350i rad, sidelights & reversing light
Discussion
I've had the pleasure of driving my father-in-law's 89 350i for the last couple of weeks and found so many little things wrong with it, I've felt obliged to try and fix them. Maybe I'm missing all the tinkering with my old SEAC, but it's actually been quite good fun.
I've just been under the car to repair a hole in the manifold and was horrified by the state of the radiator. Lots of the little fins are just falling off and it has been seeping at both ends. Cooling efficiency must be well down, in fact I'm surprised it hasn't just blown apart. Does anybody know what it is off or where to get one?
I've also found the following information which might be of use to somebody:
The little square side indicators are off an Escort mk3&4, the Ford garage said "try the scrap yard" but I found a secondhand pair on e-bay. One will be a spare.
Reversing light switch: Lucas say " refer to manufacturer". I actually fixed the old one as the plunger was jammed, but you can get new ones which fit off e-bay, although I haven't got the partnumber to hand.
A good dose of STP injector cleaner and few good blasts down the motorway have worked wonders. Changing the tyre pressures to 25psi seems to have helped aswell. Happy tinkering :)
I've just been under the car to repair a hole in the manifold and was horrified by the state of the radiator. Lots of the little fins are just falling off and it has been seeping at both ends. Cooling efficiency must be well down, in fact I'm surprised it hasn't just blown apart. Does anybody know what it is off or where to get one?
I've also found the following information which might be of use to somebody:
The little square side indicators are off an Escort mk3&4, the Ford garage said "try the scrap yard" but I found a secondhand pair on e-bay. One will be a spare.
Reversing light switch: Lucas say " refer to manufacturer". I actually fixed the old one as the plunger was jammed, but you can get new ones which fit off e-bay, although I haven't got the partnumber to hand.
A good dose of STP injector cleaner and few good blasts down the motorway have worked wonders. Changing the tyre pressures to 25psi seems to have helped aswell. Happy tinkering :)
Rads are Rover SD1. Best bet would be to send the old one to Northern Radiators where they will recore and restore it with around 20% extra cooling area. Which is what they need IMO. They have a really difficult to get at location for the otter switch, so make sure you fit it and plug the wires on as you refit it.
Thanks for that. I reckon this one is beyond repair though. I've restored a few vintage tractors in my time and never seen one as bad as this! There is a place in Caversham Reading that restores/ recores incase anyone is interested, but I think I'll try your Northern radiators to see if they can just supply one.
Can't afford a Tuscan. I was sorely tempted a few years ago but glad I didn't due to all the engine problems. I think unstressed RV8's are now for me.
The wife was made redundant 3 months before giving birth to our second son, so all Dickymint's SEAC money has been ploughed into a Volvo estate
I'm stuck with a Peugeot diesel so father-in-law felt sorry for me and lent me his 350. Have been thinking about a 350 2+2 though, I keep hitting my head on the Cerbera's roll bar so wouldn't get on with one of those.
The wife was made redundant 3 months before giving birth to our second son, so all Dickymint's SEAC money has been ploughed into a Volvo estate
I'm stuck with a Peugeot diesel so father-in-law felt sorry for me and lent me his 350. Have been thinking about a 350 2+2 though, I keep hitting my head on the Cerbera's roll bar so wouldn't get on with one of those.SLB said:
I've just been under the car to repair a hole in the manifold and was horrified by the state of the radiator. Lots of the little fins are just falling off and it has been seeping at both ends. Cooling efficiency must be well down, in fact I'm surprised it hasn't just blown apart. Does anybody know what it is off or where to get one?
I believe it LR based, but with end tank connections and brackets modified to fit the Wedges. A recore is the best option.
SLB said:
Changing the tyre pressures to 25psi seems to have helped aswell.
Starting point for tyre pressures (205 60 15) is 22F and 24R.
7.
tallbloke said:
Rads are Rover SD1.
Errrr no... Rad guys often look at the TVR ones and say that's a SD1/Range Rover/Citroen/Sierra/Ford FS150/Skoda (delete as applicable) and forget to notice that the pipework/connections are all different and it doesn't have a built in oil cooler etc.
It is based on a LR unit but isn't the same.
shpub said:
...have a built in oil cooler etc.
I don't recall there being an oil cooler on mine
I'll have to have another look.....back in a mo....
No just double checked and the only pipework to the rad is top & bottom hose plus smaller pipe to header tank, its a 85 series 2 350i with the rad in the nose. Did (as usual) TVR fit different types or has someone grafted it in? Mine has never suffered from temperature problems even on the hottest days in traffic.
>> Edited by leorest on Tuesday 16th August 10:43
I did manage to fit a stock SD1 rad but the hoses were a bit distorted as the fittings on the rad are indeed different. If you find a replacement rad then have the elbows desoldered from the original one and put onto the new one.
I thought for recoring all you need are the end tanks, the rest is thrown away?
I thought for recoring all you need are the end tanks, the rest is thrown away?
shpub said:
Rads are Rover SD1.
Errrr no... Rad guys often look at the TVR ones and say that's a SD1/Range Rover/Citroen/Sierra/Ford FS150/Skoda (delete as applicable) and forget to notice that the pipework/connections are all different and it doesn't have a built in oil cooler etc.
It is based on a LR unit but isn't the same.
The core is a Range Rover on the only mod being to bend the (approx 8mm dia) bleed pipe at the top through 90 degrees.
cdt said:
www.tvrcarparts.co.uk/pages/parts.asp?vehicle=7&category=&searchstring=radiator
Hmmm. Only £400 too.
leorest said:
Did any have oil coolers then, built in or seperate?
Some of the more esoteric Wedges had seperate oil coolers. The Range Rovers often had an oil cooler as part of the water assembly and ran the two together.
The core is a standard part but that is it. There are also quite a few variations out there as well. Recoring is often the easiest and cheapest method or replacing the rad.
Thanks guys for all the comments. I rang Northern Radiators and they said they could only repair the old one, but didn't seem to care about how bad it was. Father-in-law has been on to the chap who normally services and gets it MOT'd, and he's going to do it whilst we are away on holiday. He is going to take the rad to the place in Caversham which is where I would have gone and I know they are pretty good.
It doesn't have an oil cooler, but I'm surprised it seems quite a bit smaller than the one on my old S3 which came from a Sherpa van. Thats TVR for you.
The side lights arrived today and are not quite the same, so there must be subtle differences between Mk3 &4 Escorts. They'll probably do though.
It doesn't have an oil cooler, but I'm surprised it seems quite a bit smaller than the one on my old S3 which came from a Sherpa van. Thats TVR for you.
The side lights arrived today and are not quite the same, so there must be subtle differences between Mk3 &4 Escorts. They'll probably do though.
I'm surprised you say 22psi at the front, that's what I found to be right for my SEAC on 225 tyres. I tried 23.5 psi on the 350 and it didn't want go round a roundabout, more sort of straight on. The tyres also looked too soft. Father-in-law had them at 26 and it was a bit bouncy at high speed.
Paul, I think you must have been thinking about Martin who had/has the black SEAC in Bracknell. I had some tyres, but sold them for some bottles of beer to a chap in Guildford who has a Fisher Fury, so that's two of us who would like a Tuscan!
Paul, I think you must have been thinking about Martin who had/has the black SEAC in Bracknell. I had some tyres, but sold them for some bottles of beer to a chap in Guildford who has a Fisher Fury, so that's two of us who would like a Tuscan!
leorest said:
and it doesn't have a built in oil cooler etc.
Note the 'doesn't'
Ahh. It does help to read!
Did any have oil coolers then, built in or seperate?
Leo
>> Edited by leorest on Tuesday 16th August 11:23
Some rads intended for autobox cars have a built in (at the bottom ) cooler for the gearbox fluid, with steel pipes connecting.
For instance Ford V6 autos.
Don't know if Rover autos had them.
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