1995 Rover - Austin 400 1.4 injection
Summary:
Apart from the engine, a dream on wheels
Faults:
The car doesn't always start on a wet day. But once it starts, it will run smoothly.
From the early beginning there have been problems with the engine. The engine stalls when driving on a wet road. After waiting 15-30 minutes, the engine will start again. Our dealer has looked into it, but failed to cure this problem.
When I checked the oil on 55,000 kilometers, I saw the dip-stick was dry. When observing this, I noticed the oil is gone after +/- 10,000 kilometers. At this point there are no visible oil leaks, nor did the dealer find anything that could cause this problem.
General Comments:
The car handles great, and has an extraordinary suspension system.
The 1.4l K-series engine is more than powerful enough for such a 'small' car. Too bad it isn't very reliable.
The cabin is trimmed as one could expect from Rover.
The boot is quite spacious.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 24th May, 2001
16th Sep 2005, 14:46
I have a '95 Rover 400 which I bought from a Rover garage in '96
I also used to get stalls in wet weather. The car would start again after 20 minutes.
I sealed up a deteriorated seal at the top of the bulkhead at the back of the engine compartment where I suspected water might be trickling onto some electrical bits there. At the same time I wiped clean every electrical connection I could find under the bonnet, then sprayed them with WD40.
No more mysterious stalls.
Oh, Yes, and I had the oil in coolant thing. That necessitated a head skim and new gasket, about £500 from the Rover dealer, who seem to be the only ones who know how to tighten up the inlet manifold gasket properly.
With a bit of care and plenty waxoyl the car still looks good and is going great.