Soldato
- Joined
- 24 Apr 2007
- Posts
- 7,567
- Location
- Southport
Recently my friend's Rover 600 was running a little 'rough' (bobsleigh85 on here), losing power and smoking more than usual. Also, his oil level was creeping up... ominous!
It all came to a head, as the car started accelerating by itself on the M55 even when all feel were off the pedals. I overtook him in the ZS just as black smoke filled the motorway, and pulled onto the hard shoulder in front of the car just as he managed to stall it.
Under the bonnet, oil was absolutely everywhere, so immediate suspect was blown turbo. Although failures are unusual, it is on 134,000 miles so it wouldn't be out of the question.
We did disconnect the boost hoses, and try and start the car - it did run but was misfiring and rocking badly (even for a diesel!).
When we tried again the next day after having it recovered, it didn't start at all.
It has the solid canal-barge engine known as the L series, which is practically bomb-proof and just about the only reliable-until-hell-freezes-over engine Rover ever made, IMO of course. So we have absolutely no idea how this happened.
Have some pictures:
Oil, everywhere!
The Rover returns to it's natural habitat, the back of a recovery truck.
Fuel pump with belts removed:
Happy faces! For now anyway. At this point we assumed turbo failure.
The original turbo, next to the replacement we sourced. Note the slightly different compressor housings, we still can't get our heads around this apart from perhaps a casting revision at some point.
All manifolds stripped off.
Off with his head!
Note the oil over cylinders 3 and 4...
Holes in pistons 3 and 4:
...and some epic bore damage!
The 'ooooo, expensive!' look:
Time to drop the lump and fit a replacement, I think
It all came to a head, as the car started accelerating by itself on the M55 even when all feel were off the pedals. I overtook him in the ZS just as black smoke filled the motorway, and pulled onto the hard shoulder in front of the car just as he managed to stall it.
Under the bonnet, oil was absolutely everywhere, so immediate suspect was blown turbo. Although failures are unusual, it is on 134,000 miles so it wouldn't be out of the question.
We did disconnect the boost hoses, and try and start the car - it did run but was misfiring and rocking badly (even for a diesel!).
When we tried again the next day after having it recovered, it didn't start at all.
It has the solid canal-barge engine known as the L series, which is practically bomb-proof and just about the only reliable-until-hell-freezes-over engine Rover ever made, IMO of course. So we have absolutely no idea how this happened.

Have some pictures:
Oil, everywhere!



The Rover returns to it's natural habitat, the back of a recovery truck.

Fuel pump with belts removed:

Happy faces! For now anyway. At this point we assumed turbo failure.


The original turbo, next to the replacement we sourced. Note the slightly different compressor housings, we still can't get our heads around this apart from perhaps a casting revision at some point.

All manifolds stripped off.

Off with his head!


Holes in pistons 3 and 4:


...and some epic bore damage!

The 'ooooo, expensive!' look:

Time to drop the lump and fit a replacement, I think

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