Silver stuff in the cooling system
Discussion
Hey everybody,
I'm on the verge of purchasing my first TVR. It's a 4.5 Chimaera 98 plate. The local tvr garage has given it the once over today and the results seemed generally positive. There's one question mark though. The mechanic said that he found some silver glitter stuff in the cooling system. Without futher investigation he wasn't able to determine what it might be. IS there anyone able to offer an opinion as to what this might indicate?
Cheers
I'm on the verge of purchasing my first TVR. It's a 4.5 Chimaera 98 plate. The local tvr garage has given it the once over today and the results seemed generally positive. There's one question mark though. The mechanic said that he found some silver glitter stuff in the cooling system. Without futher investigation he wasn't able to determine what it might be. IS there anyone able to offer an opinion as to what this might indicate?
Cheers
It could be particles of a worn water pump(previous)maybe it`s had some machining done,head skim etc. and the heads haven`t been cleaned out after,I,ve come across this previously,it`s a disgraceful practice that seems all too common.
What ever it is,it should n`t be there, it`s probably aluminium because steel would rust very quickly.
Check the history properly and try to verify this with the garage who stamped it,sometimes people will edit service histories to hide a turbulent past,as such.
Ask to see the oil drained from it to check for traces of this `silver stuff`
Be very very cautious about this car,Don`t let your first TVR leave you with a bad taste.
What ever it is,it should n`t be there, it`s probably aluminium because steel would rust very quickly.
Check the history properly and try to verify this with the garage who stamped it,sometimes people will edit service histories to hide a turbulent past,as such.
Ask to see the oil drained from it to check for traces of this `silver stuff`
Be very very cautious about this car,Don`t let your first TVR leave you with a bad taste.
Thanks for the reply D. Being perfectly honest I have no real knowledge of cars to speak of - just absolutely love the TVR's. What should I look for if I ask to see the oil drained? Why would they have skimmed the head gasket and what can happen if they dont flush it properly? Also, what should I be asking the previous garage - whether they can confirm what work was done?
Sorry for all the questions, would appreciate any answers given.
Thanks
Olly
Sorry for all the questions, would appreciate any answers given.
Thanks
Olly
you need to make sure this silver stuff is not in the oil aswell,as it will do no good no matter how small it is,if you can see it then it`s certainly too big to be in there.
check,visually when the oil is drained as it first starts coming out,it will be evident as the oil will look silvery.
and when its settled in a oil drainer you can see metal particles floating,giving a silvery appearence.(if the vendor refuses then walk)
The head may have been skimmed if the gasket has blown due to overheating,which is common, this can lead to the cylinder head warping.
skimming restores the mating suface flat again by machining the face of the head with a cutting point ,
resulting in metal particles/swarf going everywhere especially in all the oil and water channels cast into the head,
If some one has done this and not cleaned out the heads before refitting them it spells almost certain early doors for that engine,as the particles block all the smallest most important oilways first.
If it`s just in the water then there`s a chance it`s the swarf from a worn water pump as that`s the only part of the cooling system that could chew or produce swarf by either chewing its own casing or the ally timing chain casing,
Has it had a new pump fitted?
either way the stuff really shouldn`t be in the oil or cooling system,
it would wise to consider the facts that it certainly wasn`t poured in there deliberately so it must be from inside the engine.
And if its silvery,it`s metal and that can only mean that some part of the engine is being or has been worn away,
or its been put together badly after repair and if thats the case then what else hasn`t been done properly?
it could also be nothing but it could be disaster,if there`s any doubt then there are plenty of other cars for sale.
good luck.
check,visually when the oil is drained as it first starts coming out,it will be evident as the oil will look silvery.
and when its settled in a oil drainer you can see metal particles floating,giving a silvery appearence.(if the vendor refuses then walk)
The head may have been skimmed if the gasket has blown due to overheating,which is common, this can lead to the cylinder head warping.
skimming restores the mating suface flat again by machining the face of the head with a cutting point ,
resulting in metal particles/swarf going everywhere especially in all the oil and water channels cast into the head,
If some one has done this and not cleaned out the heads before refitting them it spells almost certain early doors for that engine,as the particles block all the smallest most important oilways first.
If it`s just in the water then there`s a chance it`s the swarf from a worn water pump as that`s the only part of the cooling system that could chew or produce swarf by either chewing its own casing or the ally timing chain casing,
Has it had a new pump fitted?
either way the stuff really shouldn`t be in the oil or cooling system,
it would wise to consider the facts that it certainly wasn`t poured in there deliberately so it must be from inside the engine.
And if its silvery,it`s metal and that can only mean that some part of the engine is being or has been worn away,
or its been put together badly after repair and if thats the case then what else hasn`t been done properly?
it could also be nothing but it could be disaster,if there`s any doubt then there are plenty of other cars for sale.
good luck.
I've decided to buy the car, I've been in touch with the previous garage who were pretty helpful and had a couple more chats with the owner and the guy at the garage doing the inspection. There was no trace of it in the oil. The guy who inspected it suspects it was an additive to the coolant, perhaps to plug a leak.
Thanks a lot for your input, now that I'm on the way to owning my first TVR I'm sure it won't be the last time I come here for a bit of advice!
Thanks a lot for your input, now that I'm on the way to owning my first TVR I'm sure it won't be the last time I come here for a bit of advice!
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