New Camshaft Advice/Recommendation’s
Discussion
Hi,
I am looking for advice on which Camshaft I should get fitted and by who (bearing in mind I am in Dorset)?
I am mainly looking for drivability and smooth idle…
I have now had 2 Dyno setups with Mark Adams (cc’ed in) and Brian at Mech Repairs the first following an full induction and 2nd section Exhaust ACT upgrade that included Marks Chip, the second following the fitting of ACT Manifolds as we thought that the dropping off of the power indicated blocked Cats.
At the time both Mark and Brian did point out that this only indicated blocked Cats, but the issue could be Cam, Valves, Pistons so more work would be required to fully diagnose!
So it was the excuse I was looking for I guess to complete the new ACT Exhaust system by fitting the manifolds…
Re-ran and setup the car (for 6 hours) on the Dyno again with both Mark and Brian, and whilst the drop off in Power is still present, the sound is awesome … :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7eR9WBCto
However I am now intrigued as to why I have the power drop off issue and of course lack of power after everything that has been done, check and tested by Mark, please see attached:
Happy to date with everything I have had done but I guess before I go any further I should have a Leak Down Test and Compression Test to see if it is a Piston/Ring, Camshaft and or Valve Issue!?
Does anyone know of a reliable/competent garage to carry these test out for me?
I say reliable/competent garage as I have had some work done ‘locally’ by a so called TVR expert and the quality and reliability of the work was shocking…
Thank you in advance for any help and advice…
Kind regards
Steve
I am looking for advice on which Camshaft I should get fitted and by who (bearing in mind I am in Dorset)?
I am mainly looking for drivability and smooth idle…
I have now had 2 Dyno setups with Mark Adams (cc’ed in) and Brian at Mech Repairs the first following an full induction and 2nd section Exhaust ACT upgrade that included Marks Chip, the second following the fitting of ACT Manifolds as we thought that the dropping off of the power indicated blocked Cats.
At the time both Mark and Brian did point out that this only indicated blocked Cats, but the issue could be Cam, Valves, Pistons so more work would be required to fully diagnose!
So it was the excuse I was looking for I guess to complete the new ACT Exhaust system by fitting the manifolds…
Re-ran and setup the car (for 6 hours) on the Dyno again with both Mark and Brian, and whilst the drop off in Power is still present, the sound is awesome … :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7eR9WBCto
However I am now intrigued as to why I have the power drop off issue and of course lack of power after everything that has been done, check and tested by Mark, please see attached:
Happy to date with everything I have had done but I guess before I go any further I should have a Leak Down Test and Compression Test to see if it is a Piston/Ring, Camshaft and or Valve Issue!?
Does anyone know of a reliable/competent garage to carry these test out for me?
I say reliable/competent garage as I have had some work done ‘locally’ by a so called TVR expert and the quality and reliability of the work was shocking…
Thank you in advance for any help and advice…
Kind regards
Steve
Hi,
Following a recommendation on Piston Heads (Thank you Dom) I dropped the car off to a company called Dorset Sports Cars (http://www.dorsetsportscars.co.uk) who 'specialise' in TVR’s, as I have heard that before I was more than a little cynical…
However so far so good, very knowledgeable and experienced in most things TVR and in particular V8’s and where they feel appropriate work closely with TVR Power.
Before they took a look at the car we sat down for at least an hour to run through the problems with the car and the history to date.
They were very sensitive with regards to my budget and we agreed 2 days fixed price to run through a long agreed list of tests and checks to help diagnose the problems.
A list of items to be checked were emailed to me along with the confirmation of a fixed price.
A few days later and they called me to see when I was free to run through what they have found, and indeed show me…
They identified a number of minor problems which were fixed during the allotted time and the a few major problems identified were:
An issue with high oil pressure, which masked a number of other issues which was confirmed with a mechanical gauge fitted at sender, on removal of the pump they showed me a ‘mod’ that had been done if the past which resulted in the high oil pressure reading
Worn Big-end Shells
Most importantly all of the Cam Lobes were missing at least 20% – 50%, off all the cam lobes and the followers very badly dished and quite a few of the Cam Lobes were almost totally gone…
After spending an hour or so talking through the options we agreed that based on the number of miles I do and my budget that we would replace the camshaft and all ancillary running gear, remove the heads & inspect, replace the Big-end Shells
Obviously there is a balance between getting the engine out and doing everything else, but I can’t justify it at the moment, maybe something for the future, but there was no pressure from them with regards to what to do, just very considered advice…
Once the heads were off they thought that the Valves & Valve Guide wear were good enough to just re-lap in the valves and start to reassemble.
I can’t wait to get the car back and drive it!
I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars, I just thought I would share my experience just in case there are any other TVR owners in Dorset looking for someone to take a look at their car…
Regards
Steve
Following a recommendation on Piston Heads (Thank you Dom) I dropped the car off to a company called Dorset Sports Cars (http://www.dorsetsportscars.co.uk) who 'specialise' in TVR’s, as I have heard that before I was more than a little cynical…
However so far so good, very knowledgeable and experienced in most things TVR and in particular V8’s and where they feel appropriate work closely with TVR Power.
Before they took a look at the car we sat down for at least an hour to run through the problems with the car and the history to date.
They were very sensitive with regards to my budget and we agreed 2 days fixed price to run through a long agreed list of tests and checks to help diagnose the problems.
A list of items to be checked were emailed to me along with the confirmation of a fixed price.
A few days later and they called me to see when I was free to run through what they have found, and indeed show me…
They identified a number of minor problems which were fixed during the allotted time and the a few major problems identified were:
An issue with high oil pressure, which masked a number of other issues which was confirmed with a mechanical gauge fitted at sender, on removal of the pump they showed me a ‘mod’ that had been done if the past which resulted in the high oil pressure reading
Worn Big-end Shells
Most importantly all of the Cam Lobes were missing at least 20% – 50%, off all the cam lobes and the followers very badly dished and quite a few of the Cam Lobes were almost totally gone…
After spending an hour or so talking through the options we agreed that based on the number of miles I do and my budget that we would replace the camshaft and all ancillary running gear, remove the heads & inspect, replace the Big-end Shells
Obviously there is a balance between getting the engine out and doing everything else, but I can’t justify it at the moment, maybe something for the future, but there was no pressure from them with regards to what to do, just very considered advice…
Once the heads were off they thought that the Valves & Valve Guide wear were good enough to just re-lap in the valves and start to reassemble.
I can’t wait to get the car back and drive it!
I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars, I just thought I would share my experience just in case there are any other TVR owners in Dorset looking for someone to take a look at their car…
Regards
Steve
Hi,
RE: Mark Adams...
I guess it’s Horses for Courses with regards to what you want the car for...
For me it is a hobby and distraction from my day to day life of running a company that delivers IT Security Systems which are all about logic...
As I am sure most of you will appreciate that to me my TVR 'adventures' are the complete polar opposite to where I should be spending my spare time, i.e. In the sterile predicable world of the cars I drive for business...
With regards to Programmable ECU's, again Horses for Courses; at home I installed the most amazing Lighting Control System which I can 'even control via the Internet' which I have often heard myself saying, followed by looks of 'why'...
After the first few weeks of changing lighting scenes and programming lighting modes I now have only 3 settings in each room out of the possible 255 settings per room...
My dad summed it up in one sentence: "just like we used to have at home son with marks around the dimmer, yes dad, just like that, I will put my iPhone down now and put the kettle on... ;-)"
The only reason I went with Mark initially was because I bought his Chip in an Induction Package from ACT, did not know anything about him, I just liked the look of the ACT Carbon Fibre and the shiny Stainless Steel...
I had to wait a while to arrange the Dyno, but that was not helped as I was really busy also and indeed had to travel from Poole to Cheltenham...
I had no idea what to expect from a 'Dyno Setup' as I have only seen 'Dyno Runs' on YouTube, I was quickly corrected...
I was really surprised with how much detail both he and Brian went into making sure everything was correct before the first run with regards to Coil, Plugs,, Caps, Leads, Distributor, Rotor Arm, Lambdas, AFM, Throttle Pot, Stepper Motor etc... Voltages, Resistance, Condition, Gaps...
I guess all of the above is really easy with the right kit, test equipment and knowledge, but they did identify and correct a number of problems.
They also pointed out that the BHP issues were possibly ‘Blocked Cats, Valves or most probably Camshaft...
As I wanted to complete the ACT Stainless Cherry Bomb exhaust with the ACT Stainless Manifolds I did my usual ‘Man Maths’ and decided that was the solution to my lack of BHP problem…
So is getting a Mapping Session hard to get booked with Mark Adams? I would say it was as he is a very busy guy, but there is a very good reason for that…
Is he in a field of one? Now that I have had 2 sessions with him, I would say he is.
Am I going to book a 3rd session with him once I get the 500 back with the new Cam? Yes, without a doubt!
Now that I have found Andy at Dorset Sports Cars (Thank you again Dom) complimented by Mark Adams after my 6 Years of 500 ownership I finally feel I can put away my own very rusty tools and just get my head down at work to afford to keep the 500 in his prime!
Steve
Poole, Dorset
RE: Mark Adams...
I guess it’s Horses for Courses with regards to what you want the car for...
For me it is a hobby and distraction from my day to day life of running a company that delivers IT Security Systems which are all about logic...
As I am sure most of you will appreciate that to me my TVR 'adventures' are the complete polar opposite to where I should be spending my spare time, i.e. In the sterile predicable world of the cars I drive for business...
With regards to Programmable ECU's, again Horses for Courses; at home I installed the most amazing Lighting Control System which I can 'even control via the Internet' which I have often heard myself saying, followed by looks of 'why'...
After the first few weeks of changing lighting scenes and programming lighting modes I now have only 3 settings in each room out of the possible 255 settings per room...
My dad summed it up in one sentence: "just like we used to have at home son with marks around the dimmer, yes dad, just like that, I will put my iPhone down now and put the kettle on... ;-)"
The only reason I went with Mark initially was because I bought his Chip in an Induction Package from ACT, did not know anything about him, I just liked the look of the ACT Carbon Fibre and the shiny Stainless Steel...
I had to wait a while to arrange the Dyno, but that was not helped as I was really busy also and indeed had to travel from Poole to Cheltenham...
I had no idea what to expect from a 'Dyno Setup' as I have only seen 'Dyno Runs' on YouTube, I was quickly corrected...
I was really surprised with how much detail both he and Brian went into making sure everything was correct before the first run with regards to Coil, Plugs,, Caps, Leads, Distributor, Rotor Arm, Lambdas, AFM, Throttle Pot, Stepper Motor etc... Voltages, Resistance, Condition, Gaps...
I guess all of the above is really easy with the right kit, test equipment and knowledge, but they did identify and correct a number of problems.
They also pointed out that the BHP issues were possibly ‘Blocked Cats, Valves or most probably Camshaft...
As I wanted to complete the ACT Stainless Cherry Bomb exhaust with the ACT Stainless Manifolds I did my usual ‘Man Maths’ and decided that was the solution to my lack of BHP problem…
So is getting a Mapping Session hard to get booked with Mark Adams? I would say it was as he is a very busy guy, but there is a very good reason for that…
Is he in a field of one? Now that I have had 2 sessions with him, I would say he is.
Am I going to book a 3rd session with him once I get the 500 back with the new Cam? Yes, without a doubt!
Now that I have found Andy at Dorset Sports Cars (Thank you again Dom) complimented by Mark Adams after my 6 Years of 500 ownership I finally feel I can put away my own very rusty tools and just get my head down at work to afford to keep the 500 in his prime!
Steve
Poole, Dorset
So...
I picked up the car on Thursday PM and fantastic now I have finally got a TVR...
The car had been away for almost a month and the list of work carried out rolled over 3 pages, so I am sure you can imagine that this all came at a price.
The final price did not come as a surprise as all the idea's, options, work and of course costs were agreed before they got going.
Andy kept me up to date with any problems and/or surprises that came up during the work and of course most importantly for me any additional costs, which to be fair were very low or not at all, he just wanted me keep me informed.
What I did not expect from Dorset Sports Cars was their general approach, Andy really does know his TVR's and suggested that we replace all the ACT products and other bolt-ons to get the car back to standard, as I have everything still in a box at home, his rational made perfect sense as the car had so many problems he wanted to get everything back to a baseline and go from there, however we came to a 'compromise' that we were both happy with.
As most of the problems had been there since I bought the car over 6 years ago, it is great to finally get the car running and driving the way it should!
A couple of minor bits to finish up but I needed the car for a Track-Day that had been booked in over 6 months ago with a few mates on the Friday (the next day) - Not sure if I was brave or stupid not cancelling this...
After a nervous 80 mile drive to Castle Coombe as the car running hotter due to a 'working thermostat' now fitted, the one in in place had managed not to seat correctly and was letting water flow pass all the time...
We had a great day, no problems or drama's (well after fitting some End Cans to get the noise down below the 100db level), we all had loads of fun!
As suspected I do need to get the car Re-Mapped as it was left set-up to get the best of the car with the problems, Mark Adams already booked in and confirmed so I guess that will be the real test once I get that sorted!
Not going to say I am now hooked on Track Days but a great way to find out exactly what a car could do or not, it started to rain and yes the car did change ends on me...
FYI - I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars / Mark Adams and indeed I only came across Andy and Dorset Sports Cars by a fellow Dorset TVR Driver on this thread, thanks again Dom!
Steve
I picked up the car on Thursday PM and fantastic now I have finally got a TVR...
The car had been away for almost a month and the list of work carried out rolled over 3 pages, so I am sure you can imagine that this all came at a price.
The final price did not come as a surprise as all the idea's, options, work and of course costs were agreed before they got going.
Andy kept me up to date with any problems and/or surprises that came up during the work and of course most importantly for me any additional costs, which to be fair were very low or not at all, he just wanted me keep me informed.
What I did not expect from Dorset Sports Cars was their general approach, Andy really does know his TVR's and suggested that we replace all the ACT products and other bolt-ons to get the car back to standard, as I have everything still in a box at home, his rational made perfect sense as the car had so many problems he wanted to get everything back to a baseline and go from there, however we came to a 'compromise' that we were both happy with.
As most of the problems had been there since I bought the car over 6 years ago, it is great to finally get the car running and driving the way it should!
A couple of minor bits to finish up but I needed the car for a Track-Day that had been booked in over 6 months ago with a few mates on the Friday (the next day) - Not sure if I was brave or stupid not cancelling this...
After a nervous 80 mile drive to Castle Coombe as the car running hotter due to a 'working thermostat' now fitted, the one in in place had managed not to seat correctly and was letting water flow pass all the time...
We had a great day, no problems or drama's (well after fitting some End Cans to get the noise down below the 100db level), we all had loads of fun!
As suspected I do need to get the car Re-Mapped as it was left set-up to get the best of the car with the problems, Mark Adams already booked in and confirmed so I guess that will be the real test once I get that sorted!
Not going to say I am now hooked on Track Days but a great way to find out exactly what a car could do or not, it started to rain and yes the car did change ends on me...
FYI - I am in no way connected to Dorset Sports Cars / Mark Adams and indeed I only came across Andy and Dorset Sports Cars by a fellow Dorset TVR Driver on this thread, thanks again Dom!
Steve
Hi,
Yes, all good, part of our compromise was to rebuild with all 'most' of my upgrades...
In fact they are now better than before as Andy machined up a few parts, made up some better gaskets and made sure everything was fitted without any air-leaks...
I say 'most' as my lower cut in Otter Switch and Thermostat were out: "if we have over heating problems we need to find out where and why..."
Car is running hotter, but seems OK!
It also appears that my Gauge is 10% out and goes UP whenever any electrical load is put on the system, for example lights or most importantly the Cooling Fans, which as I am sure you can imagine has an interesting affect on my mindset when driving...
I am going to create a separate post on this but I am thinking about fitting these: (I know, I just can't help myself and I can't wait to see Andy's face!)
2 x of these: one for Rad Inlet and one for Rad Outlet: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/fittings...
1 x of these: Temperature/Temperature Gauge: http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/%28S%28ykz5knh1ltqvpfsf13f...
Yes, all good, part of our compromise was to rebuild with all 'most' of my upgrades...
In fact they are now better than before as Andy machined up a few parts, made up some better gaskets and made sure everything was fitted without any air-leaks...
I say 'most' as my lower cut in Otter Switch and Thermostat were out: "if we have over heating problems we need to find out where and why..."
Car is running hotter, but seems OK!
It also appears that my Gauge is 10% out and goes UP whenever any electrical load is put on the system, for example lights or most importantly the Cooling Fans, which as I am sure you can imagine has an interesting affect on my mindset when driving...
I am going to create a separate post on this but I am thinking about fitting these: (I know, I just can't help myself and I can't wait to see Andy's face!)
2 x of these: one for Rad Inlet and one for Rad Outlet: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/fittings...
1 x of these: Temperature/Temperature Gauge: http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/%28S%28ykz5knh1ltqvpfsf13f...
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