can people tell me what types of things have went wrong with a ROVER 214 SEI as i have just bought one with 91,000 miles but has been constantly serviced is there any problems with them althought they get a regualr service? from chris
Brought into line with the drop down watchamcallit - all the way from 2002 - like an episode of Torchwood !
Edited by Pugugly on 14/09/2008 at 00:17
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Weak areas are:
1) Multifunction Unit very dodgy. Controls interior light; Lights on warning and intermittent wipe.
2) Rear trailing arm bushes.
3) The threads on the engine mount strip and require helicoiling when the cam belt is replaced.
4) Some cooling hassles but I?ve never had them.
5) Spark plugs rust in due to reactions between alloy then thread strips as they are removed.
Despite this all in all I've been happy with mine. (Bought on 113k miles, now on 137500 miles) That 1.4 K series is sweet.
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Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Heard of several horror stories about head gaskets failing on the K series engine.
I owned a 1990 414 and took it to 110K miles with no problem. Currently own a 1990 416, but this has the (better) Honda engine fitted.
Possibly the headgasket problem was related only to the engines with single point injection, not sure about the MPI system.
I like Rovers because they are cheap and you get a pretty good performing car for not much money, however at the first sign of big trouble I'd get rid of it. They are hit hard by depreciation.
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Forgot to say, I got rid of my 414 because the ECU started playing up, and over-richening the mixture. Everytime the garage tuned it, it would be out of tune after a week or two. A new ECU was going to cost £300 (secondhand unit).
If yours has a closed loop emission system, you should be OK as the ECU will detect and correct the mixture (as long as the lambda probe is working...)
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well i have a 1994 l reg rover 214 so i dont think i will have those problems as you have a much car than me
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Have a look at www.rovertorque.co.uk - it has some simple message boards where a lot of Rover-heads swap info.
You could also try the forums at www.parkers.co.uk, but there is a lot of for/against Rover debaters who contribute, and any Rover topic can quickly degenerate into a slanging match. You have been warned!
I'm about to fit an Ecotek valve to my Rover (www.ecotekplc.co.uk) - it claims to improve performance, emmissions and economy. It looks easy to fit to a Rover, so if you want I'll let you know how I get on, and if its worth getting one for your car.
I've calculated that my car does 38.5mpg, so once the valve is fitted I'll see if I can get the (up to) 20% extra economy they advertise...
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The only way you're going to get 20% better economy is by fitting a diesel engine.
Chris
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just saw your reply about the ecotek you are fitting to your 214 please can you tell me if it has inproved your mpg yet
alanfisherman
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well i have a 1994 l reg rover 214 so i dont think i will have those problems as you have a much car than me
You *will* have the MFU problem one day. A mates R reg 218 is worse than mine. That's 100 per cent of the 2/4 series cars I've come across.
Bushes will wear out just like tyres driveshaft boots etc.
You sound affornted. I wasn't slagging the cars off. Mine's been brilliant. You just asked what went wrong with them and I told you!
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Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Toad is quite right about the trailing arm bushes. It is possible to have just the bushes replaced at about £50 per side - do not be fobbed off with being told you MUST replace the whole arm.
Head problems are almost always down to lack of maintainance. The K series is a low water content engine and so it is VITAL to flush and replenish the coolant every two years to prevent corrosion build up.
Dorions ECU problem may not have been the ECU. On the earlier throttle body injection variant, the throttle body unit can wear & gum up. Many garages mistakenly (not) diagnose this as ECU failure. Unfortunately a new throttle body is around £300 - but a 2nd hand one can be had for around £40 or so. Use an independant Rover specialist.
Anyway, why wory about problems you might have. Chances are you'll have years of trouble free motoring ahead. Any car is bound to throw up a few issues as it ages though - just cross the bridge if you ever get to it.
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Cyd - You mean it might not have been the ECU???
Aaagghhhhh!!!!
Oh well, you live and learn, I just wish I could learn a little faster - I wonder if a broadband connection might help :)
BTW - how do you know if the trailing arm bush thingys need replacing?
At the minute, when cornering and braking at the same time to the right (i.e. at a roundabout) I get a soft clunking noise from the front left. I think its the suspension bush knocking around a bit (the front suspension also sounds noisy when driving slowly over rough ground (e.g. dirt track near some woods).
Any ideas?
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At the minute, when cornering and braking at the same time to the right (i.e. at a roundabout) I get a soft clunking noise from the front left. I think its the suspension bush knocking around a bit....
It might be the CV joint that's clunking.
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I don't think its CV joints - the noise is not a clunk, more like a light knock. Sorry bad choice of words on my part.
Whats the best way of determining if a CV joint has gone boom?
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I don't think its CV joints - the noise is not a clunk, more like a light knock.
If it is the cv joints, then the knocking should be there all the time when cornering.
Whats the best way of determining if a CV joint has gone boom?
Grab hold of driveshaft near to the joint and try waggling it. There shouldn't be any play in the cv joint.
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Afraid I don't know how to tell if the bushes are gone.
Suspension knocking could be worn shocks - about 80k is right for shock life.
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Our 93K 214 sli (100,000 miles) has had various things go wrong.
The first was the radiator at around 80K fine however my mother didn't notice and although we replaced it the cylinder head gasket blew about six months later and had to be replaced as was badly warped, also on these cars the head bolts should be checked regularly and tightened where necessary.
At 97,000 miles it threw a conrod on the A1 and therefore has had to have a new engine, now seeing them regularly in the scrap yard, highest mileage one seen so far was 130,000.
Other faults have been a faulty in let manifold gasket that caused it to be very jolty when driving and also the drivers window regulator is knackered but just about impossible to replace.
Bear in mind this car had been serviced on the dot every time! Good luck.
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T S-S
There was considerable discussion on this site a while back about K series head bolts. Final concensus was that they should NOT be retightened regularly, indeed it's unclear how you could do this.
They are stretch bolts, and don't have a torque figure. They are tightened into the plastic range, and can't be checked with a torque wrench once that's done.
Regards
John S
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highest mileage one seen so far was 130,000.
Mines' got 137k.
But I look after it really well. [1]
[1] ;-)
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Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Mate at work has just sold a J reg 214Si with 157k up. Never had any work on it at all (other than regular servicing), he claimed. He had it from 6mths old.
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Hi,
I have a 1994 M'Reg 214 SEI with 82k on the clock (got it 3 years ago at 35k) - I've had to replace the radiator and one caliper over and above normal servicing. So I really can't complain. I find it suprisingly nippy for a 1.4 too, mines quite happy to stick at 90mph on the motorway. Recently took it to Cornwall and back, which is a 900 mile round trip for me fully laden with wife, two kids and associated luggage. I recommend them. Mines for sale on the autotrader website for £950 if anyone's interested...lol
Kind regards,
Cyrill666
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what sort of fuel economy do you get, in town, motorway etc
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In short they're crap.....don't bother with it. If you do make sure that you have AA/RAC membership.
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In spite of me owning one, and being quite loyal to the marque, got to agree with Railroad. It was crap - a real bucket of spanners. Loud engine, too low geared, numerous problems with ECU, dodgy cat (expensive) and it hated the wet - often refusing to fire.
If you're spending money on a budget motor - don't go for a Rover, the vast majority simply don't stand the test of time.
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214 sell for absolutely nothing at auction. 216 make a bit more, saw mint 216 H plate with 70k sell for £50 two months ago.
I have ehard that oil seals/valve guides wear out on 214 16v engines. Apparently the oil seals are not an easy job on this engine. So 214 8v or preferably 216 better buys.
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When you're talking about H plate cars then yeah, they aren't worth much but what H plate car is? Escorts, Astras, Pug 309s, Renault 19s of that vintage go for nothing also. Wet starting problems can usually be cured by no more than a new set of HT leads. It's true that they do need looking after coolant wise, to minimise risk of cylinder head warping/HGF.
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I've just coverred 15000 in my H reg 414sli in 3 months (mainly motorway) all at 42-45 mpg. Not this wasn't planned as the car was bought simply to do 15 miles per day to the station and back. I've had the wet starting problems but that appears to be fixed now and my car had a lot of work done on it before I got it from a family member but it had only averaged 4000 miles per year for the last 7 before I got it. The cars are cheap and enjoy them for that.
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Hi, For many years I owned an N registered 214 SEI. With an engineering background I looked after her mostly myself. The cars and engines when serviced regularly and looked after tend to return reasonably happy motoring, however I would note the following to watch out for:
Head gasket failure - this only happens to a few K series units, the cause mostly being water pump failure which unless noticed will allow the engine to over heat warping the aluminium cylinder head very quickly, it is advisable to check this at least every second service. When running you will be able to hear the rumbling / whine of a defective unit quite clearly. If you hear any odd noises other than the click of the engine tappets get it checked.
Engine cut out / stall in wet weather - Unfortunately the engine ignition coil is located at the front N/S of the engine bay exposing it to most of the elements, if you pass through a large puddel this can soak the contacts casing the engine to cut out. Keeping a good dose of greese on the contact and a touch of silocone around the shroud should cure this.
Heavy break disk wear - this will cause vibration under breaking but is easily solved.
other than the odd electrical gremlin the only other thing I would point out is that I suggest repairing any chips ect asap as rust is never far behind.
Hope this helps, happy motoring, the wee 214 SEI is a great wee car.
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If rover had continued with the honda engine they would probably of still been in business today!. Basically the K series engine & its relibility tarnished a middle of the road product
Check out reliability of Rover 75 1800 petrol H/gasket failures continually MGf's Freelander 1800 headgaskets Rover 200-400 1400's headgasket failures alway's top of the list alway's K series engine. Cooling system design was poor which mostly caused the major failures.
as for all the other bits they wear out like any other car but window mechasims & ECU's were higher on the list than other manufactures
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