Rover P5 Running Issue

Here are Jonns notes relating to his recent work on our 1973 Rover P5 Coupe:

Rebuild carb and refit. Remove fuse for fuel pump and king ht lead. Remove spark plugs and carry out compression test.

Weld holes on wings and paint

Finish compression test all within spec. Clean, regap and refit spark plugs. Check static timing. Remove nearside rocker cover and check valve position to confirm timing. Clean and refit rocker cover. Drop off front exhaust joint to see if it will rev with exhaust disconnected. Still stuggles to start and rev. Check power supply to coil.11.5v crank over and check. Voltage drops at coil to 10v which maybe why it struggles to fire a nd why spark is inconsistent. Reconnect exhaust. Remove distributor and turn through 1 tooth and refit. Now Has scope for adjustment. Run wire from fuse box to coil inside car and back out nearside.

Tape wire into loom and neaten up. Test. Car eventually started but all fuses lose power when cranking so voltage to coil drops. Connect t to main fuse which is permanent live. Start car and adjust timing. Car revs ok. Nearside carb now leaking. Need to look at wiring diagram.

Remove offside carb. Remove jet tube and connection and refit rubber seal. Refit carb and check for leaks, ok. Remove steering wheel and ignition barrel and access wiring. Remove instrument cluster to trace wiring. View diagram with John’s help work out issue. Reconnect wiring to coil. Check ignition feeds. Wiring to rev counter ter ok. Small wire to coil for rev counter and carvwill run wired this way. Crimp on terminal and shrink wrap wires. Tape up old wires. Refit dash and secure ignition light. Start and test, runs ok and rev counter working. Take outside to warm up. Still not running right or on all cylinders. Suspect offside ca4b again as no fuel flowing from jet when piston raised. Remove carb again. Found small piece of rubber seal blocking tube. Remove and replace seal and retry. No leaks and fule now flows ok. Reconnect pipes and cables. Test. Starts and revs well. Fit new float bowl gaskets.

Investigate throttle linkage hitting air filter assembly. Fit air filter and pipes. Throttle now clear but choke hitting when activated. Remove and reposition cables andrefit air filter. Check for clearance, ok. Run up and take outside. Drive around yard ok. Noise and knock when in reverse. Wipers turn3d on by themselves whilst driving and now park function not working. Bring into workshop onto 4 post ramp.

Raise on ramp. Look for noise/ knock. Degrease prop shaft centre bearing. Jack up rear axle. Put into neutral and rotate both rear wheels in a forward direction, ok no noise. Rotate wheels in a rearward direction and noise from gearbox like bearing noise. Also found a hole in chassis at nearside rear within 30cm of spring hanger.

Rover P5 Repairs

Here are Jonn’s notes relating to the repairs completed on our 1973 Rover P5:

Continue replacing coolant hoses. Cut top rad hose and fit fan control in hose. Waiting for thermostat. Raise and replace propshaft centre bearing mounts. Resecure. Lube prop slider joint. Remove offside front wheel. Strip and replace track rod end rubbers and bottom ball joint rubber. Free off track rod ends and paint track rods. Strip and fit new brake pads. Reassemble.

Secure all offside joints. Tighten steering box drop arm nut and lock tab. Remove nearside front wheel and repeat process from offside. Replace both track rod and top and bottom ball joint rubbers. Strip and fit new front pads.

Finish fitting nearside front brake pads. Refit wheels and torque up. Lower onto wood and strip and replace both rear spring rear mounts. Make gasket and fit thermostat. Fit rad hoses and leave to set. Carry out oil and filter change.

Check power steering oil and transmission oil. Both look nice cherry red and perfectly acceptable to leave as is. Vacuum fill cooling system. Trace wiring in armour under bonnet into car and to rev counter. Wire originates inside column. Strip and remove steering wheel and cowling. Trace wire to ignition switch. Cut off armouring and pull wire through into car. Solder back together under dash. Start car an check rev counter working ok. Refit ignition switch and cowling. Check horn issue. Bend contact inside cowling so to make better Co tact with column connector. Refit steering wheel and test with screwdriver. Horn works ok. Refit centre push and test but horn not working. Pull out contact inside steering column and retry. Centre push works fine now. Secure Centre.

Attend to lights issue. Fit terminal and connect earth wire from offside headlight. And for nearside sidelight. Solder longer wire onto earth so able to reach earth point on inner wing. Connect new main beam foot switch and test, ok. Secure footswitch into mount and refit carpet. Testable lights, ok. Test wipers and washers, ok. Found small,patch of oil on floor from engine sump bung. Drain oil into clean drainer and save. Fit new sump bung washer and refit. Refill oil. Remove servo pipe. Found seal to servo split. Clean and paint pipe and restick seal into servo. Tidy wiring.

Look at carbs prior to running. Found chokes unevenly matched. Adjust choke on nearside carb. Remove pistons and check jet depths with and without choke. Remove float bowl tops and found brown muck at the bottom of each float bowl. Clean and blow out. Remove and clean out fuel filter. Reassemble and check for leaks with ignition in and fuel pump running. Float bowl gaskets wet now. Start car. Started but no power and won’t rev as was when car first arrived. Investigate. Check fuel supply. Offside float bowl full but carb appears dry inside. Check that engine is making vacuum ok. Remove offside carb and check/clean. No obvious fault found.