Jacking points & hot air

Jacking points & hot air

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Discussion

jonny350

Original Poster:

38 posts

189 months

Friday 6th June 2008
quotequote all
Hello,

This is my first post. I just got my T350C 2 days ago. I'm really pleased. Just two points I need help with (so far!):-

1) I would like to know where the jacking points are as I want to take the wheels off (a side at a time) for refurbishment. I have looked underneath but can't really identify suitable spots.

2) On the drive home after picking the car up, the Air-Con was on and blowing nice cool air through the 2 dash front vents HOWEVER the two centre vents facing the windscreen were pumping out very very hot air. The whole dash top became almost too hot to touch, and the windscreen baking hot also. I did not want to close the windscreen vents because I thought all that hot air may build up under the dash. I presume this is not normal? Or is it normal? The water temperature was fine, by the way.

And that's it. It's a great car. I hope I can help others when I become more familiar with mine!

Thanks

Jonathan


VARLEYHYD

2,244 posts

206 months

Friday 6th June 2008
quotequote all
Welcome to TVR's

Here we go
Aircon
AIRCON/HEATER ISSUES thumbup

Ventilation & Aircon is a bit hit and miss; but should be like an ice box and too cold on full chat.

Even without aircon you should NOT get any heater hot air in the cabin when cold selected

I've done the following with the Sagaris, can't be sure it'll work for others though:-

The air duct in the lower dash is for the cold only.The screen and lower vents should also be cold and only go hot when selected with or without aircon, but they will warm a little in traffic without the aircon on, but never get silly hot.

The Sagaris has a very important dividing panel on the n/s to seperate the hot air from the radiator that the early T350 and Tam's don't, seems very easy to replicate and fit. The heater fan air intake is under the light and simply goes between the inner and outer wing to the heater intake; so if the panels not there it brings in hot air from the rads. Keep the intake clear of flies too.

Heater dividing panel



ON POD 8 menu the flap zero is critical to whether the car cooks or not regardless if you have aircon or not!.

I spent loads of time on it but it works a dream now; to check this:-

I selected cold and maximum fan and adjusted the zero position until nearly all the airflow was to the lower dash vents only. My flap setting was 0, but now 26 (factory setting understood to be 16). Remember to save the settings

When the car is warmed up and cold is selected no hot air comes through the top vents anymore, only if it is selected.

It will take some time to set up but, if this doesn't work theres a chance the flap may have come loose off the motor, or the flap motor failed. It's in the gasketed box behind the aircon expansion valve/pipes. Usually get a Flap fault-126 warning if faulty, but I've not needed to get in there yet.

I also insulated the gearbox/prop tunnel to stop heat soak to the cabin whilst changing the reverse switch and made a additional gaiter for the gear stick, and plugged the hot air leaks that come from behind the POD. Removed carpet on footwell underside; I ran the heater fan to max and found that there was a big gap between the bulkhead and the air duct that goes to the dash, i sealed it up with some expanding neoprene sponge.
This improved the air flow to the drivers vent loads.
The transfered heat on the gear knob was sorted by changing to a ceramic heat break, and no burning palms now.

I further improved this by taking out the glove box and sealing it better and also creating a barrier with aluminium foil tape betwen the upper dash and the lower to reduce/stop heat transfer when the car warms up. (to take out remove two screws, lift front edge and roll upwards and back)

Passenger footwell underside show gaps & sensors


I fitted the cold air sensor into the hole that was taped over, then screwed the hot one into the brass insert on the bulkhead. I think they had problems with them at the factory so may not have fitted them, but when you do fit them and the cars up to temperature you may get a fault code 137 when it gets too hot; but getting the fl;ap zero sorts this.

ON POD 5 menu. When cold and the engine and aircon is not running all the sensors should be about the same temperature; The hot air and cold air sensors were dangling from the loom on mine,before i fitted as above; you can find out which is which by un plugging.

The ambient air temp is the one on the o/s of the rad that pokes through to the splitter/inner wing, and gets silly readings as the car slows in heat(and also wind chill) you can improve this by using a nylon nut (rather than steel) and a fibre insulating washer; and move to the other side of the splitter into the free air flow to the brakes.

Heater Controller
This may overheat(for the fan and flap)and reduce the cold air flow to nothing on long journeys.



To keep the controller cool in an attempt to rectify I have fitted mine behind the glovebox in the cold air section, not sure if this helps but mines not failed since.

Heater controller moved(not sure if it helps though)



AIRCON POD 5 menu status screen
There's no point looking at this section until you've sorted bits above first;
Select with the blue lamp on the aircon (CL) clutch is operated you should here it click and read 'on'; The aircon pump clutch supply is connected to the red wire you can just see in the pic below, Its fuse no.28 20Amp; The red wire connects to the loom white wire (terminal M) on the small round plug behind the airbox that goes through to the dash. The connection by the aircon pump is only a bullet/crimp and can fail easily; mine had been cut under a tiewrap in the loom.
There should be a supply on the white loom wire to the connector when aircon selected if not see below

Aircon pump red wire



Thro POD 5. menu.
Fan is 0-100% dependant where knob is

Flap is 0-100%dependant where knob is (nothing to do with the zero in POD 8 menu).

CL= Clutch 'off' - air con pump signal off, should change as soon as you press to get blue lamp

PR= 'on'- system pressure charged up/heathly and is reliant on the signal from the trinary switch (three set points HP28 MP17 LP2) on right hand side by VIN plate on photo. If connector loose/pulled off and not seeing the signal,will give the reading PR=off.

Aircon refrigerant 750 and 60cc of pag46 oil

IC= Thermostat- should always be 'on'
This has a copper capillary wire sitting in the footwell above the battery box top. Not sure what this does but mine is set to maximum, be careful with the capillary wire. 'IC'should always be 'on' as this cuts the supply to the aircon pump (if not by-pass the circiut to see if faulty)

Aircon Thermostat




Images from Workshop Manual






G
smile



Edited by VARLEYHYD on Saturday 7th June 07:37

jonny350

Original Poster:

38 posts

189 months

Friday 6th June 2008
quotequote all
VARLEYHYD - wow, that was more information than I bargained for! Thanks for that, I really appreciate it.

Jonathan

LaserTam

2,101 posts

218 months

Saturday 7th June 2008
quotequote all
It never ceases to amaze me how detailed some of the replies to requests for info are on this forum. Fantastic. Its like reading through the best Haynes manual ever. Top job, well done.

buckster

129 posts

192 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
quotequote all
Hey...

Massive thanks to Varleyhyd with his recent response around hot air coming through the vents....

Having owned my TVR for a few Months now, had put up with this problem, dash was always hot, vents blowing in hot air, air con never really cold etc. Put in the blanking plate (was missing in my model) as well as turned up the "flap" setting until the hot air stopped coming through top vents (ended up at setting 96 compared to it's previous setting of 16), now getting no hot air through vents (only when hot is selected) and cold air through middle vents which is ice cold when air con is on (plus no more roasting dashboard!)

Well worth a try if anyone else is suffering at the moment, esp with hot weather!

Cheers

tail slide

2,168 posts

246 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
quotequote all
LaserTam said:
It never ceases to amaze me how detailed some of the replies to requests for info are on this forum .....
Especially from VARLEYHYD bow

I also got around to adjusting my vent settings other day as suggested.

Edited by tail slide on Thursday 12th June 17:31

jonny350

Original Poster:

38 posts

189 months

Tuesday 1st July 2008
quotequote all
Hi Buckster......Have you got a T350 or Segaris? Did you fabricate the divider panel yourself, or manage to find the proper item?

On my T350 it looks really complicated to fabricate something myself - it would be quite a large panel I would have thought.

VARLEYHYD

2,244 posts

206 months

Tuesday 1st July 2008
quotequote all
jonny350 said:
On my T350 it looks really complicated to fabricate- it would be quite a large panel I would have thought.
Dead easy with a cornflake packet as a template; then cut a piece of harboard to the pattern and seal it in place with gaffa tape to make sure it works! Or make one in ABS plastic sheet with flanges and mastic flanges in place and screw in dividing panel see photo above.


G

Sevenman

740 posts

191 months

Sunday 13th November 2011
quotequote all
Resurrecting an old thread (because it is useful).

VARLEYHYD said:
ON POD 8 menu the flap zero is critical to whether the car cooks or not regardless if you have aircon or not!.

I spent loads of time on it but it works a dream now; to check this:-

I selected cold and maximum fan and adjusted the zero position until nearly all the airflow was to the lower dash vents only. My flap setting was 0, but now 26 (factory setting understood to be 16). Remember to save the settings

When the car is warmed up and cold is selected no hot air comes through the top vents anymore, only if it is selected.
I just tried this as my new Tamora was blowing lots of warm air into the cabin from the top events - even when set to fully cold.

It took me a few drives to realise this - until then I just thought my car was unusually hot.

I went into menu 8, and found the flap was set to zero. With the blowers on, this gave me a mix of air from the top vents and vents that face me.

I adjusted it to flap setting 16. When set to cold, there is no airflow through the top vents. When set to warm, there is air flow through both vents.

I have yet to test this with the car when hot (this was in the garage without starting the engine), but it looks like it should have done the trick smile

NickT

402 posts

227 months

Saturday 19th November 2011
quotequote all
Ive never managed to find the dividing panel to stop the hot air from the engine bay from going into the air intake, I made one with some card and a lot of aluminium tape which helps but by the looks of it a rigid panel would be very hard to fit anyway! Mind you I lived with no air-con in the car for a few years and really suffered on long trips in the summer to Europe or even when just on long trips in the UK in hot weather. Finally had it fixed a year ago and life is much more bearable nowsmile I also have Graham's workshop manual and have gone through all of the tweaks. Seems fine now.... A little too cold sometimes wink

Sagi Badger

588 posts

192 months

Monday 21st November 2011
quotequote all
Hi Graham,

I think you have answered a question I asked a while ago re the AC control wire switching something else, thank you.
Have I been to a Sagaris place you haven't.. the heater matrix? I used a bread knife to cut the silicone seal, not pleasant. There are cup screws, some concealed between the wing and matrix cover. The flap is aluminium and driven by a stepper motor, a micro switch reads zero which due to tolerances seems to shift on mine, time for a re design. I used Dow Corning 791 to reseal the first time, then a heat proof silicone the second I forget the number but it was not intumescent and the 791 did OK anyway. If I go there again I will photograph and record part numbers for you if of any help.


Thanks again for all the help you have given me, and other TVR owners,

Cheers,

J