overheating, leaks and all!
Discussion
Sorry if this is a bit long-winded but I would be very grateful if anybody could shed some light on any of the following ''quirks'' that I have with my M plate 4L Chim.
I''ve been a sort of proud owner for about 7 months having bought it from a main dealer (can''t name & shame just yet...)
In this time the car has been back to the main dealer over 10 times for some quite horrendous problems.
The majority of these probs have been sorted without quibble but I am still left with some niggly problems that appear to be difficult to sort. Normally, I would be prepared to get to the bottom of these problems and sort myself, but considering the amount of money I spent purchasing the car, I feel somewhat reluctant to do so.
Are the problems I am experiencing just ''characteristics'' of a TVR or do I have genuine reasons to be completely p****d off?
Anyway here goes:-
1. Overheating (pressure cap lifts) when stationary but gauge only reads 90 deg (engine runs at 70 deg on the move with no probs). Fans don''t appear to cut in until it''s too late (after / during coolant loss). I don''t trust the gauge as it varies by + 10Deg if I tap the glass or switch the lights on! Going back to dealer Sat morning to demonstrate AGAIN...
I''ve managed to use the panel light switch as a fan override switch to get me throught the recent warm weather!
2. Speedo is accurate to 80 MPH then reduces to 70MPH and stays there for all higher speeds!!
3. Slight leak from the diff after a run. I get the impression the breather pipe might be at fault here but the garage says that ''they all do that sir''
4. Poor tick over when cold. Runs ok for first 20 seconds or so then hunts (even stalls) until engine starts to warm-up. I''ve tried the ''blip'' the throttle technique but no improvement.
5. A knocking from the nearside rear suspension (shocks have been checked and numerous bushes check / replaced) but noise remains.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated as I intend to go to the main dealer on Saturday with as much ammunition as possible...
Thanks
Nick.
Sounds like a lot of these problems should be simple enough to fix:
1. Overheating - I'm not sure about this one, but I guess it could be a radiator blockage/air in the system.
2. Speedo - There seem to a number of speedo type problems - check the TVRCC mailist history and you should find some. There is a sensor on the diff that goes awol, it could be either this, the earthing on the speedo or the speedo itself.
3. Diff leak - they don't all do that. Mine never has.
4. Poor tick over when cold etc. Sounds like a simple tuning problem to me.
5. A knocking from the nearside rear suspension - just because they've checked the shocks it doesn't mean they are not the fault. Or the roll bar.
If I were you and the car is under warranty I'd try another main dealer. A local independent could probably sort out most of this easily enough, for a spot of cash, although some can do warranty claims.
Good luck.
Trefor/.
Thanks for the prompt response guys!
It's just starting to get all very embarrassing as the car has been back on too many occasions for my liking.
They have also done quite a few things on a good will basis (no doubt disguised as warranty claims).
I'll see how things go on Saturday.
Nick.
Thats what I first thought (so did the dealer.
It was replaced but still boiling over.
I've manage to get hold of some temperature tabs and I'll be sticking them on the swirl tank tonight. I'll see at what temp the cap releases and also make a note of the temperature gauge (with lights on and off!!)
I'm hoping it's just the otta switch as I'm reliably informed that the wrong one is often fitted by non TVR specialist garages.
We shall see.......
Cheers,
Nick
Thats what I first thought (so did the dealer.
It was replaced but still boiling over.
I've manage to get hold of some temperature tabs and I'll be sticking them on the swirl tank tonight. I'll see at what temp the cap releases and also make a note of the temperature gauge (with lights on and off!!)
I'm hoping it's just the otta switch as I'm reliably informed that the wrong one is often fitted by non TVR specialist garages.
We shall see.......
Cheers,
Nick
1. Overheating - Gurgling in the passenger footwell is a sign of air in the system. Do you hear any ? If the fans do manage to keep the engine cool, maybe the otters shagged. I bought the uprated one for mine ( £15, 10degrees more grace ) Simple screw in job. It was ok before, but the old otter cut the fans in only 4 degrees before it would boil.
2. Speedo - Looked at 5 chims in one day once, 2 of em had speedo's that had packed in. Sounds like they dont make em very well to me 
3. Diff leak - Mines fine!
4. Poor tick over when cold etc. Is it the HC model, If so, they have some hairy cam lumpy tickover anyway dont they ?
Good luck
3. Diff leak - Mines fine!
4. Poor tick over when cold etc. Is it the HC model, If so, they have some hairy cam lumpy tickover anyway dont they ?
Good luck
Some interesting points Rob.
The override switch that I have fitted allows me to keep the water temp constant when stationary. I think the problem may be 2 fold i.e. temp gauge is a load of crap(reading too low)and the otta switch is also a pile of crap (switching on too late).
I have noticed that just before boiling over, the oil pressure gets quite low on tickover indicating a hot engine!!
Re HC Engine:
One of the early problems I had with the car was poor driveabilty. This was identified as a knackered distributer, This was replaced which cleared the fault but instead caused the engine to miss-fire when hot.
The car went back on numerous occassions to get sorted. In the end a different distributer was fitted and mutterings of the engine possibly being a HC version were heared....... 
Definitely goes better than other 4L Chims!!
Nick.
Definitely goes better than other 4L Chims!!
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