South of France

[FHolroyd]

Hi
I am asking on behalf of my dad, now 84, who is the proud and sentimental owner of a 2001 Rover 75 2.5 V6 auto RHD. It is in good condition, 40K on the clock BUT it has been very rarely used and now has some overheating/water leak issues.

Dad is in the Cannes area in the south of France (I am in the UK) and is moving back to the UK in the next few months.

He took it to a local garage but they don't seem to have fixed the issue. Is there anyone in the south of France who can advise on a reputable place that he can take it?

Prior to joining the group, one helpful person has already pointed out how to know where the leak is coming from. But Dad is a bit forgetful and needs some help to figure it out and know where to take it.

We were so looking forward to our road trip back to the UK together and now it looks more likely the car will return on the back of a truck! Therefore any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[bl52krz]

What exactly did the garage do or not to the car re the water leak? It could be the thermostat which is in the space between the two banks of cylinders on the passenger side. Take the cover off the top of the engine(two small screws), and shine a light down into the middle of the engine on the nearside where the thermostat is. If there is any coolant in the bottom under the thermostat, then it is likely that the thermostat is leaking, probably from the plastic pipes where the clips are fitted to the pipes. These are plastic clips not the type used on rubber pipes. Get him to have a look and come back to the forum for more ideas.

[SD1too]

Hello Fiona,

If your Dad's Rover V6 is taken to a garage there's a real risk that they will use the dreaded K-Seal (or equivalent) in the cooling system and that will be the end of his pride and joy so please don't do that.

I can offer you some suggestions which may enable you to enjoy your road trip home together after all. I have owned a V6 for 17 years, I do all my own repairs and I have solved the problems your Dad's car has.

1. Overheating
The most common cause of this is trouble with the radiator's electric cooling fan. To find out, start the engine from cold then press the 'windscreen demist' button on the air con./heater control panel. Now walk to the front of the car and you should hear the radiator fan running continuously. If you don't, please report back for further advice.

2. Coolant leak
As b152krz has said, if you have access to a small socket set remove the two 8mm screws holding the cover on the top of the engine (it's the moulding surrounding the oil filler cap). Shine a torch through the "bunch of bananas" aluminium pipes and if the light reflects back to you from red/pink liquid then you've found the leak.
If it's not serious you can make the journey back to the UK equipped with plenty of coolant to replace the loss. To check, look into the expansion tank and if you can see a tab marked 'MAX' almost at the base, top-up the coolant to meet that mark. Then drive the car around locally and re-check the level the next morning when the engine is absolutely cold. Let us know the result please Fiona.

Simon

Oh, I almost forgot, to the club!

[FHolroyd]

Thank you both bl52krz and SD1too.

This is the email from the garage:
The Problem with the car is the Water Tank is leaking water,, So we changed the Expansion Tank and Cap and now the car is running ok But the Tank is now will leaking water but only a small amount before it was poring water out when running

This is because the car is Pressurizing THE WATER system maybe Head Gasket to change or May need another Engine

The other Problem is Timing Belt and Water pump and Belts needs also to be changed which also is a big job and expensive

I will pass your information on to dad. I am going back to France on Thursday and will revert back thereafter if not before.

Thank you again.

[COLVERT]

To Simon.-----Could it be the thermostat failed shut ??-----

[Costa Fortuna]

Any garage/workshop worthy of the name should be able to carry out a block test - the drive belts are another issue.

Clearly they are heavily suggesting it's all just not worth it, can't be bothered.

Hope you find a professional repairer who will look at the vehicle and take the time to properly diagnose any faults present.

[FHolroyd]

Thank you Costa Fortuna.

That is what my dad thought too so the plan at the moment is to have it towed to another garage which has been recommended by a friend. But in the meantime, we will look into the previous suggestions and try to get to the bottom of the issue ourselves.

[SD1too]

Well, Fiona's Dad's car is fixed! Let's remind ourselves of the diagnosis by the garage in France:

Originally Posted by FHolroyd

This is the email from the garage:

The Problem with the car is the Water Tank is leaking water,, So we changed the Expansion Tank and Cap and now the car is running ok But the Tank is now will leaking water but only a small amount before it was poring water out when running

This is because the car is Pressurizing THE WATER system maybe Head Gasket to change or May need another Engine

The only reason that the expansion tank was "leaking" was because the garage overfilled it. It even ejected coolant after being driven the 50 yards from the trailer to my house! I removed 0.65 litres in order to see the 'MAX' marker. You'd have thought that they'd have noticed that marker whilst pouring in the antifreeze solution but apparently not. There was also evidence that they hadn't bled the system properly, if at all. I'm sure that there was never anything wrong with the expansion tank.

In the 'V' there were the usual pools of coolant. I fitted four new standard MG Rover 'O' rings to the original thermostat housing and pipework after painstakingly removing the black gunge that a garage had smeared over everything. The housing was not the original and no attempt had been made to tighten the two serrated clips on the straight pipe so it was not surprising that the 'O' rings were leaking.

Since the inlet manifold gaskets have an elastomer seal, when removed I always fit new ones. The deteriorated originals in this case showed some evidence of engine overheating.

Other faults rectified

• The battery was too small so the clamp and safety strap had been left disconnected! As this was potentially dangerous I obtained a new '100' size battery (so that the lid could be fitted) at an attractive Black Friday price.
• The mouse's nest was removed from the plenum and the missing drain tube found, cleared and refitted.
• The bonnet struts were weak so were renewed. The bonnet release was extremely tight and it was also a real effort closing it. Both strikers were found to be bent, one severely. They were also out of adjustment and completely devoid of grease. Once all these faults had been rectified the bonnet can now be closed with a little finger!
• Leaking crankcase breather tube renewed, PAS fluid level reduced to 'MAX' line, engine oil & filter changed and all tyre pressures reduced to the correct setting.

I've test driven the car and it runs with its coolant temperature in the low nineties with no coolant leaks or ejection through the cap. The fan cuts in at 100˚ and out again at 95˚. So no head gasket replacement or change of engine was required! What a surprise.

Fiona learnt about our club through an English contact in France. I'm so pleased that she followed this up with her call for help as otherwise this Copperleaf Connoisseur with only 54,000 on the clock would have been destroyed on economic grounds or further bodged by "professional" mechanics.



Simon

[MSS]

A real success story Simon!

[slovcan]

Fantastic, Simon. Well done for you!

The world needs more Simons. Say, your last name isn't Templar by any chance, is it?

Cheers,
Glenn