!

I've only got 4.55 litres and now I need 8 litres ... rang around all the usual Motorist Centres this morning and using Simon's list of suitable ATF I asked if they could supply ... "Oh you don't want that ... this one is better" (because it's the one they can't shift off the shelf more like it). No I only want what's on my list so I'm not in the same position in a few years time. Guess what ... no-one in Hull could be found to supply so another shopping trip to eBay and it'll be with me on Friday morning.

Seriously

Many thanks guys (and ladies) for all your advice you pop onto this Forum. It may lay around gathering cobwebs but believe me, numpties like me, rummage through all the posting (old and new) looking for how other people have tackled problems ... so keep up the good work and keep posting.

I'll let you know how the fluid change goes and if it makes any difference to the transmission. Got the car booked in with Trickey in 2 weeks time.

John3:16 · 13th October 2016, 12:19

ATF Arrived this morning , less than a day after I ordered it from Whiston Motor Factors of St Helens, Merseyside ... wonderful service from some suppliers on eBay.

John3:16 · 18th October 2016, 18:53

FX. Distant Music Playing .... Apollo Space Program Blue Danube Waltz Music by Johann Strauss II Astronauts in Space & on the Moon

The day finally arrived yesterday to tackle the Automatic Transmission Fluid on the Rover. The nephew's ramps fully booked up for several weeks so time to do it on the drive. First I finished the replacement of the HT lead and changed the spark plugs ... top of the engine work now complete.

The car was jacked up and axel stands placed to secure the car. Nice off-cut of carpet placed under the car to lay on.
Tools - check
ATF Carlube 8ltrs - check
Plastic Gloves - check (keep the ATF well away from your skin)
Funnel - check
Old Oil Drainage Container - check
Piece of hose pipe - check
Brake Cleaner - check
Old container with litres marked on the side to measure old fluid - check
Nice long roll of adsorbent towels - check
Instructions from the Rover Forum - check

Everything was ready so I slid under the car and tackled the car pan. Mr Fingers Mechanic been here as well. Only half the fasteners in place and a nice selection of plastic ties. New set of fasteners ordered from eBay (just as cheap as driving down to the local scrappy and paying the petrol and cost of the parts so it works out about the same buying new). The back of the pan was held on by plastic ties so I left these in place and quickly undid the other fasteners/cut the ties and then cut the back ties and slid the pan out. Perfect.

Another study of the picture from the Forum of the Gear Box and which bolt to LEAVE and which was the actual drain plug. It was fairly obvious which one it was but it's best to double check. A felt tip pen was then used to write DRAIN on the plug bolt and LEVEL on the level plug.

The drainage container was then placed under the plug and the plug removed. The plug had a peculiar thick sludge on the magnet. Soon cleaned the sludge off with brake cleaner.

The fluid was a dark colour considering it had been in just over 2 years and flowed very quickly - just like water in fact. Whilst it was draining the airbox was removed and the top up aperture cleaned with brake cleaner and towel.

Fluid fully drained the plug was then replaced and the used ATF poured into the old container to see how much fluid was drained ... approximately 3 litres.

The funnel was then popped into the transmission filling aperture ... not!

The funnel was too big ... how do I fill the transmission now ?? ... no car to go to the shops ??? A quick look in the garage and a moment later a new/clean mastic screw-on nozzle was produced. The nozzle was cut down to enable it to fit into the aperture securely and the funnel was then popped into the nozzle. Problem solved. 3 litres of nice fresh Carlube ATF was then poured into the transmission.

Next back under the car to disconnect the cooler pipe and connect the hosepipe up to fully drain the ATF from the cooler/system. Mmmm smell of old ATF getting stronger

strange but as I struggled to disconnect the pipe the smell got stronger and stronger until I realised I had kicked the old container over whilst dancing about under the car with the damn cooler pipe. ATF all over the drive ... on the carpet off-cut ... and down the left side of my jeans and gardening coat.

No wonder the smell was getting stronger. Tip here. Keep the fluids/containers away from where you are working. Too late now to worry so I pushed the hosepipe on and then crawled back out from under the car and started the engine for 10 seconds to expel the rest of the old ATF. Tip number 2. Have someone else helping you. The hose had popped off and even more ATF on the drive and the rest of the carpet

. No measuring of how much extra fluid was expelled here (unless you know of a mathematical equation to measure the puddle and calculate the cubic volume).

Cooler pipe reconnected and I took a guess that at least 4 litres had been expelled so another 4 litres was poured in.

Time to warm the automatic transmission up so the car was started whilst I set about cleaning up the mess. The smell was dreadful and after mopping up as much as I could .. going through several rolls of towel ... I crept inside and filled a bucket with hot water and washing up liquid.
"What's that horrible smell in my house" her indoors yelled from the sitting room ... "Nothing" and a quick exit. A nice long scrub of the drive and towels, carpet, coat, gloves, jeans, etc all in the wheelie bin.

Automatic Transmission nicely warmed up the gear lever was then moved through the settings, resting in D, R , 4 etc. for a few minutes to ensure the fluid was properly circulating . Then time to check the fluid level. A gentle trickle came from the level plug and then just a bubbly trickle. Perfect.

Time to test the car.

It's only a short drive to our bypass and at the start of it I came to a rest then off we went.

2nd gear approximately 12mph
3rd gear approximately 20mph
4th gear approximately 35mph
5th gear approximately 45mph ..... yes the 5th gear was back!!!!!!.

Quickly rushed home to the Mrs and asked her to test drive it. "What's that smell???" "yes yes I know I'll have a wash soon ..

.. it's the ATF". We both went off in the car (windows wide open for some reason...?? ) "It's winter you know" "You smell you know". Then she commented that she noticed how smooth the car was changing through the gears and then it came to the bypass run and yes she too noticed the gear changing to 5th.

After weeks of much appreciated advice from this Forum and especially from Simon and Trickey I've found the 5th gear again. The people who replaced the automatic transmission must have used cheap and not recommended ATF which is why it came out a dark colour when drained.

Anyone thinking of changing their ATF please please use only the fluids recommended by this Forum. See Simon's excellent guide as to what fluid you should use. Not all ATF's are the same and thinking it's a smart move to buy a cheap ATF will cost you in the long run as you'll have to change it for the correct specifications.

Mission accomplished ... except it still wont respond to Sports Mode but that can wait ... I don't use Sports Mode as a rule ... she's a car to be driven like a lady not a boy racer.

SD1too · 18th October 2016, 19:42

I've just read Neill 1:1 and I think it's appropriate to sing hallelujah!

It's kind of you to make those appreciative comments, but our advice and encouragement is only half the story. You made a considerable personal effort too. A fair proportion of our advice is met by silence; we never hear from the enquiring member again.

Then we have those who tell us that their garage (who are family friends) say otherwise, which makes me wonder why they come here in the first place.

A few just want to say how much better their BMW is, and then we come to those like you Neill. You came, you saw, and you conquered the problem; plus you took the trouble to record your success for posterity!

Well done Neill, and

to the club.

Simon

John3:16 · 18th October 2016, 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by John3:16

Mission accomplished ...

Couldn't resist taking the girl for another run out (the car that is) to feel those gears smoothly shifting away ... then the "Bulb Failure" light came on. Checked all the lights, side, main, full, rear, brakes, indicators all working .. oh well aren't cars fun? Another thing to play with and solve.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD1too

I've just read Neill 1:1 and I think it's appropriate to sing hallelujah!

Simon

Shucks you've made me blush now ...

trikey · 18th October 2016, 21:14

Well done, now for the non working sports mode...

John3:16 · 18th October 2016, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by trikey

Well done, now for the non working sports mode...

Hi
Thanks for looking in. I've emailed you to postpone our appointment on 25th October as I can live without the Sports Mode for the time been but would like to find out why it's not working and have it fixed. If I can come by your way later in the year I'd be grateful.

Any ideas where to start looking for the Sports Mode fault in the meantime, solenoid, electrical...? Or shall I just leave it to the Master when you cast your expert eye over her?

trikey · 18th October 2016, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by John3:16

Hi
Thanks for looking in. I've emailed you to postpone our appointment on 25th October as I can live without the Sports Mode for the time been but would like to find out why it's not working and have it fixed. If I can come by your way later in the year I'd be grateful.

Any ideas where to start looking for the Sports Mode fault in the meantime, solenoid, electrical...? Or shall I just leave it to the Master when you cast your expert eye over her?

We will let T4 have a look, it knows lot more than I do

John3:16 · 2nd April 2017, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by trikey

We will let T4 have a look, it knows lot more than I do

Well ... took a while (and saving my pennies from washing the dishes for the Mrs) but today Trikey fitted a new ECU to the Rover 75 ... it's faster, more responsive and yes "Sports Mode" is there now. So the main problem with the auto box was the Transmission Fluid (ATF) and the lack of Sports Mode was an early sign that the ECU was failing. Well spotted on that one Trikey.

As a word of caution/advice folks ... if you're at a "Meet" and can cross the palm of a friendly Member with a T4 diagnostic kit it's well worth a quick look to see how "well" your car is. The process for replacing an ECU looked prity easy with all the correct equipment and new ECU available ... it's a little harder on the side of the motorway, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain and on your way to your holidays.!

Have fun and keep the 75's rolling.

Neill

12th October 2016, 15:42	#32
John3:16 Avid contributor 2.0 V6 Connoisseur Auto Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Cottingham Posts: 186 Thanks: 61 Thanked 25 Times in 18 Posts	Flip this Forum and it's postings and technical pages and lots of photo's and masses of advice from members ... ... sat down last night to review how to replace the Automatic Transmission Fluid ready for today and came across a very well presented, well photographed and very descriptive way to extract practically all the fluid via the cooler. Damm !!! I've only got 4.55 litres and now I need 8 litres ... rang around all the usual Motorist Centres this morning and using Simon's list of suitable ATF I asked if they could supply ... "Oh you don't want that ... this one is better" (because it's the one they can't shift off the shelf more like it). No I only want what's on my list so I'm not in the same position in a few years time. Guess what ... no-one in Hull could be found to supply so another shopping trip to eBay and it'll be with me on Friday morning. Seriously Many thanks guys (and ladies) for all your advice you pop onto this Forum. It may lay around gathering cobwebs but believe me, numpties like me, rummage through all the posting (old and new) looking for how other people have tackled problems ... so keep up the good work and keep posting. I'll let you know how the fluid change goes and if it makes any difference to the transmission. Got the car booked in with Trickey in 2 weeks time. __________________ "Seek to do unselfish things ..." Neill (1962 - I'm still hanging on in there) 2.0 Petrol V6 75 Connoisseur Auto "Ginnie" ...finally stopped that darn thermostat from leaking !! Last edited by John3:16; 19th October 2016 at 07:26..

13th October 2016, 12:19	#33
John3:16 Avid contributor 2.0 V6 Connoisseur Auto Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Cottingham Posts: 186 Thanks: 61 Thanked 25 Times in 18 Posts	ATF Arrived this morning , less than a day after I ordered it from Whiston Motor Factors of St Helens, Merseyside ... wonderful service from some suppliers on eBay. __________________ "Seek to do unselfish things ..." Neill (1962 - I'm still hanging on in there) 2.0 Petrol V6 75 Connoisseur Auto "Ginnie" ...finally stopped that darn thermostat from leaking !! Last edited by John3:16; 13th October 2016 at 12:24..

18th October 2016, 18:53	#34
John3:16 Avid contributor 2.0 V6 Connoisseur Auto Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Cottingham Posts: 186 Thanks: 61 Thanked 25 Times in 18 Posts	FX. Distant Music Playing .... Apollo Space Program Blue Danube Waltz Music by Johann Strauss II Astronauts in Space & on the Moon The day finally arrived yesterday to tackle the Automatic Transmission Fluid on the Rover. The nephew's ramps fully booked up for several weeks so time to do it on the drive. First I finished the replacement of the HT lead and changed the spark plugs ... top of the engine work now complete. The car was jacked up and axel stands placed to secure the car. Nice off-cut of carpet placed under the car to lay on. Tools - check ATF Carlube 8ltrs - check Plastic Gloves - check (keep the ATF well away from your skin) Funnel - check Old Oil Drainage Container - check Piece of hose pipe - check Brake Cleaner - check Old container with litres marked on the side to measure old fluid - check Nice long roll of adsorbent towels - check Instructions from the Rover Forum - check Everything was ready so I slid under the car and tackled the car pan. Mr Fingers Mechanic been here as well. Only half the fasteners in place and a nice selection of plastic ties. New set of fasteners ordered from eBay (just as cheap as driving down to the local scrappy and paying the petrol and cost of the parts so it works out about the same buying new). The back of the pan was held on by plastic ties so I left these in place and quickly undid the other fasteners/cut the ties and then cut the back ties and slid the pan out. Perfect. Another study of the picture from the Forum of the Gear Box and which bolt to LEAVE and which was the actual drain plug. It was fairly obvious which one it was but it's best to double check. A felt tip pen was then used to write DRAIN on the plug bolt and LEVEL on the level plug. The drainage container was then placed under the plug and the plug removed. The plug had a peculiar thick sludge on the magnet. Soon cleaned the sludge off with brake cleaner. The fluid was a dark colour considering it had been in just over 2 years and flowed very quickly - just like water in fact. Whilst it was draining the airbox was removed and the top up aperture cleaned with brake cleaner and towel. Fluid fully drained the plug was then replaced and the used ATF poured into the old container to see how much fluid was drained ... approximately 3 litres. The funnel was then popped into the transmission filling aperture ... not! The funnel was too big ... how do I fill the transmission now ?? ... no car to go to the shops ??? A quick look in the garage and a moment later a new/clean mastic screw-on nozzle was produced. The nozzle was cut down to enable it to fit into the aperture securely and the funnel was then popped into the nozzle. Problem solved. 3 litres of nice fresh Carlube ATF was then poured into the transmission. Next back under the car to disconnect the cooler pipe and connect the hosepipe up to fully drain the ATF from the cooler/system. Mmmm smell of old ATF getting stronger strange but as I struggled to disconnect the pipe the smell got stronger and stronger until I realised I had kicked the old container over whilst dancing about under the car with the damn cooler pipe. ATF all over the drive ... on the carpet off-cut ... and down the left side of my jeans and gardening coat. No wonder the smell was getting stronger. Tip here. Keep the fluids/containers away from where you are working. Too late now to worry so I pushed the hosepipe on and then crawled back out from under the car and started the engine for 10 seconds to expel the rest of the old ATF. Tip number 2. Have someone else helping you. The hose had popped off and even more ATF on the drive and the rest of the carpet . No measuring of how much extra fluid was expelled here (unless you know of a mathematical equation to measure the puddle and calculate the cubic volume). Cooler pipe reconnected and I took a guess that at least 4 litres had been expelled so another 4 litres was poured in. Time to warm the automatic transmission up so the car was started whilst I set about cleaning up the mess. The smell was dreadful and after mopping up as much as I could .. going through several rolls of towel ... I crept inside and filled a bucket with hot water and washing up liquid. "What's that horrible smell in my house" her indoors yelled from the sitting room ... "Nothing" and a quick exit. A nice long scrub of the drive and towels, carpet, coat, gloves, jeans, etc all in the wheelie bin. Automatic Transmission nicely warmed up the gear lever was then moved through the settings, resting in D, R , 4 etc. for a few minutes to ensure the fluid was properly circulating . Then time to check the fluid level. A gentle trickle came from the level plug and then just a bubbly trickle. Perfect. Time to test the car. It's only a short drive to our bypass and at the start of it I came to a rest then off we went. 2nd gear approximately 12mph 3rd gear approximately 20mph 4th gear approximately 35mph 5th gear approximately 45mph ..... yes the 5th gear was back!!!!!!. Quickly rushed home to the Mrs and asked her to test drive it. "What's that smell???" "yes yes I know I'll have a wash soon .. .. it's the ATF". We both went off in the car (windows wide open for some reason...?? ) "It's winter you know" "You smell you know". Then she commented that she noticed how smooth the car was changing through the gears and then it came to the bypass run and yes she too noticed the gear changing to 5th. After weeks of much appreciated advice from this Forum and especially from Simon and Trickey I've found the 5th gear again. The people who replaced the automatic transmission must have used cheap and not recommended ATF which is why it came out a dark colour when drained. Anyone thinking of changing their ATF please please use only the fluids recommended by this Forum. See Simon's excellent guide as to what fluid you should use. Not all ATF's are the same and thinking it's a smart move to buy a cheap ATF will cost you in the long run as you'll have to change it for the correct specifications. Mission accomplished ... except it still wont respond to Sports Mode but that can wait ... I don't use Sports Mode as a rule ... she's a car to be driven like a lady not a boy racer. __________________ "Seek to do unselfish things ..." Neill (1962 - I'm still hanging on in there) 2.0 Petrol V6 75 Connoisseur Auto "Ginnie" ...finally stopped that darn thermostat from leaking !! Last edited by John3:16; 19th October 2016 at 07:33..

18th October 2016, 19:42	#35
SD1too Doesn't do things by halves Rover 75 2.5 Connoisseur Auto (1999) Dealer launch model. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Former Middlesex Posts: 20,430 Thanks: 1,587 Thanked 3,749 Times in 3,181 Posts	I've just read Neill 1:1 and I think it's appropriate to sing hallelujah! It's kind of you to make those appreciative comments, but our advice and encouragement is only half the story. You made a considerable personal effort too. A fair proportion of our advice is met by silence; we never hear from the enquiring member again. Then we have those who tell us that their garage (who are family friends) say otherwise, which makes me wonder why they come here in the first place. A few just want to say how much better their BMW is, and then we come to those like you Neill. You came, you saw, and you conquered the problem; plus you took the trouble to record your success for posterity! Well done Neill, and to the club. Simon __________________ "Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble." Sir Henry Royce.

18th October 2016, 21:14	#37
trikey Premium Trader Rover 75 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon Posts: 33,799 Thanks: 8,837 Thanked 14,831 Times in 8,030 Posts	Well done, now for the non working sports mode... __________________ Lest we forget..