Advice for Cerbera Speed 6 first-timer!!!
Discussion
Hello everybody,
I purchased my first TVR last weekend-a 2000 plate Cerbera Speed Six, and I was hoping for a bit of advice.
Firstly,I noticed that the engine was becoming very hot in light/medium traffic (getting to about 96/97 degrees before the fan kicks in and takes it down to 93 ish). There is also a distinct burning smell both inside and outside the car in traffic (and about 20cm by 20cm of the underbonnet metallic protection has peeled off above the engine area). Is this normal (especially considering its not very warm outside at the moment!!). I looked in the coolant storage container from cold, and it looked very low (ie I could see what looked like outlet pipes quite low down). Will topping this up reduce the temp?
Which leads to the next question-what coolant should I use-the book says Mobil universal coolant, but I cannot find it anywhere and the previous owner never topped it up and doenst know what was used previously.
When idling-the engine bounces around, betwen say 850-950rpm a few times every second. I assume that this is the normal for this engine? I also note that the book says never let the oil pressure go below 10psi, however, mine site at about 8psi when idling and warm-is this normal?
I would also very much appreciate any advice which anybody can give me on looking after my new baby
What a car.
Many thanks
Alex M
I purchased my first TVR last weekend-a 2000 plate Cerbera Speed Six, and I was hoping for a bit of advice.
Firstly,I noticed that the engine was becoming very hot in light/medium traffic (getting to about 96/97 degrees before the fan kicks in and takes it down to 93 ish). There is also a distinct burning smell both inside and outside the car in traffic (and about 20cm by 20cm of the underbonnet metallic protection has peeled off above the engine area). Is this normal (especially considering its not very warm outside at the moment!!). I looked in the coolant storage container from cold, and it looked very low (ie I could see what looked like outlet pipes quite low down). Will topping this up reduce the temp?
Which leads to the next question-what coolant should I use-the book says Mobil universal coolant, but I cannot find it anywhere and the previous owner never topped it up and doenst know what was used previously.
When idling-the engine bounces around, betwen say 850-950rpm a few times every second. I assume that this is the normal for this engine? I also note that the book says never let the oil pressure go below 10psi, however, mine site at about 8psi when idling and warm-is this normal?
I would also very much appreciate any advice which anybody can give me on looking after my new baby
What a car.
Many thanks
Alex M
Hi Alex, congrats on your purchase - you'll have soo much fun.
With regard to your questions, a running temp of 97 degrees sounds a little high - I would expect it to be running at c 90 under normal use. It sounds as if your coolant level is too low - I think the manual suggests it should be topped up to the upper marker in the expansion tank i.e. the top plastic rim you can see. As for coolant type, you got me there - any dealer/indie should be able to set you straight.
The engine should be steady at tickover (at least when warm) - when was she last serviced? Could be as simple as throttle body needs adjusting or maybe seriously out of tune - tappets also have a habit of closing up and I'm led to believe that tappets on No 6 cyl don't are 'forgotten' by some less thorough servicing outlets as it's a right pain in the arse to get at.
How many miles has your Cerb clocked up? Has it has any remedial engine work from new? Oil pressure at 8 psi sounds a bit low but could be something as insignificant as dodgy sender or guage. Mine idles at around 18-20 and runs at 40psi under normal load - will drop by a couple of psi when pushing on. You probably haven't done enough miles to suss oil usage but keep an eye on levels and make sure you check when the engine is hot. It'd be worth checking it out with a trusted source - especially if you're burning a lot of oil (> 0.5l per 1000 miles although someone will be along to correct me on that!).
In short, get to know the car, take it steady at first and pay attention to all the advice here and on the Cerb forum with regard to warming up, maintenance and servicing.
Most of all enjoy, all TVRs are special and the Cerb is just a great experience.
If you'd like a chat about any of the above drop me a line through my profile with a phone number.
JT
With regard to your questions, a running temp of 97 degrees sounds a little high - I would expect it to be running at c 90 under normal use. It sounds as if your coolant level is too low - I think the manual suggests it should be topped up to the upper marker in the expansion tank i.e. the top plastic rim you can see. As for coolant type, you got me there - any dealer/indie should be able to set you straight.
The engine should be steady at tickover (at least when warm) - when was she last serviced? Could be as simple as throttle body needs adjusting or maybe seriously out of tune - tappets also have a habit of closing up and I'm led to believe that tappets on No 6 cyl don't are 'forgotten' by some less thorough servicing outlets as it's a right pain in the arse to get at.
How many miles has your Cerb clocked up? Has it has any remedial engine work from new? Oil pressure at 8 psi sounds a bit low but could be something as insignificant as dodgy sender or guage. Mine idles at around 18-20 and runs at 40psi under normal load - will drop by a couple of psi when pushing on. You probably haven't done enough miles to suss oil usage but keep an eye on levels and make sure you check when the engine is hot. It'd be worth checking it out with a trusted source - especially if you're burning a lot of oil (> 0.5l per 1000 miles although someone will be along to correct me on that!).
In short, get to know the car, take it steady at first and pay attention to all the advice here and on the Cerb forum with regard to warming up, maintenance and servicing.
Most of all enjoy, all TVRs are special and the Cerb is just a great experience.
If you'd like a chat about any of the above drop me a line through my profile with a phone number.
JT
All sounds ok to me, my oil pressure has always been around 8-10 when hot and on idle, sometimes revs do move a little and i would say any reputable make of anti-freeze so long as it is ok for alloy engines.
One tip, always make sure the engine has warmed fully before you give it some.
Clocks/gauges on TVRs are more like comparitors (all different) and so yours may be showing higher temps but it could just be the gauge, i have had a upgraded rad which could help you and you could put some water wetter in it which can bring the temp down too.
Good luck with the S6
One tip, always make sure the engine has warmed fully before you give it some.
Clocks/gauges on TVRs are more like comparitors (all different) and so yours may be showing higher temps but it could just be the gauge, i have had a upgraded rad which could help you and you could put some water wetter in it which can bring the temp down too.
Good luck with the S6
Your joking? The early SP6 engines all had low pressure at hot idle .. I was amazed when the factory said down to 6psi was *acceptable*!! I'd be running my engine at 1000revs tickover and no less to make sure there was at least into the teens of pressure .. to me it just doesn't sound right, especially as the latest cars all have excellent hot idle pressure ..
I've had the same 'hot' problem with my S6 in traffic. Turned out that the guage was reading +10C above the actual temperature. I also added some 'Water Wetter', which has helped.
My oil presure is at 4 and the engine temp at 80C, when driving at 90 MPH (not in UK of course!!) and 3.7 revs.
When I went up 120 MPH the oil presure when down to 3.5 (have seen on this site that the oil gets thinner as it gets warmer) and the engine temp upto about 85C.
I've just driven from UK to Paris and back without any problems at all.
I agree with you that it's a bit concearning, the guys at Leven Tech told me that they were considering developing an independent fan that could be activated by the driver to counter these temp increases.
My oil presure is at 4 and the engine temp at 80C, when driving at 90 MPH (not in UK of course!!) and 3.7 revs.
When I went up 120 MPH the oil presure when down to 3.5 (have seen on this site that the oil gets thinner as it gets warmer) and the engine temp upto about 85C.
I've just driven from UK to Paris and back without any problems at all.
I agree with you that it's a bit concearning, the guys at Leven Tech told me that they were considering developing an independent fan that could be activated by the driver to counter these temp increases.
kevin63 said:
No, always been like that, it has had 3 rebuilds at the factory so they Should know what they are doing. It's probably the gauge that reads low, it sounds ok too.
Honest
Yep, my 04 Tuscan S idled at 8 psi from new, it was serviced at the factory and they said 6 psi was fine.
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