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Rover 416i - clattery engine?

I was looking at a 95N Rover 416i today (newer 5 door hatch version). It has only 37k on the clock, in great condition, but when I ran the engine it sounded quite clattery. Or maybe I should describe it as a *loud* ticking. It was sufficiently loud to be able to hear it from inside with the door shut.

It was chilly out and was started from cold. My thoughts were it could be the hydraulic tappets not operating properly due to the cold, but I ran the engine until it was warm and revved it but the noise didn't go away.

I have a '93 414 at present so I know the K-series pretty well. Despite having nearly 100k more miles on it, mine doesn't make noises like this even when cold, although there is always a soft ticking from the fuel injectors.

I know they made minor changes to the K-series - this newer one red lines

500rpm higher for a start and I believe it has an uprated head gasket. Clearly they've economised on certain parts as well - injectors, radiator and various other bits look smaller, more plasticky and cheaper (for want of a better description).

So, any other ideas what the noise might be?

Also, is the 1.6 worth having over the excellent 1.4? On paper it hardly offers any extra power, maybe 8bhp at most.

Reply to
Andrew
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Whilst the power of the 1.6 is only about 8% higher, it produces about 14% more torque, so it makes for a more relaxed drive than the 1.4 (although it isn't quite as rev-happy). Perversely, the 1.6 is actually a bit more economical than the 1.4, assuming you drive it the same way, although the difference is marginal.

Given a choice, with no other deciding factors, I'd go for the 1.6.

Andy

Reply to
Andrew Kirby

Andrew,

There is a common problem with the exhaust heat shield on the Rover 200 and

400 series fitted with K 1.6 engines, with Auto cars being the most prone to the problem. The trick is to touch the heat shield fitted next to the cat and the gearbox/transmision. If the noise goes away, then unless the sheild is about to fall off, don't worry about it. My Rover 216SI Auto rattles at idle.

The other clue from this noise is that it will generally disappear when the car is driven.

Liam

Reply to
Liam Wright

Andrew Kirby wrote in news:Xns9433A0822339Eakkirbyduracuk@129.234.4.5:

Sounds good. Worth the little extra in tax and insurance then, especially if it makes up for it on fuel economy.

Reply to
Andrew

"Liam Wright" wrote in news:bp2v77$1jn$1$ snipped-for-privacy@news.demon.co.uk:

Thanks, I'll have a another look if I go back for a proper test drive but I'm fairly sure the noise isn't eminating from that low down.

Reply to
Andrew

I have a '98 200 1.4 16v with 32k miles and it is tappetty on start up, but it goes away by the time I've driven a couple of hundred yards. Has the car you've seen got a full service history? Mine has had two 'lady' owners and no history - which wasn't ideal but the price was £1K less than book :-) . I've driven an N reg 416i and found it smoother pulling away at lower revs, but did'nt appear any quicker than my 200. I would think the heavier 400 would benefit from more torque though. I think the 1.6 is higher geared too(?)

--Steve

Reply to
Tunafish

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