what to check when buying a valver?

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

i am going to see a car on monday , a k reg chammy in white

the owner on the phone told me that the car is just covered 120k miles and has a problem of quick heating ,he reckons the water pump is gone we will see about that Wink

. the car is a non drivable due to the heating problem according to the owner .

i want to make a good list of things to check when i go to see that car on monday ,now i need the ideas from valver owners on what to check and how ????

head gasket ,transmission ,engine and suspension are my main worries by the way .
your opinions/ideas would be more appreciated

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

quick heating as in?

it gets to normal running temp quickly?

or it quickly overheats?

thermostat could be on the dodgy side... or a rad that dont work to happy.

leave car run for a few, untill norm running temp, then touch rad top hose, should be hot.

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Ask him how long he has had it and what bits he has changed since owning it.

Thermostat will prob be knackered anyway if it's overheated - it changes the chemical properties of the wax.

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

its overheating quickly

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

just locate the water pump and visually check for leakes around that.

water normally can be felt underneath the water pump when its about to give in.

how much he asking for the car?

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

Â£300 quid and i will do my best to not to pay that much

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Head gasket you youve got no way of knowing, dont know about it till it goes. but at 120k, if it hasnt already been changed, it will go very soon.

Transmission is not a problem, check it stays in gear obviously.

Rust will be a problem though, check the rear arches, sills etc. blah blah, you've heard it a million times on here i'm sure.

BTW water pumps just leak when theyre shot, doesnt stop pumping. Sure, the impeller could be a bit eroded over time and pump less effectively, but i dont reckon that would cause the overheating problem. Much more likely to be the rad being blocked with shit or as Ben says, the thermostat, although I have never seen a wax pellet thermostat like he's talking about, theyre all bimetallic on valvers, so it will be just be rusted away if anything.

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

what do you mean transmission is not a problem ?? as far as i know ,thats one of the biggest problems on these cars . how will i know the gearbox/clutch is in good condition . any tests to make while running ?

remember ,i have never seen a valver engine in real life apart from the pictures on here . so please be as gentle as a gentle ben with your suggestions

Laughing

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

yeah transmission can be a problem in that it can throw the diff circlip if you cane it and get unlucky, but I assume you would walk away if there was no drive at all Smile

you dont really need to worry about it being worn out is all.

Clutch yeah see if it slips, do the old 4th gear up a hill (could be tricky seeing as it apparently overheats quickly) or just ask when it was last done (preferably see a receipt)

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

so you are saying a valver with a fine clutch would stop working going up a hill (assuming that would be about 45degrees or something) on the 4th gear ?? where the one with slipping clutch would keep going , right ?

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

If engine speed (revs) rise but speed doesn't then clutch is slipping.

You will at least need to replace the stat and if he can't appreciate what damage overheating (as he obviously doesn't if it "keeps" overheating) can do then it's not really a good sign that it's been well maintained overall.

On the flip side though these faults are good for bringing the price down. It's still worth something, even you have to take it off the road and replace a few bits, you've still got the SPI to tie you over?

Another thing - check underneath the car for rusting. When Chris, Mark (red19rt) and myself went to Edinburgh to check those 2 eBay valvers they both had rusted badly underneath - and they were both M-platers.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

coolant problem may be a shed impellar not un common.

Head gasket, if its not gone then theres no reason why it will go unless its been neglected and acidic coolant has eroded the gasket.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Chris H wrote:

Head gasket, if its not gone then theres no reason why it will go unless its been neglected

Let's be honest Chris...the vast majority have been!