1990 Turbo R alternator
Discussion
Going to put this past the UK consortium;
Has anyone here ever overhauled or had their alternator professionally overhauled on their Turbo R/Spirit/Spur? I just had mine done and now have an errant battery warning coming up on the DIP even though the alternator is charging. The reason I had it overhauled to begin with is because my voltmeter was reading quite low, particularly at hot idle after exiting the expressway with the headlamps, A/C and auxiliary fans on. I had them change the stator to a 140A type from 120A, also change the voltage regulator and diodes. When you first start the car and are not running any accessories, the charging output is great; 14.5 volts, but gradually drops as things warm up and you begin to use accessories. With the car at hot idle and everything going, I'm getting 12.8-13 volts at best, so there's a drop somewhere in the system. Would appreciate any info if anyone has dealt with this issue before. I did remove the ground strap at the right hand engine mount and cleaned the eyelets and applied some dielectric grease, but that has resulted in no change.
I've heard that the battery cut-off switch can have a big voltage drop across it. Anyone here confirm this?
Cheers,
Aaron
Stuart,
I had the battery load tested and it checked out ok. It is a fairly new Interstate brand (one of the best US brands) battery. Earthing points are clean, esp at the alternator mount and the ground strap at the RH engine mount. Will check the earth point of the neg battery cable at its other end to be sure, but I think there is a voltage drop somewhere in the car, and that cut-off switch seems a likely culprit...
Aaron, My 90 Spirit II 'failed to proceed' after its MOT. Off the ramp and nothing, and i mean nothing. Got it flat bedded to a local independent ( who i never knew existed) and they diagnosed a failed resistor, so rare are these failures that Bentley dont even has a part number!!Anyway they replaced the alternator at half the cost ( labour and parts) that a dealer would. Guess who is my new best mate?
If you have a good auto electrician he would be my first port of call
If you have a good auto electrician he would be my first port of call
Thanks Fox;
Any idea on where they may have obtained that replacement alternator from?
I was going to hit Flying Spares, my usual port of call for RR/B parts, however the alternator is a bone stock Delco CS-144, made right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A and so I didn't really want to pay FS prices for one of their alternators, all things considered...
BUT, they must have access to whatever gubbin inside it is that can play havoc with the DIP if it's not installed. Dunno...just a weird result now, but it's obviously something inside that they replaced here.
Hmm, maybe I need to pack my alternator in my suitcase and have it done whilst we're there!
Speaking of which, not much has been done in the honeymoon planning 'itinerary' yet, as my wedding is less than two weeks away (May 27th) and we're also in the midst of buying a new house, so things are a bit crazy right now as you may imagine. That being said, once everything cools down some, I will set to work on getting our week's schedule straight for Blighty. She really wants to see Paris for at least a day, but I've told her that I don't think she is anticipating how much travel/time will be involved in getting from East Sussex to Paris. That being said, what is the easiest way to get over? Eurostar? Ferry? Fly? And how long approximately does a channel crossing take on water?
Cheers,
Aaron
Aaron,
as much as i enjoy the trip on the boat, Eurostar from Ashford is the way, right to the middle of Paris, Grab a guided bus tour for 'everything' then in order try and do Notre Dame, Sacre Cour and the Eiffel, although the queues here pm are a bit long. Get the last train back to Ashford. Where in East Sussex will you be staying?
as much as i enjoy the trip on the boat, Eurostar from Ashford is the way, right to the middle of Paris, Grab a guided bus tour for 'everything' then in order try and do Notre Dame, Sacre Cour and the Eiffel, although the queues here pm are a bit long. Get the last train back to Ashford. Where in East Sussex will you be staying?
silverfoxcc said:
Aaron,
as much as i enjoy the trip on the boat, Eurostar from Ashford is the way, right to the middle of Paris, Grab a guided bus tour for 'everything' then in order try and do Notre Dame, Sacre Cour and the Eiffel, although the queues here pm are a bit long. Get the last train back to Ashford. Where in East Sussex will you be staying?
Ron (right?),as much as i enjoy the trip on the boat, Eurostar from Ashford is the way, right to the middle of Paris, Grab a guided bus tour for 'everything' then in order try and do Notre Dame, Sacre Cour and the Eiffel, although the queues here pm are a bit long. Get the last train back to Ashford. Where in East Sussex will you be staying?
We will be staying in Buxted. Some family friends of ours own a 16th century cottage there (Horseshoes Farmhouse is the name). Looks to be exactly what I was after, as I did not want to stay in or near London, having spent more than enough time there years back. I will, of course, take her to London to see the tourist traps there, but also want to expose her to proper English countryside, hence where we are staying.
Appreciate the tip on the Eurostar choice. How long is that journey approx?
Cheers,
Aaron
Aaron
Driving time from buxted to Ashford about 90mins
Train Ashford- Paris 2hrs
Cost for two sample trains 06.15 dep arr 0947
Paris 19.13 dep arr 20.06
fare stndard class 198.00 return
If you are seriousbout briniging over the alternator, i could make enquiries about refurbishemnt etc
Ron
Ron,
Fab. Thanks for the detail. So is the 198.00 quid round trip for us both?
I didn't plan on renting a car over there, although one PH member has possibly offered us the use of his Turbo R during our week tenure (although I'm sure fuelling it will cost more than renting something, lol, but I don't care...it'd be swell to tour England in a Turbo R...would be just like home). Anyhow, what I was getting at is the driving portion from Buxted to Ashford--will need to either sort a car or hire a cab unless we do get that Turbo R
You a resident of Paris then?
If I can't get the alternator sorted stateside, I may in fact pop it in the post and mail it over (to you) ahead of time and have you see who it is that overhauled yours then can bring it back on our return trip.
Cheers,
Aaron
Aaron,
The 1980.gbp is for you both. I just googled Eurostar and selected a date in August and the two cheapest trains!! On the home page it askswhere you are from, so there 'may' be special offers for ex-colonials like yourself!
I would suggest driving to ,say, Edenbridge, and parking there, would be an early stat and less driving.In paris you can get a one day travel card which allows you to rvel anywhere on the metro and buses. Dont bother with a car, and for chaos take a lift to the top of the Arc De Triomphe and see how parisiennes drive. I will check with the local indie on possible costs for your alternator, a straight swap is 150 gbp
Ron
The 1980.gbp is for you both. I just googled Eurostar and selected a date in August and the two cheapest trains!! On the home page it askswhere you are from, so there 'may' be special offers for ex-colonials like yourself!
I would suggest driving to ,say, Edenbridge, and parking there, would be an early stat and less driving.In paris you can get a one day travel card which allows you to rvel anywhere on the metro and buses. Dont bother with a car, and for chaos take a lift to the top of the Arc De Triomphe and see how parisiennes drive. I will check with the local indie on possible costs for your alternator, a straight swap is 150 gbp
Ron
Ron,
Thanks for that. Yeah, I drove the car home last night (I keep my cars at my workshop which is near my office since I only have a one car garage at my house) and I think what the issue may be is that when everything warms up, the phantom voltage drop really begins to draw down everything. I stopped by my buddy's shop this morning, he is a Crewe-trained RR/B specialist and told him that after the wedding, I'll pop the car over to him and let him go through the various connections, etc...to see if he can nail down the cause. One thing that is pretty telling is that when you turn the headlamps on, the exterior temperature gauge jumps up by 10 degrees, so there's some voltage weirdness going on. Not to mention, my voltmeter is reading lower than what my multimeter shows at the battery and my oil pressure gauge pegs to high straight away (which I thought was a duff sending unit, so I put a new one in and still the same problem), so finally, after four Bentleys and two Rolls-Royces, I have my first Crewe product with electrical problems. Not too bad I suppose
Cheers,
Aaron
Thanks for that. Yeah, I drove the car home last night (I keep my cars at my workshop which is near my office since I only have a one car garage at my house) and I think what the issue may be is that when everything warms up, the phantom voltage drop really begins to draw down everything. I stopped by my buddy's shop this morning, he is a Crewe-trained RR/B specialist and told him that after the wedding, I'll pop the car over to him and let him go through the various connections, etc...to see if he can nail down the cause. One thing that is pretty telling is that when you turn the headlamps on, the exterior temperature gauge jumps up by 10 degrees, so there's some voltage weirdness going on. Not to mention, my voltmeter is reading lower than what my multimeter shows at the battery and my oil pressure gauge pegs to high straight away (which I thought was a duff sending unit, so I put a new one in and still the same problem), so finally, after four Bentleys and two Rolls-Royces, I have my first Crewe product with electrical problems. Not too bad I suppose
Cheers,
Aaron
Edited by bergxu on Friday 18th May 15:20
Hi Aaron,
I spent 22 years as an electronics repair technician & have tinkered with cars since I was a teenager. I got my first Bentley last December-a 1996 Mk4 Turbo R. Just recovering after spending 3 weeks rebuilding the top of the engine after the head gaskets gave up the struggle with life
The vehicle voltmeter on my car starts out high at around 14.5v, then gradually drops to about 13.5v as the engine warms up. The reason for this is that alternators have internal temperature voltage compensation. The idea is that a cold battery requires a higher charging voltage than a warm battery, so the alternator voltage starts out high & gradually falls as the underbonnet temperatures rise.
However, that theory only works if the battery is in the same vicinity as the alternator-under the bonnet. Many cars have the battery in the boot, so it never really warms up to the underbonnet temperatures & the charging voltage can be considered a bit too low when the vehicle has warmed up, as the underbonnet alternator will be much warmer than the boot-mounted battery.
There's nothing you can really do about that unless you redesign the charging system-but it does explain why the charging voltage starts out high & gradually reduces as the engine warms up. This is entirely normal behaviour, provided the voltage change isn't too great.
In your case, I think the problem is definately high electrical resistance somewhere-the question is where?
The main battery earth lead can be checked by turning on the ignition-without starting the engine-and turning on all the headlamps. Then measure the voltage drop between the battery earth terminal and an exposed point on the vehicle chassis. The voltage drop shouldn't be more than about 0.2-0.3v with a heavy electrical load of 20-30 amps.
The next thing to check is the voltage drop between the alternator casing & the vehicle chassis, when the engine is running & all the headlamps are switched on to stimulate a heavy charging current from the alternator. Again, you shouldn't be losing more than about 0.2-0.3v
These will give you the external voltage losses for the battery & alternator earthing.
Once these have been established & confirmed to be low enough not to cause the problem, the next step is to measure the main positive supply voltage-relative to an exposed vehicle chassis point-from the alternator's main charging output terminal to the battery itself.
With the engine running & a heavy electrical load applied to the system with the headlamps etc, connect the multimeter negative lead to the vehicle chassis & the multimeter positive lead to the following points:
1) The alternator's main charging output terminal
2) The main wiring loom side of the battery isolation switch
3) The battery side of the battery isolation switch
Again, the voltage readings at these 3 points should not differ more than 0.2-0.3v relative to each other. Excessive voltage difference indicates high resistance somewhere in the main positive supply wiring system.
The final check is to measure the system voltage directly at the alternator output itself, between the alternator casing & it's main positive output terminal. Do this with the engine idling & no accessories switched on-this will give you the system charging voltage with a light load on the alternator. It should be at least 13.5v with a warm engine & fully-charged battery.
Then, gradually increase the electrical load by turning on the headlamps & other accessories-the voltage at the alternator should fall slightly as each new load is applied. If it suddenly falls 'over a cliff edge', then raise the engine RPM & see if the voltage increases. If the voltage doesn't increase to normal, then there may be a high resistance somewhere inside the alternator body itself.
You say that the problems seem to be more noticeable after the alternator was overhauled & the internals replaced/uprated?
It's possible that the alternator's internal main diode pack may have high resistance where it connects to the casing & main positive output terminal. If this is the case, then the problem will become worse as the engine warms up due to heat raising the electrical resistance.
With the kind of amperage these alternators can produce, it doesn't take much electrical resistance to cause problems. Any internal nuts & bolts between the alternator casing & the internal diode pack need to be clean & tight.
Take care when probing the back of the alternator with the engine running-any short circuits with multimeter probes here will lead to a fresh set of underwear-as will renting a car in Paris & driving around the Arc De Triomphe
Regards
Alex
I spent 22 years as an electronics repair technician & have tinkered with cars since I was a teenager. I got my first Bentley last December-a 1996 Mk4 Turbo R. Just recovering after spending 3 weeks rebuilding the top of the engine after the head gaskets gave up the struggle with life
The vehicle voltmeter on my car starts out high at around 14.5v, then gradually drops to about 13.5v as the engine warms up. The reason for this is that alternators have internal temperature voltage compensation. The idea is that a cold battery requires a higher charging voltage than a warm battery, so the alternator voltage starts out high & gradually falls as the underbonnet temperatures rise.
However, that theory only works if the battery is in the same vicinity as the alternator-under the bonnet. Many cars have the battery in the boot, so it never really warms up to the underbonnet temperatures & the charging voltage can be considered a bit too low when the vehicle has warmed up, as the underbonnet alternator will be much warmer than the boot-mounted battery.
There's nothing you can really do about that unless you redesign the charging system-but it does explain why the charging voltage starts out high & gradually reduces as the engine warms up. This is entirely normal behaviour, provided the voltage change isn't too great.
In your case, I think the problem is definately high electrical resistance somewhere-the question is where?
The main battery earth lead can be checked by turning on the ignition-without starting the engine-and turning on all the headlamps. Then measure the voltage drop between the battery earth terminal and an exposed point on the vehicle chassis. The voltage drop shouldn't be more than about 0.2-0.3v with a heavy electrical load of 20-30 amps.
The next thing to check is the voltage drop between the alternator casing & the vehicle chassis, when the engine is running & all the headlamps are switched on to stimulate a heavy charging current from the alternator. Again, you shouldn't be losing more than about 0.2-0.3v
These will give you the external voltage losses for the battery & alternator earthing.
Once these have been established & confirmed to be low enough not to cause the problem, the next step is to measure the main positive supply voltage-relative to an exposed vehicle chassis point-from the alternator's main charging output terminal to the battery itself.
With the engine running & a heavy electrical load applied to the system with the headlamps etc, connect the multimeter negative lead to the vehicle chassis & the multimeter positive lead to the following points:
1) The alternator's main charging output terminal
2) The main wiring loom side of the battery isolation switch
3) The battery side of the battery isolation switch
Again, the voltage readings at these 3 points should not differ more than 0.2-0.3v relative to each other. Excessive voltage difference indicates high resistance somewhere in the main positive supply wiring system.
The final check is to measure the system voltage directly at the alternator output itself, between the alternator casing & it's main positive output terminal. Do this with the engine idling & no accessories switched on-this will give you the system charging voltage with a light load on the alternator. It should be at least 13.5v with a warm engine & fully-charged battery.
Then, gradually increase the electrical load by turning on the headlamps & other accessories-the voltage at the alternator should fall slightly as each new load is applied. If it suddenly falls 'over a cliff edge', then raise the engine RPM & see if the voltage increases. If the voltage doesn't increase to normal, then there may be a high resistance somewhere inside the alternator body itself.
You say that the problems seem to be more noticeable after the alternator was overhauled & the internals replaced/uprated?
It's possible that the alternator's internal main diode pack may have high resistance where it connects to the casing & main positive output terminal. If this is the case, then the problem will become worse as the engine warms up due to heat raising the electrical resistance.
With the kind of amperage these alternators can produce, it doesn't take much electrical resistance to cause problems. Any internal nuts & bolts between the alternator casing & the internal diode pack need to be clean & tight.
Take care when probing the back of the alternator with the engine running-any short circuits with multimeter probes here will lead to a fresh set of underwear-as will renting a car in Paris & driving around the Arc De Triomphe
Regards
Alex
Alex,
Wow! I am speechless...
So ah, fancy an all-expenses paid vacation to Cincinnati, Ohio for a week???
Oh, and congrats on the Mk. IV Turbo. That's what I had before I got my current one. I figured since I had a 20,000 series then a 50,000 series, now it was time for me to try the middle child 30,000 series. I'll say, I did love the performance of my '96
Cheers,
Aaron
Wow! I am speechless...
So ah, fancy an all-expenses paid vacation to Cincinnati, Ohio for a week???
Oh, and congrats on the Mk. IV Turbo. That's what I had before I got my current one. I figured since I had a 20,000 series then a 50,000 series, now it was time for me to try the middle child 30,000 series. I'll say, I did love the performance of my '96
Cheers,
Aaron
Edited by bergxu on Monday 21st May 02:25
Hi Aaron,
An all expenses paid trip to the USA for a week? Mmmmmmmm-when do I pack
My last trip to America was back in 2005 for a 2 week holiday in the Western USA & California-boy did I see some sights & it was a lot warmer than here by my native city of Liverpool, in the rainy North-West of England
I've lusted after a Turbo R for many years now, passing through a long string of BMW's & then a couple of Jaguars-one of which I still have. After a lot of research I knew I wanted a Mk4 with the more powerful Zytek-injected engine. I went down to London at the end of last year to see a particularly well-priced early Mk4 model.
The test drive was 'fun' as the small residential back roads near the seller's home were not ideally suited to piloting nearly 2.5 tons & over 17ft of 'Land of Hope & Glory' around
The seller had plenty of paperwork-bills & receipts-the tyres were good & it was structurally alright-just a few small bubbles on the paint which seemed normal for a 15-year old car. It seemed like a good, honest car & I'm sure the slight misfire as it warmed up was nothing serious...
The drive home was fun & I thought I'd stretch it's leg on the motorways. I couldn't get properly comfortable as the driver's seat electric front tilt operation wasn't working & I was sitting a bit 'upright'. The cure for that was to pin myself back in the seat with full throttle
I spent the winter months tidying up the car & sorting out the small problems. The electric seat tilt operation was just a piece of grit that had wedged itself between the exposed relay contacts in the control box under the seat-they're not completely sealed relays. I just opened the control module, took the plastic sheet off the relays & then blew the grit out-it cured the fault nicely...
After sorting out all the small problems & restoring the interior to almost new condition, I thought I'd look over the engine & injection system. It had been 'hesitating' a bit on full throttle, so i thought it needed a good blast down the motorway to clear things out. However, the problem was more serious as after the motorway run the coolant level had risen in the expansion tank & there was a misfire now when starting a hot engine.
I knew that something serious was up & further short drives confirmed my worst fears-the cooling system was pressurising & blowing the coolant out the expansion tank overflow. The misfire had become worse & you could see the engine visibly shaking with the bonnet up. I knew then that the head gaskets had given up & that the repair cost would be fearful.
So I got the Bentley workshop manual CD, gathered all my tools & proceeded to strip the engine down. The job took me nearly 3 weeks as I was cleaning everything I removed. The head gasket had clearly blown on the right-hand cylinder bank, between the flame ring & the water passage. Interestingly, several of the other flame rings had cracked on both head gaskets & were about to fail.
I did notice that the gasket flame rings had deteriorated badly in the area under the spark plug-presumably because this is the area of highest combustion temperature & pressure as the flame-front advances after ignition.
Looking round on the internet I noticed that a few other Mk4's had blown their head gaskets in exactly the same place. I'm thinking that the increased power & torque of the Mk4 Turbo R's is stressing the head gaskets excessively & the design is too weak for the Zytek-engined models.
When I removed the heads on my car, I noticed they semed to have been removed before as some of the exhaust manifold bolts were not tight, and the cylinder head bolts were not all at the same torque settings. The heads were flat though & not warped-there was evidence that they had been machined previously.
I'm of the opinion that the Mk4's are 'ticking timebombs' as regards head gaskets-although the engine is lightly tuned for power considering it's size, the torque output is substantial so the cylinder pressures must be high-high enough to overstress the head gaskets. I've heard garages post on the internet that they've had several Turbo R's in for head gasket failure & that the issue is 'stonewalled' by Bentley & the dealers...
My head gaskets weren't corroded by lack of antifreeze concentration-the gasket flame rings themselves had fractured & the combustion gasses had left tell-tale marks showing how close they were to overcoming the flame rings.
I've rebuilt mine & it seems fine now-full power with no hesitation & it's a joy to drive. Here's hoping it lasts a bit longer before the next overhaul is required-I made sure the cylinder heads were torqued down properly, at least to the higher of the manufacturers recommended settings.
I still love it to death though, and it's nice to just sit inside & take in the aroma-even if the engine won't run
Alex
An all expenses paid trip to the USA for a week? Mmmmmmmm-when do I pack
My last trip to America was back in 2005 for a 2 week holiday in the Western USA & California-boy did I see some sights & it was a lot warmer than here by my native city of Liverpool, in the rainy North-West of England
I've lusted after a Turbo R for many years now, passing through a long string of BMW's & then a couple of Jaguars-one of which I still have. After a lot of research I knew I wanted a Mk4 with the more powerful Zytek-injected engine. I went down to London at the end of last year to see a particularly well-priced early Mk4 model.
The test drive was 'fun' as the small residential back roads near the seller's home were not ideally suited to piloting nearly 2.5 tons & over 17ft of 'Land of Hope & Glory' around
The seller had plenty of paperwork-bills & receipts-the tyres were good & it was structurally alright-just a few small bubbles on the paint which seemed normal for a 15-year old car. It seemed like a good, honest car & I'm sure the slight misfire as it warmed up was nothing serious...
The drive home was fun & I thought I'd stretch it's leg on the motorways. I couldn't get properly comfortable as the driver's seat electric front tilt operation wasn't working & I was sitting a bit 'upright'. The cure for that was to pin myself back in the seat with full throttle
I spent the winter months tidying up the car & sorting out the small problems. The electric seat tilt operation was just a piece of grit that had wedged itself between the exposed relay contacts in the control box under the seat-they're not completely sealed relays. I just opened the control module, took the plastic sheet off the relays & then blew the grit out-it cured the fault nicely...
After sorting out all the small problems & restoring the interior to almost new condition, I thought I'd look over the engine & injection system. It had been 'hesitating' a bit on full throttle, so i thought it needed a good blast down the motorway to clear things out. However, the problem was more serious as after the motorway run the coolant level had risen in the expansion tank & there was a misfire now when starting a hot engine.
I knew that something serious was up & further short drives confirmed my worst fears-the cooling system was pressurising & blowing the coolant out the expansion tank overflow. The misfire had become worse & you could see the engine visibly shaking with the bonnet up. I knew then that the head gaskets had given up & that the repair cost would be fearful.
So I got the Bentley workshop manual CD, gathered all my tools & proceeded to strip the engine down. The job took me nearly 3 weeks as I was cleaning everything I removed. The head gasket had clearly blown on the right-hand cylinder bank, between the flame ring & the water passage. Interestingly, several of the other flame rings had cracked on both head gaskets & were about to fail.
I did notice that the gasket flame rings had deteriorated badly in the area under the spark plug-presumably because this is the area of highest combustion temperature & pressure as the flame-front advances after ignition.
Looking round on the internet I noticed that a few other Mk4's had blown their head gaskets in exactly the same place. I'm thinking that the increased power & torque of the Mk4 Turbo R's is stressing the head gaskets excessively & the design is too weak for the Zytek-engined models.
When I removed the heads on my car, I noticed they semed to have been removed before as some of the exhaust manifold bolts were not tight, and the cylinder head bolts were not all at the same torque settings. The heads were flat though & not warped-there was evidence that they had been machined previously.
I'm of the opinion that the Mk4's are 'ticking timebombs' as regards head gaskets-although the engine is lightly tuned for power considering it's size, the torque output is substantial so the cylinder pressures must be high-high enough to overstress the head gaskets. I've heard garages post on the internet that they've had several Turbo R's in for head gasket failure & that the issue is 'stonewalled' by Bentley & the dealers...
My head gaskets weren't corroded by lack of antifreeze concentration-the gasket flame rings themselves had fractured & the combustion gasses had left tell-tale marks showing how close they were to overcoming the flame rings.
I've rebuilt mine & it seems fine now-full power with no hesitation & it's a joy to drive. Here's hoping it lasts a bit longer before the next overhaul is required-I made sure the cylinder heads were torqued down properly, at least to the higher of the manufacturers recommended settings.
I still love it to death though, and it's nice to just sit inside & take in the aroma-even if the engine won't run
Alex
Alex,
Indeed I've heard multiple stories about Mk.IV Turbo Rs blowing head gaskets, usually it's the '97-'98 models, at least on these shores, but mainly why I got rid of mine and went back to an older model was that I decided I preferred the aesthetics of the older cars such as the taller tires on 15" rims and the older style door and rear view mirrors as well as quarterlights in the front doors. All that plus I wanted to keep the Active Ride system, as I felt that my first Turbo R, an '89 was too wafty on standard suspension, but also didn't like the harshness with which my '96 crashed over bumps in the tarmac, so figured the 30,000 series car with Active Ride but tall tires would be a proper compromise, and so far I've been most pleased.
Yeah, I really could use someone with very in-depth knowledge about automotive electrical systems to sort my car out. I have a friend in town who's a Crewe-trained master RR/B guy but getting a car on his schedule is like pulling teeth, and then they tend to sit there for weeks on end while he gets caught up on his schedule (brilliant mechanic, bad timekeeper!)..
I am to be married this weekend and we will be coming to England for our honeymoon in August. I've been a few times before but my bride has never been out of the 'States, so we're looking forward to it very much. We'll be staying in Buxted, East Sussex in a family friend's 16th century cottage, so it will be a real proper taste of England for her I reckon
We fly over August 27th and are there till Sept 3rd, and I'm hoping I can rally you Piston Heads lot to bring your Turbo Rs out to some gathering so I can get my fix while I'm away from my other 'baby' for a week
Please do join if/when we nail something down. Perhaps a night at the Ace Cafe in London? Oh, and I also plan to make a massive parts haul at Flying Spares whilst we're over so I can get this coming winter's worth of bits for my cars (I also have a Shadow II). Cheers,
Aaron
Aaron,
The head gasket problem on the Mk4's is also a problem on these shores too-it has to be linked to the noticeably higher state of tune on the Zytek-injected models. The 97/98 models were rated at around 400bhp/590lbf & even the 96 models were a full 385bhp/553lbf.
I know what you mean about the harsh ride of the Mk4's & I've taken to changing the tyre pressures for a less crashy ride-the rears run at quite a high pressure, especially relative to the front.
I got the Mk4 version as it was very well priced & not much more than the earlier models. I get the feeling now that the lowish asking price for a quick sale may have something to do with the head gaskets letting go recently-I think the seller must have suspected they were failing & moved the car on quickly!
Still, you live & you learn
It was a big job to strip the engine down myself, but it was strangely enjoyable & satisfying-gazing at those shiny de-coked piston crowns & just taking in the big V8 as I reassembled it. I had the Bentley Assist CD workshop manual & parts catalogue, which was invaluable & told me everything I needed to know during the overhaul. It wasn't complicated to do-there was just a lot of layers of stuff to remove before getting down to the cyliners heads themselves.
It's a simple pushrod OHV V8 and unlike my more modern Jaguar V8 XJR, there's no complicated overhead camshaft timing & alignment issues to worry about.
It should be a great experience for you & your new wife to stay in a 16th-century English cottage. It would just add the finishing touch to have a classic Bentley parked outside
Are you planning on seeing any other parts of the UK during your stay here? 2 places well worth visiting, if you have the time, are the cities of York & Edinburgh. York is 2000 years old & the Minster Cathedral there is well worth seeing. If you like aviation & engineering, you can see Rolls-Royce aircraft engines in Spitfires & P51 Mustangs at the Imperial War Museum for Aviation at Duxford airfield, near Cambridge. They have all kinds of famous historical aircraft there, including Concorde & the USAF SR-71 Blackbird. It's not too far North from London & is a full day out with plenty to see.
Now that my Bentley is working properly again I'd be happy to meet up-the Ace Cafe by London sounds ideal, and since I bought the Bentley from London it'll probably like a trip down there again-I'll listen out for any planned events
Regards
Alex
The head gasket problem on the Mk4's is also a problem on these shores too-it has to be linked to the noticeably higher state of tune on the Zytek-injected models. The 97/98 models were rated at around 400bhp/590lbf & even the 96 models were a full 385bhp/553lbf.
I know what you mean about the harsh ride of the Mk4's & I've taken to changing the tyre pressures for a less crashy ride-the rears run at quite a high pressure, especially relative to the front.
I got the Mk4 version as it was very well priced & not much more than the earlier models. I get the feeling now that the lowish asking price for a quick sale may have something to do with the head gaskets letting go recently-I think the seller must have suspected they were failing & moved the car on quickly!
Still, you live & you learn
It was a big job to strip the engine down myself, but it was strangely enjoyable & satisfying-gazing at those shiny de-coked piston crowns & just taking in the big V8 as I reassembled it. I had the Bentley Assist CD workshop manual & parts catalogue, which was invaluable & told me everything I needed to know during the overhaul. It wasn't complicated to do-there was just a lot of layers of stuff to remove before getting down to the cyliners heads themselves.
It's a simple pushrod OHV V8 and unlike my more modern Jaguar V8 XJR, there's no complicated overhead camshaft timing & alignment issues to worry about.
It should be a great experience for you & your new wife to stay in a 16th-century English cottage. It would just add the finishing touch to have a classic Bentley parked outside
Are you planning on seeing any other parts of the UK during your stay here? 2 places well worth visiting, if you have the time, are the cities of York & Edinburgh. York is 2000 years old & the Minster Cathedral there is well worth seeing. If you like aviation & engineering, you can see Rolls-Royce aircraft engines in Spitfires & P51 Mustangs at the Imperial War Museum for Aviation at Duxford airfield, near Cambridge. They have all kinds of famous historical aircraft there, including Concorde & the USAF SR-71 Blackbird. It's not too far North from London & is a full day out with plenty to see.
Now that my Bentley is working properly again I'd be happy to meet up-the Ace Cafe by London sounds ideal, and since I bought the Bentley from London it'll probably like a trip down there again-I'll listen out for any planned events
Regards
Alex
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