1988 350i fuel system pipework
Discussion
My car came as a project and presently has no fuel pump or filter and the majority of the fule pipes are missing. I have looked at what I need but the pipework doesn't match any of the three systems shown in the TVR parts book. What I have is shown below:
|https://thumbsnap.com/KpCsURGx[/url]
I have a swirl pot looking like this one:
What I don't have but what is shown on all three TVR parts book diagrams is the 2" balance pipe between the tanks shown below:
None of this has ever been apart as far as I can tell. Does this all look familiar to anyone?
|https://thumbsnap.com/KpCsURGx[/url]I have a swirl pot looking like this one:
What I don't have but what is shown on all three TVR parts book diagrams is the 2" balance pipe between the tanks shown below:
None of this has ever been apart as far as I can tell. Does this all look familiar to anyone?
Bin the swirl pot an buy a new one from ACT. The old one contains a filter which by now will have rusted away and will be a load of crap rattling about inside.
Yes some cars have the 2" cross pipe which helps when fuelling as the second tank fills up at the same rate as the first one.
The diagrams posted by REB266 has a pipe labelled 'overflow' but this should be the fuel return. The diagram also has a thin pipe labelled 'return from bulkhead' but this thin pipe connects to the top of the swirl pot to remove airlocks.
Steve
Yes some cars have the 2" cross pipe which helps when fuelling as the second tank fills up at the same rate as the first one.
The diagrams posted by REB266 has a pipe labelled 'overflow' but this should be the fuel return. The diagram also has a thin pipe labelled 'return from bulkhead' but this thin pipe connects to the top of the swirl pot to remove airlocks.
Steve
I owned a 350i FHC many years ago.
The small pipe is fuel return from the fuel rail regulator.
I found that the fuel gauge dropped about 20% in the first few miles as the return filled one tank at a higher rate than the fuel flowed back into the tank with the sender unit.
The assorted bits of Cortina, Rover and TR7 the car was made from were generally ok but everything that TVR designed themselves on the car was over complicated and absolute pants.
The inaccessible radiator.
The coolant swan neck with flimsy filler and blank cap that always leaked water out and air in.
The crazy rear wheel bearing set up with double grease seals that only lasted around 10000 miles.
The drive shaft ujs and rear trailing arm bushes always needed replacing at the same time as the wheel bearings due to the silly rear geometry.
The door cards that blow a draft ALL the time when on the move.
The drivers seat belt that always stank of petrol that transferred to your clothes.
The exhaust headers exposed to open inner arches that used to steam nicely if you hit a puddle.
The oil that drips out the back of Rover engines - straight down onto the exhaust silencer.
The upside down oil filter that drains half a pint of oil all over as you unscrew it.
The scuttle shake!!! the steering wheel would flop 2" side to side if you hit a pot hole.
The chassis you had to cut to remove the gearbox.
The panel fit.
The smell of glue.
Known as a collectors car due to the frequent stops the owners have to make to collect the bits that drop off.
The small pipe is fuel return from the fuel rail regulator.
I found that the fuel gauge dropped about 20% in the first few miles as the return filled one tank at a higher rate than the fuel flowed back into the tank with the sender unit.
The assorted bits of Cortina, Rover and TR7 the car was made from were generally ok but everything that TVR designed themselves on the car was over complicated and absolute pants.
The inaccessible radiator.
The coolant swan neck with flimsy filler and blank cap that always leaked water out and air in.
The crazy rear wheel bearing set up with double grease seals that only lasted around 10000 miles.
The drive shaft ujs and rear trailing arm bushes always needed replacing at the same time as the wheel bearings due to the silly rear geometry.
The door cards that blow a draft ALL the time when on the move.
The drivers seat belt that always stank of petrol that transferred to your clothes.
The exhaust headers exposed to open inner arches that used to steam nicely if you hit a puddle.
The oil that drips out the back of Rover engines - straight down onto the exhaust silencer.
The upside down oil filter that drains half a pint of oil all over as you unscrew it.
The scuttle shake!!! the steering wheel would flop 2" side to side if you hit a pot hole.
The chassis you had to cut to remove the gearbox.
The panel fit.
The smell of glue.
Known as a collectors car due to the frequent stops the owners have to make to collect the bits that drop off.
Edited by showasanke on Saturday 9th April 17:59
showasanke said:
I owned a 350i FHC many years ago.
The small pipe is fuel return from the fuel rail regulator.
I found that the fuel gauge dropped about 20% in the first few miles as the return filled one tank at a higher rate than the fuel flowed back into the tank with the sender unit.
The assorted bits of Cortina, Rover and TR7 the car was made from were generally ok but everything that TVR designed themselves on the car was over complicated and absolute pants.
The inaccessible radiator.
The coolant swan neck with flimsy filler and blank cap that always leaked water out and air in.
The crazy rear wheel bearing set up with double grease seals that only lasted around 10000 miles.
The drive shaft ujs and rear trailing arm bushes always needed replacing at the same time as the wheel bearings due to the silly rear geometry.
The door cards that blow a draft ALL the time when on the move.
The drivers seat belt that always stank of petrol that transferred to your clothes.
The exhaust headers exposed to open inner arches that used to steam nicely if you hit a puddle.
The oil that drips out the back of Rover engines - straight down onto the exhaust silencer.
The upside down oil filter that drains half a pint of oil all over as you unscrew it.
The scuttle shake!!! the steering wheel would flop 2" side to side if you hit a pot hole.
The chassis you had to cut to remove the gearbox.
The panel fit.
The smell of glue.
Known as a collectors car due to the frequent stops the owners have to make to collect the bits that drop off.
It's all called character.....The small pipe is fuel return from the fuel rail regulator.
I found that the fuel gauge dropped about 20% in the first few miles as the return filled one tank at a higher rate than the fuel flowed back into the tank with the sender unit.
The assorted bits of Cortina, Rover and TR7 the car was made from were generally ok but everything that TVR designed themselves on the car was over complicated and absolute pants.
The inaccessible radiator.
The coolant swan neck with flimsy filler and blank cap that always leaked water out and air in.
The crazy rear wheel bearing set up with double grease seals that only lasted around 10000 miles.
The drive shaft ujs and rear trailing arm bushes always needed replacing at the same time as the wheel bearings due to the silly rear geometry.
The door cards that blow a draft ALL the time when on the move.
The drivers seat belt that always stank of petrol that transferred to your clothes.
The exhaust headers exposed to open inner arches that used to steam nicely if you hit a puddle.
The oil that drips out the back of Rover engines - straight down onto the exhaust silencer.
The upside down oil filter that drains half a pint of oil all over as you unscrew it.
The scuttle shake!!! the steering wheel would flop 2" side to side if you hit a pot hole.
The chassis you had to cut to remove the gearbox.
The panel fit.
The smell of glue.
Known as a collectors car due to the frequent stops the owners have to make to collect the bits that drop off.
Edited by showasanke on Saturday 9th April 17:59
My current 450 SEAC is pretty tight, so no scuttle shake, the rad on the SEAC is a doddle to remove. The gearbox can be taken out with a fiddle with engine in situ and without cutting the chassis. But yes... all the other points are true, but life is short and a journey in a V8 Wedge ALWAYS puts a huge smile on my face, and the faces of many "men of a certain age" I pass. It's the best therapy I have, by far.KKson said:
It's all called character..... My current 450 SEAC is pretty tight, so no scuttle shake, the rad on the SEAC is a doddle to remove. The gearbox can be taken out with a fiddle with engine in situ and without cutting the chassis. But yes... all the other points are true, but life is short and a journey in a V8 Wedge ALWAYS puts a huge smile on my face, and the faces of many "men of a certain age" I pass. It's the best therapy I have, by far.
Don't get me wrong, I liked my TVR enough to own it for 6 years. At the time my heart really wanted an Esprit but my head steered me towards the "more reliable" and cheaper 350i. My current 450 SEAC is pretty tight, so no scuttle shake, the rad on the SEAC is a doddle to remove. The gearbox can be taken out with a fiddle with engine in situ and without cutting the chassis. But yes... all the other points are true, but life is short and a journey in a V8 Wedge ALWAYS puts a huge smile on my face, and the faces of many "men of a certain age" I pass. It's the best therapy I have, by far.The 450 SEAC is rather a different beast compared to my early 350i. The original stock Vitesse engine sounded great but in my opinion didn't have the ideal character for the car. It had plenty of low down torque but wasn't comfortable over 5000 rpm. It was billed as a "drivers car" but I never found the steering feel (mine had PAS), cornering, road holding or general driving feel of the car that great. Straight line acceleration (for it's time) was there and it sounded great but that's where the charm ended for me.
The TVR went over 20 years ago, (showing on GOV.UK as last V5 issued 2004 and an export marker). I'm now that "man of a certain age" and my fun car is mid-engined and German. It feels incredible on the road, sounds amazing and puts a far bigger smile on my face than driving the TVR ever managed.
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