Hi - 'new to the forum and new to Rovers.
Was looking at a 2002 D2: 100k miles, 1 owner (but dealer sale), nice condition, drove nicely, but have a few questions:
with engine at idle, the fluid in the power steering reservoir bubbles like boiling water - I have seen that (albeit much less rigorously) on some other cars but thought I'd check here if that's normal or any negative indicator.
Second, I wanted to check out the low gear for any strange noises, 'put the car in neutral (and tried in "park" as well) and tried to shift into low and it was impossible to move the shifter. The dealer guy (apparently a "mechanic") tried it without success either - he finally got the shifter to move after yanking on it for 5 minutes with brute force and it engaged - I drove it a couple hundred feet and it was quiet. Is it possible that the shifter linkage froze up due to non use? He mumbled something about how it should have had the handbrake applied blabla before shifting which must be BS.
Third, rear sunroof was inoperable - 'I am sure that's a minor issue
and last,
front and rear axle had minimum oil sweating and looked good but some device/housing -excuse my ignorance, 'don't have a manual yet - located to the right (passenger side of vehicle) of the transfer case was pretty oil wet with some oil drips. Couldn't really crawl well under the vehicle - maybe you guys know what I am talking about.
So the main concern is the low range shifting issue and the power steering - 'wanted to get some expert opinion from this forum before making a decision.
I am into Italian Alfas and therefore not afraid to get my hands dirty mechanically but trying to avoid obvious pitfalls.
Also, is there anyway to find out if head gaskets had been replaced - dealer has of course no svc history
thanks for all your help
Fritz
Was looking at a 2002 D2: 100k miles, 1 owner (but dealer sale), nice condition, drove nicely, but have a few questions:
with engine at idle, the fluid in the power steering reservoir bubbles like boiling water - I have seen that (albeit much less rigorously) on some other cars but thought I'd check here if that's normal or any negative indicator.
Second, I wanted to check out the low gear for any strange noises, 'put the car in neutral (and tried in "park" as well) and tried to shift into low and it was impossible to move the shifter. The dealer guy (apparently a "mechanic") tried it without success either - he finally got the shifter to move after yanking on it for 5 minutes with brute force and it engaged - I drove it a couple hundred feet and it was quiet. Is it possible that the shifter linkage froze up due to non use? He mumbled something about how it should have had the handbrake applied blabla before shifting which must be BS.
Third, rear sunroof was inoperable - 'I am sure that's a minor issue
and last,
front and rear axle had minimum oil sweating and looked good but some device/housing -excuse my ignorance, 'don't have a manual yet - located to the right (passenger side of vehicle) of the transfer case was pretty oil wet with some oil drips. Couldn't really crawl well under the vehicle - maybe you guys know what I am talking about.
So the main concern is the low range shifting issue and the power steering - 'wanted to get some expert opinion from this forum before making a decision.
I am into Italian Alfas and therefore not afraid to get my hands dirty mechanically but trying to avoid obvious pitfalls.
Also, is there anyway to find out if head gaskets had been replaced - dealer has of course no svc history
thanks for all your help
Fritz