An happy 75 owner's blog

[Dorchester2]

To get a little more out of the tank

French military 20L (5.3 gallons) jerrycan SEA 4-54 (1954) ES (petrol) in very good condition - inside particularly, recent washer if not new - with this new pouring spout found in a boot sale for 8€ (£7) only. The whole is shutting & working fine.

Hence I'll be able now to join my younger son in the Alps (530km - 330 mls) with no need to fuel in between or to look for a gas station provided with ethanol. Remember E85 consumption: +25%. Driving a KV6 fuelled with ethanol is definitely a luxury!

[Dorchester2]

Now the job would be to get some strap to tie it to the boot.
Is there anything of the kind for a 75 saloon?
I know that exists for tourers.

[Dorchester2]

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY!

Birmingham British International Motor Show Friday October 23rd 1998!

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...r-1179537.html

https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/bus...-glitz-7910254

https://youtu.be/oHNsqrxKZLo

https://youtu.be/X88Ko1jr3Sg

https://youtu.be/GmH8G8rP6wk

[Dorchester2]

Problem and its possible solution?

Well as you should know:
- I've got a KV6 2.5 auto
- I fuel up with ethanol that demands 25% more fuel
- I've got a K&N panel
- I've had fitted a non restrictive ss back box

Hence what?

That it may be interesting / improving (mpg? throttle quicker response?) / funny / original (delete as appropriate!) to have more air coming into the air box to help breathing the engine.

Possible it may be a silly question, but I've read lots of comments on several forums and nobody looks agreeing on that matter and mainly on the likely solutions if any.

Some answered that it should damage the air/fuel mix since if better solutions had existed Rover engineers would have adopt them (old tune!).
To me that answer looks nonsensical because it's the ECU that manages what is needed & when.

My aim is just to help more air in going if needed, in other words to level up the maximum air allowed, which doesn't mean that this possibility will be systematically used. It's just in case.
That's why some guys have fitted Pipercross / K&N / you name it performance cone air filter to increase the air admission.

I'm just willing to go cheaper and easier, as usual.

Thus I've done 4 nice & clean circular holes in the back bottom of the air box (close to the battery tray) with my 3/4" hole saw (the one I've used to make 4 holes in the rear bumper for the parking alarm). Nothing can be seen unless you open the box & take off the filtering panel.

It's just a try because I like experiments.
And if it's worth nothing good, I'll turn back with 4 good Porto stoppers that will nicely and exactly close the holes!

Did you choose 'funny' in the above multiple choice question?

I'll keep you posted: tomorrow I'm to have a nice journey - at least I hope so - looking for a very special cheese (a kind of French parmesan, 'Rodez' by name, nearly uniquely sold to... Italy, I bet you'd guessed it!) & a few bottles of fine special red wine that exists only in one tiny French spot (that unique grape variety wine is called 'Marcillac', the grape variety being called 'Mansois' or 'Fer Servadou' or some other names).

Cheers!

[Dorchester2]

First overview

Lovely & sunny day, meaty lunch, stunning landscapes & welcoming wine grower & cheesemonger! A great day.

And the air box mod then?

First of all and maybe the most important to begin with, no harm was done. I'm already happy for that. You never know where you may end up at when you are doing something despite some criticisms and warnings.

Now the facts.

My initial thoughts were that the engine needing 25% more fuel (E85), hence more breathing was necessary as well, especially when you are doing a brave kick down for example to overtake.
The point was to know whether something could be improved in the mixing process, given that the car was already driving very well with E85 and the 24 kOhms resistor on the air sensor.

But, and never had I told you here, even the kick down was great and very efficient - I may say impressive -, there remained a little inconvenience: a second or even two were elapsing before the engine reacted effectively to the kick down. When you know it, it's not a problem, just a disappointment not to get a perfect speeding up.

So have I tested the overtaking several times today.
It's stunning: the slight delay has disappeared!

Any more evidence?
Until yesterday, after the overtaking, to go back to a slower pace, I was used immediately to fully release the pedal a pair of seconds before pushing down again what was needed.
Today I did the same while doing my first overtaking but the engine at once reacted like I'd pushed the break pedal as if suddenly there was a lack of petrol or a breakdown.
Never before she had behaved like that.
So when I overtook for the second time, I was less brutal & rough with the pedal and all was fine.

My conclusion from that is looking like an evidence and not at all an impression (at least to me): until yesterday, pushing hard on the pedal, some quantities of petrol were unused and useless because the engine couldn't get more air and the ECU was doing a mix combining the max of air and the needed quantity of petrol. Then the residual petrol was preventing that 'breaking effect' told above.

Today because the injectors could benefit of more air, I guess they've consumed all the petrol they needed hence nothing was remaining in the system when I fully released the pedal.
I may be wrong but I can't find out any other explanation.

Regarding the global performance, I find the engine more responsive, at least slightly quicker to react, but that may be only in mind.

At last regarding the consumption, even it's a little early to know for certain, especially because lots of parameters may vary, at least it looks the engine isn't more thirsty, I guess because the mix in now fully efficient & definitely without any limitation either of air or or fuel.
An evidence?
Easy.
Until yesterday, adding the km elapsed and those evaluated either by the OEM computer or Torque Pro (which funnily were fully agreeing today, that wasn't always the case), I could hardly get more than 480/500 km. Today during the whole of the journey, the total was always slightly better than 550!

What do you reckon of that?

[Dorchester2]

Some more informations
My KV6 2.5 air box was a bit restricted as well by the trumpet, hence I've taken it off.
The flow of 'fresh' air coming from the shannon tube (renewed by a better one, the old OEM one was destroyed as usual) and slightly restricted at its conical opening, is arriving at the front of the lower part of the box.
The horizontal panel filter (K&N for my car) is lying at half height and the rubber hose going to the TB is tied to the upper part of the box.
At last the 4 circular holes I've drilled out were done at the lower level, in the lower part of the box.

Hence no worry about any unfiltered air: the air arriving from the outside by the shannon tube AND from the inside by my 4 holes is similarly filtered by the K&N panel.
And after having drilled my holes, I used my good vacuum cleaner to remove the tiniest plastic bits to get back to a clean & neat air box.

The sport mode.

Last Wednesday I put it on along the whole journey. The only difference with the eco mode, is that the sport mode allow you to go higher in the revs, very useful even essential when overtaking and when driving uphill as well on a winding country road or in mountains. Unless your heavy 2.5 would look a bit sluggish.
I've experienced that if well used and kicking down only done when needed, the sport mode isn't more expensive than the eco mode and that the mpg isn't actually deteriorated. Why then doing without?

But justly because I'm using sport mode & E85, having more air at its disposal looks essential to the engine & its mix. Unless, your engine will suffer restriction and no fear to suffer a flood or damaging anything: ECU and VIS motors are the warrants of the best balance if they do properly their job as planned by the builder (BTW my VIS motors are fresh new from DMGRS - Mat Price).

Since my mod, I clearly feel that every move of my foot on the pedal is now fully efficient & precise, the mix can now be at its best without any restriction, and no longer as it was in the past any gasses will go unburnt in the system, provoking a waste of petrol then a sensibly higher consumption. Hence the 10% less petrol used or around I've noticed yesterday, that should be confirmed in the months to come.

[Dorchester2]

Umbelievable! What a 75 can make of you!

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/co...zDOOvVBZ5jzoac

[Dorchester2]

Sudden light failure, the car being standstill...
A weird story but to make it a bit shorter, here is the summary so far.

My lovely Lady Carlotta has decided to drive me nuts.
Last Monday morning driving 70 miles to my father-in-law's, all was fine.
I parked the 75 on a private parking during around 3 hours.
No move, nobody touched it, just sometimes a little drizzle, but no more than the day before, same spot, same journey.

When I opened the car in the beginning of the afternoon & turned the key on the last position just before firing up, the IPK screen announced a bulb failure then became mad announcing a light general failure with successively all the light warnings in a row, ending by the car sketch with all lights signaled as faulty!

Actually only the left dipped beam was faulty and out of order.
Then back home, my digital speed display was stubbornly interrupted by the bulb warning every 20 seconds.
Very efficient to be aware of the problem immediately but in the long way very exasperating because every 20 seconds I had to push once on the rod extremity to get back my speed display!

Anyway with the help of a few chaps & mainly ..., I took off bumper & light blocks & LSM as well.
No problem with bulbs: I swapped them to no avail. Same result.
My wires look neat & clean as far as I'm aware after a close examination of what I can see.
Specialists think the wire may be broken between the LSM & the bulb.

As I'm a naught in electricity, after several unhelpful tries with a multimeter, I've ordered a good functioning LSM on the bay from a British seller. I assume I cannot drive (i.e. starter on) with that spare one without putting my display & system in trouble, but I want to see when the car is standstill if switching on the lights get the same result or if my dipped beam is back to normal & working again.

In the former case I'll go to the mechanic's & let him find out where is hidden the gremlin and repair the broken wire.
In the latter case I'll go to the mechanic's as well (or another guy) fitted with a T4.

Waiting for the LSM at the moment, and nevertheless tomorrow same journey: I'll have to make do with that cheeky warning in front of me...

'A British car?' I was told by my French mates 'Always fussy & teasing. They all do that'... Naughty frog eaters!

To be continued...

[Dorchester2]

Back to square 2

I rest my case and I must admit ... that I was in the wrong.
Swapping the LSM today didn't make any improvement to my front lights and Lady Carlotta is still desperately one-eyed...

Hence for it's neither the LSM nor the bulb, it should be that blasted wire somewhere.
Having another close look behind the LSM nothing happens to be cut or interrupted there.
The problem isn't in the light block as well, so it's somewhere in that maze under the bonnet but where? I wasn't able to see any obvious failure...

I've sent a message to the mechanic: he will be in charge next week.
I'm fed up with that hateful niggle.

[Dorchester2]

Interesting article in the Daily Telegraph online:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/adv...buy-just-1000/

I'm not at all a subscriber but I gave my Email & hey presto I could read the whole of the text for free.

But a V6 2.0 looks to me a little short in power.
I wouldn't swap my 2.5 for one.
Regarding the money, it's obvious that in the UK used cars are appallingly under-priced!
Here in France at the moment a not too bad V6 2.5 couldn't be paid under 3k €, i.e. £2.6k, and some very good examples can reach 4 or 5k €!