driving a 45 year old vehicle

[thixon]

I did a full frame up resto and I have never had any major issues since putting it back on the road. They are reliable enough as long as you have time to tinker with them once in a while. Also, you have to expect a larger repair once in a while. I guess it just comes down to your own confidence level with mechanical abilities when it comes to reliability. They are a great way to learn and there is much help available on forums such as this one. The only parts taken to a shop was the cylinder head and getting the flywheel grind.

Best of Luck

Rosie,
Since Gudjeon brought it up, I'll expand. He's right. There really is no better vehicle out there in terms of learning repair skills. Parts are cheap and readily available (for the most part). The design is simple and straight forward. You have plenty of room to work, and don't need to buy any weird tools (for the most part) to do repairs and maintenance. Armed with the green bibles, you can figure out (on your own), how to do almost any mechanical repair imaginable. Even if you have little to no skills, you will still be surprised at how much you can actually do yourself. If you get stumped, there are a number of us on this board that can bail you out (as you've noticed I'm sure). Some of what you read on this board may seem intimidating, but theres nothing requiring you to do a frame swap right off the bat. The truth is, you can go buy a reasonably priced set of tools at sears, and complete most repairs on your own without much trouble.

As for reliability, I can only say this. With every brit car I've owned, I've found a few things to be constant. While its possible to keep one from leaking fluids, its usually not worth putting yourself through the anguish of trying. Unless its excessive, just live with the leaks. You'll notice that people knock the electrical systems of most brit cars (rovers included). I've found that once you run through the systems and staighten out any problems, they can be very reliable. I have a buddy who has driven an MGA for the past 20 years as a daily driver. It has the original harness and electrics, and is as reliable as can be. It just requires some preventative maintenance (which is the fun part).

[Rosie]

Oh what a nice pic of your truck Gudgeon!!!
Sweet!!
Tales of fun and better living!!! I like it more and more!! By the way, my husband thinks I am crazy for wanting a series LR.
I guess that is pretty common stuff with spouses right? Pobably the other way around most of the time, the wife probably just tolerates the husbands mania! My husband and I have switched a bunch of things. He does the laundry far better than I do!

[Eric W S]

Not all leaks are good. Let's not indoctrinate poor Rosie with that it's British so it leaks BS.

[Rosie]

Thanks Travis, I was wondering if any special tools are necessary for repair, outside of the standard tools my husband would have for fixing other vehicles.
Easy to get at is real nice to hear!!!

Can anyone tell me what are acceptable leaks?
From what part of the vehicle and how much drip?
Also, what leaks would suggest major problems?
Much appreciated!

[greenmeanie]

Rover leaks:

• The brake system should be leak free for fairly obvious reasons.
• Clutch hydraulics shouldn't leak.
• Engine coolant should not leak.

These systems are no different than any other car and are easy to keep tight. On any used vehicle of this age I would expect to replace the brake system rubbers as a matter of course anyway for my peace of mind.

You then get to the oily bits.

• There is no reason for a differential to leak. The same goes for the hub caps and drive flanges.
• A steering box should not leak although you will probably find some oily crud in the protective cover when you remove it. Many people use swivel grease in here which helps.
• The engine should be oil tight. Again, it is no different than any other old engine. Keep up with the seals and gaskets and it'll be good. Some have open breathers that will leave a light oily residue in the engine bay but this should only be noticeable over a considerable time.
• I've yet to see a steering relay that was not damp on the bottom but it should not leave drips. This is probably the most often forgotten and abused item that requires lubricating.
• The swivels will also most likely show some dampness just beacuse they move a lot. This should not extend to oil drips on the inside wall of the tyre.

That gets us to the biggest culprits which are the gearbox and transfer case. There are plenty of access plates an joints between housings. These are the same as any other vehcile and should be sealed accordingly. Known leak points are:

• The gear selector rods are an often overlooked source of oil leaks. There is a cheap and very successful trick using pieces of heater hose that solves this one.
• The gearbox input shaft has either a lip seal (SIII) or a wind back seal. If these are worn they will leak out the bell housing drain hole. The SIIA clutch linkage also has a small o-ring that can leak.
• The transfer case has two outputs with lip seals that can wear. THe rear output seal behind the hand brake is somewhat notorious. It's sealing relies on several factors including correct shimming of the bearing, wear on the running surfaces, felt seal failure, correct torque of the shaft nut and I'm sure there's a couple more.
• THe drain plugs use a copper crush washer. Reusing the copper washer or failure to tighten properly leads to leaks.

Finally, the engine, gearbox, transfer case and axles all have rotating equipment in oil that cause the case to pressurize. Failure to make sure the breathers are clear will cause oil to blow by the seals.

Oil leaks on a 25 year+ old truck are not magic. On a Rover of this age there is wear to take into account and there are a lot of potential leak paths to keep up with. As Thixon said, trying to prevent them takes a lot of energy - monitor them and live with it and you'll be fine. For instance, the oil stain in my driveway that has developed over the past 5 years from my three trucks can be seen from space and I'm fine with that.

There are many different views on the best method and material to use for sealing joints but I've been typing for too long and my fingers are tired.

Cheers
Gregor

[Rosie]

Gregor!!!
Many thanks for all your typing!!
You really answered my question!
I'm going to print this stuff out and keep it handy!!!
Thanks!!!!

[greenmeanie]

Rosie,
I forgot the hub seals. Most owners get familiar with replacing them after a while. THey shouldn't leak but they are lip seals. The most common error is either installing them slightly squint or not looking at the collar on the stub axle for wear. Any sign of a groove or pitting on the collar and it needs replaced or it will eat the seal in no time flat.

Signs of a bad hub seal are a radial spray of oil on the inside wall of the wheel. Usually by this time, of course, your brake shoes are nicely contaminated and the brakes pull to one side. Who needs a idiot light.

When replacing your hub seal take the time to inspect your wheel bearings and repack them with grease.

For giggles I'll start an arguement and mention that many people use the one shot CV grease in the swivel housings as it is less prone to leaking out if the seals are marginal. I'll make a sharp exit now.

Cheers
Gregor

[thixon]

Rosie,

Just in case it did'nt sink in, Greenmeanie did an excellent job of proving to you that there is a vast amount of knowledge and help to be had from the members of this board. He (and others) know their stuff, and most are willing to walk you through just about any project you might be willing to attempt. That in and of itself should make you very comfortable with owning a series truck.

Green,

if it makes you feel better, once mines on the road, I'll be using grease in the swivels until I get around to rebuilding. They're pitted, and last on my list of things to do.

[Rosie]

Does anyone have a pic of a bad hub seal? I guess you can tell it is bad by your description and the leak right?
How often should they be maintained?

[jp-]

How often should they be maintained?

At least once every 45 years.