Discussion
I just got my first TVR- a 280S S1, a 1988 model first registered 6 January, 1989 so it seems to be one of the last S1s made. I’ve also just joined the TVRCC and this site—are there others that would be useful, too?
It’s dark blue with beige interior and dark blue carpet. The car was resprayed about 5 years ago and looks pretty good still. The interior looks very nice, though would benefit from a good clean and new main carpet. It has wood across the whole dash as shown in the sales brochure, I haven’t seen that in any other owners’ photos, a wood shifter knob but standard steel/leather grip steering wheel. It also has electric windows. So, it seems to have a mix of mostly S1 features with S2 ones—the electric windows, unless they were an option earlier?
It’s really low mileage, only 44k for a 32 year old car, and it’s only done a few hundred miles over the past several years. It’s had a lot of work done, in addition to the respray it’s outriggers were replaced about 5 years ago. So it’s had some major work done and needs minor tidying up, I think. BUT looking at its old MoTs shows a lot of minor (and a few not so minor) issues, and a number that are recurring ones. I’m going to have a TVR specialist look it over.
It seems to run pretty well but:
A. it has a rough hot idle and prone to dying,
B. the clutch has to go all the way to the floor to fully disengage or else I get a little gear grinding.
C. the brakes seem soft, and there’s a little corrosion around the crimped rim of the servo.
I’d guess A could be fixed by a proper tune from someone that knows these cars. But is there a simple “fix” for the short term like adjusting an idle screw so it idles faster until someone that knows what they’re doing can properly sort it?
Is B typical for these cars? Or would it be adjusted out?
I’d guess C could be sorted by a flush and adjusted. Would replacing the servo now be sensible?
Further Questions:
1. When was the last S1 made? Is this it?
2. How many S1s had the wooden dash? It seems rare-ish?
3. How many of each colour were made? Does anyone know? What about interior colors?
Who would be a good source for the carpet?
It doesn’t have a spare—but originally it seems to have had a space-saver one. I’d like to get a full-size one but don’t have the full specifications for the wheel, just its size. Bolt circle? Offset? Are there ones from other cars I could use?
The boot carpet seems damp though the weatherstripping seems like new. Are there other drain holes or access points that water may enter?
The hood tensioners are really taunt and very hard to open and worse to close. Are there any adjustments, or do I change their attachment points.
I got the buyer’s guide, and bought the 1st edition of Steve Heath’s book and am sitting by the door waiting for the post girl to deliver. Is the 2nd edition worth having, too? What other books/reading material are useful?
Thanks
James
It’s dark blue with beige interior and dark blue carpet. The car was resprayed about 5 years ago and looks pretty good still. The interior looks very nice, though would benefit from a good clean and new main carpet. It has wood across the whole dash as shown in the sales brochure, I haven’t seen that in any other owners’ photos, a wood shifter knob but standard steel/leather grip steering wheel. It also has electric windows. So, it seems to have a mix of mostly S1 features with S2 ones—the electric windows, unless they were an option earlier?
It’s really low mileage, only 44k for a 32 year old car, and it’s only done a few hundred miles over the past several years. It’s had a lot of work done, in addition to the respray it’s outriggers were replaced about 5 years ago. So it’s had some major work done and needs minor tidying up, I think. BUT looking at its old MoTs shows a lot of minor (and a few not so minor) issues, and a number that are recurring ones. I’m going to have a TVR specialist look it over.
It seems to run pretty well but:
A. it has a rough hot idle and prone to dying,
B. the clutch has to go all the way to the floor to fully disengage or else I get a little gear grinding.
C. the brakes seem soft, and there’s a little corrosion around the crimped rim of the servo.
I’d guess A could be fixed by a proper tune from someone that knows these cars. But is there a simple “fix” for the short term like adjusting an idle screw so it idles faster until someone that knows what they’re doing can properly sort it?
Is B typical for these cars? Or would it be adjusted out?
I’d guess C could be sorted by a flush and adjusted. Would replacing the servo now be sensible?
Further Questions:
1. When was the last S1 made? Is this it?
2. How many S1s had the wooden dash? It seems rare-ish?
3. How many of each colour were made? Does anyone know? What about interior colors?
Who would be a good source for the carpet?
It doesn’t have a spare—but originally it seems to have had a space-saver one. I’d like to get a full-size one but don’t have the full specifications for the wheel, just its size. Bolt circle? Offset? Are there ones from other cars I could use?
The boot carpet seems damp though the weatherstripping seems like new. Are there other drain holes or access points that water may enter?
The hood tensioners are really taunt and very hard to open and worse to close. Are there any adjustments, or do I change their attachment points.
I got the buyer’s guide, and bought the 1st edition of Steve Heath’s book and am sitting by the door waiting for the post girl to deliver. Is the 2nd edition worth having, too? What other books/reading material are useful?
Thanks
James
If you 'do' facebook search for ... TVR S series Owners & Enthusiasts
I'll leave most of your questions for others to answer but re the spare wheel, a space saver was standard fitment. Where would you put a full size spare?
Should you get a puncture (pretty rare these days) I think the full size wheel and tyre will only fit in the boot if its totally flat like this.......
Hubs and brakes are Ford, 108mm PCD
I'll leave most of your questions for others to answer but re the spare wheel, a space saver was standard fitment. Where would you put a full size spare?
Should you get a puncture (pretty rare these days) I think the full size wheel and tyre will only fit in the boot if its totally flat like this.......
Hubs and brakes are Ford, 108mm PCD
Edited by phillpot on Thursday 16th July 17:05
As regards tuning the 2.8i have a read of THIS. When I had my Wedge I found the best way to tune the tick-over was by ear using the old "best lean" process as you'd use on a carb. The CO seemed a bit high but within limits and it ticked over and ran well and passed the MOT, so that method worked well for me.
There's also a lot of issues caused by a faulty warm up regulator so search for that. These engines were used in a lot of Wedges so you'll find that forum helpful as well.
There's also a lot of issues caused by a faulty warm up regulator so search for that. These engines were used in a lot of Wedges so you'll find that forum helpful as well.
Welcome on board. I also have an 1988 S1, same colour scheme as yours.
There’s plenty of space saver wheels, some with covers, come up for sale, as others have suggested you would struggle with anything else.
With regards the interior. I was told Jaguar Magnolia Is a good match, maybe someone can confirm if they have used it and how good it is.
There’s plenty of space saver wheels, some with covers, come up for sale, as others have suggested you would struggle with anything else.
With regards the interior. I was told Jaguar Magnolia Is a good match, maybe someone can confirm if they have used it and how good it is.
Congrats on getting the S - great colour. Mine is also an S1 but 1988 and I've just completed a full body off restoration. Here's some observations:
A. it has a rough hot idle and prone to dying, - mine was the same and swapping out the Warm Up Regulator solved it (just another second hand unit)
You may end up chasing little injection problems around, and on mine I had a torn O ring in the pressure relief valve in the fuel distributor which was causing lots of little problems.
Tuning is a matter of getting it to idle at 900 rpm then adjusting the mixture screw to give 1.3% CO (I used a Gunson CO meter) and it is actually fairly simple but tiny adjustments make a big difference and you may do it a few times - my car idled faster when warmed up for a while, so it was a balancing act to get good starting, correct idle at cold and hot and low CO.
A really useful book is Haynes Fuel Injection Manual 1979 - 1989 ISBN 1 85010 590 1 as it covers every type of injection system in detail and has pages specific to the TVR S1.
Experts in Kjet are few and far between but if you are near Manchester there is one guy who is well known - Ric Wood, Stockport.
B. the clutch has to go all the way to the floor to fully disengage or else I get a little gear grinding.
There is an adjuster screw on the slave cylinder end and I had to set mine almost all the way out even though I fitted a new clutch so I'm guessing my carrier could be bent. I also fitted a new Land Rover Series 3 master and slave with 3/16th pipe. Works fine and cheap as chips.
C. the brakes seem soft, and there’s a little corrosion around the crimped rim of the servo.
The servos rot underneath and if really bad can split the can open. I replaced mine with a new one and new master cylinder from TVR Parts. Expensive but all bolted straight in no problem.
Spare wheels do come up on Ebay and are really just to get you to the garage.
The boot has two plastic pipes shoved into the drain channel and routed out through bottom of the boot floor. It is a rubbish system and prone to leaks. I used a blob of mastic to block up the extra holes my car had and to seal the plastic pipe where it meets the bodywork. The pipes run underneath the carpet and the carpets are just glued in place.
Enjoy the car!
A. it has a rough hot idle and prone to dying, - mine was the same and swapping out the Warm Up Regulator solved it (just another second hand unit)
You may end up chasing little injection problems around, and on mine I had a torn O ring in the pressure relief valve in the fuel distributor which was causing lots of little problems.
Tuning is a matter of getting it to idle at 900 rpm then adjusting the mixture screw to give 1.3% CO (I used a Gunson CO meter) and it is actually fairly simple but tiny adjustments make a big difference and you may do it a few times - my car idled faster when warmed up for a while, so it was a balancing act to get good starting, correct idle at cold and hot and low CO.
A really useful book is Haynes Fuel Injection Manual 1979 - 1989 ISBN 1 85010 590 1 as it covers every type of injection system in detail and has pages specific to the TVR S1.
Experts in Kjet are few and far between but if you are near Manchester there is one guy who is well known - Ric Wood, Stockport.
B. the clutch has to go all the way to the floor to fully disengage or else I get a little gear grinding.
There is an adjuster screw on the slave cylinder end and I had to set mine almost all the way out even though I fitted a new clutch so I'm guessing my carrier could be bent. I also fitted a new Land Rover Series 3 master and slave with 3/16th pipe. Works fine and cheap as chips.
C. the brakes seem soft, and there’s a little corrosion around the crimped rim of the servo.
The servos rot underneath and if really bad can split the can open. I replaced mine with a new one and new master cylinder from TVR Parts. Expensive but all bolted straight in no problem.
Spare wheels do come up on Ebay and are really just to get you to the garage.
The boot has two plastic pipes shoved into the drain channel and routed out through bottom of the boot floor. It is a rubbish system and prone to leaks. I used a blob of mastic to block up the extra holes my car had and to seal the plastic pipe where it meets the bodywork. The pipes run underneath the carpet and the carpets are just glued in place.
Enjoy the car!
In regards to the idling issue, you can try to correct it by messing with the mixture and idle speed (both of which need to be adjusted together as a balancing act), but it would be best to have the system checked over for system and control pressures, cold and warm, as these need to be correct or everything else will be thrown out and any other changes you make will just be a bandaid covering a problem and likely to cause other issues down the track.
The most common issue with the KJet system is a blocked filter mesh on the Warmup Regulator. This can be cleaned out but will require disassembly of the unit. No point throwing away a good but dirty WUR if you can just clean and reset it.
If you want to learn more about how the KJet system works, how to test it, and how to set it up, I wrote a trilogy on my site when I did all this on my Wedge in the hopes that it would help others that had KJet and were too scared to touch it.
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
The most common issue with the KJet system is a blocked filter mesh on the Warmup Regulator. This can be cleaned out but will require disassembly of the unit. No point throwing away a good but dirty WUR if you can just clean and reset it.
If you want to learn more about how the KJet system works, how to test it, and how to set it up, I wrote a trilogy on my site when I did all this on my Wedge in the hopes that it would help others that had KJet and were too scared to touch it.
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
https://www.tasteslikepetrol.net/2020/02/bosch-k-j...
If you're looking for someone to tune your K-jet remember that system was fitted to early VW Golfs so your best bet would be to look for someone who specialises in classic VW's (or V6 Capri's &Granada's).
Beware of so called "specialists". You'll be much better informed on here by blokes who've had their cars for years and have already made all the mistakes
Beware of so called "specialists". You'll be much better informed on here by blokes who've had their cars for years and have already made all the mistakes
WotnoV8 said:
Welcome to the joy of S.
I’m guessing the three videos posted on utube are your car? Sounds nice and certainly seems to go well.
Yes, that’s my drive home, first time out with it and unfamiliar roads so I was enthusiastic but not extreme. Great country B roads. I’m guessing the three videos posted on utube are your car? Sounds nice and certainly seems to go well.
https://youtu.be/qnZi0e0uCyI
https://youtu.be/m8pFCL1enyQ
https://youtu.be/99bsgKtdShQ
JamesMWilson said:
Yes, that’s my drive home, first time out with it and unfamiliar roads so I was enthusiastic but not extreme. Great country B roads.
https://youtu.be/qnZi0e0uCyI
https://youtu.be/m8pFCL1enyQ
https://youtu.be/99bsgKtdShQ
What a glorious soundhttps://youtu.be/qnZi0e0uCyI
https://youtu.be/m8pFCL1enyQ
https://youtu.be/99bsgKtdShQ
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