Rover 75 Automatic Gearbox problem/question

mobfromcork

Posting this on behalf of my dad. He has a Rover 75 2.0 Automatic petrol with about 65k miles. Timing belts done abut 5k ago.

The problem -

He was driving home earlier on today when gearbox started acting up. It was not engaging gears correctly, the revs would rise but he wasn't accelerating. He described it as a similar feeling to when the clutch would slip on a manual transmission car. The car slowed and then came to a complete stop. He turned off the engine. Started it again and manually selected gear 2 and the car slowly engaged gear and took off. He said it was slipping a bit if he had to drive uphill. He made it as far as home and stopped.

Any solutions??

Has anyone experience in this happening with the automatic Rovers or with automatic gearboxes in general?
I'd be reasonably mechanically competent (mainly on motorbikes) and could have a look when I get home over the weekend.

I don't think the automatic fluid has been changed since new. Would this result in slippage? I changed my manual transmission fluid at about 50k. Do auto boxes need changing at around this mileage as well?

What would need to be looked at to check if a new gearbox is needed (huge bucks I'd imagine)?

Can anyone recommend a good Rover mechanic in Cork city?

Thanks for any advice.

Mark

Owen

The Jatco gearbox (On the diesel) is normally a fairly reliable unit. They say the fluid never needs changing, but enthusiasts say to change it between 90k to 100k miles. I'd imagine your torque convertor is potentially on the way out. Reconditioned gearboxes are cheap enough. I know a great mechanic with full 75 diagnostics in Cork if you need someone - btw, I also drive a 75 with an autobox.

mobfromcork

Thanks for the quick reply.
He has the petrol 2.0 engine, not the diesel, but hasn't had any problems with it since he got it about 2 years ago until today.
Would reconditioned gearboxes be available readily enough in Ireland/Cork? I had a quick look on eBay.co.uk and there's a coupe of used torque converters for about £70. One with 65k miles.

I'd appreciate it the name of the mechanic with the 75 diagnostics if you don't mind.

Owen

The same guy has access to Rover spares in the UK too, so he'll sort you out. PM on it's way with his name and number.

mobfromcork

mobfromcork wrote: »

Rover 75 2.0 Automatic petrol with about 65k miles. Timing belts done abut 5k ago.

Just out of interest, do you mind me asking how much the belts change came to?

mobfromcork

I don't know off the top of my head but I'll ask him tomorrow. He got it done by a local mechanic, not a main dealer. I think it came to around 700 quid but I'm not sure was there other work done as well at the same time. He mentioned that the mechanic said it was a hoor of a job as timing belts go.
I'll post back here when I find out.

Cheers, €700 would be quite reasonable as they are indeed a hoor of a job on the KV6.

mobfromcork

RoverJames - it was 700 euro for the belts and nothing else as far as he remembers.
It was done by a mechanic in Togher, just across the road from the Credit Union on Togher Road.

Cheers, thanks for that

mobfromcork

Quick update - the Rover mechanic reckons the problem is terminal. Gearbox has internal problems that are not showing up on the diagnostics machine and is probably not worth fixing. This seems like an awful waste of an otherwise good car.
Can anyone recommend a place which might recondition auto boxes in Ireland?
I'm in Dublin but am heading home for the weekend so might be able to take a look at it then. I presume gearbox removal is a big job. I have the Haynes manual for it in Cork and would be fairly competent but haven't dropped out a car gearbox before...

I had a look on the Mg-Rover.org forums which are great for information but don't have a lot relating to Ireland. I might start by looking for 75s that are breaking and hope to salvage a gearbox. If anyone knows of one going they might post it here.

Thanks

Mark

Gearbox specialist would be worth considering, Cork Gearbox Centre in Carrigtowhill if the car is in Cork. For gearboxes and auto electrics the specialists are oftnen worth their weight in gold, especially with auto boxes.

mobfromcork

Thanks for that. I'll give them a shout in the morning and see if it's affordable.

TomMc

Try either of these if your are in Dublin

http://conwaytransmissions.goldenpages.ie/

http://autotranz.goldenpages.ie/

AutoTranz sorted out my Jatco box so I can recommend them. Auto boxes usually cost big money to fix but they sourced parts far cheaper than I could.

mobfromcork

Thanks for that Tom. The car is in Cork but if it is significantly cheaper to get it done in Dublin he would be willing to get it done there I'd say.

TomMc

I very much doubt it will be cheap to fix as these guys are among the best in the country. Afterall a cheaper job done elsewhere will turn out to be an expensive one if the job isn't done right. Select the person with the most hands-on experience with your type of transmission, not who quotes you the lowest price. Anyway, they will probably have to strip it down to find the faults. It is not like getting an estimate for body repairs. My car cost a few grand to put right but if I was buying the parts myself from the manufacturer you could double that figure. As my car is a lot newer it was worth spending the money on, but lets hope your problems aren't as serious, or the car maybe beyond economical repair.

mobfromcork

Fair point. That's what he's trying to figure out. At the end of the day it's a 12 year old car, albeit a comfortable one with low miles, that isn't worth a huge amount of money - maybe 1k-2k. There's no point in ploughing 1000's into a car that's that old really but if could be repaired somewhat economically he'd like to hold onto it for another while.