Before the trip this weekend, Fox and I changed the oil in the Rover and replaced it with synthetic, which has made a huge improvement in the way it runs, making it smoother and quieter. It’s more efficient now, too, we got almost 18mpg on the way home from Pittsburgh, which is a hell of a lot better than the 14-15 I usually get on the highway.

But, it was still a bit on the rough side, and had some idle issues (killed out at traffic lights, etc). Someone on the Rover forum I’m on suggested that the ignition coil was failing, something I hadn’t considered. So, I replaced the coil with Fox’s old one, which was still in excellent condition, and…HOLY CRAP! All of a sudden, someone replaced my weak, puttery V8 with the engine from a NASCAR racer! The power from this engine easily doubled, and it sounds like a V8 is supposed to now. Big, throaty, and growls at everyone, like it’s going to jump out and whip some Escalade’s ass. I ordered a new coil from MSD that’s designed for high stress/off-road conditions, so it should be running pretty well for a long time

Next up, the cruise control is weird, and there’s a problem with the alternator charging circuit. But we’re getting there, one quirk-repair at a time