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[terry paget]

My daughter in law has a Rover Streetwise. It last ran mid November when she had a baby. At Christmas she mentioned it would not start. I said I would sort it out. I tried a jump start - engine did not turn. I put in an Omega V6 battery - would not turn. Today I tried to tow start it, engine still would not turn, front wheels just skidded when I dropped the clutch.

What could be wrong with it? Engine could not have seized could it? Could it be a jammed starter? I have heard of it happening, but never known it.

Any suggestions gratefully received. I have towed the car 6 miles back to my place, hopefully to repair it.

[Webby the Bear]

No crank, no start with good battery. Starter be the first place i'd look. And check the engine turns over by hand.

[4x4]

Take off timing cover,unlikely but cambelt might be snapped,also check clutch cable at gearbox end.I had that with the truck when headgasket went,wouldnt turn over by hand seized solid.

[henryd]

I would pull spark plugs out and have a good look into bores for water ingress

[aaronjb]

Yeah I'll go with locked solid - and by tow starting, probably now knackered

[Kevin Wood]

Yep, remove the plugs and see if it contains water / will now turn over. If wet, spin it on the starter to remove any water.  If not, squirt a bit of plus gas into each cylinder and replace plugs.

Next, I'd remove the starter and check this hasn't jammed, and see if it runs unloaded.

Clutch sounds OK if it will tow with clutch disengaged.

[Webby the Bear]

Thinking water ingress due to rovers dodgy HG's?

[Kevin Wood]

Thinking water ingress due to rovers dodgy HG's?

Possible if the HG had already failed when it was parked up. Thing is, it's not been parked up that long, in the scheme of things. 2 Months? Ok, I can understand that the battery would be flat...

[Webby the Bear]

Thats why i was thinking starter if battery definitely good

[terry paget]

Thanks for all the advice chaps. Keep it coming.
A used starter has just arrived, ordered yesterday in anticipation. To my surprise, it looks like the old inertial engagement sort, not the Omega style pre-engaged starter. I thought inertial engagement had gone out of fashion. That's the sort that used to jam on engagement, isn't it? I  recall the advice of putting car into gear and rocking it, but never done it.

[aaronjb]

I  recall the advice of putting car into gear and rocking it, but never done it.

That used to work on my Allegro when the starter got stuck..

[terry paget]

A few facts. Head gasket was changed at 54626 miles; mileage now is 71929. When I last serviced it, it needed coolant. Today header tank level is low again.

Haynes says starter is pre-engaged type, so I was wrong there.

Car was running fine before baby. Birth was Caesarean section, Emma was advised not to drive for a month, so did not.

Will advise developments

[4x4]

Might be worth getting the inlet manifold gasket and change that while your under the bonnet,as they can let coolant past.

[terry paget]

I removed all the plugs. the driver's side end plug came out wet, I could see a liquid in the hole. I sucked it out, no smell, tastes like coolant, clear, I got out quite a lot.
I then, with plugs out, tried to crank the engine. It did not turn. I put headlights on, tried again, headlights did not dim, engine did not turn.
Looks to me like head gasket leaking coolant into end cylinder, also starter faulty. Please comment.

[Kevin Wood]

Can you turn it over by pushing it in gear with the plugs out, or is it still siezed?

But yes, a cylinder full of coolant sounds like the head gasket, or that coolant passage that goes into the intake manifold on the K.

Oh, and no dimming of the lights suggests that the starter isn't even trying, so something wrong there too.