What are the odds?

[fletch]

- Pulled into a petrol station in the V8S yesterday.
- Car wouldn't start (electrics all working but nothing from the starter motor/ solenoid)
- After lots of trying, pushed it out of the way & delved into the Bible.
- No luck with Bible
- Decided to give in & call the AA
- Just as they answer the call a guy (Ian) pulls up & offers help.
- Hung up mobile instantly (you do this when someone offers help who is towing a race car and has boxes of tools in the back)
- He just happened to own a V8S and the advice was to "leave it" for a bit longer & try later.
- Car started a dream!

(From later Bible analysis it seems to be something with heating of the starter motor and needing heat shielding).

Question 1: What are the odds of someone turning up with a car full of tools and who happens to own a V8S, just when the call is being put through to the AA?

Question 2: Am I correct with the heat shielding conclusion or could it be something else?

Cheers also to Ian saving the AA delay and more home arguments (already in the bad books as just returning from a weekend stag do!)

Fletch


>>> Edited by fletch on Monday 25th March 10:15

[Roy C]

Sounds like Ian W(?)

[beano1197]

quote:

Question 1: What are the odds of someone turning up with a car full of tools and who happens to own a V8S, just when the call is being put through to the AA?

Question 2: Am I correct with the heat shielding conclusion or could it be something else?

1 Better than the chances on the lottery - clearly! (Well done Ian, are you the fifth emergency service?)

2 Heat shielding is vital if you have petrol vaporising on it's way in, otherwise TVRs (Griffs and Chimps, I believe) had plenty of problems with original starter motors in the early 90s, since they just weren't up to the punishment. I wonder if the same is true - symptoms are that car starts from cold but not when warm e.g. typically when you go and fill up, or if you turn the motor off while waiting for your Big Mac........

.....let it cool down for 20 minutes and "problem - what problem?"

[andyb]

From my experience, this is pretty common - not just V8S - but all S's. Heatshielding may help, but in reality you are experiencing the beginning of the end for your starter motor - I think it just gets too hot in there. If this is the first time its happened, then yours will probably last quite a while - but at some point you'll need to get a re-furbished one.

[ianw]

Fletch,

It was me, I was coming home from Thruxton, 1st race in the Sunbeam.

Glad you got home okay.

Ian Wallace

[johno]

Ianw,

Have you sold the 4.3bv yet ? If it were in a years time I would have been very interested

Maybe it'll come up again....

Cheers

Mark

[ianw]

No I've still got the car, any offers?

Ian

[johno]

Swap ya ?

[fletch]

Thanks again Ian.

I think though all my luck's now been used up and I'll not win another tenner on the lottery for a few years.

Fletch