hi Andrew, welcome to the pub, being an Aussie like me you would be accustom to a night at the pub. when you try all the things Richard has mentioned your next thing would be a compression test, its not uncommon for v8s to carry a dead piston,eg cracked, top come off etc. to get that much fuel in a short time would indicate a big issue. take the oil filler cap off and see how much blow by is coming out of the tappet cover, if its bad then the compression test will show the dodgy piston. it should have a vacuum on the filler cap.

im shore the oil doesn't lube the bearings, they are exactly like the front one's, haven't replaced one but i imagine they are the same as the front to remove
PS if the bearings are firm and smooth when you turn them i would leave them, if there a bit gritty or rough then replace them.

are you having troubles getting the fitting to undo, if so you can get a freeze in a can that you spay on to the area and it will freeze the area, it helps, i also use vise grips and just move them back and forwards just enough to flex the fitting, it produces heat and also helps to loosen them. run a drill down the hole on the nipple and spray with wd40 or similar and leave overnight.
FYI vinegar works a treat on salted parts, common to use on boat trailers.
PS i also talk to my car, but it's more a threat to it's longevity and involves matches and after using all the liquids and solvents it would only need a spark. just saying..

hay Richard upgrade the valve grinding tool , use the cordless drill and save yourself the blisters. works a treat.
the fact that they didn't know what it was says it all in my book.

that sounds about right Richard even in Australia the prices vary greatly , up tp 130$ an hour, most places here don't actually fix things more a case of replace things and as for dismantling CVs as an example , it's a shaft replacement as the time to actually do the job is more than the boot replacement and time to do it is ridiculous in costs. i have a friend that dose garden stuff mowers etc, he replaced a carby once and it only needed a gasket, i asked and he said i will show you . the gasket was 19$ plus fitting and to replace the hole thing was 24$, yes they are just plastic but the time to repair instead of replace is just to much in these cases. the big problem is most places just replace with recon parts as they haven't the time for dismantle , diagnosis and repair, wait for parts have the shop full of things that can not be moved when there is a 100 cars that need a basic service, which take no time and they charge like 300$ to change oil and filters, it's just not going to happen, the only people that do fix things are on here or in their own shed. i don't know any workshops that do their own inhouse rebuilds. i now mechanics of 40yrs that have never done a full rebuild on an engine. it's hard to find a good one at any price.

does this mean he now has a little helper in the car.

Chasman wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what you mean.

the pins on the abs sensors down on the hubs and the reluctor ring on the axle is also a spot to look as this is where the reading is taken from for the abs sensor, just look down the hole and you can see it
why are you pulling the electrics out , am i missing something.

congratulations to you both.

all the pins might be shiny, but do they touch each other, its very common in todays cars for this to happen. they may have spread a little when you removed them . if it worked before and now it don't thats the first spot to look, also make shore they are fully in and not being pushed out by dirt or a broken ABS ring.

i can remember when they started bringing out n70zz battery's , they where the biggest pain in the butt . it was a big battery for the 4wd of the day , the trouble was they killed cells in the battery, and they would play up just like you are talking about, work fine for ten starts then die, wait 10 minutes and it would go again. in this instance it was the battery. have you done the tests , if they are ok you are looking at a new battery or a starter from the sound of it .

iv had this issue on other vehicles and in most cases it was bad or dirty connections, has your temps risen slightly, another sign of poor earths. do the electrical tests first before you disturb everything and then check your starter.

find the leak and fix it is the only real option.

there is only 2 adjustments on a rover
align the back wheels with the front wheels so the track is right , this is done with the Panhard rod at the front
and the toe in or out with the front steering arm thats between the wheels
straighten the steering wheel with the arm of the steering box
if you don't have a laser for measure, you can put a chalk mark on the back side on the tread of the tyre , measure and roll forwards 180deg and measure the front to get the toe in or out. this is a little crude, but it will get you in the ballpark so to speak
some of the alignment equipment is very accurate to the point 0.1mm
just a note, there is no adjustment on the back axle, if the axle will not align you most likely need new bushes fitted.

hi Les, im not shore where you live but in Australia it's expensive to convert to gas, like 3500 dollars with gov subsidies and yes that's a lot of gas to recover that Finacial outlay, so here it is as you say a trend but it is alot cheaper in England apparently but the gas is hard to find as you say.

use vise grips to just restrict the fuel flow to around 37psi instead of closing it off and see if the issue stops. you may need a new fuel regulator. also remove the vacuum line and check that its dry .

welcome.

hi just a question, did the tick just start or has it been there for a while, it sounds too fast for a single cam lifter. it may pay to take the tappet cover off and check the rocker assembly as the rocker assembly it can pull threads and create rattles which would explain the fast rattle sound you have. your rattle noise is a bit loud and fast for a small nuisance rattle IMO.

if you are going to remove the front assembly take out the front drive shaft and check your unis and also go for a quick drive and see if the noise is still there. never know it might save you alot of work.
just a thought have you got any rocks in your tyres as they can make funny noises at times , try blowing them up to max and go for a drive , it might fly out

my 97 gems have velour seats and no electrics, not even an up or down button.

if it's black unburnt fuel then it's definatly an electrical problem. i had issues with dodgey maf and ended up making a lead that i could pin the maf with using a multimeter . just squash and cut up some electrical clips and some heat shrink , dosn't have to look much as long as you can pin the conectors . i think from memory there is a power wire 5v a ground wire and a signal wire . if your a mechanic you would know not to short out or put power on the wrong wire. black one to ground red one on the wires , do not put power on signal wire or you will be replacing the ecu. this was the only way i could check the maf properly and convince my self it was the problem. the signal wire should be steady on the reading not all over the place.