Woo, and indeed, hoo.

Woo, and indeed, hoo.

Author
Discussion

Wedg1e

Original Poster:

26,760 posts

264 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
After two and a half years of silence I finally restarted the 390SE's engine tonight bounce

I'd noticed a water leak pooling on the valley gasket behind the water pump so I'd avoided running the engine while it's been sat (also the lack of an exhaust system might be construed as a tad anti-social whistle) so I jacked the car up and dropped the oil to make sure no water had found its way in there.

All was well so I refilled the oil, mixed up some new coolant and pulled the distributor out so I could spin the oil pump up with a cordless drill.

Then the dissy went back in, the battery was reconnected, the fuel pump relay linked for a few seconds to prime the fuel rail and the key turned.

It took a few goes to get the distributor position correct but once it was there she fired right up biggrin

Loads of oil pressure, plenty of charge voltage, nothing leaking, re-stuffed exhaust not blowing... but not sounding any quieter either whistlehehe

Ran the engine up to temperature for two cycles of the cooling fans, checked all the electrics and ran the steering rack from end to end to exercise the PAS pump. Didn't try to drive it as the rear hub nuts are still loose.

Now I stink to high heaven of exhaust fumes but a celebratory Hennessy is going down a treat biggrin

Here's a video I made of the occasion...

http://www.wedgeneering.co.uk/Videos/DSCF0815.avi



Edited by Wedg1e on Monday 15th December 23:04

TA14

12,722 posts

257 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Those £4.5K cars take some looking after boxedin

mrzigazaga

18,534 posts

164 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
" IT LIVES "

beacon

1,144 posts

220 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
I love that sound after leaving it standing for many months/years. Well done that man !! sonar

Convert

3,747 posts

217 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Nice one Ian.


MrPicky

1,233 posts

266 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
If you have a 390 then it probably has a remote fuel filter.

You can prime the oil pump by disconnecting the inlet pipe and simply pouring oil down the pipe until it is full then reconnecting and starting up.

This avoids all the fuss of moving the dissy and having to reset the timing.

I have also changed my filter mounting so the filter points downwards so there is no chance of it disgorging its contents all over the floor. This also stops it draining overnight, even the ones with the flap valve leak backwards sometimes.

If the filter is the normal way up then it may be as simple as removing the filter and squirting the oil in the orifices (ooh Matron) and ensuring the filter is primed as well as the pump.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

283 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Something just plain nasty about that tickover. Love it.

gmw9666

2,734 posts

199 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Fantastic way to drink my first coffee of the day.....watching a V8 spring to life.........Brilliant :-)

celcius

688 posts

254 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Nice one ian
Very nice indeed


Greg

TVR-NUT

1,404 posts

253 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Most excellent Ian thumbup

Waynester

6,324 posts

249 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Thought I heard something!! ears

Good news..

mk1fan

10,509 posts

224 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Natch.

smash

2,062 posts

227 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
TA14 said:
Those £4.5K cars take some looking after boxedin
Yes totally reliable and always start on the button rolleyes

B@man

1,486 posts

203 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Nice work Ian !

I'm getting serious v8 withdrawal symptoms frown

Jack Valiant

1,894 posts

235 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
Nice one another V8 comes to life yes reminds me of the Gredge when she first started, little vid I did but forgot about:

http://youtu.be/7_1WIe8vyeQ


Wedg1e

Original Poster:

26,760 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th December 2014
quotequote all
mk1fan said:
Natch.
?

Speak English boy!

Wedg1e

Original Poster:

26,760 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th December 2014
quotequote all
MrPicky said:
If you have a 390 then it probably has a remote fuel filter.

You can prime the oil pump by disconnecting the inlet pipe and simply pouring oil down the pipe until it is full then reconnecting and starting up.

This avoids all the fuss of moving the dissy and having to reset the timing.

I have also changed my filter mounting so the filter points downwards so there is no chance of it disgorging its contents all over the floor. This also stops it draining overnight, even the ones with the flap valve leak backwards sometimes.

If the filter is the normal way up then it may be as simple as removing the filter and squirting the oil in the orifices (ooh Matron) and ensuring the filter is primed as well as the pump.
All true, but where's the fun in doing things the easy way? wink

I don't really have an issue with taking the distributor out and putting it back in; apart from anything else it lets me check the advance/retard mech and vacuum capsule, the state of the shaft bushes etc.
Also, spinning the pump up with a drill lets you feel that it's actually working, rather than the nail-gnawing interminable wait for the oil pressure light to extinguish and the gauge to rise biggrin I always visualise the crank journals grinding away at the shells...

Wedg1e

Original Poster:

26,760 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th December 2014
quotequote all
smash said:
Yes totally reliable and always start on the button rolleyes
Between the two Wedges (OK three, sod it let's include the Esprit as they're also supposedly unreliable), since 1995 I have only once been left stranded in such a way that I couldn't drive home.

That once was in the Tasmin; I'd just filled-up with fuel, left the petrol station and drove about 100 yards when I hit a big pothole and the car spluttered to a halt.
It didn't take long to find that the fuel pump was too hot to touch, having seized, presumably due to sediment in the tank being jolted loose and getting drawn into the pump. Pump from a scrappy for a tenner and mormal service resumed.

The Esprit did something similar: with twin tanks like the TVR there's a common take-off at the bottom, however one of the tanks' outlets was blocked with a big dollop of silicon (god knows why it was in there) and as that was the tank with the fuel gauge sender in it, when the other tank ran dry the gauge told me I still had loads of fuel! Five litres in a jerrycan was enough to get the car back.

The 390SE has had rear brake seizure twice (precipitating the strip-down with which I've been boring you all wink) but was driven home (carefully) on both occasions. The only other glitch was when the alternator brushes wore out leaving me at the girlfriend's place, 70 miles from home with a flat battery. I charged the battery overnight using a neighbour's charger and drove like a nutter to get back biggrin

So whilst there's always something to repair, adjust, clean, refurbish or just twiddle, I never feel that I have to have a Tow Vehicle Ready whistle - in fact I've never had breakdown cover for the Wedges either.


mk1fan

10,509 posts

224 months

Wednesday 17th December 2014
quotequote all
Wedg1e said:
?

Speak English boy!
You just ain't down wit da youfs of tadayz.

Wedg1e

Original Poster:

26,760 posts

264 months

Wednesday 17th December 2014
quotequote all
Jack Valiant said:
Nice one another V8 comes to life yes reminds me of the Gredge when she first started, little vid I did but forgot about:

http://youtu.be/7_1WIe8vyeQ
Impressive install, does it run the LT77 or the R380 'box? I'd imagine with that much grunt it could easily pull a lower diff ratio and still go like hell.