Worst Luck Ever! Do I need a new engine?
 

Hi all, I'm new to the forums and new to owning my 2004 Rover 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur. As the title suggests I've not had very good luck with this car, I literally purchased it Sunday afternoon and I hadn't even got the car halfway home when the car suddenly lost power and the AA recovery man informed me that the timing belt had gone... now this isn't 100% confirmed, he didn't go as far as taking the covers off and checking but the signs point towards this being the case.

Before anyone comments that I should have taken it back... I'm not going to try and argue with the seller, it was his dad's car who passed away about 18 months prior and the car has barely been driven since, I don't believe he knew the belt was on its way out and he took me out for a test drive in the car and it was driving beautifully up until the point it wasn't.

So now I've got to work out what I'm going to do with the car... I know economically it doesn't make sense to spend any real money on these but the fact is this car has been loved, its in beautiful condition, has had a lot of upgrades done to the car and has a mere 55,000 miles on the clock so I really want to get this cat back up and running provided it's not going to financially ruin me in the process.

I don't know a load about this kind of thing so I really need some advice on how to proceed... i know it's difficult to say without knowing exactly what damage has been done but let's say the timing belt has gone, is the engine likely to be completely knackered (as in needs swapping for a complete new engine)? would I be able to just replace parts of the engine? is the engine itself likely to be OK but valves and pistons knackered? What would be the first steps I need to take?

I've already phoned around a couple of garages who didn't seem overly keen on taking on the job so that could be my next issue but depending just how involved it is I may even consider doing the work myself. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi Adam

Sorry to hear about your bad luck, if the timing belt has let go the chances are it will have bent a few valves! The pistons are normally ok when this happens unless you have been very unlucky.

I repaired one a few months ago that had done the same, i put two reconditioned heads on, and replaced an exhaust cam as the end had sheared off.

Along with new belts, water pump and a good service all was well again.

Welcome to the Club Adam, so sad that you have had such a quick need to ask for help, but rest assured, as has been evident already, help and advice is here on the forum. You will receive sensible advice and using the search tool and the "how to" section you will realize that if the car is as good as described, and if necessary, it will worth spending some money on.

Good luck.

Darn Adam I'm really sorry that you had to feel that. When i bought mine Rover 1.8 classic gasoline everything was fine when driving off from the seller that i bought it from but then few days later steam started to go out the hood, it wasn't smoke from the engine or anything. So what happened is the heater tube had burst but i didn't had a smallest idea to what it could be, so I did think the worst. After i took it to a couple of these local garages they all were a scam and trying to take my money for it saying that its the head of the engine...as it turned out it has been nothing but the tube that the water was leaking out of it.

Thanks trikey, hopefully mine won't be as bad as I'm suspecting then. Did you do the repair work yourself or did you put it in to a garage?

Andy (trikey) is a club trader and top notch mechanic, unfortunately he's a bit far away for you, Norfolk. Nearest trader/mechanic is Mickyboy in Herne Bay, still a fair bit away.

First thing is to confirm the condition of the belts . You comment that you may consider doing the work yourself so I guess you would be quite happy removing the covers on the 3 cambelts to check :} ( there are 3 belts , one big one on the front and a small one on the rear of each head )
If you find a snapped belt , then you know where you are ! There is also the possibility of a slipped belt that has jumped a couple of teeth due to lack of tension , and may cause similar damage such as bent valves :shrug:
If you were to do this repair yourself then the complex bit is refitting and timing the new belts . Removing the heads themselves holds no particular challenges .
I have done this to replace worn valve stem oil seals , and the one down side was that there are 24 valves to handle , if you go as far as removing the valves !
Not a quick job at all , but very doable if you are competent , and even enjoyable if you like tinkering :} On the other hand , before leaving it with a garage I would want to be very reassured of their experience and knowledge .

Hello Adam,

It's not possible to take off the covers to check at the roadside so let's not be too pessimistic about this. The belts are good for 90,000 miles (MG Rover data) and it's very unlikely that another component caused belt failure at only 55,000 miles.

My recommendation is that you don't rely upon the AA's opinion. Get a considered, accurate diagnosis. For example, you could have the common case of fuel filter separation. Does the engine turn normally when you operate the starter?

Simon

SD1too's last sentence is good advice.

My daughter's V6 suffered from a slipped belt, and because of the loss of compression the starter turned the engine over at about twice the normal speed. If you are unfamiliar with normal operation, try and find a video of one starting and compare it to yours.

Regards

The AA guys aren't infallible, the filter coming apart in mine was diagnosed as a failed fuel pump. Fortunately a local MGR mechanic diagnosed it correctly without even looking at it.