I've been looking at this 1998 Rover Mini which is for sale and there doesn't seem to be a heater in the car.

Is this normal? Did any of the Rover series come with heating?
Am I missing a switch or combination of switches to get the heater to work?

There seems to be separate controls for the A/C compared to the other fan system below.

If there is no heating is there an easy after market kit which could be fitted to this model?

Also I've noticed that the auto on this Rover Mini I've checked out is that the Auto seems sluggish and changes gear quite a lot as I'm driving around in it. Is this normal or could there be a problem with the auto?

Is it easy to change the auto over to a manual? Did the Rover Mini come in a manual? Or is there a better Auto which could be installed in the Rover Mini or better parts for the Auto to make it more responsive?

yes i know the one you speak of,
yes it has a heater, it is a different type than the ones we have on most aussie cars.

the late model cars had long gearing to bring the revs down at freeway speeds so yeah it would be a little sluggish, that and auto's lose a bit of power compared to the manual.

yeah the autos that i've driven in minis change gear too soon, you need to shift them manually if you want to get some speed happening.

i personally wouldnt swap the engine on that car, if you are interested in a rover, you need to speak to brickworx, they build you anything you want.

There is bound to be heating in the car....grab a look at the owners manual and see (a car that young should still ahve it with it)... and while you're at it talk to the owner about it....

A few questions for you...

- What size engine is it?
- How long a drive did you take the car for - did it get time to warm up?
- Is the oil level in the engine correct - the gearbox runs in engine oil not ATF....

I'm certainly no expert and am wearing my 'L' plates proudly, but my auto changes DOWN as well as changes up (which it should)..it's a great help for braking and ensures you are in the correct gear when you come out of a corner etc....also, I believe that the 'kickdown' rod can be played around with to make the gearbox hold the gears longer

The above could be part of the 'changes gear quite a lot' that you mention. New automatics tend not to change down until you are virtually stopped and then they go direct to 1st gear.

And here is a good place to read up on the earlier version of the automatic though I don't think they were changed much

http://members.tripod.com/austin_america/id72.html

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1969 Morris 1100 S Automatic

ahhhh......the interior smell of an old British car....

In a 1998 model mini:
A heater is standard fitment, and has a 2 speed fan, not 1.
The heating is controlled by pulling a lever out (like a choke cable) that opens the
valve to the heater core.
The engines are all 1275.
Automatics are detuned for horsepower, and have (claimed) max torque at a lower RPM
than a manual engine, so it doesn't stall when stopped.
Cars with AC run SPI, not MPI. Exactly why I don't know, but thats the way they do it.

As for the performance: on the cars from the 60s with autos the kickdown linkage was a piece of threadbar, so the ends were adjustable to move the gear shift points.
Later cars did away with the threaded rod. If you want to mess with the shift point, it would have to be replaced.
If the AC was turned on, the car would drive slower than normal. Same in any 4 cylinder really.

Gearboxes are not easily replaced with manual ones, the whole engine/gearbox unit needs to be changed.

Late Rover 1275 auto block can be converted to work on a manual box, but not easily.

Recent excerpt from my block conversion thread-
"UPDATE re late Rover Mini automatic block-
Doogie brought one round today.
These don't have the oil filter mounting pad angled drilling which goes up into the main oil gallery on all A series & early A+ manual blocks (and all the A series auto blocks have too).
I cannot do these A+ auto ones with my equipment.
It isn't impossible to do, but really needs a mill with tilting head and careful jigging, or preferably a CNC mill. There is not much room for error here.....

So hardly worth doing, it's far easier to go find a manual block or an early auto one."

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Thanks guys. I took the car for 15minute drive and also went on a freeway, so it was warmed up. The engine is a 1.3i (1275). I also checked the oil and it was spot on and in good condition.

We did see the choke looking device you speak of and pushed that in when we started the car and had let it run for a while, thinking that it was a choke. The owner also thought it was a choke and thought it didn't have a heater. So now we know and yes i saw the two speed fan controller.

What I meant by the auto changing gears too much was that it seemed to change up and down as I was traveling at the same speed and not adjusting the throttle. Having said this I have only driven an auto twice in my life and haven't had much experience with them. I'm thinking of getting the car checked out by my mechanic anyway.

So with the auto has anyone attempted to replace this threaded rod in these late models before? Can it be done?

The kickdown linkage is connected directly to the throttle body.
It's not adjustable on late cars so that mixtures and settings can't be played with.
I haven't played with it on an injected car, and don't know anyone who has. (Brickworx?)

The auto changes gear to suit the load on the engine.
If the car goes up hill and slows down, it will kicjk back, and when the revs get high it
may shift forward again. The auto is purely mechanical, and not in any way connected to the (or a ) computer that may have control.

Choke is automatic on an injected car, so pulling the heater knob will do bugger all really, though the car engine may warm up marginally quicker with the valve shut.