Can anything else go wrong ?
Discussion
Monday I went to pull the wedge out of the garage to give it a wash etc, started up (eventually) but when I went to back it out of the garage i realised I had a very floppy one (clutch pedal that is) and I was unable to get in any gear. A quick chat to the Phils at Aeromotive and a top up of clutch fluid and all seemed ok so I had a bit of a blast around to charge the battery and it suddenly developed a nasty misfire, wouldnt pull over about 3k rpm and sounded like a bag of spanners. On my way home it gave a couple of massive backfires and seems happier now.
This morning I went to pull it out of the garage to take it for a new slave cylinder, it stalled and wouldnt re start, then one of the bonnet struts pinged off its mounting and the bloody bolt holding the front of the bonnet fell out.Then the drivers window jumped out of its runners and ended up in the bottom of the door.
I know they are all only little things but they have all happened at once.
This morning I went to pull it out of the garage to take it for a new slave cylinder, it stalled and wouldnt re start, then one of the bonnet struts pinged off its mounting and the bloody bolt holding the front of the bonnet fell out.Then the drivers window jumped out of its runners and ended up in the bottom of the door.
I know they are all only little things but they have all happened at once.
[quote=mrzigazaga]Blimey mate you don't live on Elm street do you...Hope you get it sorted...Ziga[/quote
You couldnt make it up could you.
Oh and my front numberplate fell off too.
But that is due to a genuine TVR [-]design flaw[-] feature, the molded in numberplate aperture isnt quite the right shape so a standard sized numberplate is very slightly too big so the sticky pads that came with my plate cant hold it in place.
You couldnt make it up could you.
Oh and my front numberplate fell off too.
But that is due to a genuine TVR [-]design flaw[-] feature, the molded in numberplate aperture isnt quite the right shape so a standard sized numberplate is very slightly too big so the sticky pads that came with my plate cant hold it in place.
mrzigazaga said:
JumboBeef said:
adam quantrill said:
That's a good idea Zigmeister
Who's idea was it....? 
JumboBeef said:
Google show plates. If you order a set with standard font, they look exactly the same as normal ones (except you don't get the kite mark or manufacturers address which isn't requested on pre 2001 cars IIRC), but you can order slightly different sizes.
And you don't have to mess about with all that paperwork nonsense
And you don't have to mess about with all that paperwork nonsense
Phil has told me today that my non start/poor running issue is due to the fuel pump
either just electrical or possibly the pump is fubar.Had the call from Phil to tell me my car was fixed.
Anyone like to have a guess at what my non starting/misfire issues were in the end?
Randomly it seems that it wasnt the fuel pump causing it. Or the coil. Or the ignition amp.
I have a shiny mew distributor in now which has fixed it.
That wasnt even on my list of possible causes.
Anyone like to have a guess at what my non starting/misfire issues were in the end?
Randomly it seems that it wasnt the fuel pump causing it. Or the coil. Or the ignition amp.
I have a shiny mew distributor in now which has fixed it.
That wasnt even on my list of possible causes.
Mr WST said:
GOG440 said:
Had the call from Phil to tell me my car was fixed.
Anyone like to have a guess at what my non starting/misfire issues were in the end?
Randomly it seems that it wasnt the fuel pump causing it. Or the coil. Or the ignition amp.
I have a shiny mew distributor in now which has fixed it.
That wasnt even on my list of possible causes.
Least its sorted mate, get the teething issues done now ready for summer Anyone like to have a guess at what my non starting/misfire issues were in the end?
Randomly it seems that it wasnt the fuel pump causing it. Or the coil. Or the ignition amp.
I have a shiny mew distributor in now which has fixed it.
That wasnt even on my list of possible causes.
Thack
He also sorted out the worlds worst set of bodges done on the bonnet fixings. On the drivers side the bronze bush was missing completely so they had welded a nut onto a plate then used filler to fasten the plate to the car and sprayed over the top They had even drilled it to rivet it place then decided f
k it I will just lather it in filler. On the passenger side the bush was present but buggered, to bodge it they had just put a massive bolt through and wedged it into place. Not impressed. At least now the bush has been retapped and the right size bolt used and on the other side the plate has been fastened to the car securely.The car now pulls a lot better, the only downside is that now the timing is right I seem to have lost a lot of my pops and bangs
Oh and he fitted the numberplate again properly
Edited by GOG440 on Thursday 26th February 18:48
The latest in the long line of bodges done by previous owners has come to light, I took the car in for a healthcheck before we do our Holland trip, also asked phil to have a look at my temp gauge and I thought the car might be over fuelling a bit.
The thermostat has been removed completely so the car runs on choke all the time.
The idle control valve has been monkeyed with and basically ruined to try and cover up the lack of 'stat
The header tank was cracked and an attempt at plastic welding it had been done. (I wonder of the stat removal was to cover up the jet of steam out of the crack as soon as the engine got up to temp!)
The breather on the rocker cover had been sprayed over and was blocked
Every single metal clip on the afm, injectors etc was missing so everything was moving when the engine was running.
The fuel return to the tank was fked, and obviously the original despite having been told "all the fuel lines have been replaced" which was obviously the first question I asked after what happened to the 280!
The handbrake had been badly bodged, the wrong pads used so they had pulled the friction material off, badly welded a nut onto the backing plate for the adjuster then glued the pad back on. And one of the pads was upside down. And Phil was amazed the handbrake had ever worked because of the random way the cable had been routed.
tbh I am amazed the car ever ran, nevermind went through 2 MOT`s and about 2k miles with me.
Really annoyed it is costing me money to sort out other peoples bodges.
Rant over, I love the car when she is running but I am a bit frustrated at the minute.
The thermostat has been removed completely so the car runs on choke all the time.
The idle control valve has been monkeyed with and basically ruined to try and cover up the lack of 'stat
The header tank was cracked and an attempt at plastic welding it had been done. (I wonder of the stat removal was to cover up the jet of steam out of the crack as soon as the engine got up to temp!)
The breather on the rocker cover had been sprayed over and was blocked
Every single metal clip on the afm, injectors etc was missing so everything was moving when the engine was running.
The fuel return to the tank was f
ked, and obviously the original despite having been told "all the fuel lines have been replaced" which was obviously the first question I asked after what happened to the 280!The handbrake had been badly bodged, the wrong pads used so they had pulled the friction material off, badly welded a nut onto the backing plate for the adjuster then glued the pad back on. And one of the pads was upside down. And Phil was amazed the handbrake had ever worked because of the random way the cable had been routed.
tbh I am amazed the car ever ran, nevermind went through 2 MOT`s and about 2k miles with me.
Really annoyed it is costing me money to sort out other peoples bodges.
Rant over, I love the car when she is running but I am a bit frustrated at the minute.
adam quantrill said:
It's all part of the fun! Whatever you do, when it's sorted don't get bored and sell it.
When I got the text from Phil to say it had turned into a bit of a rebuild for about 10 minutes I was so pissed off I could have just got rid. It soon wore off, my wedge is such an event to drive that I love it.Wedg1e said:
Not to diminish the fact that you have had to sort it but you're lucky that some of those things are fairly trivial and IMHO par for the course with any car that's a quarter of a century old, let alone a TVR.
The 'stat could have been stuck causing overheating, removed as a quick fix at the roadside and overlooked afterwards - probably by an owner who lost patience and sold the car sharpish.
The Capri/Granada header tanks are prone to splitting due to the reinforcing tubes in the inlet stubs being steel... so they rust, expand and split the tank. No way round it except to bin Ford tanks and use something else.
The handbrake...ah, the handbrake
Never, EVER, fit cheap handbrake pads. The friction material will rip off at the slightest provocation; one time my brand new pads were wrecked by the MOT tester using the rolling road to check the handbrake.
The injection connector spring clips being absent isn't unusual; again the cause of the sort of symptoms that lead to people wailing and gnashing their teeth on here when the car doesn't run properly.
As I always say, it takes about 90% of the effort it takes to do a job properly, to bodge it.
Still, now it's sorted you can look forward to years of reliable wedging...
Not sorted yet, Phil is still chasing water leaks, every time he replaces a leaky hose another one fails! The 'stat could have been stuck causing overheating, removed as a quick fix at the roadside and overlooked afterwards - probably by an owner who lost patience and sold the car sharpish.
The Capri/Granada header tanks are prone to splitting due to the reinforcing tubes in the inlet stubs being steel... so they rust, expand and split the tank. No way round it except to bin Ford tanks and use something else.
The handbrake...ah, the handbrake
Never, EVER, fit cheap handbrake pads. The friction material will rip off at the slightest provocation; one time my brand new pads were wrecked by the MOT tester using the rolling road to check the handbrake. The injection connector spring clips being absent isn't unusual; again the cause of the sort of symptoms that lead to people wailing and gnashing their teeth on here when the car doesn't run properly.
As I always say, it takes about 90% of the effort it takes to do a job properly, to bodge it.
Still, now it's sorted you can look forward to years of reliable wedging...
Todays sit rep is that it needs the valley gasket changing as that is leaking now, hopefully this should be the final solution to my problems and I can actually get out and enjoy the car again.
Wedg1e said:
GOG440 said:
Not sorted yet, Phil is still chasing water leaks, every time he replaces a leaky hose another one fails!
Todays sit rep is that it needs the valley gasket changing as that is leaking now, hopefully this should be the final solution to my problems and I can actually get out and enjoy the car again.
My sympathies; my car is giving me similar grief. Having had it sat idle for about 3 years whilst I've rebuilt the rear end, now the front end (largely overhauled in 2012) is problematic. Got it booked in for an MOT on Saturday so I took it up and down our private driveway a few times and found the front brakes are dragging now Todays sit rep is that it needs the valley gasket changing as that is leaking now, hopefully this should be the final solution to my problems and I can actually get out and enjoy the car again.
I am living in hope that the valley gasket is the end of this saga but there is a nagging doubt that I may have head gasket issues as well.
mrzigazaga said:
Hope you get it sorted soon mate...These cars can be troublesome enough without having some dickbrain bodging it...Ziga
I am a bit pissed off at the minute about having to fork out to repair other peoples bodges.I will go and have a chat with Phil tomorrow and see what the state of play is, my fund for the holland trip is disappearing rapidly
mrzigazaga said:
GOG440 said:
I am a bit pissed off at the minute about having to fork out to repair other peoples bodges.
I will go and have a chat with Phil tomorrow and see what the state of play is, my fund for the holland trip is disappearing rapidly
Not good mate...I would be pissed as well ..Mine has been the opposite...I paid out 2.5K for work done on mine by a reputable TVR specialist and most of it needs re-doing...Especially the fuel dripping from the fuel rail..Don't trust any mechanic who nicks your plugs!...I will go and have a chat with Phil tomorrow and see what the state of play is, my fund for the holland trip is disappearing rapidly
Thats pretty poor them nicking your plugs!
My valley gasket was the original tin one and looked manky, so hopefully once Phil has changed it and some of the manky old hoses we can see if that sorts the last of the leaks.
It seems that most of these bodges I have been paying to be put right were done to cover upthe fact that a head gasket has gone.
Not a happy bunny at the moment, I have had to cancel my trip to Holland as Phil would have struggled to get it done in time and TBH I cant afford to go now as this will have eaten up all my Holland fund.
Not a happy bunny at the moment, I have had to cancel my trip to Holland as Phil would have struggled to get it done in time and TBH I cant afford to go now as this will have eaten up all my Holland fund.
B@man said:
That does explain the missing thermostat doesn't it - tts !!
Really really pissed off about this.ts !!The weirdest thing though is that it actually ran well seemed to have plenty of power etc, I only asked Phil to have a look as it smelled like it was over fuelling and the tickover was a bit high and the fuel economy was even more tragic than I thought it ought to be.
mrzigazaga said:
I know its no consolation at the minute mate but at least you are doing the right thing and doing it properly and not spouting st to everyone else...Im not going to open up old wounds but i was accused of bodging on a "Shoestring" but the proof was there for all to see that i did it properly...Its bks really but there is always next year mate...I hope you are still coming to the fest as we can have a laugh and forget the shyte...
By the way there is no private collections allowed at the fest and if people do want to display then its £25 per car per day to charity...Sorry new regs....
They are of course welcome to park among us..Any historically viable vehicle will be allowed to be shown....Oh and anybody pitching up gazebos or flags will find them in the bin on the way out...
I probably shouldnt have spouted off on here but I am absolutely ft to everyone else...Im not going to open up old wounds but i was accused of bodging on a "Shoestring" but the proof was there for all to see that i did it properly...Its bks really but there is always next year mate...I hope you are still coming to the fest as we can have a laugh and forget the shyte...By the way there is no private collections allowed at the fest and if people do want to display then its £25 per car per day to charity...Sorry new regs....
They are of course welcome to park among us..Any historically viable vehicle will be allowed to be shown....Oh and anybody pitching up gazebos or flags will find them in the bin on the way out...
king fuming. I know its an old car and I accept that there will be issues and breakdowns and I have no problem with that but for a load of faults to be caused by bodging to cover up the big fault really makes my piss boil.It must have taken nearly as long to do all the bodges as it would have to do the gaskets.
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