My '72 P6 V8 is back in use on UK roads and once again wearing its silver on black 'K' plates!

Even though my car gets to spend the night in its cosy little garage, on cold mornings it likes to eject loads of power steering fluid out of the pinhole in the filler cap of the fluid reservoir. Coats the exhaust manifold, smokes and smells, and drips down and out leaving a big bright shiny puddle on the street. The stuff ain't cheap over here in Germany either! What can I do to prevent this happening? Also, the power steering is starting to feel heavy. Even after I top the fluid back up. Chaps, what do I do!?
 
I have a weird feeling that there is a pressure valve in there somewhere to separate the high and low pressure parts of the system - if that jams open, you can get high pressure in the reservoir which can blow oil everywhere. I may have made that up, or seen it on Wheeler Dealers though :oops:
 
I admit, I haven't checked the filter Jim. I thought it might be something to do with the warp drive not being able to hold on much longer Cap'n. Sorry, I'll get my coat. And a new filter, I suppose! Quattro, quit making things up, would ya!?
OK, next issue; engine just momentarily cut out, stumbled and came back straight away – cruising at a steady 50 kmh, then power loss, then back again... Pulls like a freight train if you step on the loud pedal, but now cuts whilst in regular motion, not just idling at a standstill !?!? Yikes! I've already gone half a turn richer on the jets, guess I need to wind 'em in even further!?!?
 
Cutting out momentarily while on the go doesn't sound like fuel to me. My money is on an electrical gremlin or a connection that is playing up.
Fuel starvation would be a gradual stuttering, stumbling and jerking affair.
 
I also had cutting out period with my Rover P5B and there was a problem with the aftermarket electronic ignition. Like John stated, there is a problem with the ignition.
There is a chap who has posted a lot of diagnostic features for the SD1 and also for the ignition system. For me it was very usefull to find the problem.
Do you have a tacho? If this go's down to 0 when the engine cuts out, there is a fault in the low voltage side of the ignition system
This is the site: http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pages/Downloads/Rover_PDFs/IntermittentIgnition01.pdf
 
Unstable Load, roverp5Bcoupe, Quattro, give yourselves each a star. You're right, it is an electrical Gremlin that is giving me grief. Finding it and rectifying the issue is going to be fun! My friends at Classic Wheels told me to keep driving, then when it lets me down and leaves me stranded by the side of the road to call them! If I bring the car round to the workshop without the issue presenting itself they can't diagnose it. They want the car when the issue is present, and I sort of understand their thinking. I know Ramon Alban's excellent site for Rover SD1 owners, but thanks for the tip. Detailed reading! I dispensed with the Lumenition that was fitted to my engine after it started to play up. I'm back to good old fashioned points in the old dizzy and a condenser by the coil! I'll try and keep an eye on the rev counter when the motor cuts out and comes back next time!
I want to finally fit the MSD box I bought last February, but the instructions say DANGER OF DEATH! in big red capital letters, and that scares me. With a bit of luck come March my favourite tame mechanic will have beaten the Flu that is making the rounds here in Berlin, and I might even have enough dosh on my bank account to be able to afford to hire him! Watch this space (well, the For Sale section) because I'm about to start cleaning, cataloging and photographing all the old Rover parts I have taking up space in my lock-up. I need to have a big clear out and turn junk into cash!
 
The trials and tribulations of daily driving a 46 year old car! I "borked" my autobox. Won't get out of first. Intermittent forward motion. Furthermore, my front suspension needs dismantling to replace the bushes that push the front cups on the road springs. My steering idler is also knackered, and the passenger side steering side rod is dragging against the inner wheel well at the front ball joint. Not the rod proper, but the ball joint gaitor. Lots to do before I'm back on the road!
Rather than fire the money cannon at the autobox, I reckon it is high time to put my manual in. Even if I had a big suitcase full of spare cash kicking around, my favourite workshop are fully booked for the foreseeable, so I'm tending toward having a go myself. I'd rather buy the right tools and make the attempt, and I figure if I get stuck or f*#k up I can always cry for help from the Pros!
Having recently had to undergo some surgery I'm not yet 100% fit and strong, but if I get the right tools for the job and enlist some abler-bodied mates I hope I'll be up to the task. Doubtless I'll have a great many questions in due course. The plan is to get cracking at the beginning of July when I'll next have some free time.
Any suggestions as to what spring compressor to use for the front road springs for maximum safety gratefully received! I have a two poster lift and a big red engine hoist and a smaller blue engine cradle. I'm thinking I'll need a long hydraulic support with a cradle to hold the gearbox. Any tips, or things to avoid?
What things might it be helpful to measure before I start dismantling it all? The position of the gearbox output flange relative to the tunnel? Anything else?
All ye with experience of LT77 swaps into an auto 3500, your advice is welcome.
Also, how big and heavy a trolley jack can I cart around in the boot without damaging the boot floor sheetmetal?
 
I've been in touch with both Superflex and Superpro recently. I sent back some incorrect bushes from a Superpro kit I bought. I also sent back the front top mounts giving them feedback on deformation and unsuitability issues. They were very interested and are looking to redesign something. I've been thinking if a better designed poly bush which didn't deform and could handle the rotational movement was conceived, one could drill the top arms for zerk grease fittings to periodically grease the bushes without removal..
Anyway it would be good to get in touch with them Al, tell them exactly your experiences. They'll probably refund or credit you with another bushing for the car.

You can get lightweight aluminium jacks if you want something substantial to carry around. Not cheap though

Spreading the load with a piece of ply in the boot would go far to stop any damage with heavy steel jack I'd think.
I got my jack from SGS, it's excellent and fairly heavy at around 45 kg, still less than most people though.. It's high lift, low profile, twin pump model. Not expensive at all for what it is.

Definitely get the new style spring compressor :cool:

Jim
 
Pre conversion
Make bonnet slam panel removable
Measure gearbox output flange height down from tunnel.


With digital angle finder and car on level ground / ramp measure angles of gearbox output flange and diff flange, they should be as close as possible the same, mine were not, gearbox was inclined 5 degrees and diff was 0 degrees, I had to raise box and tip diff to get within 1 degree.
Auto prop should fit, mine did, but was on full stretch, ended up fitting 1" spacer from Britpart to close up splines.
Adapt gearbox mount from SD1 to fit onto bracketry on tunnel.
Be careful how you wire the cables from the inhibitor switch on the old auto box, you need to join a pair to get the car to run and the other pair go to the reverse light switch on the LT77.
Very worthwhile conversion.
 
My automatic gearbox ceased to function properly back in May. Now it is already November, and I'm delighted to announce that at long last my LT77 5 speed manual is finally in my car. Not that I've actually completely finished the installation and got it driving yet, but the manual is at least held in place in the tunnel. I used a gearbox crossmember from an SD1 which needed some cutting and shutting to fit, and the addition of an arm and bracket for the second bolt on the driver side, which was adapted from the original automatic crossmember. The prop is back in, plus a Britpart 15mm spacer from Rimmer Bros. The exhaust needed some fettling to leave room for the clutch slave, so I've had the driver side down pipe extended by 2cm below the manifold. I'll format some photos and do a more comprehensive write-up of what the swap entails when I complete the job.
Now I need to connect the speedo cable to the gearbox. Can anyone on here tell me exactly what speedo drive I need to fit to the LT77?
 
Misalignment of the two parts of my accelerator shaft has me wondering if the rear of the gearbox is too low in the tunnel? There is about a centimetre difference centre to centre. I broke a plastic coupling, probably because the split pin on the front snagged on the heater hose, which seems very close to the shaft. Pics for Harvey!

misalignment1.jpg

misalignment2.jpg

misalignment3.jpg
 
At the back of the manual gearbox the driver side rubber bush is very close to the mounting bracket in the tunnel for the old automatic. I have had to space my modified LT77 rear crossmember downwards with some thick washers so as not to have to modify the metalwork in the tunnel. Hard to see in this photo (looking forwards in the tunnel), but there are only a couple of millimetres from the diagonally slanted top edge of the big rubber bushing and the turned up lip on the tunnel bracket.

gearbox-bushing-clearance.jpg
 
I'd say it is mounted too low at the gearbox rear mounting, but what you could do is fit the 3500S manual long throttle rod and get rid of the kickdown bracket and its short throttle rod altogether.
 
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