Rover K engine cost.....?

Head gasket, was it?

Run out of water did it? Oh sorry, I forget, Italian cars run fine without coolant, it's purely a K series problem.

You're right, it's a K-Series problem.

Mother in Law has an MGF - had it from new, serviced on the dot, really looked after. Not done many miles, either - about 5k miles / year, ISTR.

She's visiting this week and told us her MG was in at the dealer's last week - being the kind of person I am, I asked 'was it the head gasket?'

- and I wasn't wrong.

That's absolutely shocking for a car that's only _just_ out of it's 3 year warranty.

Her local mechanic diagnosed the issue - 'I don't want to do it - it's a known problem with that engine - get it back to Rover and get them to do it'.

I think that says it all, really.

The K-Series is utter s**te.

Just to add..... my Italian cars have a coolant level sensor. All cars should have them, really.

Given the Rover problems with the K, you'd have thought a coolant sensor would now be standard on all cars with that family of engines.

Indeed one would, but then my Mitsubishi didn't have a coolant level sensor (had an oil level sensor).

It's in the manual. Check levels regularly.

So you're saying an Alfa /would/ be fine running with low or no coolant?

And she checks the coolant level how often?

Yeah whatever. 105bhp 1.4 back in 1990 which I ran to 160k miles, sold and is still running today? Engine of choice for lightweight sports cars that don't want a bike engine? Lightweight, high output, compact. Did 85k miles in two years in my KV6 Rover 75 with NO engine problems. Mother in law has a

You've got to check the fluid levels, or it will punish you. Odd that eh?

Tim S Kemp ( snipped-for-privacy@timkemp.karoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Sounds like "annually, at the service"... Assuming "serviced on the dot" includes the annual service rather than waiting for the mileage interval every other year...

Tim S Kemp ( snipped-for-privacy@timkemp.karoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Chirpy, chirpy, cheap, cheap.

And who ever reads the manual, let alone obeys every word? Would the average MGF owner even be able to find the mechanicals?

Perhaps these people shouldn't be driving cars then, if they don't know how to look after them?

Andrew Ratcliffe ( snipped-for-privacy@ukgateway.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That'd certainly cure the congestion problem in this country...

I can certainly see the merit in the idea, but I'm not sure you'll make the most popular minister of transport we've ever seen.

LOL, true :)

AstraVanMan ( snipped-for-privacy@WithThanks.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I thought it was 2.5, but yep. Same as the late 800 v6.

N-reg was about the change of shape.

The older origami 2/416 was the Honda engine, as was the early automatic

she wouldnt want to damage her nails.

Granted, but why does the K-series lose coolant so readily? If other cars have, say, twice the coolant capacity of the K, they'd just take twice as long to lose it. Since the K seems to lose it very rapidly, I'd argue that these other makes should just as readily lose their entire capacity between services given that your average punter doesn't check at all often. Yet other cars don't while the 1.4 does.

There's something desperately wrong with any car that can lose enough coolant to blow the head gasket in under 5k miles / 12 months.

I'll even stick my neck out on this - even with the known oil consumption of Alfas - you'd be very unlucky if a housewife's toy lost enough oil to blow the engine on such mileage.

Aren't there moves afoot to involve basic mechanical sympathy and aptitude into the driving test? I heard this in the news around 6 months ago - simple tasks would be set like...

Show me where the oil goes. Show me how to measure the engine oil level. Where is the jack and tools to remove a wheel? How would you remove a wheel safely?

Oh please please please let this be true - and just to be fair I wouldn't mind retaking the test! Imagine the horror as people realise just what they

DocDelete ( snipped-for-privacy@thehomeofnospam.org) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Longer back than that - maybe a year/18 months - when they introduced the basic checks into the driving test...

It is true. Does anybody remember the checks at all, and if they do, do they do 'em? Of course not. Same as people forget everything they learn for any exam the next day.

You get, or at least should get, basic maintenance instruction when you take your bike CBT, so don't see why this couldn't be something specified as part of the learning curve for driving.

I've long said that there should be some sort of behind the wheel, off the public roads type training for learner drivers, not unlike the CBT, where the would be biker has to display a vague grasp of the concept before being herd out onto a public road.

-- JackH

The 2 litre V6 Rover 75 was a K series?

And an N reg Rover 416 had a K-series under the bonnet as well? I thought they were a Honda engine?

Yup.

Peter