TVR S3c project
Discussion
Hi everybody.
Years ago, Around 2001, I created a web magazine with my best friend.
In one of the articles, we reviewed his TVR S3c
My friend stopped driving his car in 2010 as it had started overheating and he had a small frontend shunt.
This year, with a bit of car swapping magic, I have become the owner of the car and am trying to slowly bring it back to life.
It isn't in a horrible state and doesn't seem to have too much rust. I've prodded underneath and have only seen some surface rust on the chassis.
The engine is more of a worry. As mentionned, it was overheating when it was last used and isn't running on all cylinders.
I have found some rather bodged repairs to the ignition system, so I'm going to see to that first. I'll upload some pics of that later.
Here are some pics of the car in 2001. It's a Swiss car, registered in 1994 (most likely a 1992 build). It's done about 88'000 miles (141'000 km).
Mod edit. Links to,own social media pages removed.
Years ago, Around 2001, I created a web magazine with my best friend.
In one of the articles, we reviewed his TVR S3c
My friend stopped driving his car in 2010 as it had started overheating and he had a small frontend shunt.
This year, with a bit of car swapping magic, I have become the owner of the car and am trying to slowly bring it back to life.
It isn't in a horrible state and doesn't seem to have too much rust. I've prodded underneath and have only seen some surface rust on the chassis.
The engine is more of a worry. As mentionned, it was overheating when it was last used and isn't running on all cylinders.
I have found some rather bodged repairs to the ignition system, so I'm going to see to that first. I'll upload some pics of that later.
Here are some pics of the car in 2001. It's a Swiss car, registered in 1994 (most likely a 1992 build). It's done about 88'000 miles (141'000 km).
Mod edit. Links to,own social media pages removed.
Edited by Scrump on Sunday 22 March 20:38
Real driver said:
I hadn't noticed the washers until I was uploading the pics. Now I know why I have 2 washer bottles. One for the headlamps and one for the windscreen. Is that correct?
Yep. Can't recall if it was an option or just in certain markets.Any interior pics?
Have the door handles got "TVR" stamped on them (by the lock)?
Thanks!
I'll try to get some pics of the interior.
I would like some help with the overheating, I think I know how I'm going to test (Make sure that there isn't any air trapped in the system would be a good thing to do, LOL).
But first of all I'm going to try and make the car run on all 6 cylinders. I'm going to dig up a post from way back concerning S3C coils and post there, It will be better for others who may have the same problem)
I'll try to get some pics of the interior.
I would like some help with the overheating, I think I know how I'm going to test (Make sure that there isn't any air trapped in the system would be a good thing to do, LOL).
But first of all I'm going to try and make the car run on all 6 cylinders. I'm going to dig up a post from way back concerning S3C coils and post there, It will be better for others who may have the same problem)
Edited by Real driver on Friday 6th December 16:23
The first thing to do is to start the engine when it is completely cold (no pressure in the cooling system) and squeezing a cooling hose with hand to feel if the pressure is growing instantly in the system. If it does, you probably have a head gasket failure.
After that, remove the 6 spark plugs and look at the colour. You should easily find which cylinder runs and which doesn't. With plugs removed, you can test the compressions with a tester. You will detect a compression trouble.
If there is no pressure in the circuit and high / balanced compressions, you are a lucky man ! It's not a huge trouble. Start by replacing the sparks, dizzy cap and harm, HT leads. Not sure this will resolve your problem, but if it doesn't, consider it's a service.
Drain the cooling system, if there is a lot of rust in it (the coolant has a rusty colour), you will have to clean the system.
After that, remove the 6 spark plugs and look at the colour. You should easily find which cylinder runs and which doesn't. With plugs removed, you can test the compressions with a tester. You will detect a compression trouble.
If there is no pressure in the circuit and high / balanced compressions, you are a lucky man ! It's not a huge trouble. Start by replacing the sparks, dizzy cap and harm, HT leads. Not sure this will resolve your problem, but if it doesn't, consider it's a service.
Drain the cooling system, if there is a lot of rust in it (the coolant has a rusty colour), you will have to clean the system.
Fefeu52 said:
The first thing to do is to start the engine when it is completely cold (no pressure in the cooling system) and squeezing a cooling hose with hand to feel if the pressure is growing instantly in the system. If it does, you probably have a head gasket failure.
After that, remove the 6 spark plugs and look at the colour. You should easily find which cylinder runs and which doesn't. With plugs removed, you can test the compressions with a tester. You will detect a compression trouble.
If there is no pressure in the circuit and high / balanced compressions, you are a lucky man ! It's not a huge trouble. Start by replacing the sparks, dizzy cap and harm, HT leads. Not sure this will resolve your problem, but if it doesn't, consider it's a service.
Drain the cooling system, if there is a lot of rust in it (the coolant has a rusty colour), you will have to clean the system.
Thanks for the info, I'll try the pressure in the cooling system first. There's no mayonnaise in the oil or traces of oil in the water. But you never know...After that, remove the 6 spark plugs and look at the colour. You should easily find which cylinder runs and which doesn't. With plugs removed, you can test the compressions with a tester. You will detect a compression trouble.
If there is no pressure in the circuit and high / balanced compressions, you are a lucky man ! It's not a huge trouble. Start by replacing the sparks, dizzy cap and harm, HT leads. Not sure this will resolve your problem, but if it doesn't, consider it's a service.
Drain the cooling system, if there is a lot of rust in it (the coolant has a rusty colour), you will have to clean the system.
If there is a hole between the compression ring and the water, you don't have any water in oil, no more oil in water, you just have a little water in the compression chamber when the engine start cold, so there is steam in the exhaust gas... But the pressure in the cooling system is me main trouble.
The overheating could simply be down to lots of crap in the radiator/heater matrix/block. Drain the whole system and flush everything through thoroughly. Check you have the correct rad cap and that it's holding pressure. If the spring or the seal has gone then that could be a cause.
As for the rough running; buy yourself one (or more) of THESE. They make finding the dodgy cylinder a doddle. I assume you have put a set of new plugs in?
As for the rough running; buy yourself one (or more) of THESE. They make finding the dodgy cylinder a doddle. I assume you have put a set of new plugs in?
Podie said:
Yep. Can't recall if it was an option or just in certain markets.
Any interior pics?
Have the door handles got "TVR" stamped on them (by the lock)?
The door handles have TVR stamped on them (why this question?)Any interior pics?
Have the door handles got "TVR" stamped on them (by the lock)?
Here is a quick pic of the interior.
So I changed HT leads, plugs and the coil (which had a super bodge job done to it) and the car is firing on all 6 cylinders. So that's good news.
It's still overheating, but the cooling system doesn't seem to be pressurizing as soon as I start the car.
So here is what I've noticed:
1) The fan did not turn on (although I didn't let the temp needle into the red)
2) there is a kind of mechanical rumble that can be heard when I let off the gas pedal (probably because the engine is making less noise). Could that be the water pump? I haven't touched it to see if there's play yet.
3) The cooling system gurgles quite a lot when I turn the engine off (when it's starting to overheat). the gurgling is coming from the expansion tank. The swirl pot is hissing a bit.
Is there a difference to the way the cooling system operates if the bonnet is open (my hood was open...)?
Edited by Real driver on Sunday 22 December 19:01
Real driver said:
It's still overheating, but the cooling system doesn't seem to be pressurizing as soon as I start the car.
Have you checked the radiator cap? The system won't pressurize if the spring and/or seal are faulty. Real driver said:
1) The fan did not turn on (although I didn't let the temp needle into the red)
Real driver said:
2) there is a kind of mechanical rumble that can be heard when I let off the gas pedal (probably because the engine is making less noise). Could that be the water pump? I haven't touched it to see if there's play yet.
Real driver said:
3) The cooling system gurgles quite a lot when I turn the engine off (when it's starting to overheat). the gurgling is coming from the expansion tank. The swirl pot is hissing a bit.
See first answer above. You have to make sure the rad cap is good.Real driver said:
Is there a difference to the way the cooling system operates if the bonnet is open (my hood was open...)?
No 
You could always invite me out to Switzerland and I'll fix it for you. It could be a long job so I'll bring my skis
If you short the Otter switch and the fan doesn't come on, then the next thing to check is the fan relay.
Find it, take it out and short the terminals that connect to the relay contacts.
If the fan still doesn't come on, check/replace the fuse.
If the fan still doesn't come on, then the problem is either in the wiring or the fan.
Merry Christmas to all!
Find it, take it out and short the terminals that connect to the relay contacts.
If the fan still doesn't come on, check/replace the fuse.
If the fan still doesn't come on, then the problem is either in the wiring or the fan.
Merry Christmas to all!
mentall said:
...If you short the Otter switch and the fan doesn't come on, then the next thing to check is the fan relay.
Find it, take it out and short the terminals that connect to the relay contacts.....
Good thinking! Of course I deliberately left that step out to see if anyone was paying attention Find it, take it out and short the terminals that connect to the relay contacts.....
It's probably on the fuse/relay board under the dash. It's on the left side on RHD cars.
Happy Christmas everyone
Thanks guys!
The remark concerning the pressurizing was that if the head gasket had failed, it would pressurize the cooling system immediately.
I didn't know that the fan only came on when the temp gauge was in the red. That's curious.
Anyway, the system shouldn't be hissing if the fan hasn't even come on, should it?
The swirl pot's cap is new and the expansion tank's one seems OK.
Il check all that the next time I fire her up. I've got a thermostat, so will change that anyway. My hunch is that it's the water pump...
Merry Christmas!
The remark concerning the pressurizing was that if the head gasket had failed, it would pressurize the cooling system immediately.
I didn't know that the fan only came on when the temp gauge was in the red. That's curious.
Anyway, the system shouldn't be hissing if the fan hasn't even come on, should it?
The swirl pot's cap is new and the expansion tank's one seems OK.
Il check all that the next time I fire her up. I've got a thermostat, so will change that anyway. My hunch is that it's the water pump...
Merry Christmas!
To clarify; the fan should come on when the needle touches the beginning of the red zone. Mine does anyway. But that does depend on what temperature your otter switch is designed to operate at. You may be able to see a number marked on one of the flats if your're lucky if not you'll have to take it out and clean it up. It's always possible that the otter switch has been changed for a lower or higher temperature one at some stage meaning the fan will come on either just before the red or just after. Either way, the fan should come on! if the top of the rad is too hot to touch and the fan hasn't come on there's something wrong.
Check the simple stuff first to see if the fan is working ie jump the otter terminals, relay, fuse
Check the simple stuff first to see if the fan is working ie jump the otter terminals, relay, fuse
My V8S was overheating last summer at the top of an Alp. Turned out to be the pressure cap on the Swirl Pot. The little valve thingy in the middle was stuck open, stopping the system from pressurising properly.
So it kept on just pushing all of its water out through the overflow tank.
£6.50 for a new cap cured the problem.
So it kept on just pushing all of its water out through the overflow tank.
£6.50 for a new cap cured the problem.
Regarding the otter switch, I replaced mine (1988 280 S) for about £10 using a screw in Ford Fiesta unit.
This gives a perfect leak free seal and does away with that Heath Robinson clamp contraption. You just need to check that your connecting pipe has a thread in it already.
I can't remember what temperature rating it was but as soon as mine touches the red portion of the gauge the fan clicks into action (Subaru alloy rad and single fan on mine).
This gives a perfect leak free seal and does away with that Heath Robinson clamp contraption. You just need to check that your connecting pipe has a thread in it already.
I can't remember what temperature rating it was but as soon as mine touches the red portion of the gauge the fan clicks into action (Subaru alloy rad and single fan on mine).
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