FAILURE TO PROCEED
1999 ROVER 200 BRM LE
My Rover 200 BRM has returned to action after more than a year off the road with engine problems and is available for daily use again. It had been a long wait while the reason behind its sudden engine seizure was investigated and the trouble diagnosed after a couple of false starts. The mystery was solved when the cylinder head was removed and the engine stripped down to reveal an empty piston cylinder. Ouch!
This led to searching out and buying a replacement VVC engine that then stood around in the yard beneath a cover awaiting its transplant into the car.
What I needed were indoor workshop facilities with an engine crane to enable the defective engine to be removed and the replacement to be fitted, connected up and fired up. To save some money, the car had been put on SORN for a few months since it wasn’t going anywhere.
One morning I received a call to say that a truck would be arriving to take the Rover to a workshop in Fengate, Peterborough. The truck arrived soon afterwards and the car was manhandled from its long-term parking spot out on to the road. To be honest, the 'dead' Rover had become a nuisance because I have a singlewidth drive and three vehicles. The Rover always seemed to be in the wrong place and had to be pushed out of the way before another vehicle could gain access to or get out of the garage, like a giant shunting puzzle.
The replacement K-series engine was collected and followed the car to the workshop, together with some new items for fitting, such as a clutch. The old engine was already partially stripped down but there were still a lot of connections to disconnect before the 'new' engine
could be craned into place. When the changeover was carried out it happened remarkably quickly. A fairly speedy operation was desirable because obviously workshop time doesn't come cheap.
Just a couple of evenings after the Rover went, it was back under its own revived power, driven by Glenn Gibson of Autotune, who was smiling and waving an MOT test certificate
valid for a year. Glenn has overseen the project since the ailing car was towed back home after running out of power on a local run.
While it appeared to be running okay on its return there are advisories to monitor and repair before presenting it for its next test later this year. Surface corrosion is blooming on the body, sills and suspension. A smart car is great but a
good runner is even better. It was also noted that the exhaust had a minor leak of gases – a noisy one. So much for that sporty growl!
Meanwhile the engine was running very hot and I discovered that there was (not for the first time) a leak in the coolant reservoir. Topping this up revealed that it was escaping quickly from an unseen leak that clearly needed plugging.
The efficient if not particularly cheap answer to this was to empty the contents of a bottle of Steel Seal into the coolant reservoir. The product is an essential item to have to hand for any owner with a K-series engine and is usually used in the radiator, but it did the job required and has meant some trouble-free motoring with the Rover over the winter months.
Meanwhile, the Beetle and camper can have a rest until the new work beckons for the Rover. After more than a year of driving 1970s VWS, all that power took some getting used to again, but it's great to have it back.