Bringing the S2 back to life
Discussion
Hi all 
My S2 has been laid up for probably 4 years and I am finally getting round to firing it up again.
Spent the weekend fitting a new battery, and replacing a perished fuel hose to the fuel rail, and cleaned the distributer and plugs. Took the plugs out and the engine turned over easily with a spanner on the crank.
Then cranked it over with the starter, all went well.
Plugs back in and hoped for the best, but despite turning over well would only occasionally fire. So off the the shops for a can of easy start. Gave it a squirt into the plenem and tried again and it fired up for a second on the easy start.
Plugs were wet suggesting the injectors were OK. So dawned on me the fuel had gone bad, I last put fuel in 5 years ago!!!!!
Next day removed the fuel sender from the tank, there was only a dribble of fuel in bottom. Syphoned that out and replaced the sender (checked the sender but that looks to be open circuit, another job to do)
Added a gallon of E5 and removed the fuel rail pipe to the fuel rail into a jerry can and flushed new fuel through. Cranked it several times and YAY, it fired up and ticked over OK Very happy
So now I plan to replace the pipe from the tank to pump (16mm bore I think) and also the fuel filter that has never been changed in 20 years. Then lots of TLC needed to hopefully get her back on the road for next year......
My S2 has been laid up for probably 4 years and I am finally getting round to firing it up again.
Spent the weekend fitting a new battery, and replacing a perished fuel hose to the fuel rail, and cleaned the distributer and plugs. Took the plugs out and the engine turned over easily with a spanner on the crank.
Then cranked it over with the starter, all went well.
Plugs back in and hoped for the best, but despite turning over well would only occasionally fire. So off the the shops for a can of easy start. Gave it a squirt into the plenem and tried again and it fired up for a second on the easy start.
Plugs were wet suggesting the injectors were OK. So dawned on me the fuel had gone bad, I last put fuel in 5 years ago!!!!!
Next day removed the fuel sender from the tank, there was only a dribble of fuel in bottom. Syphoned that out and replaced the sender (checked the sender but that looks to be open circuit, another job to do)
Added a gallon of E5 and removed the fuel rail pipe to the fuel rail into a jerry can and flushed new fuel through. Cranked it several times and YAY, it fired up and ticked over OK
Very happySo now I plan to replace the pipe from the tank to pump (16mm bore I think) and also the fuel filter that has never been changed in 20 years. Then lots of TLC needed to hopefully get her back on the road for next year......
Peter M said:
replacing a perished fuel hose to the fuel rail
Given the age of those hoses, you should assume that every petrol hose is compromised unless / until you prove otherwise. Even if the parts that are easy to see look fine, you can't trust that the rest of the hose is. A failed petrol hose will typically become porus and emit a petrol mist under pressure. This can quickly lead to your car going 'woof'. Also check the state of the inside of the petrol tank. If left standing, the part of the tank that is above the fuel level can rust much quicker than it would if the car had been used. Given that you say the tank was almost empty, that's most of it. The more you agitate the tank and run the engine, the more of that rust is driven into/through the fuel strainer and through the pump. The filter should catch most of it, so hopefully you won't be wiping out the injectors, but it's a bit pointless replacing filters if you're just going to throw more rust at them. And if the corrosion is bad enough, the tank itself may even be compromised.
Progress so far....
Engine running but rough due to old petrol. Bought a tank filter, fuel filter, and 16mm hose and now waiting for a good day to get under it.
My son lowered the drivers electric window down but it would not go up. Diagnosed the switches in the dash, so two ordered and fitted from ebay. They were a direct replacement.
Clutch pedal was solid, seized master cylinder. So new one bought from MEV spares and got my son up the footwell to remove the old one. Came off easily and new one was a direct replacement, just needed the push rod swapping over from the original. Bled the cylinder where the pipe connects as I can't get to the slave until the car is moving and I can get it on ramps. Clutch seems to work OK.
Also bought a new set of ignition leads and a fan belt.
Now looking to get the radiator re-cored. Several companies on the net but not sure who to choose. My nearest "local" company is Harts radiators in Hertford. Anyone used them? Not sure if upgrading to an alloy is in budget at the moment.
Engine running but rough due to old petrol. Bought a tank filter, fuel filter, and 16mm hose and now waiting for a good day to get under it.
My son lowered the drivers electric window down but it would not go up. Diagnosed the switches in the dash, so two ordered and fitted from ebay. They were a direct replacement.
Clutch pedal was solid, seized master cylinder. So new one bought from MEV spares and got my son up the footwell to remove the old one. Came off easily and new one was a direct replacement, just needed the push rod swapping over from the original. Bled the cylinder where the pipe connects as I can't get to the slave until the car is moving and I can get it on ramps. Clutch seems to work OK.
Also bought a new set of ignition leads and a fan belt.
Now looking to get the radiator re-cored. Several companies on the net but not sure who to choose. My nearest "local" company is Harts radiators in Hertford. Anyone used them? Not sure if upgrading to an alloy is in budget at the moment.
As Philpott says, I wouldn't waste money on an "alloy upgrade" - they have their disadvantages (particularly fatigue cracking in a chassis as flexible as a TVR S).
The original radiator should be more than adequate in most situations. If it isn't, there's another underlying cooling problem that needs fixed
The original radiator should be more than adequate in most situations. If it isn't, there's another underlying cooling problem that needs fixed
Yay, my S2 is now the proud owner of an MOT 
)
It was a long 6 months restoration work to get it back on the road, with many hours spend kneeing on the driveway working on it, luckily the weather has been good to me.
Since October I have:
Replace both electric window switches
Replaced the clutch master cylinder
Drained the fuel tank and replaced the in tank pickup strainer, tank sump locking ring and seal
Removed tank level sender and managed to get it operational again, put back in with new locking ring and seal
Painted as much of the tank as was accessible
Replaced fuel pipe from fuel tank to pump (16mm ID)
Replaced fuel pump as the old one died, and high pressure filter
Replaced fuel pipe from rigid pipe to fuel rail close to engine
Stripped both rear brakes and replaced cylinders and shoes. Painted the drums
Stripped front brakes, replaced disks (cross drilled) and pads. Painted the hubs at the same time
Replaced alternator with 14V/90A one, only to find the issue was a blown battery indication bulb in the dashboard !!
Replaced many of the warning lamps in the dashboard, most seemed to have failed
Cleaned all fuse blades and relay contacts in the passenger foot well fuse box
Oil and filter change
Bled the clutch slave cylinder
Fitted new SAAB brake servo. I bought this years ago on ebay new old stock from a seller in Italy. Perfect fit.
Fitted an additional accelerator return spring over the cable at the top of the engine. Throttle now snaps back nicely.
Whilst doing all of this, I have rubbed down and painted a lot of the chassis, but still work in progress
Not having a friendly local garage anymore I decided to take the car to a specialised Morgan/TVR garage, Techniques in Stotfold, for a final check over and MOT. They collected it and had it a week. They fitted new Securon seatbelts as the old ones were not recoiling well, and checked the diff and gearbox oil, and got it MOT'd.
The S2 is now back on the road for the first time in 4 years, having covered only 12 miles since the last MOT in 2021 !
All in time to take my daughter to her school prom in June)
Obviously there is still loads of work to do, and I had a smile driving it home for the first time listening to the V6 !
)It was a long 6 months restoration work to get it back on the road, with many hours spend kneeing on the driveway working on it, luckily the weather has been good to me.
Since October I have:
Replace both electric window switches
Replaced the clutch master cylinder
Drained the fuel tank and replaced the in tank pickup strainer, tank sump locking ring and seal
Removed tank level sender and managed to get it operational again, put back in with new locking ring and seal
Painted as much of the tank as was accessible
Replaced fuel pipe from fuel tank to pump (16mm ID)
Replaced fuel pump as the old one died, and high pressure filter
Replaced fuel pipe from rigid pipe to fuel rail close to engine
Stripped both rear brakes and replaced cylinders and shoes. Painted the drums
Stripped front brakes, replaced disks (cross drilled) and pads. Painted the hubs at the same time
Replaced alternator with 14V/90A one, only to find the issue was a blown battery indication bulb in the dashboard !!
Replaced many of the warning lamps in the dashboard, most seemed to have failed
Cleaned all fuse blades and relay contacts in the passenger foot well fuse box
Oil and filter change
Bled the clutch slave cylinder
Fitted new SAAB brake servo. I bought this years ago on ebay new old stock from a seller in Italy. Perfect fit.
Fitted an additional accelerator return spring over the cable at the top of the engine. Throttle now snaps back nicely.
Whilst doing all of this, I have rubbed down and painted a lot of the chassis, but still work in progress
Not having a friendly local garage anymore I decided to take the car to a specialised Morgan/TVR garage, Techniques in Stotfold, for a final check over and MOT. They collected it and had it a week. They fitted new Securon seatbelts as the old ones were not recoiling well, and checked the diff and gearbox oil, and got it MOT'd.
The S2 is now back on the road for the first time in 4 years, having covered only 12 miles since the last MOT in 2021 !
All in time to take my daughter to her school prom in June
)Obviously there is still loads of work to do, and I had a smile driving it home for the first time listening to the V6 !
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