Considering buying this V8
 

Hi All,


I have been lurking on this forum for many years, and have been quite happily driving my MG ZT 190 since about 2009, but recently this Rover 75 V8 came up for sale and I am quite tempted to upgrade
https://i.ibb.co/T0c64zd/rover1.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/CWxCqr0/rover2.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/YLkFBhn/rover3.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/t275DT1/rover4.jpg

https://ibb.co/hdsbBpw
https://ibb.co/V3XndKB
https://ibb.co/tJsTpDj
https://ibb.co/SmhpB4Z


There are some things that concern me a bit though,and I thought I'd ask here about them. They are:

• The engine has a check engine light showing, which the owner says has been that way since new and that the dealer/workshop told him not to worry about. He doesnt know anything about cars so couldnt tell me any more. The car has 103000 km's on the clock so its probably not anything serious if it has indeed been that way since new. The engine sounds very good and makes no weird noises, or smoke etc.
• There is some kind of black "gunk" on the engine around the front where the belts are.I think it might be residue from the belts themselves wearing, but I'm not sure. See pic: https://ibb.co/sPYDC8L
• There is this weird bracket hanging down underneath the car that doesnt look normal. Anyone have any idea what this is for? https://ibb.co/jf7zscX

Thats basically it for now..there are a few other mechanical issues like worn wheel bearings and maybe shocks, but that is normal old car stuff..


thanks in advance for any replies!

I'm pretty sure having the engine light on is now a mot failure since the new rules came in early this year.

My advice for what is worth is to avoid!, engine light ON will fail MOT, as it indicates just that, it is probably an emission issue, if OBD compliant put an reader on it and read off the fault codes, other than that AVOID!.

As OP is in South Africa, the rules may be different there

Usual causes of a an Engine warning lamp on a Rover 75 V8 if its running OK are Emission evaporation control or a duff Lambda. Probably best to plug a code reader in a see what the code is.


Looking on line it seems the Road worthiness certificare for South Africa is not as strict as ours and just says no excessive smoke from the exhaust and there is no mention of warning lights, ABS, Airbags or anything else in that field.

Thanks for the replies so far everyone! Yes, the rules over here in South Africa are pretty lax when it comes to things like emissions, so if it is something like that then it shouldnt be a problem. I'm more concerned about the black "gunky" stuff around the top of the valve covers..and that weird bracket thing hanging down under the car.. Does anyone know what that bracket is meant to do, and if its normal for the V8?

If it's at the back, as a guess, the bracket may be for a detachable tow bar, have a look in the boot to see if there's a Swan neck tow bar in there.


.

The engine light will probably be due to a duff coil pack, ive had this on two out of the three V8's i have owned, also the fuel pressure sensor can also cause this and is a cheap fix.

That bracket hanging down is for an Anti Tramp shock, I thought these were only fitted to the ZT Manual version or maybe they only fitted the shocks and they all had the brackets?


Dont worry about the black residue, I suspect it probably needs a new fan belt and tensioner. US engine are fairly robust lumps and parts can be purchaed cheaply from the States if you know where to get them from.

There were only 4 Rover 75 V8's sent to ZA by MG-Rover. They were #806, #807, #808 and #819 (the last 3 digits of the VIN). Only #806 and #819 were in 'Raven Black'. Member "kaiser" in Jo'bug owns, or did own, one of those two. I believe #806? He may know more about the car you are considering, and can certainly advise you I would think. #808 is in Midnight Blue and #807 Starlight Silver.

Not sure whether your photos show Raven Black or the very rare Midnight Blue. I assume the latter, because of the leather colour. Which one is the car you mention; can you find out? The VIN is visible from outside the car through the windscreen lower right corner. Maybe some more information about it can be found via "Two-Sixties" Forum members. That forum is for ZT260 and Rover 75 V8 Owners or enthusiasts (http://www.two-sixties.com). You can join the Forum as a guest and post questions.