Rover 75 2.5 V6 Tourer (automatic) not turning over

[Nils]

Hello all! First time poster, and I'm a bit embarrassed it has taken a malfunction to join the forum.

I bought a 2002 V6 Tourer 2 years ago, and have loved the car so far. It has just hit 60k miles, and is in great shape, but....

The starter motor won't turn over all of a sudden. Yesterday, the car drove fine. Today, it's dead. It's almost as if the battery is dead, but I don;t think it is as all the electronics work. However, when I switch on the headlights, a weird zoom-zoom noise can be heard from the engine compartment.

Speaking of which, I can't open the bonnet as there's no release lever coming through the grill. The bonnet does pop up when I pull the lever under the steering wheel, but I can't unlock it from the front of the car.

As you can probably tell, I don't know anything about cars and how to service them. Three quick questions:

- Can anybody help me with the non-starting issue?
- Is there another way to open the bonnet (I read something about PMing a moderator with VIN and reg, which I can do as soon as I get home, of course)
- Is there anybody here in Dublin by any chance? Or can anybody recommend a good place to get the car serviced in Ireland? I used a specialist in Norfolk until last April.

Thank you very much!

[Plezier]

Check the Lucas spade terminal on the starter motor. If loose or corroded this can cause this issue.

[Greenman]

The bonnet secondary safety catch is left of centre as you stand in front of the car. Slide your hand in and push it backwards.

I had a starter problem like yours, came out of the blue, just clicked a little when I turned the key. It was worn contacts in the denso starter. Bought a kit for £9.99 on Ebay and fitted it in about an hour. Could have been quicker but I took my time to ensure it was right. Hasn't missed since

[Nils]

Thank you very much for the help.

Got home an hour ago, and the car was still dead. Opened a cold beer, drank it and decided to go back out to try to open the bonnet as explained above, and the car started.

I'll drive it to a garage so they can have a look at the starter engine tomorrow morning. If it starts then

[RPWC]

Just a thought, are you making sure its in park or neutral? Have a look underneath the gearbox at the end of the selector cable, and make sure the pinch nut is tight, sometimes this can stop the selector moving into park properly, which would stop it starting.

[neilll]

Hi Nils,

Welcome to the forum and I`m glad your embarrassed, you`ve had the car two years and you don`t know how to open the bonnet. Does that mean you have/had a supper reliable car. Once you open that bonnet you`ll never stop
Neil