Cambelt worries

Also sprach Kav :-

Quite possible that you've coincidentally blown the head gasket, which could well account for the rough running - though it would also be possible for it to be one tooth out on the timing belt.

I've just let the engine tick over for a while and it now sounds fine, I'm not sure what to think at this point!

I had a weird thing happen on my 600i (1998)

It wouldnt start . Sounded like it was trying but just not catching. Eventually fired and ran like a sack of nails for 50 miles and then settled down and drove like new from there. A friend said , that the ECU could have been reset and this is common. Hasnt done it since but is now fine.

ecu reprogramming during drive/idling?

accelerating

No. It'll be the ECU relarning the engine. Take it out for a good italian service (drive with spirit) using all the gears for a half hour and it'll be fine.

Cheers all! Good excuse for a spin :)

had a new cambelt on a diesel bluebird once, drove back fine but as I arrived home it started running rough. that night it bothered me so I took it for a mile or so drive and it was sounding very rough. went out next day and it was fine for a mile then sounded really really rough so I parked-up and called the garage that had done the cambelt. guy turns up, I told him the symptoms and that I suspected a cambelt problem, he ignored me looking all smug, started it up and revved it hard, ho ho ho

later turns out that the tensioner was not refitted properly so the belt had jumped a tooth or two, while this idiot was revving it hard it jumped a few more teeth with pradictable results.

I had a rather nice new micra while they were fixing it.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

So one can conclude one of two things:

Rover ECU's have such a crap basic mapping that the don't run very well until some pretty radical modifications to the maps are stored?

or

Rover engines or sensors wear so much out of standard that the ECU has a hard job getting older engines running OK?

Go out and check the coolant and oil levels, and for any strange looking goo in the coolant header tank.

It is a 1.4 or 1.6 K series, or the Honda D series engine? Would help if you told us that, or the year of the car so we can deduce..

Tim..

On the basis of your experience I have just dropped the car back at the garage with the description of "it now sounds like a diesel, and a loud diesel at that".

I hope they are humble enough to investigate it properly. :o)

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

Yeah they did, mechanic was very apologetic that they didn't fix it yesterday, apparently something the cam fixes to was knocked sideways slightly and needed re-positioning. So the belt was slightly off...

Could have been nasty I reckon!

" Tim (Remove NOSPAM." wrote in

K Series 1.6.

Going to take it back to dealer on Monday so that they can fix it, not sure whats happened but he said something odd when I phoned him "its gone allready!" in a suprised tone.

Hmmmm.

I'm wondering whether they replaced the head gasket but cut corners.

Cheers for the advice, I'll keep a close eye on things until Monday, you certainly learn a lot about cars when you buy into a sickly range!

or

EU regs for pollution emissions dicatate idling at stall speedand Rover are better at doing this than most other people.

Focuses can be pigs after disconnecting the battery as well.

Will Reeve ( snipped-for-privacy@reeve.org.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

or

Chris is talking bollocks.

And your evidence for that is?