[MartynG]

Hi all,

I have just recently bought a 1994 214Si 16v. I drove it from South Yorkshire to Northampton yesterday, parked up came out to it this morning and it has a leak coming from where the pullies are, (Cambelt area) I have checked the coolant tank and the pipes around this and they seem fine.

Could any of you please tell me what it is?

Cheers,

Martyn.

[Fatdave]

im sure most on here will know better than me but im guessing its the water pump if its from the cambelt area.

[Clawjaw]

yeah i had water leaking from around there too and after i checked all pipes and they were fine i phoned dan and he said water pump and it was... They are less than 30 quid and easy to change. With my t series it was anyway.

[MartynG]

Ok thanks guys. Where abouts is the pump located? (if I'm looking down on the engine) as I don't have a workshop manual at the moment.

is there anything else that I need to replace/watch out for while I'm doing the pump.


Cheers,

Martyn.

[E_T_V]

A couple of common points to check. But first things first NEVER EVER let the engine run low on coolant or it'll kill the headgasket. The K series has a very small coolant capacity so any loos of coolant can be serious.


Anyhow
First is the water pump. Its under the cambelt cover so if water is coming out of hte joint in the cam belt casing then you've found the problem.

Second is the thermostat housing. There is a robber O ring seal on here to the rear coolant rail which can leak - usually only when disturbed though.

Third is the metal coolant rail that runs around the back of the engine. Over time this corrodes and can go porus leading to leaks. It is hard to see so you'll need to look and feel around the back of the engine under the inlet manifold

Forth is the inlet manifold itself. If plastic (shouldn't be at this age I hope), they have weak gasket which can leak coolant either inside or outside of the engine.

Look for signs of fluffy white stains. This is where coolant has been leaking and evaporating.

Hope this helps

[MartynG]

Cheers ETV. I will have a look round tomorrow, and I'll update as to what I've found.


Martyn.

[MartynG]

Sorry guys for the late reply just been really busy with other things, but what I've come across so far.

Checked all the pipes and theres no cracks,splits or anything so I can safely rule those out.

Its funny though, as sometimes it looses alittle water, sometimes alot and sometimes nothing!

Took it to a few local garages to see if they knew anything. and they told me it wanted a new water pump and cambelt set (as water can drip onto the cambelt and damage it?) one wanted £180 all included and the other which was a Rover Specialist wanted £250.

So the car is sort of off the road till I can find the funds, or is there any other way of doing this (I can do some things, I just dont want to do the cambelt, as I havent got any specialist tools) as I think its alittle pricey.

Cheers,

Martyn.

[E_T_V]

How handy with the spanners are you?

It isn't hard to do yourself and you don't need any really special tools, but it depends on your skill and confidence level.

The water pump is cheap enough, as is the cambelt (probably less than £60 in parts). The job should take a couple of hours, however for a novice it can take a lot longer.

I found a video that someone made on how to do it a while ago. Perhaps watching that will give you an idea as to whether you can DIY it?

[MartynG]

Cheers mate,

Yeah I'm pretty handy with the spanners, I'll have a look round see what I can come up with. I've done alot my own work on other cars (Just not a cambelt), but this will be a first on a rover.

I'll have a ring round for prices etc.

Keep you posted.

[E_T_V]

Found it on youtube.

You don't have to remove everything he did by a long way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM5oA2X03z8