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Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - patrickviera
Hello

I have a few problems:

Problem 1
On my rover 25 , if I go into reverse gear it makes a grinding noise when trying to reverse car and the car does not move. It takes a while to get into reverse gear a bit embrassing when trying to do turn in the road .what could the problem be and what is the solution? Car has only done 52000 miles and it is cable clutch system.

Will changing the gear oil make a difference , or is this problem a sign gear oil is low?


Problem 2
The brake pedal vibrates sometimes randomly. I changed the front brake discs and brake pads thinking the discs and pads were causing the problem. I have been told it is just the abs kicking in when the wheels detect the road surface is uneven.is this the problem or is it something else.

And finally as the car is an LPG car as well , I am planning to replace the spark plugs as it has been 25k miles since last changed by previous owner. I have been told to use NGK spark plugs , now do the spark plugs need to be iridium coated, platinum or copper will do?also do the spark plugs need to be special type or brand just NGK plugs will do? And is any modification required such as altering the gap or do NGK already have this gap altered?

Thanks

Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - oldroverboy.

Problem 2 is the abs rings on the drive shaft joints' about 100 quid plus fitting. Problem 1 might be clutch .

Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - Peter.N.

I too would suspect the clutch for your reverse engagement problem, will it go into reverse without the engine running? If so the clutch is not disengaging fully. Make sure you don't have a mat or something preventing the pedal from going right to the floor.

Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - bathtub tom

Problem 1

Have you checked the clutch cable adjustment? Does it meet the specification? Do you know what the specification is?

Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - patrickviera
It does not go into reverse with engine switched off. The gear stick does not go into the other gears properly with engine switched off and clutch pedal not depressed .Does this mean the car is low on gear oil? On all my other cars I owned ,the gear stick goes into all gears with engine switched off.

Clutch cable ,Not sure what the specification is? How would I check what the spec is ?

With the second question , brake pedal vibrates and there is a thumping noise . When you drive over snow and press the brakes the same happens brake pedal vibrates and a thumping noise. I feel like pressing the brake harder as the car is not stopping fast enough. If it was the rings needing replacing then would the brake pedal vibration and thumping noise would happen every time I use the brakes , as currently it only happens sometimes?

Is the clutch cable easy to replace with a new one, I checked on europarts it costs 25 pounds not sure what labour charge is? Or is adjusting the cable more suitable and quicker in order to solve the reverse gear grinding problem.

Any ideas on above points would much very much appreciated.
Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - Simon
Is the gear change cables or linkage? Could it be something worn on that side of things? If you can't get it into gear with the engine off then I think that it is more of a gearbox fault than a clutch fault.

When you get the vibration off the brake pedal, does the ABS light illuminate or flash at the same time? If so it is definitely the ABS activating.
Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - patrickviera
The abs light does not illuminate when the vibrations and thumping sound happen.



Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - Simon
Does the ABS light actually work - ie does it illuminate when your first turn the ignition on and self test before it goes out?
Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - patrickviera
Abs light does come on ignition and lights on before going out.
Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - oldroverboy.
The abs light does not illuminate when the vibrations and thumping sound happen.

The abs sensor reads the teeth on the ring on the constant velocity joint on the driveshaft and as this is broken it gives a false reading, I KNOW, having had this problem and diagnosed it for others. If you can get the car on a lift any mechanic can show you the problem.

Most mechanics can tell you about the clutch too. The gearbox on your car is not prone to leaks and they are generally reliable if not seriously abused.

I would look at clutch/clutch cable before the fluid.

Rover 25 1.6 2003 - Reverse gear grind help - patrickviera
Thanks, where is the clutch cable located on a rover 25, 1.6 , any pics ? I did a google search and could not find much. I was told it was under the air filter box but cannot find it. Am I looking in the correct location?

I cannot find the gear oil drain hole and the filler hole, can these be reached from under the bonnet? Where are they located as it is difficult to find again?

The brake pedal vibration/thumping noise happens randomly , some days it happens on other days it does not. It happened in a car park the other day , I went back to the car park and went over the exact same spot under the same conditions as before and there was no vibration/ pulsation. Funny thing is I was parking into my drive and it happened so I reversed car and tried same again, it did not happen. My steering wheels are straight when the vibration / thumping noise happens. Is it the road surface ,setting the abs off? I took it to kwik fit where they did their free brake test. Put it on the ramp , etc they could not find anything. This random brake problem is a puzzler. I remember my alfa romeo 1.6 ts 2004 used to have same problem which used to occur randomly.