Need advice rover 75 1.8

[roverbeast75]

Quickly need some advice about a 1.8 im interested in.

It has 225.000 km with an automatic gearbox.

Test drove the car, I like it but 2 things caught my eye:

1.
The coolant was low. When I opened the radiator cap, it was empty, so he added 1 liter of coolant and it was full. After the test drive the coolant spew out , probably because it was overfilled.

My question is: why is the coolant low? Is this normal or HGF symptom?

2. The engine doesn’t get up to temp. It fluctuates so im guessing the thermostat is stuck open. Is this a difficult job to replace.

For the rest the car drives great, but Definitely need some second opinions from the club.

Kind regards

[Yorkshire GOC]

I would be cautious of a 1.8 missing a litre of coolant. Did she drive OK - it could be a leaking inlet manifold gasket? If you buy her do the test in para 4 - if no sign of HGF then up on ramps to see if any of the coolant hoses/water pump are leaking - the T piece hose left hand side top of radiator is a classic failure point on the 1.8.

1. Sniff the expansion tank for exhaust gas - symptom of HGF.

2. Any brown mayo (emulsion) under the oil filler cap -as above

3. Any brown mayo on the dip stick -as above

4 The simplest test for HGF - is give her a good thrash at motorway speeds - leave over night to cool down - open the expansion tank cap - if you get the audible sound of escaping gas this points to HGF as there is exhaust gas in the coolant system as there should be no pressure in a cold system.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by roverbeast75

After the test drive the coolant spew out ...
The engine doesn’t get up to temp.

I'd be rather suspicious of these symptoms Jay. Fluctuating coolant temperature suggests that the cooling system isn't sealed and the expansion tank shouldn't eject coolant at below normal temperatures. Both together may well indicate head gasket failure.

I'd forget about it and keep looking.

Simon

[stevestrat]

You said after adding a litre the tank was full, what do you mean by full? The max level is right at the bottom of the tank and if overfilled the excess will be expelled.

[Rev Jules]

Don’t bother with it it will be a money pit, there are plenty of decent ones out there.

Rev

[TourerSteve]

Originally Posted by roverbeast75

Quickly need some advice about a 1.8 im interested in.

It has 225.000 km with an automatic gearbox.

Test drove the car, I like it but 2 things caught my eye:

1.
The coolant was low. When I opened the radiator cap, it was empty, so he added 1 liter of coolant and it was full. After the test drive the coolant spew out , probably because it was overfilled.

My question is: why is the coolant low? Is this normal or HGF symptom?

2. The engine doesn’t get up to temp. It fluctuates so im guessing the thermostat is stuck open. Is this a difficult job to replace.

For the rest the car drives great, but Definitely need some second opinions from the club.

Kind regards

Answer to Question 1
Just adding 1 litre of coolant to the system without removing air out the system would likely cause the result you got particularly if over filled . Coolant could be low for a number of reasons due to various leaks internally and externally . One thing for certain , If the head gasket not failed now, with running the engine with low coolant levels it soon will !

Answer to question 2
With the symptom's above I would think that you had gasses , (Exhaust or air)entrained in the system giving you fluctuating temperatures .

Looking at the bigger picture , All the above is repairable but at what cost !
If you are competent to repair yourself it just costs the parts and the time ,
Looking at the car it's self , If the owner hasn't maintained basic checks like coolant levels etc , what bigger checks , maintenance have not been carried out on the car ?
Others like my self have bought Rover 75's with issues like the above at the right price to repair and use ,Time spent can give you a cracking car ! but you need the knowledge and time to do this
Other wise as others have said , Look for another car without these issues
All I will say is , with the age of the cars now, there will always be some faults or niggles with the majority that you look at but still decent cars out there

Good Luck

[gnu]

I agree, unless you want a cheap project car, walk away and find a lower mileage car that has been looked after. There is a high risk you would end up replacing the HG etc on that car, and need to check the head flatness carefully in the process.