1st real mechanical failure.....

[ceejay73]

Well I have had my S3 for just over a year now and yesterday evening had my first real failure (meaning almost a recovery service job).
There I was barrelling along one of my favourite fast A roads (around the speed limit, honest ossifer) when I glance in the nearside mirror and see what appears to be a trail of smoke form my nearside rear tyre. Fearing its about to blow out, I pull off the road, jump out and head round the back to take a butchers. When I get to the nearside rear all is fine, then I glance to the front to see steam coming from every orrifice!! Strange thinks I being very aware that the guage hadn't gone above normal. So a quick trot back round to the drivers side and whip open the bonnet.. More steam.. And then I see it a great fountain of coolant from the front of the left hand cylinder head. Run round that side for a look and hey presto I have a holed core plug in the front face of the head..
BORROCKING ARMHOLES!!!!
Being only 2 mins from home I throw down the bonnet, jump back in and light up the rears in an effort to get her home before she gobs all her coolant onto the tarmac (much to the distress and disdain of the other half who doesnt like it when I drive like that).
Thankfully got her home quick smart and left her to expell the rest of her coolant onto the drive..
The offending plug has now been popped out and I will call into a local engine builders to try and pick up a replacement sometime this week..
Ofcourse any bystanders who may have seen my roadside antics would probably be thinking 'theres one of those troublesome TVR things' but I am not upset or thinking anything like that. At the end of the day she's 15yrs old, cars and parts of cars, ANY cars will fail with age and whats it gonna cost me? A pound for a new core plug and half hour to change it a refill the coolant system..
Oh yeah so much trouble these TVRs, I would never buy one. Like hell, I hope I am NEVER without one again!

Carl.

[GreenV8S]

If one's gone, what state are the others likely to be in?

[ceejay73]

That thought also crossed my mind Peter but i am not in a position to hoist out the motor and change em all at this moment in time so will just replace the one for now and keep my fingers crossed. If I remember rightly they are usually a coated maliable steel (or iron?), could be that the coating on this one was damaged when originally fitted cos lets face it core plugs are not really something that fails regularly. Still like I said, fingers crossed..

Carl.

[Le TVR]

ceejay73 said:

and hey presto I have a holed core plug in the front face of the head..

That has got to be a rare one!
Was the plug badly corroded when you got it out?

[ceejay73]

Yeah it was very badly pitted all over then inner face. All sorted now though, took her out for a good blast last night and all is well..