Discussion
I have been monitoring the this forum over recent months and would I be right in thinking that there seem to be less AJP failures these days, is this due to major bugs have been fixed or just few cars out there.
What are the mods which seem work (and I should look out for)and I guess its too early to say but what are peoples thought on these new aftermarket clutchs, do they last longer that 20k miles.
thanks Mark
What are the mods which seem work (and I should look out for)and I guess its too early to say but what are peoples thought on these new aftermarket clutchs, do they last longer that 20k miles.
thanks Mark
As fas as I know there never were any major bugs with the AJP V8. I read of a couple of very early ones having crack failures, but that's about it.
It's probably too early to say if the new clutches - the Clever Trevor/RaceProved ones - last longer than 20k, but there are cars with the original clutches that have done well over 20k. It all depends how you drive the car, but 20k miles on a clutch isn't really too bad for a Car with the Cerb's performance. How long do clutches last on a Ferrari?
It's probably too early to say if the new clutches - the Clever Trevor/RaceProved ones - last longer than 20k, but there are cars with the original clutches that have done well over 20k. It all depends how you drive the car, but 20k miles on a clutch isn't really too bad for a Car with the Cerb's performance. How long do clutches last on a Ferrari?
JensenA said:
It all depends how you drive the car, but 20k miles on a clutch isn't really too bad for a Car with the Cerb's performance.
Indeed. After 37k miles, my old clutch still had friction material but the fingers had seen much better days so I replaced it as the engine was out anyway. Painting 11's at every opportunity will decrease the life significantly as well as pushing the pedal further than the bite point. Treat the clutch with a degree of mechanical sympathy and they'll last as long as any euro box clutch...Just my 2p worth.
I was up at TCS a couple of weeks back and Joo explained to me why the standard clutches break and why the new ones ought not to. You're absolutely right that it's too early to determine how long they'll last in service but Joo explained how the design differed and from the original, and what testing they'd put into the new one, all of which sounded very encouraging.
The AJP 4.2 has had a limited number of cast crank failures but they are few and far between. The 4.5 has a steel crank and doesn't appear to have this problem.
The component spec of the rods and pistons is nothing to write home about but they haven't been an issue in service. It's unlikely that they are so special that better alternatives couldn't be sourced off the shelf, if needed.
The valves are pretty standard affairs in terms of performance but they appear to be as hardy as any other in terms of longevity, although I am concerned with the tendency for the Cerb to require regular tappet adjustments. The suggestion I heard for the casue of this, was that the valves stretch for the first few thousand miles, closing up the gaps. I think I'd like a professional's comment on this and possibly source alternative valves with wasted stems (better performance) if I were rebuilding.
Plugs, leads, coil packs and other ancillaries are all available from independants. Be careful with replacement alternators... I bought one off Ebay and it was not a "good" fit. I managed to get it in by filing the casing a bit but I'd pay a little more from an independent in future and get some "come back" if it wasn't a good fit.
I have no idea about the availability of shell bearings.
Starter motors seem to be readily available, and fail more often than you'd like owing to the heat of the manifold.
The BIG fuse is a known source of trouble and is difficult to reach by the side of the road.
The aircon needs re-gassing from time to time, possibly owing to irregular use but this is cheap.
Radiator is off a Range Rover. Custom alloy replacements offer much better capacity.
Finally, the power steering pump has failed on some, leaving the owner with the choice to replace the original with another (difficult to reach - possibly an engine out job) or to replace with an electric one from a Citroen I think. There's a thread at the top of the forum which indicates replacement parts. Worth a scan.
In fact, I believe that just about all the components for the whole car are available from alternative sources to (the now defunct) TVR with the exception of body-shells and windscreens. The latter *are* available from David Gerald (we believe) although for how much longer is anyone's guess.
The AJP 4.2 has had a limited number of cast crank failures but they are few and far between. The 4.5 has a steel crank and doesn't appear to have this problem.
The component spec of the rods and pistons is nothing to write home about but they haven't been an issue in service. It's unlikely that they are so special that better alternatives couldn't be sourced off the shelf, if needed.
The valves are pretty standard affairs in terms of performance but they appear to be as hardy as any other in terms of longevity, although I am concerned with the tendency for the Cerb to require regular tappet adjustments. The suggestion I heard for the casue of this, was that the valves stretch for the first few thousand miles, closing up the gaps. I think I'd like a professional's comment on this and possibly source alternative valves with wasted stems (better performance) if I were rebuilding.
Plugs, leads, coil packs and other ancillaries are all available from independants. Be careful with replacement alternators... I bought one off Ebay and it was not a "good" fit. I managed to get it in by filing the casing a bit but I'd pay a little more from an independent in future and get some "come back" if it wasn't a good fit.
I have no idea about the availability of shell bearings.
Starter motors seem to be readily available, and fail more often than you'd like owing to the heat of the manifold.
The BIG fuse is a known source of trouble and is difficult to reach by the side of the road.
The aircon needs re-gassing from time to time, possibly owing to irregular use but this is cheap.
Radiator is off a Range Rover. Custom alloy replacements offer much better capacity.
Finally, the power steering pump has failed on some, leaving the owner with the choice to replace the original with another (difficult to reach - possibly an engine out job) or to replace with an electric one from a Citroen I think. There's a thread at the top of the forum which indicates replacement parts. Worth a scan.
In fact, I believe that just about all the components for the whole car are available from alternative sources to (the now defunct) TVR with the exception of body-shells and windscreens. The latter *are* available from David Gerald (we believe) although for how much longer is anyone's guess.
SI-PEN said:
I got 31K from the original clutch on my 4.5, I'm now waiting for the raceproved replacement to arrive. I miss my cerbera, please hurry up Mr. Raceproved I've been waiting 6 weeks already.
Poor you Si. Thought you'd be back on the road by now! Fingers crossed for clutch arrival very soon! amazon said:
SI-PEN said:
I got 31K from the original clutch on my 4.5, I'm now waiting for the raceproved replacement to arrive. I miss my cerbera, please hurry up Mr. Raceproved I've been waiting 6 weeks already.
Poor you Si. Thought you'd be back on the road by now! Fingers crossed for clutch arrival very soon! SI-PEN said:
amazon said:
SI-PEN said:
I got 31K from the original clutch on my 4.5, I'm now waiting for the raceproved replacement to arrive. I miss my cerbera, please hurry up Mr. Raceproved I've been waiting 6 weeks already.
Poor you Si. Thought you'd be back on the road by now! Fingers crossed for clutch arrival very soon! 
Ah, yes - well, I got caught in torrential rain last week on the M1. My car will tolerate water from above, but NOT from underneath and unfortunately the M1 became a lake!
That said, car chugged home, bless it. I subsequently poured water out of the ECU
Nearly better now 
Look forward to a celebratory run out to a nice pub for a beer and a catch up once yours is back on form
.
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