Coolant problem - Rover 45

jase1

Does it really matter now though? K-series is a 20 year old engine. The Chinese would be better off licencing old Proton technology...

rev_henry

Lum wrote: »

Can someone explain to me why timing chains are so popular around here?

Sure a belt needs changing and it's a bit of a PITA to do, but it's not that expensive.

But a chain is susceptible to getting damaged just because someone missed a couple of oil changes, and to actually replace a timing chain usually works out cheaper to scrap the car and buy a new one.

With a belt you can just look at it to determine it's state and/or change it as a precaution. With a chain you're dependent on the car having been looked after properly.

I may be wrong but I thought chains don't usually break, and if they do they rattle for ages before thus giving plenty of warning. Belts just snap.

Lum

A belt will only "just snap" if you don't replace it at the specified intervals. Only exceptions to this are if you use cheap nasty belts or I think there was one model of Vauxhall where they incorrectly specified a 100,000 mile interval for changing the belt when they meant 100,000 km.

jase1

Failed tensioners are a major problem though, and is less likely to give warning on a belt-driven car than a chain.

Mid-90s Vauxhalls and Daewoos, some Renaults, Fiats and VWs all had this problem. So does the QG Nissan engine but, although it's expensive to fix, the chain-cam does at least cause the engine to self-save itself before hell breaks loose.

Lum

Umm, isn't it standard to change the tensioner with the belt?

That's what I always did on my old Subaru Legacy (EJ207 engine)

cyclonebri1

Lum wrote: »

To be honest, I'm not aware of Renauts being particularly prone to HGF in the way that K series Rovers are. My comment was tongue in cheek and more about why he brought up Renaults in this thread when there are are lot more of them on the road than Rovers.

Though to be fair, if your reference point for reliability and quality is Vauxhall, it's not surprising that Renaults seem pretty good to you. :rotfl:

The things that go wrong on Renaults are often more niggly stuff like electric windows which the more moneysaving type will be happy to ignore or fix themselves.

Ok so you've pooh poohed Renault and Vauxhall, Jeeus not many cars left on the road now???, great for the rest.

You chaps need to ask yourselves:

When was the last time you saw a car broken down at the side of the road???, and what "brand" was it.

I'll answer for you, it was probably a Nissan or a Toyota.

catflea

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

When was the last time you saw a car broken down at the side of the road???, and what "brand" was it.

Morris Minor, with a packed up wiper motor. I should know, I was driving the damned thing :rotfl:

jase1

Lum wrote: »

Umm, isn't it standard to change the tensioner with the belt?

That's what I always did on my old Subaru Legacy (EJ207 engine)

That would be fair enough were it not for the fact that the cars I mentioned had problems where the tensioner would fail prematurely. All very well changing the belt at 60K, but if the tensioner fails at 28K....

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Ok so you've pooh poohed Renault and Vauxhall, Jeeus not many cars left on the road now???

Are you my dad? He seems to think that every other car on the road is a Vauxhall or a Renault as well. Strange....

You chaps need to ask yourselves:

When was the last time you saw a car broken down at the side of the road???, and what "brand" was it.

I'll answer for you, it was probably a Nissan or a Toyota.

:rotfl:

You know, I have seen the French car apologists come out with some crap in my time but that really does take the cake.

The answer to your question is "something that's about 20 years old, and badly maintained". If you are implying therefore that Toyotas and Nissans all reach a ripe old age without maintenance, I'll take that (although it isn't true) but I suspect that wasn't what you were trying to say was it?

Let me guess, the Toyota broke down because the accelerator pedal stuck.

cyclonebri1

jase1 wrote: »

That would be fair enough were it not for the fact that the cars I mentioned had problems where the tensioner would fail prematurely. All very well changing the belt at 60K, but if the tensioner fails at 28K....



Are you my dad? He seems to think that every other car on the road is a Vauxhall or a Renault as well. Strange....



:rotfl:

You know, I have seen the French car apologists come out with some crap in my time but that really does take the cake.

The answer to your question is "something that's about 20 years old, and badly maintained". If you are implying therefore that Toyotas and Nissans all reach a ripe old age without maintenance, I'll take that (although it isn't true) but I suspect that wasn't what you were trying to say was it?

Let me guess, the Toyota broke down because the accelerator pedal stuck.

Then you need to take dads advice and open your eyes fella, according to your views they'd all be broken down on the hard shoulder???

So the road side is littered with dying Renaults/Vxs?? I don't think so

Well cheers chap you've dreamed something into the topic that I did not post, wierd fella?


Yes, I probably am your dads age, he and me would have experienced REALLY crap cars, today they are all good, you need a reallity check

Todays cars are all good but some can cost twice as much as others for simililar spec and performance, you go your way and I'll go mine, lets see who ends up the better off. Waste your money, it's yours after all but bear in mind this forum is about money saving not money wasting.

Oh, ,;)

jase1

The only person on this thread who has implied that a certain make of car is littering the hard shoulder is you.

What's my dad's "advice" again? That Renaults and Vauxhalls make up the majority of cars on the road? Even if it were true -- so what?

We're not the ones making fatuous generalisations in some harebrained attempt to prove something that no-one else has said is false.

But then of course according to your world order it's impossible to tell if a Nissan is working or not, seeing as they all apparently travel so slowly that you have to overtake them all with your caravan and could thus be mistaken for a broken-down vehicle. So perhaps we should cut you some slack, poor old thing.