New P6 3500s....... and it's a nightmare.

T

thomas_1972

New Member
Hi,

I bought a 1973 Rover P6 3500s in Tabacco Leaf a fortnight ago from a guy down in Essex which i am generally happy with but it has got a few problems that need sorting out. It flew back to Durham from Essex but the next morning i awoke to find half a tank of petrol covering the drive.

Having refilled the tank in order to drive it down to the local garage, I noticed the aftermarket electric pump seems to have packed in when I tried to get it started. I then flattened the battery so it was removed, recharged and re-fitted. Now the Alternator gives off a burning smell and lots of smoke.

The body has been fully restored, it is in beautiful condition and when these issues are sorted I hope it will give me years of enjoyment.
 
Hi welcome to the forum.

First things first.
Do you know exactly where the fuel leak is coming from?
Where is the electric pump located?
Is it on a seperate on/off switch? as it may have been left on,and burnt out,thus giving a dead short back via the alt!
As the batt was flat,are you 100% sure it has charged up ok,as if it is duff it will not hold a charge,and any that is in it will not last long.
Are you sure you have connected the batt round the right way,as if it was almost totally flat,it could short out in the alternator.
Diconnect the plug from the back of the alt and try it again.
Do you still have the manual pump bolted to the block?
Try using it if you have by temporarily re-connecting the fuel lines.
With anything electrical causing smoke,and fuel leakage,I would be extreemly carefull if you are not 100% confident in playing with cars!!
Call a classic owning mate round or get it to a good classic sympathetic garage mechanic!!
As always it is almost impossible to diagnose this sort of problem without being ther and getting hands on!!
Good luck,let us know how it goes!
Dave
 
Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice.

I'm not to sure where the leak is coming but it appears to leak from the bottom of the tank. It may be coming from the fuel line connector.I have bought a replacement tank and a new Facet external pump in case the one installed in knackered. It's currently bolted to the boot floor near the petrol tank and it used to make an audible noise when you started the ignition but no longer does. The mechanical pump has been removed.

I was careful when replaceing the battery and the terminals are definately connected the right way round and i have tried a spare battery too and experienced the same problem.

My local garage are going to take it away and sort it out. I can feel my pockets begin to empty already :(


Thomas



pilkie said:
Hi welcome to the forum.

First things first.
Do you know exactly where the fuel leak is coming from?
Where is the electric pump located?
Is it on a seperate on/off switch? as it may have been left on,and burnt out,thus giving a dead short back via the alt!
As the batt was flat,are you 100% sure it has charged up ok,as if it is duff it will not hold a charge,and any that is in it will not last long.
Are you sure you have connected the batt round the right way,as if it was almost totally flat,it could short out in the alternator.
Diconnect the plug from the back of the alt and try it again.
Do you still have the manual pump bolted to the block?
Try using it if you have by temporarily re-connecting the fuel lines.
With anything electrical causing smoke,and fuel leakage,I would be extreemly carefull if you are not 100% confident in playing with cars!!
Call a classic owning mate round or get it to a good classic sympathetic garage mechanic!!
As always it is almost impossible to diagnose this sort of problem without being ther and getting hands on!!
Good luck,let us know how it goes!
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Hi Thomas.

It will probably turn out to be something simple like a dead short somewhere,if you are lucky it will only have blown a fuse,or burnt out a wire.
A new alt should only be about £35 with warranty if thats had it!
The fuel pipe system is from tank,via reserve tap - carb- tank, has a return to the tank,if this has become detached,it could set up a syphon effect thus draining fuel!
Well worth the couple of hundred quid it will probably end up costing to get it sorted safely by an expert!
It would be well worth while getting them to give it the good once over while they are at it,so you can get any little problems sorted all in one hit,or at least know what to expect in your ownership.
Getting to know your way around a new car,and what has been done to it,especially a classic will take time.
Hope you get it back soon,and then begin to enjoy it.

Cheers Dave
 
Hi,

It was certainly a joy to behold when I drove it 300 miles back home.The oil pressure was bang on 30 coming up the M1. It has a hand-made stainless steel exhaust fitted and it sounds glorious. Luckily I have another P6 V8 for spares with a good alternator so I will use that if needed. All i need are some leather seats!

One thing that puzzles me about the Rover P6. They are wonderful cars, superbly built ... why are they so cheap to buy?


Thomas





pilkie said:
Hi Thomas.

It will probably turn out to be something simple like a dead short somewhere,if you are lucky it will only have blown a fuse,or burnt out a wire.
A new alt should only be about £35 with warranty if thats had it!
The fuel pipe system is from tank,via reserve tap - carb- tank, has a return to the tank,if this has become detached,it could set up a syphon effect thus draining fuel!
Well worth the couple of hundred quid it will probably end up costing to get it sorted safely by an expert!
It would be well worth while getting them to give it the good once over while they are at it,so you can get any little problems sorted all in one hit,or at least know what to expect in your ownership.
Getting to know your way around a new car,and what has been done to it,especially a classic will take time.
Hope you get it back soon,and then begin to enjoy it.

Cheers Dave
Click to expand...
 
God knows why they are cheap to buy,but they are creeping up slowly.
Bung us up a few piccies of your new toy!
Leather seats are not to bad to find,you will probably want black or a light tan,possibly cream.
The prices do vary,but can be found cheap if you wait a while with the cash ready!
You will no doubt have cloth box pleat at the mo, I would go for flat pleat type,as they are miles more comfy than the boxpleat leather type!
 
welcome to the forum thomas,did u say u live in durham,ifso thats where i live,the p6club r having there anniversary show up at beamish muesuem in may,it will be a cracking show Bri
 
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