possible 75 purchase

genpk · 13th June 2024, 09:45

Well now im retired- ive been looking around for a 75 to do up as a project.
Have not been able to find a white one over here (in western australia) ( about the only colour i never owned!!)
but ive come across a 2002 connie going cheap with rear blind etc in British racing green.
The car has seen better days, has a dent on front drivers fender and bonnet corner and a crack in the bumper BUT the owner has just done a rebuild of the motor (2.5)heads done, new belts, water pump, new thermostat etc
Paint on the bonnet, roof and boot clear coat are peeling but the interior is pretty good.
Drove the car, felt great to drive but i noticed the temp gauge did not move past quarter even when the coolant tank was warmed up.
The owner owner has put a aftermarket 3 speed electric fan which seems to run in and off, owner says he set the fan up that way??
My question, if the engine has warned up why would the temp gauge not show
the gauge moving to warming up?

SD1too · 13th June 2024, 09:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by genpk

... i noticed the temp gauge did not move past quarter ...

Do you mean 7 o'clock? If so, that indicates a thermostat fault which is unusual. I suspect that the engine has had a dose of the demon K-Seal (or equivalent in Australia).

Quote:

Originally Posted by genpk

... the owner has just done a rebuild of the motor (2.5) heads done ...

That's a worrying sign. The V6 is not susceptible to head gasket failure but it can be incorrectly diagnosed following overheating the usual cause of which is radiator fan failure.

I'd urge you to walk away from this one Peter. It's going to be trouble.

Simon

genpk · 13th June 2024, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD1too

Do you mean 7 o'clock? If so, that indicates a thermostat fault which is unusual. I suspect that the engine has had a dose of the demon K-Seal (or equivalent in Australia).

That's a worrying sign. The V6 is not susceptible to head gasket failure but it can be incorrectly diagnosed following overheating the usual cause of which is radiator fan failure.

I'd urge you to walk away from this one Peter. It's going to be trouble.

Simon

Hi Simon,i was told it did have an over heat issue ibut they have subsequently done 20,000km since the rebuild but are getting rid of the car as their son had
a minor bingle denting the front corner of the bonnet and wing and bumper.
They dont want to fix it up as their going traveling and dont want spend anything more on it.
They have also put a new radiator in also but since having the minor bingle , it has a small leak on the nylon tank.
The engine is running well and smoothly.
Owner has all the paperwork for the rebuild
The owner has also fitted a different coolant tank as he couldnt get an original.
As said the coolant tank was warm after a drive so the thermo must be working, just the temp gauge didn't seem to move much after 10 minutes of driving.
Its a hard one as it runs well but it does have history.
Having said that, my old 2003 had an over heat issue and still went onto 240,000km without issue so not sure !!
It would be a project- at $2.5k aud its cheap!!

Matt_75 · 13th June 2024, 11:05

Would it be possible to take it for another test drive? Or let it idle for a good while? It would interesting to see numerically what the coolant temperature is doing by using the diagnostic mode: https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=55585

genpk · 13th June 2024, 17:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt_75

Would it be possible to take it for another test drive? Or let it idle for a good while? It would interesting to see numerically what the coolant temperature is doing by using the diagnostic mode: https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=55585

Thats a good idea.Might see if i can go have a second look.
As Simon says, could be a can of worms
Strangely enough, was also contacted by a young guy over here that does a bit of wheeling and dealing with Rovers and he ended up with my old Rover 75 and is going to flip it, but i went and had a look at that and the previous owner had really run the cars condition down ie, interior was falling to bits, engine needed a new harmonic balancer etc, also paint clear coat peeling, which is common over here in sunny australia!!
Not many cars left on the market here and whats is for sale are mostly not great condition.Unfortunately the cost of doing them up to a decent standard is beyond the value of the car, especially paint!!

The Rovering Member · 13th June 2024, 19:42

Depends if you're worried about resale value or if you want to do it for the hobby side of things. I'll never recoup the outlay on any of my cars but that's not why l do it. My 75 is my daily but also part of my hobby 'fleet' (it's not really big enough to be a fleet).

genpk · 13th June 2024, 20:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rovering Member

Depends if you're worried about resale value or if you want to do it for the hobby side of things. I'll never recoup the outlay on any of my cars but that's not why l do it. My 75 is my daily but also part of my hobby 'fleet' (it's not really big enough to be a fleet).

You are right, cars generally cost you money and as mentioned, these cars are now getting on age wise.
The one good thing is, over here the cars never have any rust in them due to the climate.
Usually paint is knackered but body panels are good!!

genpk · 16th June 2024, 06:50

went and had a second look at the 75 connie for sale.
Car drives well- except it has an ABS light on the dash .
The owner has changed the ABS module , changed the front drivers wheel sensor but cant get rid of it!
The speedo and all gauges are working as they should.
I was going to buy it to do up but i know these ABS faults can get expensive.
The has done an engine rebuild (20,000km ago) and had the auto serviced.
Any ideas re the abs light ?

R75800sd1 · 16th June 2024, 07:29

In the years I've run 75's with the exception of one chafed through wire, ABS warnings have always been knackered wheel bearings. That's probably once out of eight it's not been a bearing.

genpk · 16th June 2024, 08:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by R75800sd1

In the years I've run 75's with the exception of one chafed through wire, ABS warnings have always been knackered wheel bearings. That's probably once out of eight it's not been a bearing.

Forgive my ignorance- how does a knackered wheel bearing affect the wheel sensors?
Ive heard of reluctor rings etc??
This guy has done work on the engine ,CV joints etc so id hope he would notice a knackered wheel bearing.
Last time i had this issue on my old rover 75 it turned out to be a rear wheel
sensor.
How to test the wheel bearing?

13th June 2024, 09:45	#1
genpk Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Saloon MGZT Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Perth, AUSTRALIA Posts: 1,675 Thanks: 3 Thanked 461 Times in 299 Posts	possible 75 purchase Well now im retired- ive been looking around for a 75 to do up as a project. Have not been able to find a white one over here (in western australia) ( about the only colour i never owned!!) but ive come across a 2002 connie going cheap with rear blind etc in British racing green. The car has seen better days, has a dent on front drivers fender and bonnet corner and a crack in the bumper BUT the owner has just done a rebuild of the motor (2.5)heads done, new belts, water pump, new thermostat etc Paint on the bonnet, roof and boot clear coat are peeling but the interior is pretty good. Drove the car, felt great to drive but i noticed the temp gauge did not move past quarter even when the coolant tank was warmed up. The owner owner has put a aftermarket 3 speed electric fan which seems to run in and off, owner says he set the fan up that way?? My question, if the engine has warned up why would the temp gauge not show the gauge moving to warming up?

13th June 2024, 11:05	#4
Matt_75 Gets stuck in 75 Saloon Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: North Somerset Posts: 603 Thanks: 13 Thanked 20 Times in 8 Posts	Would it be possible to take it for another test drive? Or let it idle for a good while? It would interesting to see numerically what the coolant temperature is doing by using the diagnostic mode: https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=55585 __________________ Matt 2001 Rover 75 Connoisseur SE 2.5 (BRG) 1999 Rover 75 Club 2.5 (Dorchester Red) 1973 Triumph Dolomite (Honeysuckle)

13th June 2024, 19:42	#6
The Rovering Member I really should get out more....... Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: London Posts: 2,991 Thanks: 263 Thanked 538 Times in 431 Posts	Depends if you're worried about resale value or if you want to do it for the hobby side of things. I'll never recoup the outlay on any of my cars but that's not why l do it. My 75 is my daily but also part of my hobby 'fleet' (it's not really big enough to be a fleet). __________________ Reducing the size of my Rover fleet by adding a 75 to it. Last edited by The Rovering Member; 13th June 2024 at 19:48..

16th June 2024, 06:50	#8
genpk Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Saloon MGZT Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Perth, AUSTRALIA Posts: 1,675 Thanks: 3 Thanked 461 Times in 299 Posts	went and had a second look at the 75 connie for sale. Car drives well- except it has an ABS light on the dash . The owner has changed the ABS module , changed the front drivers wheel sensor but cant get rid of it! The speedo and all gauges are working as they should. I was going to buy it to do up but i know these ABS faults can get expensive. The has done an engine rebuild (20,000km ago) and had the auto serviced. Any ideas re the abs light ?

16th June 2024, 07:29	#9
R75800sd1 Avid contributor Rover 75s; 2 Diesel Tourers, 1 diesel saloon, Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Chesterfield Posts: 140 Thanks: 47 Thanked 48 Times in 32 Posts	In the years I've run 75's with the exception of one chafed through wire, ABS warnings have always been knackered wheel bearings. That's probably once out of eight it's not been a bearing.