Stepper motor on TVR/Rover V8

[plipton]

Heeeeeelllllllllppp!!

I have idling problems on my Chimp 450 and have been advised to strip and clean the stepper motor.

Can anyone help with pictures and location please as I have no idea what I'm looking for.

PS. Dealer's out of the question - the nearest one to me is 20 miles away. No big deal you say, but I live on Guernsey and the dealer is on Jersey - and it costs £90 odd quid to get there with the car (plus a day off work)

Thanks in advance.

Plipton

[griff2be]

The stepper motor is located at the back left of the plenum chamber as you stand at the front of the car looking back (the plenum chamber is the alloy cover on the top of the engine with a '450' badge on it).

The motor itself looks like largish black 'nut' screwed into the plenum, with a few wires and a connector block clipped onto the back of it.

To remove unclip the connector and unscrew the stepper (from memory its a 32mm nut).

Clean with white spirit and replace, being careful to get a good seal but not overtighten. You can use PTFE plumbing tape on the thread to get a good seal.

You may need to re-set the ECU afterwards - can't remember as I replaced mine rather than cleaned (shpub will tell you) - just unplug the main connector for a while whilst you remove and replace the stepper.

Easy job - takes 10 mins.

(Sound like you need the Griff/Chim bible, by the way)

Edited to say for the ecu reset you disconnect the main connector to the ecu in the passenger footwell. Run your thumb accross the terminals once too. Resets the ecu and clears any fault codes.

>> Edited by griff2be on Wednesday 20th November 11:24

>> Edited by griff2be on Wednesday 20th November 13:00

[plipton]

Thanks griff2be

I'll have a butcher's after work if the weather holds.

Bible ?? where can I get one of those? I have a few niggly problems which might be covered in it.

Cheers,

Plipton

[shpub]

The new edition containing 420 A4 pages will be available from the TVRCC. Just picked up the proofs. To get a copy call the TVRCC 01952 770635 and place an order. It will get dispatched as soon as the books get delivered (still on track for 1st Dec)

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[plipton]

Thanks

Will order a copy (how much BTW?)

Might be an idea to join the TVRCC. Do you have their address/URL?

Regarding the ECU

Edited to say for the ecu reset you disconnect the main connector to the ecu in the passenger footwell. Run your thumb accross the terminals once too. Resets the ecu and clears any fault codes.

My ECU says "5 litre non cat" on it (written in tippex) but mine's a catted 4.5 litre. How can i tell if it's set up right for may car?

[beano1197]

www.tvrcc.com

[beano1197]

plipton said:
My ECU says "5 litre non cat" on it (written in tippex) but mine's a catted 4.5 litre. How can i tell if it's set up right for may car?

That's because the nice people at Blackpool have pulled a standard Lucas one apart, waved a magic wand and popped it back together again. (They often write their name on (Neil did mine) as well.

I am sure you will have the "right one". It is (for early 90s technology) a sophisticated little beast, apparently, and can "learn" from being reset to manage the engine effectively. They might give the impression of being temperamental little blighters too, but that's more to do with the fact that they can only act on the information they receive (much like most of us!). So unless things are going horribly wrong, you won't need to worry if the ECU's "right".