I've spent some time sifting through the boards before joining looking for common issues. Took it by O'Reillys to have it read.
Showing the 3 Amigos and the following codes:


P1590
P0300
P0308
P1668


Lady traded in as she was told the head gasket needed replacing, the new lot determined it was a new water pump he told me.


Also noticed when it was parked on an slight incline at O-Reillys that the back sagged, is that the air suspension shot?


I build vintage Japanese two strokes, know my way around Volvo's, MG's and VW's. The lot is asking $3750, has about 80K, body is in good shape, needs a new headliner, my guy priced me at $175 and needs other small cosmetic things. Looking for a little bit of a fixer upper, but want to avoid any major issues.


Obviously the first things to be addressed are the mechanicals, should I run from this?

 

this one will give the trouble codes my 3 amigos was caused by a failed front hub. you need an abs capable scanner to read the codes for the brakes

a couple of the codes look like misfire #8

 

Need to check the plug from Cylinder #8 for signs of steam cleaning. With 80K on it, a head gasket is certainly a real possibility. I'm sure the lot cleaned up the block but you would probably see signs of coolant running out of the head back by the firewall. Tell them you want to run a pressure test on it to rule out the head gasket.

 

He mentioned the the PO that traded, was told a head gasket as it was leaking. He said his mechanic discovered it was the water pump which he replaced and the leaking stopped. Temp was about 40 today, it was blowing, I smelled the exhaust, didn't smell sweet or hint of burning oil.

What PSI range should each cylinder be within? I assume just screw in gauge, tie plug wire away from metal and turn over engine to gain a reading?

 

Sorry for any confusion. I meant a cooling system pressure test. Almost always head gasket failures on a Rover involve a failure at a coolant passage. If the head gasket blows into the cylinder then you will get sweet smelling exhaust, but Rovers typically just leak coolant to the outside. When there is coolant in the cylinder, it is usually associated with the block cracking behind the liner. This scenario also tends to lead to rapid overheating and rock-hard radiator hoses as the engine compression is pressurizing the cooling system.


If you pressurize the cooling system and it holds, then you probably don't have a bad headgasket. If it doesn't hold look for leaks along the head to block joint, usually at the rear on the passenger side. Usually, this is how they fail and a weekend of work and they're all set.


Wires are also likely to be going at that mileage. They are a bitch to replace without tearing apart the intake because the coils are mounted behind the intake against the firewall but it can be done. If the cooling system test passes then have them install new 8mm wires (Kingsbourne or Magnecor) and plugs.


If the hubs are suspect, you can check for excessive movement in the bearings by jacking up the car and trying to rock the wheel back and forth. In the rear, when the hubs go they usually start leaking gear oil which will be all over the caliper and rotor. These aren't too tough to replace but they are fairly expensive.

 

Gotcha. I will try to do as much of this as I can if I decide to purchase. I can do most anything that doesn't require an engine hoist or lift. My neighborhood is not conducive to such. I'll ask him if he as a pressure tester for the cooling system, as I do not.

I planned to do the 60K recommended in the sticky. Good to know about the wires, sounds fun. Thanks for all the information.

I hope to get it to the Ed's Rover specialist outside Nashville Friday to have the ABS system read.

 

Forgot to mention I spoke with Doug at Atlantic British, he didn't seem too concerned with the engine codes. He mentioned shuttle valve and possible the ABS sensor or hub assembly.

He suggested the 60K tune up, resetting codes, see if they're thrown again and go from there.

 

If you are taking it to an indy Rover shop, they should be able to tell you what you are in for.

 

The P030x codes are cylinder specific misfires, just add the cylinder number. However, the P0300 code is a general misfire code, not specific to any one cylinder. That code can be an indication that there is a head gasket problem. The P0308 could be a bad plug, wire or coil.

 

Sounds like a lot of cash for a 01 with issues and possibly needing head gaskets.