Discussion
Hi,
I have one of these, love it. I do however wish I had bought the 1.8 Turbo though. The standard 1800 is quite underpowered, its ok if you live in a flat area as its adequate on flat roads/motorways. I live in a rather hilly area & its awful for getting up hills from a standing start. Im seriously thinking of getting rid & getting the Turbo version. Fuel wise its pretty good, on a steady motorway run it returns 39 - 41 mpg, round town more like 28mpg.
Mine has done similar mileage, 63,000. Make sure that either the headgasket has been done or check for any signs of overheating. Look for white traces on the oil dipstick, a sign that the headgasket is on its way out. Its not the end of the world should it go, around £300 sorts it. Try & start the car from cold too if you can, listen to the engine for metallic knocking noises. They do get a bit tappety but should not knock to loudly...although mine does knock from cold & it still works. the knocking goes away after a couple of mins...dont know what it is!
Also check the carpets, front and rear. The front plenum chamber drain holes become blocked so the plenum fills up & spills over inside the car. Very easy to unblock though. Likewise check the boot for dampness as they can leak in via the rear light clusters. If the car smells damp or foisty then its a sign that its either leaking in or has leaked in previously.
Apart from that they are good cars, great place to be on the inside & a damn fine looking motor from the outside IMO! Good Luck.
I have one of these, love it. I do however wish I had bought the 1.8 Turbo though. The standard 1800 is quite underpowered, its ok if you live in a flat area as its adequate on flat roads/motorways. I live in a rather hilly area & its awful for getting up hills from a standing start. Im seriously thinking of getting rid & getting the Turbo version. Fuel wise its pretty good, on a steady motorway run it returns 39 - 41 mpg, round town more like 28mpg.
Mine has done similar mileage, 63,000. Make sure that either the headgasket has been done or check for any signs of overheating. Look for white traces on the oil dipstick, a sign that the headgasket is on its way out. Its not the end of the world should it go, around £300 sorts it. Try & start the car from cold too if you can, listen to the engine for metallic knocking noises. They do get a bit tappety but should not knock to loudly...although mine does knock from cold & it still works. the knocking goes away after a couple of mins...dont know what it is!
Also check the carpets, front and rear. The front plenum chamber drain holes become blocked so the plenum fills up & spills over inside the car. Very easy to unblock though. Likewise check the boot for dampness as they can leak in via the rear light clusters. If the car smells damp or foisty then its a sign that its either leaking in or has leaked in previously.
Apart from that they are good cars, great place to be on the inside & a damn fine looking motor from the outside IMO! Good Luck.
These are nice cars and I would have bought one new instead of a new ZS if they had put the Turbocharged Rover T-Series in it as fitted to the Rover 620ti. The K-Series engine in all its forms is a good power unit. As MGgeordie has found, the 1.8 K-Series in normally aspirated form is asked to punch well above its weight in the ZT and Rover 75. The Turbocharged version of the 1.8 K-Series is better for the car.
All these cars are at least seven years old now so check all the things you'd check on any used car. Look for signs of TLC and regular maintenance. Clean Oil, Air and oil filters. Coolant a healthy colour with no sign of contamination.
In my personal experience rather than 'geezer dahn the pub' myths, the Cylinder Head Gaskets rarely fail on these engines. More often than not, they are first damaged by some other agency and then unable to do the important job they are designed to do. Main cause of these so called 'failures' usually overheating following coolant loss for some reason. Prime suspect for coolant loss in my personal experience is a worn or wearing water pump. That allows a little but steadily increasing amount of coolant to escape as it wears until coolant reaches a critical low level. That lack of cooling means overheating and that causes damage to any engine. On a fast motorway run, coolant loss via a worn Water Pump can be very rapid and go unnoticed by the car user until it is too late.
Usually the first thing damaged is the cylinder head gasket. If spotted in time, all that needed is a replacement gasket. Get the job done by someone who knows these engines as preparation and cleaning up the cooling system is needed in addition to fitting a new gasket. That part of the job is a doddle. Its the clean up of the system and checking for the cause of and rectifying the problem that's far more important. Most competent repair folks always replace the Water Pump at the same time ~ that is a wise precaution as it could have been the cause of the 'failure' in the first place.
If your car starts to show signs of steadily increasing coolant loss, if you are unsure of what to look for, get someone who knows these engines to check it before further damage is done. As previously mentioned, worn Water Pump is about £25 DIY or plus £75-£100 labour to fit.
Over on MG-Rover.org there are one or two folks who specialise on these engines. They travel to your home with a ready prepared skimmed Cylinder Head Cylinder to save precious time. That means head gasket replacement costing £300-£350 if that's all that needs doing. I believe that includes a new Water Pump fitted too. Bit more expensive on the MGF/TF as access to those mid-engines is more restricted.
Find a nice example and you'll be delighted with it.
During the past ten years or so, I have bought several Rovers and MGs from previous owners who had been advised sometimes wrongly that their Cylinder Head Gasket had failed. Each had been quoted silly money to fix their cars so decided to get rid. Half those cars did NOT have a damaged cylinder head gasket but simply needed a worn Water Pump replaced. The others did need their damaged gasket renewed and two of those were caused by Water Pump wear. Two others by incompetent pro-repairs. All these cars are still within the family or with friends and give reliable service.
Seven months ago I bought a tidy MG ZS with the 1.8 K-Series showing 45,000 miles from a couple who had been advised the car needed a replacement cylinder head gasket. I bought the tidy example at a price to allow for that. The car came with a new timing belt and tensioner which the owner was going to fit but decided to sell before doing so. I fitted those and as the Belt also drives the Water Pump, fitted that at the same time. Three birds with one stone. Car has been perfect ever since. 2,000 Miles since, nothing wrong with the Cylinder Head Gasket. The old Water Pump showed the tell tale signs of wear allowing coolant loss.
One learns from one's mistakes. Nine years ago, I bought my wife a new MGZS120+ which we still have. two yeas ago it started to steadily lose coolant. Checked all I could but no obvious signs of coolant leaks so must be the gasket to blame. So, before anything more serious developed, I decided to fit a new MLS ( Multi Layer Steel ) so called up graded gasket. In so doing, I removed a perfectly sound original cylinder head gasket...
... Shortly afterwards as my wife pulled up in the car I noticed that the fans were running on longer than usual after my wife had switched off. Longer than when they do for the AirCon... she had just completed a fast motorway run. I lifted the bonnet and was alarmed to observe a completely empty coolant expansion bottle. I then noticed a waterfall of coolant emerging from under the water Pump location.... The coolant loss problem was the water Pump all along.
What I did not know then was that the boys up at Longbridge in their wisdom had fitted an "Evaporator" directly underneath the Water Pump Shaft location on later cars. This was designed with the best of intentions to coolact those first few leaks from a wearing pump and .. evaporate them! So, no tell tale signs of colant under the pump on the floor to alert the observant car user ... until the wear on the pump reaches a terminal stage and the resultant torrent overpowers the evaporator.
Best laid plans, intentions and all that....
Since found out that Evaporator is designed to collect and evaporate escaping coolant away from the timing belt which could be harmful to it. I prefer to see those coolant drops under the car to alert me sooner. With one exception, every Water Pump I've fitted to my family and friends' cars has NOT had the Evaporator. We all know what and where to look for those tell tale signs... so far none have appeared an dall the cars run like they should... very well indeed.
Finally, some years ago I read on another web site where some brave soul "in the trade" had actually admitted he had changed the cylinder head gaskets on over a hundred Rovers ... which did not need doing! I found that difficult to believe when I first read that. Some years on, subsequent experiences with these engines means I most certainly believe that now...
All these cars are at least seven years old now so check all the things you'd check on any used car. Look for signs of TLC and regular maintenance. Clean Oil, Air and oil filters. Coolant a healthy colour with no sign of contamination.
In my personal experience rather than 'geezer dahn the pub' myths, the Cylinder Head Gaskets rarely fail on these engines. More often than not, they are first damaged by some other agency and then unable to do the important job they are designed to do. Main cause of these so called 'failures' usually overheating following coolant loss for some reason. Prime suspect for coolant loss in my personal experience is a worn or wearing water pump. That allows a little but steadily increasing amount of coolant to escape as it wears until coolant reaches a critical low level. That lack of cooling means overheating and that causes damage to any engine. On a fast motorway run, coolant loss via a worn Water Pump can be very rapid and go unnoticed by the car user until it is too late.
Usually the first thing damaged is the cylinder head gasket. If spotted in time, all that needed is a replacement gasket. Get the job done by someone who knows these engines as preparation and cleaning up the cooling system is needed in addition to fitting a new gasket. That part of the job is a doddle. Its the clean up of the system and checking for the cause of and rectifying the problem that's far more important. Most competent repair folks always replace the Water Pump at the same time ~ that is a wise precaution as it could have been the cause of the 'failure' in the first place.
If your car starts to show signs of steadily increasing coolant loss, if you are unsure of what to look for, get someone who knows these engines to check it before further damage is done. As previously mentioned, worn Water Pump is about £25 DIY or plus £75-£100 labour to fit.
Over on MG-Rover.org there are one or two folks who specialise on these engines. They travel to your home with a ready prepared skimmed Cylinder Head Cylinder to save precious time. That means head gasket replacement costing £300-£350 if that's all that needs doing. I believe that includes a new Water Pump fitted too. Bit more expensive on the MGF/TF as access to those mid-engines is more restricted.
Find a nice example and you'll be delighted with it.
During the past ten years or so, I have bought several Rovers and MGs from previous owners who had been advised sometimes wrongly that their Cylinder Head Gasket had failed. Each had been quoted silly money to fix their cars so decided to get rid. Half those cars did NOT have a damaged cylinder head gasket but simply needed a worn Water Pump replaced. The others did need their damaged gasket renewed and two of those were caused by Water Pump wear. Two others by incompetent pro-repairs. All these cars are still within the family or with friends and give reliable service.
Seven months ago I bought a tidy MG ZS with the 1.8 K-Series showing 45,000 miles from a couple who had been advised the car needed a replacement cylinder head gasket. I bought the tidy example at a price to allow for that. The car came with a new timing belt and tensioner which the owner was going to fit but decided to sell before doing so. I fitted those and as the Belt also drives the Water Pump, fitted that at the same time. Three birds with one stone. Car has been perfect ever since. 2,000 Miles since, nothing wrong with the Cylinder Head Gasket. The old Water Pump showed the tell tale signs of wear allowing coolant loss.
One learns from one's mistakes. Nine years ago, I bought my wife a new MGZS120+ which we still have. two yeas ago it started to steadily lose coolant. Checked all I could but no obvious signs of coolant leaks so must be the gasket to blame. So, before anything more serious developed, I decided to fit a new MLS ( Multi Layer Steel ) so called up graded gasket. In so doing, I removed a perfectly sound original cylinder head gasket...
... Shortly afterwards as my wife pulled up in the car I noticed that the fans were running on longer than usual after my wife had switched off. Longer than when they do for the AirCon... she had just completed a fast motorway run. I lifted the bonnet and was alarmed to observe a completely empty coolant expansion bottle. I then noticed a waterfall of coolant emerging from under the water Pump location.... The coolant loss problem was the water Pump all along. What I did not know then was that the boys up at Longbridge in their wisdom had fitted an "Evaporator" directly underneath the Water Pump Shaft location on later cars. This was designed with the best of intentions to coolact those first few leaks from a wearing pump and .. evaporate them! So, no tell tale signs of colant under the pump on the floor to alert the observant car user ... until the wear on the pump reaches a terminal stage and the resultant torrent overpowers the evaporator.
Best laid plans, intentions and all that....
Since found out that Evaporator is designed to collect and evaporate escaping coolant away from the timing belt which could be harmful to it. I prefer to see those coolant drops under the car to alert me sooner. With one exception, every Water Pump I've fitted to my family and friends' cars has NOT had the Evaporator. We all know what and where to look for those tell tale signs... so far none have appeared an dall the cars run like they should... very well indeed.
Finally, some years ago I read on another web site where some brave soul "in the trade" had actually admitted he had changed the cylinder head gaskets on over a hundred Rovers ... which did not need doing! I found that difficult to believe when I first read that. Some years on, subsequent experiences with these engines means I most certainly believe that now...
I got a ZT 190 with a boot full of water, i had to use silicon sealent on the rear panel trims, i had to re seal the rear light gaskets (both had split) and 8 clips that come into the car which hold the rear windscreen in.
Been dry 3 weeks and we have had some monsoon rain! (touch wood)
Been dry 3 weeks and we have had some monsoon rain! (touch wood)
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