Not a good year so far...........
Not a good year so far...........
Author
Discussion

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Ok - seriously thinking about selling our S1 now. It's been a bottomless pit this year... started in April, with major servicing/mot, needing the head drilling/retapping to refit a damaged manifold. (cost approx £900.00 all in) Then the brakes went, (about 250.00) only just had to have the clutch master cylinder replaced. (not had bill yet)

then - took it out yesterday, was driving home - seemed to be running lovely (too nice perhaps), all of a sudden, very loud blowing/tapping noise, followed by lots of oily smeeling smoke out the back, followed by complete loss of power, then kerput.... Followed by a 2 hr wait for the recovery truck..... (Cheesed off doesnt even come close)

Without investigating fully, i'm now thinking it was a head gasket....... More probs!!!!! Not being a spanner jockey any ideas how much (ballpark) this is likely to cost me???

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Ps - if any of you guys own a light blue chim in the North Essex area - thanks for grinning at me as you drove past me on the hard shoulder and not stopping.......

What ever happended to the "TVR brotherhood"

hurststeve

101 posts

228 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Nasty noises.......smoke.......loss of power. Doesn't sound as trivial as a head gasket I'm afraid. More like a hole in a piston. Sorry.

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
FOR SALE - s1 1989 - excellent bodywork - 3 carefull owners - long mot, low miles - cos it's spent most of life in the bloody garage in bits!!!

coolcatmaz

3,521 posts

231 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
yikes thats awful if that is the case.

Harry1972M

743 posts

273 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Sorry to hear about your woes and hope its not too much of an exspensive fix for you - if it is a worse case scenario situation then you can pick up a motor on E Bay and the like pretty resonably.

Graham

tvrgit

8,489 posts

281 months

Thursday 27th September 2007
quotequote all
Harry1972M said:
Sorry to hear about your woes and hope its not too much of an exspensive fix for you - if it is a worse case scenario situation then you can pick up a motor on E Bay and the like pretty resonably.

Graham
Agree - that's your worst case, an engine for a couple of hundred, plus a couple of pints to a mate to fit it with you.

Harry1972M

743 posts

273 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
TVRBloke Said:
What ever happended to the "TVR brotherhood"

It still exists very strongly especially on the S Forum in my opinion and once you have discovered the route cause of your engine problem I am certain you will get offers of help from fellow PHrs - if it is an engine swap then as TVRGit says a few beers will get it fitted - you can only but ask.

Good Luck
Graham

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Thanks for the advise. Because i'm not an expert with the spanners - god forbid i need a new engine - what am i looking for? Is it a straight 2.8 ford capri/granada engine i'd need?

Thanks.

Harry1972M

743 posts

273 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Yep - thats what you will need however if I was in your situation I would be seriously contemplating a 2.9 24V cosworth conversion !!!!

Graham

Road2Ruin

6,468 posts

245 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Harry1972M said:
Yep - thats what you will need however if I was in your situation I would be seriously contemplating a 2.9 24V cosworth conversion !!!!

Graham
I agree, a bit more work and expense but you get a much more powerful and useable motor that is also more reliable to boot.

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Sounds fantastic - but how much more expensive/how much more work? Are we talking major change around & re-organinsing under the hood? What should i expect to pay for the power plant?

clarenceboddiger

1,398 posts

244 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Would the std 2.9 Manifold fit the cosworth engine ???

Woody

2,189 posts

313 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
I looked into the cosworth route - and decided against it on the grounds of cost and a lot of messing about.
You'll need a set of custom manifolds (Boosted on here sells them) for about £500/pair.
Engine from ebay probably about £300'ish.
A bit of messing about with the electrics/electronics - apparently as the ECU's are from an auto'box you have to fool it into thinking there's a 'park setting' so you can start the engine - unless you want to for out for an aftermarket ECU.

Think the above is right - but I'm sure others will be along with some other info.

Chris

coolcatmaz

3,521 posts

231 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Harry1972M said:
TVRBloke Said:
What ever happended to the "TVR brotherhood"

It still exists very strongly especially on the S Forum in my opinion and once you have discovered the route cause of your engine problem I am certain you will get offers of help from fellow PHrs - if it is an engine swap then as TVRGit says a few beers will get it fitted - you can only but ask.

Good Luck
Graham
Jeez, I offered beer, bacon sandwiches AND lunch in exchange for help in fitting just a damn water pump, and the added bonus of a sexy assistant to pass the spanners

Sweet Thunder

220 posts

250 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Woody said:
I looked into the cosworth route - and decided against it on the grounds of cost and a lot of messing about.
You'll need a set of custom manifolds (Boosted on here sells them) for about £500/pair.
Engine from ebay probably about £300'ish.
A bit of messing about with the electrics/electronics - apparently as the ECU's are from an auto'box you have to fool it into thinking there's a 'park setting' so you can start the engine - unless you want to for out for an aftermarket ECU.

Think the above is right - but I'm sure others will be along with some other info.

Chris
a 24V cosworth is indeed a bit more work than an engine swap: You'll need to swap the engine whith mass airflow meter, ECU and wiring loom, and you'll need custom manifolds, the ones on the S don't fit the 24V Cosworth and the ones on the Cosworth don't fit the S. The most difficult part is the manifolds. Then expect to spend a few evenings sorting out the loom from the donor Scorpio to make it fit the S. Also a new alternator bracket and uprated clutch are needed.
The problems with the ECU not working without autobox connected apply to the post '94 BOB engines with EEC-V engine management, so these engines will need an aftermarket ECU or extensive fiddling to fool the computer. The '89-'94 BOA engines whith EEC-IV engine management run quite happily without the autobox.

Harry1972M

743 posts

273 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
CoolCatMaz Said:
Jeez, I offered beer, bacon sandwiches AND lunch in exchange for help in fitting just a damn water pump, and the added bonus of a sexy assistant to pass the spanners

And you didn't get any takers - I worry about S Owners sometimes I really do !!!

coolcatmaz

3,521 posts

231 months

Friday 28th September 2007
quotequote all
Harry1972M said:
CoolCatMaz Said:
Jeez, I offered beer, bacon sandwiches AND lunch in exchange for help in fitting just a damn water pump, and the added bonus of a sexy assistant to pass the spanners

And you didn't get any takers - I worry about S Owners sometimes I really do !!!
One taker, but he kept putting the job off, so the parts are still sat in a box god knows how many months later.......until this Tuesday that is, and the local garage is going to fit the parts for me.

Dont get me wrong though, I've been happy for the work not to be done as its non urgent and I've been driving the car loads, but now the weather is turning it can disappear for the day and get fixed.....and mainly because the fan belt is on its last legs and I dont want to drive the car now till thats replaced.

tvrbloke

Original Poster:

61 posts

232 months

Monday 1st October 2007
quotequote all
Sweet Thunder said:
Woody said:
I looked into the cosworth route - and decided against it on the grounds of cost and a lot of messing about.
You'll need a set of custom manifolds (Boosted on here sells them) for about £500/pair.
Engine from ebay probably about £300'ish.
A bit of messing about with the electrics/electronics - apparently as the ECU's are from an auto'box you have to fool it into thinking there's a 'park setting' so you can start the engine - unless you want to for out for an aftermarket ECU.

Think the above is right - but I'm sure others will be along with some other info.

Chris
a 24V cosworth is indeed a bit more work than an engine swap: You'll need to swap the engine whith mass airflow meter, ECU and wiring loom, and you'll need custom manifolds, the ones on the S don't fit the 24V Cosworth and the ones on the Cosworth don't fit the S. The most difficult part is the manifolds. Then expect to spend a few evenings sorting out the loom from the donor Scorpio to make it fit the S. Also a new alternator bracket and uprated clutch are needed.
The problems with the ECU not working without autobox connected apply to the post '94 BOB engines with EEC-V engine management, so these engines will need an aftermarket ECU or extensive fiddling to fool the computer. The '89-'94 BOA engines whith EEC-IV engine management run quite happily without the autobox.
Jees......... err, wasnt thinking it would be that technically involved - as said before, i'm not particularly mechanically minded (i can manage simple straight forward stuff) but that's way beyond me.... a straight swap (if needed) is looking more likely...

Sweet Thunder

220 posts

250 months

Monday 1st October 2007
quotequote all
tvrbloke said:
Jees......... err, wasnt thinking it would be that technically involved - as said before, i'm not particularly mechanically minded (i can manage simple straight forward stuff) but that's way beyond me.... a straight swap (if needed) is looking more likely...
The cheapest way to get a standard engine for a straight swap may be to buy a complete granada: They sometimes go for next to nothing on ebay. added advantages of buying a complete car are the possibility to test drive the engine, and having some wheels, a seat and a radio attached to your engine means it's a whole lot more convenient to bring home.