Burbling through the Winter

I know I call this blog "Living with Leyland", but arguably I shouldn't, because I'm not really using the Marina while I ponder its future - and my Rover was built in 1963, 4 years before Leyland subsumed the Rover Motor Co.

But why would I change the title now - when so many devotees of my blog have become comfortable with it?  (This is known as self-deprecating dead-pan humour, just in case the slightly derisory tone and raised eyebrow do not translate too well to text)

Well - I knew Rover started as a bicycle manufacturer in the late 1800's, but here's something I did not know, (courtesy of Wikepedia):

Starley's Rover (bicycle) is usually described by historians as the first recognisably modern bicycle. The words for "bicycle" in Polish (Rower) and Belarusian (Rovar, Ро́вар) are derived from the name of this company.

For no reason at all - that makes me feel obscurely proud.  Must be hard to market a luxury car in Poland that is called 'Bicycle' though.  Perhaps that is why the marque is effectively dormant now...

So anyway, as an avid reader of my blog since its inception, you will be aware that I bought the Rover in late February 2009 (6 months ago) with less than 45,000 mikes on the clock (44,667 to be precise).  I have driven over 5,000 miles in it since (8,000 km) and it has almost got to 50,000 miles.  Basically, this means it has probably traveled more miles in the last 6 months than it did in the previous 10 (possibly 20) years.

I have carried out a number of bits of 'renovation' work - and improvements to the state of engine tune (some conventional, others not) have meant that it now runs beautifully smoothly - and surprisingly economically for such a big, heavy car.  I had thought I was getting 23 mpg - but i think this might have been due to a calculation error.  Over the last 3 tanks, I have consistently managed 19.5 mpg (which is about 14.5 l/100km) on premium unleaded.

The old automatic gearbox (a Borg Warner DG) still leaks about a litre of fluid every 600 miles and the electrics remain a little eccentric - but on the whole ownership and driving has been rewarding and fun.

The diff ran more-or-less dry last weekend so had to crawl underneath to top it up.  I guess when I finally stump up the small fortune required to recondition the gearbox, I'll also get the diff seals redone.

It is a lovely, relaxing car to tour in, but the boot is 2/3 full of tools, cans of oil and other fluids, so there is not a lot of practical luggage space left.  Perhaps a boot rack would set it off nicely...?

Most weekends I try to get out into the Dandenong ranges with either of the kids or the whole family, if possible.  Tourist traffic and the winding, hilly roads tend to mean that the best speeds are between 30 and 55 mph (50 and 90 kph) - which is a great sweet spot for the particular transmission and engine combination of this model.

I think the age of the suspension and the fact that it runs on light truck radials (instead of the original crossplies) means that it rides a bit more harshly than it otherwise might - but still, it is a comfortable and solid car on the road.

It s also surprisingly practical to commute in - as long as the temperatures stay below 30'C.  My run to work is a 40-mile round trip in to the centre of the city in a range of road conditions - up to 70 mph (100kph-ish) if I take the tollway option - or suburban and urban stop-start if I don't.  Usually I choose the stop-start - so I'm pretty pleased with the 19.5 mpg.

I replaced the wipers this weekend - so now a bit more of the screen is smeared during rain.  Maybe there is an adjuster I can work on - it shouldn't be this bad!

I think before the summer gets here, I should probably replace the Marina with a car that has working airconditioning.

So - my 'new' car - has to keep me both looking and feeling cool through out the next few months.  It also really needed to be a Leyland - given that the Rover P5 was made a few years before Leyland subsumed Rover.  After all, I can't go renaming my blog just like that - what would all you avid readers do if I undertook such an impulsive rebranding exercise?

Finding anything with working airconditioning that fits my very modest budget, will certainly be a challenge.

Anyway - it's Sunday, so am off to Church.  More later.

Marina in a Marina...

An old school friend of my sister-in-law turned up at her house for a visit the other day. So two old school chums from the '70s get back together 10,000 miles from their Alma Mater. We all popped round too - they don't live too far away - and this particular chum also knew my wife

Chum's name is Marina - and yes, I could not resist, and good sport that she is, she gladly humoured me. Here she is - Marina in the Marina.

Depending on how long she is here, we might visit a Marina (boats n sea n stuff) - then I can get Marina, in the Marina, at a marina.

Hmm.

There is possibly a streak of insanity emerging here, but then, what sane person would willingly own and drive a Leyland Marina in the 'naughties?

Still can't decide whether to spend the $800 -ish to recondition the steering rack and fix the back brake - although not having the $800 in the first place is a fairly limiting factor...

I also think I've cured the oil leak onto the exhaust pipe by ignoring it, - I've checked the levels and all seems good.

I'll check again this weekend...

Thanks Marina :)

Pyjamas in the Tailpipe

Funny one this. I'd been moaning to the redoubtable Edward that the Rover exhaust was very noisy - principally because the previous owner had fitted a tail pipe from a 3.5 litre P5, which has two exit pipes on the rear muffler.

The 3 litre P5 should have a single exit pipe, and run very quietly (silently according to the contemporary test reports).

Incidentally, despite the new plugs, plug caps and leads, there was still a bit of a misfire too - probably carburetor-related.

Edward rang me and pointed out that the internal plumbing of the rear muffler/silencer box was simply 'one pipe in and two out' - so if we blocked off one of the pipes, I might (effectively) end up with a more-or-less standard system. "Try it with a rag first, to see how it runs, then if it is ok, we can simply weld in a metal disk to block the pipe." He suggested the right-hand pipe for some reason and said something cryptic about the old Rover engines liking a bit of 'back pressure'.

Always ready to fight the dark forces of automotive truculence with unexpected weaponry, I packed a once-faithful (and appropriately empty) pyjama leg into the right hand tail pipe - packed it in as hard as I could, then cut off the excess.

After starting, the car did indeed run quietly. And very smoothly. I took it up the street and back with no signs of trouble.

This was 10 days ago. The pyjama leg is still as well packed in as ever after over 300 miles - so no pressure is forcing it out. The engine is now as quiet as it probably was when new - thanks to the new plugs, leads, etc - and the exhaust is really quiet too - even my wife commented - and she rarely shows more than a passing indifference (understandable really - once she shows any interest, I start talking cars...)

But there are two more surprises. When I got the car, it was doing woefully worse than its original 17 mpg (imperial) or about 16 l/100km. I could tell. I was too scared to even measure the consumption, I just knew it was horrific.

However, after the various improvements (valve resetting, plugs, leads and the pyjama leg) I felt more confident.

You see, the remaining misfire all but disappeared (first surprise), and the old girl now pulls happily and cleanly from about 15 mph in top gear, so driving has become more relaxed. The engine is 'quantums' smoother and quieter - and I seemed to be filling up less.

SO I measured over about 250 miles (400km) of a lot of freeway and some urban driving - my normal stuff (see pic). I was very pleasantly surprised (second surprise). My 1.7 tonne, 120 hp Rover and I were returning a bit under 23 mpg (still imperial) or 13 l/100kmh, by my calculations.

All things considered, pretty good. A case of my pyjamas helping to save the planet. I know it isn't VW Golf diesel territory, but then I am helping the planet by not causing yet another unnecessary new car to be manufactured - which, by all accounts, puts me way ahead of the Golf owner!

And anyway, I don't drive as far as he does...

Speaking of saving the planet - here is a Rover P4 (actually about the same age as my P5) awaiting some resuscitative surgery from Edward before being recommissioned. I like these cars - used to have one in the UK. This one is nothing to do with me - but I thought I'd show you a picture

Happy Motoring!

Too Many Sparks

There was always a bit of a misfire on the Rover, but never anything to worry about. Just the odd hiccup now and then, and a strange inclination to hesitate if I suddenly asked for more speed whilst cruising above 50 mph.

Then all of a sudden I had a major misfire. The old girl still went, but managed at the same time to convey the strong impression that it was all too much effort...

Lifting the bonnet whilst the engine was running allowed me to see the very strong spark bouncing between the plug cap and the rocker cover - at least the problem was easy to see. I called my new friend Mark - local P5 guru and he suggested that the Bakelite plug cap was probably cracked.

So I limped the car over to his place - and he produced a spare one - we (he) fitted it - and off I went. The car ran beautifully for about 11 1/2 minutes - and then started the same tricks again. A quick look 'under the hood' revealed that the same plug cap was sparking to the rocker cover again.

Sheesh!

As it was, I was on the way to see Edward, who had done the top-end fettle (valves etc) because there also seemed to be a leak from the rocker cover gasket. Got there, and Edward happily fixed the leak (the gasket has slipped slightly inside during fitting) and also provided a replacement plug cap.

About 2 km up the road, it all started again - same misfire, same plug cap. Conclusion that we all came to was that the original Bakelite was perhaps not really standing the test of time - and that it was probably best for the car to replace the leads, caps and plugs with modern ones - silicone, rubber, stainless lead cores and multi-point spark plugs.

The redoubtable Edward cheerfully obliged.

The plugs came a few days later than the leads - but just the leads and plug caps made an enormous difference. Very smooth, quieter and much better low-speed puling power than ever I can remember.

Then came the plugs (each has 4 points to spark from instead of just one) and I had high hopes. They were realised - at least for a while. Even smoother 'cleaner' power. Then, to my surprise, the misfire partly returned. Generally, the engine is running at least 50% better, when either at a steady speed or under hard acceleration, but when I 'part' accelerate, either at low revs or up hill, I sometimes get a misfire.

The improvements in spark technology seem to mean that the misfire is not threatening to rip the gearbox and engine off their respective mounts (as it seemed before), but it is still significant. And frustrating. And a bit of a mystery. Perhaps I have dirty fuel - who knows. I'll experience it for a few more days and then have another chat with Edward - to see if we can work it out. Ho-hum.

Still continuing to to top up the transmission fluid on a weekly basis.

The Marina is much as it was - no misfires, but an oil leak from either engine or gearbox that means oil drips on to the exhaust pipe under the cabin, so once warm, there is a bit of a burnt oil smell. This may fix itself once the gearbox mounting rubbers are replaced - or it may get worse.

Watch this space.

Half of me wants to get rid of of the green beast and get something just a tad more glam, but the other half does not -and anyway - who'd buy it?

I drove to work in it last week and just as I switched the engine off in the carpark, there was a loud metallic PING. A quick check revealed that the rhs chrome wheel arch trim had pinged out and was now gracefully sitting 6 inches away from the bodywork at the top, but still attached by screws at the bottom. So I pulled it off. Never really liked those things anyway.

More later - bye for now - by the way, if you want to comment or say "hi" please do.

Conrad