New battery keeps dying

threesacrowd

hi was wondering if anyone could advise me. I have a rover 214 and replaced the battery in august. For the last few days if i have been out in the evening over five or six miles the car wont start after its been switched off and i have to get it jump started cannot understand it as it starts fine in the morning and on short journeys all day.
also it seems to be guzzling coolant like mad and the heating only blows cold air.
i haven't a clue and cant afford to take it to the garage yet.

Keith

threesacrowd wrote: »

hi was wondering if anyone could advise me. I have a rover 214 and replaced the battery in august. For the last few days if i have been out in the evening over five or six miles the car wont start after its been switched off and i have to get it jump started cannot understand it as it starts fine in the morning and on short journeys all day.
also it seems to be guzzling coolant like mad and the heating only blows cold air.
i haven't a clue and cant afford to take it to the garage yet.

It sounds to me like your car has head gasket failure

TiTheRev

Keith wrote: »

It sounds to me like your car has head gasket failure

...which wont be your battery problem, but definately makes the batt issue irrelevant! Rover heads are notorious for blowing gaskets, so be prepared to chop it in. If the head isnt blown, try the alternator or fan belt to see if it's charging the battery properly.

Keith

Broken Fan Belt would stop the waterpump and alternator wouldn't it, leading to HGF on top of a dead battery

I remember many years ago, when the HG went on my metro, it had trouble starting just before it went

Keith

Keith wrote: »

Broken Fan Belt would stop the waterpump and alternator wouldn't it, leading to HGF on top of a dead battery

No it wouldn't would it.

Silly me! Fan belt could have broken, and stoped the alternator charging but won't be the cause of the HG issue

TiTheRev

It is possible, but doubt lack of fan movement on the pump would cause HGF. At a garage I used to work at, we did at least 1 Rover 200 head gasket a month for easily 6months. It's more likely that the gasket's blown on it's own and the battery is a seperate issue.

threesacrowd

thanks for the reply's does anyone have an idea how much i should expect to pay?

TiTheRev

Kinda depends what the problem is fan belt could be £6 but new head and gasket set £400+ take your pick :rolleyes:

Limey

Is the water pump on the K series driven by the fan belt or the cam belt? Rover 214s also came with Honda engines which are pretty much bulletproof as far as the head gasket goes.

espresso

Limey wrote: »

Is the water pump on the K series driven by the fan belt or the cam belt? Rover 214s also came with Honda engines which are pretty much bulletproof as far as the head gasket goes.

Cam belt see video here

Limey

Gotcha, my experience is mainly with Toyota MR2s and the waterpump's driven off the alternator belt.

Have you got a multimeter threesacrowd? A few tests I'd do on the car:

1. Check the voltage accross the battery terminals with the engine running, it should read between 13 and 14V and should not vary with engine speed. You can get a garage to check the alternator if you don't have the kit, I'd check the alternator plug first though.

2. Get a head gasket check done.

3. If 2's clear then the overheating may be due to either the thermostat being stuck shut or the impellers of the water pump are gone.