[EJ Hall]

Hi fellow Rover 200/400 owners!

I'm new here, so forgive me if I've posted in the wrong spot!

I inherited my father's 214s after he passed away. I want to keep it going in the best condition it can be. I recently went to check the coolant level and noticed that it was cloudy and sludgy inside. I'd read that you could flush the system and clean the contaminates out with distilled water then refill with fresh coolant and wanted to try and do this myself however I may be out of my depth. Any advice? If that advice is to take it to a mechanic, then does anyone know of any garages in Fife that will take good care of a 1991 Rover 214?

Thanks in advance! EJ

[g259fsg]

Has the car been standing for a long time? Does it run? Sludge in the coolant reservoir is sometimes a sign of head gasket failure - oil getting into the coolant. Does the car have a service record and has it had the head gasket changed in recent times? As a first pass, you could try draining the coolant and flushing it out with some water. Maybe other forum members have some better advice, but I've found the best way to drain it is to disconnect the hose from the coolant pipe running along the front valance below the radiator. When refilling, take out the bleed screw on the top coolant pipe to make sure you've removed air. If you haven't got a manual, it would be useful to get the Haynes manual for the 214/414. As a Club member, you can also access technical manuals from the website under Members Area.

I do most of my own car work, but a local garage I've used in Fife for some jobs is Ian Brown's Garage in Dunfermline. They certainly know about these cars as one of their older mechanics worked at Rover. I got them to do the head gasket on my 214 about three years ago. The problem is they now seem rather reluctant to take on new work, they have a long list of established customers and seem not to want to add more. Where in Fife are you located?