Am I doing this right?

[K.K.]

Need some advice from more experienced owners...

1. I check the oil every couple of days when the engine is hot (about 80c). I've done 200 miles from new and the dipstick is always showing exactly maximum which means I haven't lost a drop of oil (which sounds good), but I'm worried that I may bedoing it wrong. Eg. someone told me that after checking the oil once, get back in the car and drive it for another 10 minutes and check it immediately again, but this sounds silly?

2. I check the water every four or five days when the engine is cold. The dealer said if you put your finger inside where the water goes, you should just about be able to touch the water. If not, top it up. But it seems that it needs topping up(to finger level) every time I check it. Is this normal or am I losing water?

Ooops! Edited to add one more question:

3. I'm still running her in. I was planning to go on a long drive soon from London to Bath and back in the same day. I was wondering, is such a long journey OK for a car still being run-in? If so what sort of speed/revs should I be doing on the motorway and is it OK to sustain the same speed/revs for a long time?

Help much appreciated

Thanks
KK

>>> Edited by K.K. on Friday 25th June 12:49

[sidpinup]

Hi

Oil level sounds Ok to me, mine uses hardly any oil. i have only put 1l in in the last 6K.

Coolant does vary a bit. If I have been sutting in traffic and the water temp get to 100 ish i think it vents some water due to expansion but never very much. i top it up every 500 miles.

So yours sounds normal to me.

Ed

[rebelstar]

I used virtually no oil in the first 1k (just a top-up, which probably wasn't needed).

Coolant level has consistently been under the recommended level. I can't find the top with my fingers but someone suggested I use a wooden spoon as a measuring device. It's always at a constant level (about 3-4 inches below the top) so I've not worried about it too much. If I add more, I lose it straight away so I assume this is just the natural level.

The owner's manual says you should avoid constant speed for the first 300 miles, which would suggest that you shouldn't do any motorway driving until then. Go for a good blast around the back roads for a couple of hours

Otherwise your experiences so far seem to be the same as mine, which is reassuring!

[Trefor]

I'm not sure how much oil is in the system in the first place, but mine too has not needed topping up since I got it - just gone over 1,000 miles. I'm assuming the dealer overfilling the dry sump a little, this coupled with not using too many revs probably means you won't be using much oil.

As for the water - nick a wooden spoon from the kitchen and use that as the gauge. The car will usually find it's own level somewhere up the expansion chamber - as long as it stays around there it will be OK. So by topping up until your finger gets wet you may be overfilling by a smidge - the car will just dump the excess out under pressure so don't panic, but you may not need to fill it up if you monitor how far down the chamber the level gets/stays (hopefully). Obviously if the expansion chamber is empty after a drive then you've probably got a leak somewhere - perhaps a hose needs tightening somewhere.

I think a good run will do the engine good - not bad. Chuntering around London will do it more harm than 2000-3000 rpm along the motorway. Just don't let it labour, esp. in 5th and don't keep the revs too constant. I suggest getting off the M4 at Reading West and using the A4 - it's a nice road and you'll be up and down the gears/revs. The car will like this.

[jayjay]

There are six litres of engine oil.

[stevenleith]

Trefor said:

Chuntering around London will do it more harm than 2000-3000 rpm along the motorway.

I live in central london and will need to run the car in predominantly in london - i agree that 2/3k rpm constant on the motorway wouldn't be too good, but why would driving around london not be any good?

[Trefor]

stevenleith said:

Trefor said: Chuntering around London will do it more harm than 2000-3000 rpm along the motorway. I live in central london and will need to run the car in predominantly in london - i agree that 2/3k rpm constant on the motorway wouldn't be too good, but why would driving around london not be any good?

I didn't mean it that way, I mean't short journeys without using the brakes/revs much.

[hatchn]

I've just got back from a 2,500-mile blast through France, Switzerland and Italy and the car performed faultlessly.

It did not use a drop of oil, or need the water topping up even in temperatures of up to 30 degrees.

Cheers,
Nick

[K.K.]

Hey, Nick have you checked out this thread: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=5&h=0&t=107554

Seem to be a lot of TVR "Nicks" out there! There may be something int it after all!!!

Nice car by the way - is that GTS Blue? Looks like mine.

KK

[whitey]

Trefor said:

I think a good run will do the engine good - not bad. Chuntering around London will do it more harm than 2000-3000 rpm along the motorway. Just don't let it labour, esp. in 5th and don't keep the revs too constant. I suggest getting off the M4 at Reading West and using the A4 - it's a nice road and you'll be up and down the gears/revs. The car will like this.

Exactly. That is my particular running in route (I had a lot of practice with an early Tuscan ) along the A4 to Bath and back then onto the M4 again at Reading west. Infact I sometimes do it now just for fun

[whitey]

stevenleith said:

Trefor said: Chuntering around London will do it more harm than 2000-3000 rpm along the motorway. I live in central london and will need to run the car in predominantly in london - i agree that 2/3k rpm constant on the motorway wouldn't be too good, but why would driving around london not be any good?

That is not a good idea as you will probably have long periods of idling stuck in traffic.