75ZT Community

some may be happy to hear i am (hopefully) returning to the marque. however, with my job changing in september and involving traveling more miles, and now being made awar i can afford to insure one, i am looking for some advice when it comes to looking at a diesel.

i am aware with a few common issues, but i want to know exactly what to look out for. i dont want to get stung again.

i also want to know about tuning options. im aware of a tuning box that can be fitted, but are there any changes i would need to make in order for me to fit one.

what do i need to fit cruise control?

and finally, what should i be expecting to pay for a zt/75 of average mileage (not older than 2004 preferably)

sorry i sound like ive never even looked at a rover/mg, let alone done any research. but i havent got a clue about the diesels and straight answers are easy to digest... so please bear with me

many thanks

Diesel specific checks would be things such as oil behind/below the passenger side headlight - indicating blown intercooler rings - cheap fix though (approx £3).

Check both pumps are working, these are easy to hear with the ignition on and the engine off. The under bonnet pump is to the rear left of the battery and the in tank pump can be heard if you put your ear to the driver's side rear just below the filler flap.

Any uneven running especially at above 2000 rpm could indicate lots of things pcv, egr, injectors or MAF (Mass Air Flow Sensor).

These engines don't really make any smoke, so any smoke indicates problems of some sort.

As for what you should pay, honestly couldn't say as prices seem to have tumbled recently which is obviously good news for you. Is a 2003 95K mile 75 Tourer Conn SE on eBay at the moment with a starting price of £1200. View eBay item 280695176926

And an 04 Comtemporary SE for £5k or best offer View eBay item 300567440591. He has also listed it on the owners site and is there he has stated he is open to offers as one member of the owners site thought he was asking too much. Have checked and Glass's values it at £3540 as a part ex in excellent condition so maybe he is right.

HTH

The fuel pumps might be working when you look but might not ther next day. My in-tank unit went and a new one cost about £180. I also bought the under bonnet one at about £100. However, that one is in the boot as I decided to wait until it actually packed up and it has not yet (196k miles).

If you do a search on here for MKON someone is selling a replacment pump for the in-tank unit for about £85.

Yes, the intercooler rings go and require replacement but are ccheap and easy to do.

Having owned my car for 104k miles the engine has been as good as gold.

I suppose listen for any peculiar sounds etc but it does seem a very long lasting unit - just make sure the oil has been changed regularly.

You are probably best off looking for a Connie SE if you want cruise as you will probably later want the other goodies that it has.

thanks for the quick informative replies. the problems mentioned are exactly what i was looking for and have been noted.
what are the clutches like on the manuals? i seem to remember numerous posts on the oc regarding clutches, which was one of the reasons i decided to buy an auto. seems there is a never ending stream of people complaining about them.
however, it is reasuring to see so many on the trader and ebay with 150k + miles.
the reason i asked about cruise is im being slightly swayed to a zt (having owned 2 rovers before, i think im due a change, and i prefer the looks and the sportier ride) but zt's are usually basic compared with the 75, and cruise is something i miss.
the recent fall in prices is something i would also like to take full advantage of. there are lots of 190's going for very little but dont want to pay for petrol or insurance...

this is something like what im looking for

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2004-54-MG-ZT-2-0 ... 1050wt_983

what sort of economy will they achieve? on long steady runs my petrol focus will average 60 to the gallon, so i would like it to be near this figure (i understand these weigh a fair bit more...)

Clutches yes.....

My car had its clutch changed at about 72k, I bought it at 92k and it is now at 196k. The clutch still seems fine but it does a number of long runs on motorways. Towed a 1.5 tonne trailer 750 miles last month and the clutch was fine. However, I am gentle with the clutch, i.e. do not suddenly stick it in to a lower gear with the engine revs dropped to slow down.

The next 75 will be an Auto for the fact that the clutch is very heavy and the OH finds it very tiring to drive.

Fuel consumption is normally around the 45mpg mark. On Motorways lower speeds can give better economy and should produce good mpg - even at 80mph you can see 50mpg. Towing the trailer I got about 32mpg. I do not think you are going to achieve the 60mpg.

Perhaps what is good about the diesel is that there is no expense for head gaskets or timing belts.

economy sounds about what i thought tbh. to achieve 60, it was quite a bit of sitting behind lorries (not too close though) so at around 60 mph. looking on the internet economy is quoted at mid 50's extra urban, so id expect somewhere in the 60's driving how i did...

what is the main problems with clutches? i do know its a dmf, and i do know if it needs to be replaced its a pricey job. and what fails on the fuel pumps?

Just in case you were considering an auto, I only get 35MPG even on a bit of a run. On the same run I can get 50-60 MPG easily out of other diesels, and managed 93 MPG once so the Rover is not very good. This could also be partly down to the thermostat operating slightly cool, but not sure.

The problem with clutches is usually the slave cylinder failing. On many cars including the 75, the slave cylinder is inside the clucth housig so it's gearbox off to replace. With a failed slave, the master is often quite close to worn out, and it's generally a good idea to replace both. The clutch plate will almost certainly need doing at the same time, and the DMF may or may not. Now that lot can be quite expensive especially with the DMF if it's gone or you decide to replace just in case. If you buy one where the clutch has been 'done' it's best to find out exactly what was replaced, and if there's warranty.

Fuel pumps are both electric, and just stop working. Presumably from the fact that you can often tap them to make them work for a bit longer, it's down to brush wear. However they aren't repairable, and are replaced.

They are absolutely critical for keeping the plenums clean. Both the engine ECU (Engine Control Unit) and the glow plug ECU can suffer if water is allowed to build up, so be wary of ones that haven't been kept clear.

thanks duncan, although your reply was very helpful, you havent instilled much confidence
very surprised to hear such a low mpg from a diesel... whether its an auto or not. if it averaged in the 40's id be happy.

anything else diesel specific to look out for? i know lower engine mounts can be troublesome, and ive also heard lots of stories about maf's, pcv'c and egr's, but what should i look out for regarding each one, and what would be a fix? i know to look our for rough/uneven running above 2000rpm thanks to chris but are there any other symptoms?

thanks again for the help

I get approx 34 mpg round town and low 40's on a run Reece, but i am a bit heavy footed, and across the board the manuals are about 20% better on fuel..

Having said all that, I would NOT want a manual..

MAF, EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve), PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve) are all simple fixes, best bet is to allow £1,000 for unseen expenses when you buy, that way you can only be surprised if it costs less to put the car in tip top condition..

My advice to anyone buying an MG or 75 would be to spend a day with Jules.. I know we have other brilliant blokes who can fix our cars but he is the only one I have had personal contact with, and Jules did quite a lot of work on my car when I bought it, fan, PCV, "O" rings, fuel pumps, etc etc..
...

Oh yes, 3 speed fans. They fail on low speed which affects a/c operation. Easy to fit a Kenlowe. Do not know what Jules charges but supply only from Kenlowe was £160 when I bought mine.

At the end of the day you can have trouble with any car and in my experience my 104k miles (remember the car is now at 196k) has been very uneventful. Five times a year it gets driven down to SW France a journey of 740 miles in a day and no problems (have I just created problems for the next trip?).

My next car, as stated above, will be a 75 Connie SE but in Auto form.

Have a look on Jag, Alfa Romeo etc forums and see that they have problems. Plus on forums you only normally get problems AND there are always people to help, perhaps a current good example of this is Artic with his fan

oh, i know paul, my focus is riddled with problems, but none that make it unroadworthy, just lots of niggles. i am also aware of faults on other manufacturers. i have also been considering a mondeo, but put off because many have injector problems, and are very expensive, along with clutches and rear bushes which result in a new rear subframe if not replaced. and they are both similar in price but a zt appeals to me because of two things. 1, they are built better. 2, i can do most things on a zt because of all the problems i had on my 75. everything came apart on my 75 reasonably easy. the focus is an absolute nightmare. everything underneath is rusted solid.

thanks for that james, some helpful advice for me to take away. i know you attitude about manuals, but even though i enjoyed driving my auto, i think id rather have a manual coupled to the diesel, id be disappointed with the drive coming from the v6. that and im too before my time to have another one
but id be expecting at least double the economy your getting because i know how you drive

I live in a very hilly area, in fact my drive is 1160ft above sea level according to the 75, and I commute 40 miles each day. Up hill and down dale in normal morning/evening traffic gets me 40MPG in CDT Manual with a Ron Box.

I have achieved 55MPG with the cruise on doing a steady 75.

Out of interest this is with 16" Unions on with 215/55 tyres. In winter with my 15" Crowns with 196/65's on I was getting slightly better MPG, 45 around town.

Just to give you an idea of what the manual does in the real world.

The MPG on my Diesel Auto around town on a cold winters morning drops to the low 22MPG that is because it doesn't warm up they take a few miles without a FBH (Fuel burning heater.), never gets past second gear.
But once warmed up and on a run get between 42MPG to 52MPG or if I thrash it on roads where permitted around the 125MPH+ it drops to about 31MPG.

The car is generally fully loaded weight wise and always start the day with a full tank of fuel (c40,000 miles PA)

The car has had a custom remap, synergy and all the normal tweaks available 170BHP on a rolling road test in Manchester.

dont know where all this talk of economy has come from, only wanted to know what to look our for

so from what ive gethered, other than the usual checks, ive to look out for
-oil behing headlights,
-pumps,
-uneven running above 2krpm
-smoke
-clutch wear
-running temps

whats the difference between rover rons tuning box and the synergy? and what changes/mods are recomended for both?
and would a stand alone tuning box or a repam be better?

thanks again all

Synergy and Rover Rons boxes are the same thing, there has been a few models and changes over the years.

Always check the Plenum chamber isn't full of water.
Try to purchase a single fuel pump system rather than two pump the under bonnet one if present means it is the two pump variety and can be a pain.
Saloons can leak around rear light clusters easily sorted but if Sat Nav fitted it may well have drowned.
Two keys or allow £150 for a second one.

I can vouch for the clutch and rear cluster seals on the saloon as I didn't check them properly and they both failed on me! But working now.

How fo you know if you have one pump or two?

Justme wrote:How fo you know if you have one pump or two?

If there is a pump near to the fuel filter you have the two pump system.

A little word of warning about the single pump system - Rimmer Bros show that these are out of stock - will they come back in to stock?

PaulT wrote:

Justme wrote:How fo you know if you have one pump or two?

If there is a pump near to the fuel filter you have the two pump system.

A little word of warning about the single pump system - Rimmer Bros show that these are out of stock - will they come back in to stock?

Should you be able to hear the pump when you start the car ?

You may well hear the under bonnet one.

well, thanks again for all the help youve all provided.
went to go look at a zt today (this one actually http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p) mainly to get a feel for them again with not having looked at either zt or 75 for quite some time.

the car as a whole is definitely what im looking for, but this car was certainly not it. couple of problems including a knackered fan, swimming pool in the boot, one key and no history of clutch work so i didnt even bother going over it with a fine tooth comb. unless i could persuade him to knock a grand of it...
not planning on buying one for a month or two but this thread has given me a lot of ammunition to fire at the dealer if the cars not upto scratch