Update

Author
Discussion

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
Hi all, 1 or 2 maybe interested in my recent woes so I thought I'd update the ones that were

Door switch, after shelling out 9 quid on a switch, the day it arrived i was nosing around behind the carpet where the solenoid is and there was like a vertical white plunger thingy (excuse my terminology but I'm not up on a lot of this, I squished it up and down a bit, then low and behold the switch started working again, so I laced everything in there with WD40 and glued the carpet back on. 1 free job

One cooling fat not working, As Britishtvr450 suggested, the connector was full of dust, cleaned it out with solvent spray and laced with WD40 and free job done number 2, thank you very much BritishTVR

and on to the biggy.... after many useful tips, even the ones that didn't help this situation made me learn more about what's what and where, so thanks guys. The bad lumpy lick over was solely due to that split hose from the stepper to plenum, a huge thanks to bob-bobberson for taking the time out to come up to see me and show me his great 450 and bring along is ROVERGAUGE and thanks very much indeed to Blaze_away for decoding it and explaining everything over the phone, It seems everything else is quite healthy car is now running great.... so far, I was fitting the hose in the pouring rain with a board over the engine, I set the base idle, could do with going a bit more and the rev counter seems to settle quite quickly and the car is much smoother. Total cost, the hose, a gallon of petrol blasting it around, and a bottle of wine for bob and cuddly toy for new born.... thank you so much for taking the time chaps oh and 2 cans of WD, but most of that was used on the door runners.

so on to my next fixes and projects, sorry guys :-)

Edited by Andy70 on Thursday 8th August 19:39

Jordie Barretts sock

6,018 posts

26 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
Excellent news!

You're basically a TVR specialist now. laugh

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
yeah i just need a bit more knowledge regarding the do-da's and thingamy-bobs

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
My next bodge, i mean job is to slide some rubber pipe i just bought off ebay up inside the vertical window door rubber to see if i can fill it out a bit, so it makes better contact with the glass, a tip good ole Edd China done on an old Aston Martin DB7 I think it was that had a leak, cheaper than shelling out 100 quid on Aston door rubbers, Ill see if it works tomorrow

BritishTvr450

417 posts

6 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
What’s the next fixes your thinking of?
We might aswell get thinking about them so we can suggest another list of possibilities. thumbup

Many things on TVR are usually because it’s been stood to long and basic principles apply.

I’d keep using the door solenoid for awhile to help lubricate and keep it working.
Was it passenger side.
It’s usually the one not used very often that sticks or just stops working.
I’ve just replaced my pass one for that reason.



Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
BritishTvr450 said:
What’s the next fixes your thinking of?
We might aswell get thinking about them so we can suggest another list of possibilities. thumbup

Many things on TVR are usually because it’s been stood to long and basic principles apply.

I’d keep using the door solenoid for awhile to help lubricate and keep it working.
Was it passenger side.
It’s usually the one not used very often that sticks or just stops working.
I’ve just replaced my pass one for that reason.
yep, right again, passenger side, My boy will take care of the usage, he loves the car and always playing in it and wants to come on drives everywhere and yeah, I smothered everything in there in WD before I glued the carpet back

Id like the blower motor a bit more powerful, i'm sure my old one wasn't this bad, I'm sure there is a better option out there, I've also been researching making the clutch lighter, surely there is something that can be done and I've seen all the puns on previous threads on here, so no need for them and no i don't want a sequential gearbox, my aim is to make is as usable as possible, ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds etc, cools the engine bay by 20% plus is it? I will add that there will be a mechanic in the mix, I have located a local good old school mechanic that has had TVR's stripped, ie his brothers, but he is no means a specialist like TVRSW or |Lloyd specialist etc, although they aren't a million miles from me. My old one was my only car and I loved it, but as I have kids and dogs to kart around from time to time, i do have another option, oh the windows need attention too, I had the door card off my old one, but I'm buggered if i can locate the screws on this one, so that could be one for TVRSW, the passenger window I've largely sorted with lube, but the drivers is rocking on the runner as usual, oh and I've heard the seat belt bolts were a bugger to undo, but I was hoping to fabricate some polished stainless steel extenders at work, to bring them forward a bit, but I might shelve that idea

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
I can't wait to drive it to work tomorrow now, but I do live in a very quiet suburban location......and I leave for work at half 5....not good, me thinks I have the cherry bombs or sleeved thingys, as I've done all the noise comparisons on youtube and mine isn't standard, I love the standard exhaust note, the sleeved or cherry bombs aren't my thing, they make it sound spluttery like a Harley, awful! but each to their own

TarquinMX5

2,065 posts

87 months

Thursday 8th August
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Great result, with loads of helpful input from various posters.

This thread (and those leading up to it) highlights what a decent forum should be like, and what PH, particularly the TVR sections, used to be like originally. The TVR, Aston etc ones are still good but many others seem to be full of trolls and click-bait stuff, with the odd useful thread.

Anyway, pleased that you've made good progress, haven't broken the bank, and hope you enjoy the car.

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
TarquinMX5 said:
Great result, with loads of helpful input from various posters.

This thread (and those leading up to it) highlights what a decent forum should be like, and what PH, particularly the TVR sections, used to be like originally. The TVR, Aston etc ones are still good but many others seem to be full of trolls and click-bait stuff, with the odd useful thread.

Anyway, pleased that you've made good progress, haven't broken the bank, and hope you enjoy the car.
yes very good progress, so far, but yes seemingly genuine enthusiasts on here, First job is to waxoyl the chassis come to think of it, with closer inspection on axle stands (which I have stuck rubber pads too and on my trolly jack, so it's not metal on metal), it seems to be in good order, traces of waxoll on much of it, the corners of the outriggers have very light surface rust, but nothing a wire brush and protection won't sort.... i hope

BritishTvr450

417 posts

6 months

Thursday 8th August
quotequote all
Andy70 said:
yep, right again, passenger side, My boy will take care of the usage, he loves the car and always playing in it and wants to come on drives everywhere and yeah, I smothered everything in there in WD before I glued the carpet back

Id like the blower motor a bit more powerful, i'm sure my old one wasn't this bad, I'm sure there is a better option out there, I've also been researching making the clutch lighter, surely there is something that can be done and I've seen all the puns on previous threads on here, so no need for them and no i don't want a sequential gearbox, my aim is to make is as usable as possible, ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds etc, cools the engine bay by 20% plus is it? I will add that there will be a mechanic in the mix, I have located a local good old school mechanic that has had TVR's stripped, ie his brothers, but he is no means a specialist like TVRSW or |Lloyd specialist etc, although they aren't a million miles from me. My old one was my only car and I loved it, but as I have kids and dogs to kart around from time to time, i do have another option, oh the windows need attention too, I had the door card off my old one, but I'm buggered if i can locate the screws on this one, so that could be one for TVRSW, the passenger window I've largely sorted with lube, but the drivers is rocking on the runner as usual, oh and I've heard the seat belt bolts were a bugger to undo, but I was hoping to fabricate some polished stainless steel extenders at work, to bring them forward a bit, but I might shelve that idea
thumbup

I’d tend to not worry about stuff that’s not going to stop you using it for awhile.
Get some regular use under its belt and see what gives ( if anything) before tackling more mundane stuff.
Seat belt bolts can snap rather easily so keep applying penetrating oil for a few weeks before attempting removal. They might not have been loosened since he car was built.

I snapped one once simply because I wasn’t patient enough to undo it slowly, bolt heated up and snapped like a twig.
I only noticed how hot it became when I felt it with my finger.
3 days later, a number of new drill bits token I’d finally drilled through its centre slowly using bigger bits until it finally released. Ran a tap through the threads and all ok but took hours and hours to rectify. If the bolt is very tight to turn and heats up, stop, let it cool first and do a few more turns again.
Better than breaking it I know that much.

steviegtr

72 posts

13 months

Thursday 8th August
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It's great to hear you are getting the nitty gritty bits sorted. I have done lots to mine & of course video it all for my channel. Been lax lately driving the car. Trying to sort out the colour for some touch up paint. Bought VW Blue frost & it's way too light. Now going to try the Renault Alaska blue.
Anyway keep posting with all your bits & bobs you are doing.
Oh by the way. When I bought the car it had a quarter of a tank in it. So I put 10 litres in Of the Tesco 99. Being doing lots of short runs ,so thought i better go & put some more in. Put the nozzle in & after about 15 litres it was coming back out of the filler neck. Tried again & no the tank was full which suprised me some. Got in the car & switched on, half full on the guage. So another job to do removing the sender & sorting it out. Not sure where it is , but guess once the carpet is removed I should find it.
Just hope I don't have to drain the 12 gallons out.
Steve.

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
My fuel gauge seems to be ok so far, need to tap the dash to get the Speedo to work occasionally and the dash lights have stopped working, tried the dimmer thing, no luck, I want to upgrade the dash lights any way at some point so not overly bothered about that yet

Belle427

9,750 posts

240 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
Hope its sorted now, its good to get to know the car too even if you have not done much work on cars before.
Gives you a bit of confidence to carry on with other jobs if they arise.

Jordie Barretts sock

6,018 posts

26 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
Andy70 said:
My fuel gauge seems to be ok so far, need to tap the dash to get the Speedo to work occasionally and the dash lights have stopped working, tried the dimmer thing, no luck, I want to upgrade the dash lights any way at some point so not overly bothered about that yet
Dimmer thing? Do you mean the knob on the side of rhe steering column? Because that's a wiper delay not a dimmer thing!

There is a button under the dash on the left of the steering column that turns the dash lights off though. Bet you've hit that by accident.

Jordie Barretts sock

6,018 posts

26 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
Yeah, that's the intermittent wiper delay. Nothing to do with interior lights.

There's a relay on the fuse board (top right as you look at it) that delays the interior courtesy light (on the header rail) when you close the doors. Most people (me included) put a jumper wire across two poles and do away with this as the relay often fails. Close the door, light goes out. Open door, light comes on.

There's a push button under the dash left side of the steering column for dash lights on or off. No idea why, but they all have it. Right side of the steering column is an identical button that opens the boot with the ignition on.

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
AHH I knew there was something somewhere, I recalled it being on the column, my mistake, my boy likes to sit in the driver's side, he been probably pressing everything while I've been working on it no doubt

PabloGee

480 posts

27 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
On top of the WD40, you can pack a little bit of silicone grease into the back of the connectors, it remains soft and prevents water ingress. Particularly relevant for the connections where the door solenoids are, but also a really good idea for the wiper park switch under the bonnet.

Seat belt bolts - agree with BritishTvr450, lots of penetrating oil and patience. I ended up running a tap tool through all the threads when I did mine, and new bolts because you might as well.
Main tip is to take the seats out. Four bolts through to the underside of the car. Getting to the outrigger bolt is quite difficult if you leave the seat in.

The dash lights button is largely pointless unless you spend lots of time blasting down country lanes at night.
I don’t, so I pulled the switch out (friction fit), took the two wires off the switch and made a spade connector connection.

Then you can just tuck it all back away.
Or use that space to fit a momentary switch as a manual immobiliser for the starter motor circuit… wink

Belle427

9,750 posts

240 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
You can also utilise it as a cooling fan override button should you wish.
Not critical but a nice back up.

Andy70

Original Poster:

1,301 posts

166 months

Friday 9th August
quotequote all
Drove it to work this morning and had a blast earlier, runs fine now so problem solved... until the next one, set base idle properly and the rev counter drops to 900 revs-ish, sometimes it sits at 1000 for a few seconds, also a tad lumpy on tick over and sometimes it jerks a bit when I lift my foot off the throttle and also not that smooth picking up, a bit sharp if you know what i mean, but runs so much better

Belle427

9,750 posts

240 months

Saturday 10th August
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Put some miles on it and see how it goes, dont overlook basic service items such as the fuel filter which can get overlooked due to its location.