R75 in Terminal Mode

[DennisA]

Sadly my R75 2.0 CDTi auto Conn SE, 12/2003 with 125k on the clock seems to have gone beyond viable repair.

Towing the caravan to Anglesey last Monday suddenly lost auto box, managed to get it a little further to a farm entrance off the road and found transmission fluid around N/S front wheel. I have recovery cover so got the car and van back to my drive and took a closer look and found that the gearbox side cover on N/S was badly cracked around the central boss.

Today I called into a specialist auto box garage that I know and trust, and they had never seen it happen before, worrying as we don't know what caused it, I had no alarms or messages come up before or since I lost transmission? Anyway the outset is - in best case, new cover and finding nothing wrong internally for £750 or worse case full strip down plus renewal of whatever for £1700 depending on what they find inside? A reond. box would be about same fully fitted, plus I would have around £100 for taking the car to the garage.

My heart says go for it and hope but my head says it is simply not worth it on a 13 year, old 125k car even at £900! I love the car and have owned it for 7 years+, it's my second R75 so have had the pleasure of owning one for best part of last 14 years (Club Mem. No 124).

I have been looking at other cars for a few months and intended to keep the R75 on a Modern Classic basis 3k per year etc etc. but now that looks extremely doubtful. The best scrap value I have had is £200 picked up from my drive, but there are quite a few extras I would take off such as Sean's DD satnav with reverse camera and TVbox, 18" hairpins, headlight washers with heated jets plus others that I will probably find when I look over things, if I can see through the tears!!!

Hopefully I will be at the NW meet tomorrow at the Cat & Lion so we can all cry together - using my daughters Kia Picanto - urgghh - but at least it still goes.

I fancy a Ford Kuga, 2.0 TDCi auto Titanium X with extras, friend has one and he loves it - seen one over the weekend 2014 63 Reg with 25k on the clock - it was brilliant on the test drive, soooooo!!!!!

Brgds Dennis

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by DennisA

... the gearbox side cover on N/S was badly cracked around the central boss ..new cover and finding nothing wrong internally for £750 ..

I've just had a look at mine Dennis and I am struggling to understand how it can cost £750 to renew that cover. It looks as if it can be done with the gearbox remaining in the car so the bill should be a lot lower. How much is the part?

At this early stage I would recommend that you fit a new cover, refill the transmission with ATF to N402 specification and see what happens. It certainly appears that you have nothing worse than a sudden loss of fluid. I'd say that your car will live on. There's no need for a full strip down or a reconditioned unit at this stage.

... worrying as we don't know what caused it ..

Most likely an impact with something I'd say.

Simon

[hpold]

Give these a call Rover Parts 01482 581221 they fitted my rear door window for £50 and have allmspares.

[bobb12005]

plenty of auto gearboxs on fleabay

[DennisA]

The costs include getting the car from home to their workshop,about 15 miles, plus removing the cover, it can be done in the car but the 2 top bolts of the cover can only be accessed with the engine/gearbox lowered so they have to release all the engine mounts to do this. The costs also include partially stripping the box behind the cover to check the internals just in case of damage or wear. Something has caused this to happen so best it is checked and not just a new cover bolted on?

As I said I know and trust these people as I have used them in the past, they are decent guys and know what they are talking about, plus they have a good reputation locally and many garages send their auto box problems to them.

I have made up my mind to scrap her, sad but I wouldn't touch an Ebay unit unless it came highly recommended and then with costs plus fitting adding up I can't see it is worth it - I've enjoyed my time with the R75s and I am an engineer so know a bit about these things and have lovingly looked after my cars but there comes a time when you have to do your own assessment and at 73 I now want a car that I do not have to crawl under and tinker with all the time and that ain't a 13 year old 125K Rover 75!

Brgds Dennis

[Rooney]

Surely there's a local guru who can help you out?

I hear what you're saying, I have an uncle who was in a similar position to you. He scrapped his, the replacement broke down after three months leaving him with a bigger bill than the original bill on the car he knew was otherwise sound.

Sometimes being realistic is a false economy but I wish you all the best whatever you decide

[DennisA]

Sorry should have answered Simon's message on impact causing the problem - there was no impact in fact everything was running great until I heard a whoosh (fluid under pressure escaping and hitting the wheel arch cover probably. The crack would seem to indicate that it is caused from the inside which is why I am more worried about the internals of the box.
I know a little about gearboxes, from experience over the years from small ones on cars to some as big as yer house on ships and you do not know what is going on inside until you open them up - and auto boxes of whatever type are even more complicated with a host of possible problems with even the smallest parts causing major damage?

Brgds Dennis.

[marinabrian]

Here you go Dennis

LINK

Damned sight cheaper than entrusting your car to an auto gearbox specialist, and it's not a bad job to change the box, plus you get the pleasure of performing the post mortem on the old unit

Now with your background, you'll have plenty of experience of getting your hands dirty, and working on a 75 is small fry, especially compared to say, sorting out a top end overhaul on a Stork TM410

It's cheap enough, and within spitting distance almost to collect.

Now crack out the spanners, you can't get better weather to play underneath the car

Brian

[DennisA]

Thanks Brian,

Yes it is tempting and even 20 years ago I would probably have gone for it, but now I would be working on my drive and removing the auto box does not appeal, plus of course there is no certainty that it would be OK.

Actually I was more a Doxford man, or boy, as I started at 17 as an apprentice with NZSCo, away on a twin 6 Doxford and I never lost the joy of seeing those big top pistons and cross beams powering up and down along the top of the engine room. Little sophistication just lots of heavy metal going around, you pulled every piston each time in NZ, and had to to cleaned crowns and rings plus there was enormous wear due to size, weight and lub oils were not as advance as now, you made things fit and everything was manual, hard work but you learnt the trade and most importantly to think for yourself - no "but the computer says this so we'll change that module", just make it work as best you can and check everything with sight, smell, hearing and touch!

Went on to Sulzer and B&W engines Doxford collapsed and things got more sophisticated and a lot more technical but still everything was big, bore between 740 and 900mm and piston weighing around a tonne, turbo chargers the size of a Rover car and with shell bearing the size of a washing machine!

But I digress, no for me it is the end of the road, I cannot trade it in as it is so I will strip off most of the extras I have fitted and give it to the scrap man soonest possible.

Sad but at my age, although I can still manage most things, spent y'day removing the FBH and kit, removing front bumper to take off headlight washers and pump plus heated jets kit, also put back old halogen lights and changed 18" Hairpins for 16" Unions. Today its the Sean DD satnav and reversing camera then on to the stern for tow bar with its electrics. If they are paying only £200 they will not get the extras I lovingly bestowed on her!

It is sad but actually I enjoyed getting stuck in once again, but my wife is now partially disabled and we need a newer car we can both trust and feel confident in - it might prove the opposite with the Ford Kuga I intend to buy but the test drive was a revelation and I have done a lot of research on internet so know most of the pitfalls and failings and have enough knowledge to either fix it or know a man who can!

Brgds Dennis

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by DennisA

Thanks Brian,

Yes it is tempting and even 20 years ago I would probably have gone for it, but now I would be working on my drive and removing the auto box does not appeal, plus of course there is no certainty that it would be OK.

Actually I was more a Doxford man, or boy, as I started at 17 as an apprentice with NZSCo, away on a twin 6 Doxford and I never lost the joy of seeing those big top pistons and cross beams powering up and down along the top of the engine room. Little sophistication just lots of heavy metal going around, you pulled every piston each time in NZ, and had to to cleaned crowns and rings plus there was enormous wear due to size, weight and lub oils were not as advance as now, you made things fit and everything was manual, hard work but you learnt the trade and most importantly to think for yourself - no "but the computer says this so we'll change that module", just make it work as best you can and check everything with sight, smell, hearing and touch!

Went on to Sulzer and B&W engines Doxford collapsed and things got more sophisticated and a lot more technical but still everything was big, bore between 740 and 900mm and piston weighing around a tonne, turbo chargers the size of a Rover car and with shell bearing the size of a washing machine!

But I digress, no for me it is the end of the road, I cannot trade it in as it is so I will strip off most of the extras I have fitted and give it to the scrap man soonest possible.

Sad but at my age, although I can still manage most things, spent y'day removing the FBH and kit, removing front bumper to take off headlight washers and pump plus heated jets kit, also put back old halogen lights and changed 18" Hairpins for 16" Unions. Today its the Sean DD satnav and reversing camera then on to the stern for tow bar with its electrics. If they are paying only £200 they will not get the extras I lovingly bestowed on her!

It is sad but actually I enjoyed getting stuck in once again, but my wife is now partially disabled and we need a newer car we can both trust and feel confident in - it might prove the opposite with the Ford Kuga I intend to buy but the test drive was a revelation and I have done a lot of research on internet so know most of the pitfalls and failings and have enough knowledge to either fix it or know a man who can!

Brgds Dennis

Well as an alternative to scrapping it, why not have a word with Jules and get it down to Conwy then?

Doxford there was one of those at South Shields technical college, and new Zealand you say? I'm sure a Doxford powered cable laying ship was used to lay the power lines between the north and south islands with the timing altered to make it run at 18 RPM

Anyway don't do anything rash at the minute, and even doing it on your drive is not a bad job, especially with an engine crane

Brian