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Rover 1.4 impressive petrol

5K views 24 replies 6 participants last post by  161racer 
#1 ·
Hello Guys i have a problem. When i turn on engine I hear a weird noise. This happen only on when engine is "cold". Here is video . Does anyone know what's that and how much it would cost to repair this? Cheers
 
#3 ·
Assuming that you mean the tapping/rattling noise - this is relatively common on the K series petrol engine and is caused by the hydraulic tappets. The oil hole in the body of the lifter sometimes becomes partially obstructed (and the interior can get a bit gummed up too), especially when the engine has been filled with poorer quality oil and infrequent oil changes. The noise usually goes away as the oil warms up and becomes more fluid, and provided it doesn't continue to rattle afte the engine warms up, it probably isn't something to worry too much about.

A change of oil can help, possibly doing an intermediate change with a flushing additive which may help dissolve some of the sludge out of the lifters. If it was to become bad and noisy all the time, and failed to improve with the use of a flush, the only solution would be to take the camshafts out so that the lifters can be removed and dismantled so they can be cleaned manually (there is a guide to doing this here: http://forums.mg-rover.org/how-do-i-answers-common-problems-8/how-refurb-noisy-tappets-385271/)
 
#8 · (Edited)
#9 ·
Oil i would use!!



Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE 5W-30 Oil 5L

This oil is AMAZING for K Series Engines and is currently on sale at Halfords. I cannot comment on the engine flush as i have no exp using them. Euro car parts are very good and cheap! i would highly recommend getting a full service kit for the car (Air Filter, Oil Filter, Petrol filter) cost next to nothing tbh and as its a new car i would take all precautions and change them all
 
#11 · (Edited)
I have run DIESEL GRADE 10-40 or 15-40 ( XPower Stuff ) Engine Oils in the Petrol Engines of used cars I have bought. Been doing this for at least a dozen years. In every instance, it has been beneficial to the engine to some extent, sometimes spectacularly so.

Good quality DIESEL grade engine oil contains Detergents which are slow acting. Diesels run dirtier than Petrol engines. Those slow acting detergents can cleanse those sticky Hydraulic Tappets ( Cam Followers ) and many other engine parts over a few thousand miles. Reducing the Cam Followers to a near silent rustle. Then drain the Diesel Oil HOT and fit new Oil Filter. The return to the factory recommended 10-40 Semi-synthetic.

EDIT TO ADD @ 01:45

If at some stage the cylinder head has been skimmed, that involves Camshaft removal. On assembly it is necessary to apply sealant to the narrow oil channels which supply oil under pressure to the camshaft bearings and those Hydraulic Cam Followers. I say carefully because it's far from unknown that an excess of sealant can be squeezed into and block those small oil supply channels and starve the moving pasts. Such as the Cam Followers ( OK .. tappets ) which can become partially seized in their bores and that will result in it or them sounding like a neglected high mileage old diesel. One I know had noises so loud, was so bad, we thought it was a Big/Little End making all that row. We were wrong, it was caused by oil channel blockage.

I am NOT recommending this but here's what I did two years ago to my daily driver MG ZT 1.8t Cylinder Head during overhaul. As the whole engine was filled with a thick oil-coolant mix from the damaged cylinder head gasket in previous ownership, I wanted all that stuff out of the engine. I bought 5 Litres of Diesel Fuel, put it in the Petrol Engine's sump and ran the car gently for six miles only. Then drained the Diesel Fuel ( It's actually an Oil so has some lubricating properties ) and what came out was all that remaining filth left in the engine after previous draining. Two years and several thousand miles later, my ZT's engine still works beautifully. The oil on the dipstick is still reasonably clean and clear. without using that Diesel Fuel as a flush, the new oil on the dipstick would soon become discoloured from the muck left in the engine.

This was the oil-coolant-mix muck which came out of the engine when I drained it for the first time. Not nice :~



This picture shows the colour of the Diesel Fuel used to flush the engine and what it looked like when drained hot after a six mile gentle run :~



This picture shows what else came out of the engine when draining the bowl ~ small solids dislodged by the Diesel Fuel. :~



This for me is the clincher. Oil still relatively clean and contaminant free after several hundred miles following the Diesel Fuel flushing treatment :~





I repeat, I am not recommending this treatment. I took a calculated chance that things may not work out. However, my sensible gentle six mile run ensured it would be unlikely to harm the engine's internals.
 
#16 ·
Engine longevity.

Rather than following manufacturers' guidelines, more frequent Oil Changes is something I've been doing to my own and family cars, both new and used, for over thirty years now. OK it involves a little more expense but, the engines in my cars give superb reliability over high mileages. Oil is relatively cheap anyway if you shop around. Even cheaper if you buy bulk and take advantage of special offers. I maintain the family's cars so wise to buy in bulk with good discounts.

Rover and MG usually recommend 12,000 mile oil and filter changes. I tend to do it annually or around 6,000 mile intervals. No question, the engines benefit from this.

I read on other (non-MG-R ) car enthusiasts sites of engine problems where users go the full "recommended" 16-20,000 mile oil service intervals. Those silly high mileage intervals are designed for newish cars which clock up 16-20,000 miles in months, not years. With those cars, in two or three years any engine problems rarely show up but if and when they do, it's in later years in next ownership.
 
#22 ·
If you have a hexagon socket (not a bi-hexagon) and a t-bar (do not use a ratchet), jack the car up and support it safely so you can position the socket and t-bar so that you can give it a sharp smack with a hammer. The shock should loosen it. If you don't have a hexagon socket, i would use a normal ring spaner, and try smacking it with a hammer, but with any bi-hexagon ring there is always a chance of rounding off the hexagon on the plug.

Alternatively, use an impact driver if you have access to one (either manual or powered!).
 
#24 ·
Above all, ensure that the socket ( Ideally a hex = six sided ) or ring spanner is of good quality and has not been abused.

With really stubborn bolts, nuts or plugs, I used an arrangement like this which enables all the power to be applied without slips. Use a Breaker Bar to "crack" the nut or bolt then, when loosened you can use a Socket drive as in this picture. Slips can mean the dreaded rounding of flats and that can be a real PITA to deal with. :~



I used a set up like this to undo a very tight K-Series sump plug. This enables you to apply all your weight with no risk of slippage onto the over tightened Plug.

Yes, I repeat over tightened. There are a range of fasteners and plugs on cars which do not need to be done up silly tight. Sump drain plugs are one of those. Wheel nuts or bolts are another. This car had all those wheel nuts done up silly tight. Good job I found this out at home and not high up on the moors one rain sodden night with a flat tyre needing changing. Poor use of Fast-fit power tools is largely responsible. Simply not necessary. Far too much heavy handed use of power tools in so called pro-outfits in recent years. A pet hate of mine :~

Silly tight bolts needed my large breaker bar plus extension tube to release all these bolts :~



Needed my big 3/4" Breaker Bar to undo these :~

 
#25 ·
as with MG John I also use oil for a diesel, years back when emissions were not as tight engines used to get sludged up especially any Fords I used to own [and race], all the internals of the engine would be black with it, one specific case I recall was an XR2i engine I had to renew the lifters on, it was awful in there, a thousand miles later on diesel spec oil, and the internals were like new, I honestly could not believe it, the detergents had cleaned the black tar like stuff off, it gets suspended in the oil and the filter does its job and filters it out.

my current ZR which I got in october last year, had to be pressed into immediate use and as the oil on the 'stick' looked clean, i didnt replace it which I would normally do on a new [to me] car, it too has been a little noisy on start up on its top end for a moment and I have some diesel oil here now ready to go in when I next get the chance and some fair weather to sort it, I am sure after a few miles it will start to sound much better for it.
 
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