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[CyrixDes]

Aaaagggghhhhhhhh! Hi all, due to having neglected my MG Maestro for a while now due to stupid working hours im after any advice on fixing the following problems that have developed:

1. Engine Idling - For some reason lately even after running for a while the engine is idling rather high at times and not at others, sometimes at 1500rpm when warm, yet doesnt happen all the time. A while ago it was doing this and also nearly cutting out at junctions so I sorted it by cleaning out the throttle housing and spraying carb cleaner into the air intake. However I whipped the air intake pipe off and the throrrle housing is clean. Any ideas??

2. Headlining - It's finally succomb to the effects of gravity at the back end. How difficult a job is it to put a new one on? To me it seems like a bit of a big job? We've got a van so is that gonna be big enough to transport it home, what kind of packaging is it in? I dont really fancy messing around in the Rover dealers car park with it!

3. Heater Matrix & Fan - Heater matrix is leaking and I believe the bearings have gone in the fan as it makes a racket when operated. It's a dash off job so is it difficult or just time consuming? What about replacing the fan and motor, is this particularlay difficult or straightforward when the dash is off? Incidentally are there any parts that are going to need replacing when it comes to putting the dash back on? E.g. those stick on covers on each side of the dash don't look re-usable, just so I know what im going to need to order in advance from MG-R?

4. Temperature Guage - As if I aint got enough to keep me busy during me week off, the damn temp. guage has packed in. The 2 things i've narrowed it down to is the little switch on the top left of the radiator (when looking down from in front of the car) that I believe measures temperature, and apparently near the thermostat is a temperature guage thermister which also measures temperature (got that from Haynes so im not sure). Im gonna check the first tommorrow by plugging in and holding a lighter to the back of it because ive took the original out and cleaned it up. If that dont work then i'll probably try a new one and then the latter. Any ideas?

5. Drive shaft - Now im really miffed, did both drive shafts 8 months ago and now the passenger side ones gone again. Im certain it's this and not the wheel bearing. What a crap job this is! Fortunately I know an ex-mechanic who does this with me as I aint got a clue but im annoyed at having to bother him with such a crap job, especially after recently doing it. When we did it the first time somehow the circlip didnt hold in the gear box and came loose, so im hoping that driving for a couple of days like this has caused premature damage and it isnt cos basically the quality of the shafts I buy is crap cos I dont fancy doing it again in another 6 months. We dont need advice on doing this cos we've done it before but seeing as im having a whinge I thought i'd moan about yet another bloody job i've gotta do.

All in all im very p****d at the min especially as the battery and starter has just had to be done on my TR7 and before that the points and condenser. Is it any wonder im selling the TR for an MG ZR so hopefully I can get a car that doesnt need something doing on every month! It's quite lucky I have 2 cars else i'd have been going nowhere for ages now!

Rant over!!!! :)

Any help to the original questions much appreciated. And yes the local mental institute are aware of my current state of mind;)

[E_T_V]

1. It depends which engine it is. My guess is for a carb car it'll be stepper motor o rings. For injection it might be air flow sensor or throttle switch. Injection cars often settle down when warm to 1500 rpm for a few seconds then drop again to a normal idle speed. My R200 does this all the time.

2. Don't know. But I've heard it is a 2 man job

3. Don't know I'm about to find out myself though

4. The one on the radiator is just a switch to turn the cooling fan on and off. The one in the thermostat area is the one that controls the gauge. Swap it for a new one. I think they are about a fiver and just screw straight in/out. Use a little PTFE tape wrapped round it to make sure it doesn't leak. don't test either with a lighter as they aren't designed to get that hot! The chances are that either the single wire that connects the gauge to the electrics has dropped off or the sensor has packed up. (The sensor looks like a big brass bolt with a spade connector at the end) Either way it should be a simple enough 5 minute fix.

5. Never had to do one. Are you sure it is the drive shaft and not the CV joint? what are the symptoms?

Sorry I can't be of more help!

[MaestroMatt]

1. E_T_V is correct - if you have a carb, unscrew the auto-choke and replace the two O rings on the brassy looking spindle. If that doesn't work then get a new stepper motor - I think MGTurbo had a couple complete with new O rings going for a song (or a tenner, I forget which). If it is fuel injected, ignore all that!

2. Very easy job. It is held on by the fixtures round the edge (handles, sun visors) and the grey push stud things. You'll soon see when you take the old one out. I have done it on my own, but did slightly damage the replacement headlining (not a new one!) in doing so. I would get a mate to help you out just to make sure you don't crease any of the edges. They come from Rover in a big clear plastic bag inside a big flat cardboard box and are therefore a bit on the big side. Rover may deliver it to you - I think that's what F153 did.

3. I have the same problem. Haven't done anything about it yet though! Lamonto did his Monty one without removing the dash and he has posted instructions somewhere. Not sure if it can be done with a Maestro.

4. E_T_V is right. I was looking at mine this morning thinking it may well be time for a new one (don't like to mess around with engine temperature!). The one that screws into the side of the thermostat is the one to change.

5. Best of luck here. I haven't had any experience of this.

[CyrixDes]

Sorry I should have said it's the MG 2.0 injection engine.

Thanks for the comments so far.

[MGTurbo]

1. High idle speed on injection cars is quite common with this hot weather as there is a fuel temp sensor in the fuel rail, if it reaches a certain temperature, idle speed will be jacked up. Other causes although unlikely is a faulty temperature sender unit or more likely a split vacuum pipe connection.

3. The fan motor may be repairable but as mentioned dash will have to come off, easy enough, only 20-30 minutes. Have a play with the motor and see if something is obstructing it. The end caps on the dash can be glued back on with superglue or contact adhesive.

4. The sender on the rad has nothing to do with the temperature reading, so rule that out. If the gauge has packed up altogether, it may be as i suspected, a faulty sender unit OR a failed thermostat in the open posistion causing both high idle speed and low temp reading.

5. What exactly is wrong with the driveshaft to make you believe its faulty? Usually best to replace with 2nd hand O.E items rather than aftermarket or remanufactured ones.

Gareth

[CyrixDes]

"The fan motor may be repairable but as mentioned dash will have to come off"

This is no problem mate cos I managed to get hold of brand new Rover one off ebay for 15-00 (beats MG-R's 130-00 purchase price!)

"The sender on the rad has nothing to do with the temperature reading, so rule that out. If the gauge has packed up altogether, it may be as i suspected, a faulty sender unit OR a failed thermostat in the open posistion causing both high idle speed and low temp reading"

Yeah figured that out earlier cos when I heated it up my fan cut in, quite a relief to know it's still working in this weather! I've been down to MG-R today and bought a new temp thermister (plugs into thermostat housing), which I plan to fit tomorrow. According to Haynes controls temp guage reading.

"What exactly is wrong with the driveshaft to make you believe its faulty?"

The usual as has happened to the previous cars where the driveshaft has gone, whining sounds for most of the time while wheel goes round. Will have that side up on blocks and check it with that side spinning only when I get chance.

Cheers for your input and advice Gareth
;)

[MGTurbo]

Your whining noise actually sounds like diff bearings to me.

Gareth

[Simon]

It is possible to take home the headlining in the flat box strapped to the ouside on the roof - that's how I got mine home. Screw the fasteners for the grab handles directly through the headlining material - don't cut any slits. You will need to place the drivers side retaining button fastener in the middle of the oval slot furthest away from the windscreen pillar. Feel for the position of the square hole in the roof side member. Later Maestro/Montego's have a 1/4 turn retaining button at the front which uses the punched holes in the headlining between the two sun visor attachment points. This stops drooping, which my old headlining suffered from in this area. I fitted my new headlining single handedly. Be very careful and have the cleanest hands

You can't get new sun visors by the way.

Question: Are Maestro Van sun visors all-plastic, or do they have the cloth facing, like the saloons do? I made up a prototype all plastic visor, "welding" a new piece of grey plastic headlining to the visor where the cloth was using a soldering iron. Vinylweld glue won't work because the material is polypropylene, I think. Looks a bit crude for a first attempt, but better than dirty sagging cloth. Van visors have ticket pockets on both sides, but that problem is easily solved by adding a Rover 800 illuminated vanity mirror!

[e692wtt]

My Monty 'whines' and there has been some vibration but this was much-reduced by changing the n/s driveshaft. My gearbox oil was clean (no metal particles), but I changed it anyway. There is no roughness or play in the wheelbearings.

The Club does OE driveshafts for the VW-'boxed models for £20 and I can get them fitted at National Tyres for very little (£25 for the last one, including resetting the tracking) via a friend's bartering with his business.

This all probably messes other theories up, but discounts the diff bearings on my car at least.

The other other Rich.:cool: