my luck stinks

[D.A.Z.]

where do i start,supose i best wipe the tears from my face,how bad is my luck,for those how have not read my previous posts,4 weeks ago i bought a 4.2 97 cerb i had it 2 days and we think fuel rail broke and burst into flames, obviously the car was a write off.i waited for 3-4weeks to get insurance money,which might i add was less than what i paid for it but thats another story. spent time looking for another one and picked it up last saterday 1 week ago,i was well chuffed been working all week so hardly spent any time in it,decided to go for a bit of a run in it tonight,never broke a speed limit untill on bypass and a bike came up my a@se,i booted it in third and the engine cut out, first thought was it was rev limiter but was only at about 6 grand so it was realy wishfull thinking,never saw any smoke behind,with no brakes or power stearing coasted to side of the road, got out to see a trail i had left,i looked under the car and saw coolent pi@@ing out,at this point i thought thank god for that i must have blown a hose off or somthing,BUT when i looked closer i could see a crack in the block on the passanger side right by the oil lift/return.i cant say how gutted i am,can any one tell me what may have caused this. temp was 85 and oil presure was fine before it happened,also before i seen crack in the block i tried once to start it (dont know why) mil light was on and engine would not turn over at all.i know you need a res in bank to run these cars but as insurance company riped me off and the new car i bought was more expencive still i find myself skint and my car poorly,think i might be in the poo

[DuncanM]

D.A.Z. said:

where do i start,supose i best wipe the tears from my face,how bad is my luck,for those how have not read my previous posts,4 weeks ago i bought a 4.2 97 cerb i had it 2 days and we think fuel rail broke and burst into flames, obviously the car was a write off.i waited for 3-4weeks to get insurance money,which might i add was less than what i paid for it but thats another story. spent time looking for another one and picked it up last saterday 1 week ago,i was well chuffed been working all week so hardly spent any time in it,decided to go for a bit of a run in it tonight,never broke a speed limit untill on bypass and a bike came up my a@se,i booted it in third and the engine cut out, first thought was it was rev limiter but was only at about 6 grand so it was realy wishfull thinking,never saw any smoke behind,with no brakes or power stearing coasted to side of the road, got out to see a trail i had left,i looked under the car and saw coolent pi@@ing out,at this point i thought thank god for that i must have blown a hose off or somthing,BUT when i looked closer i could see a crack in the block on the passanger side right by the oil lift/return.i cant say how gutted i am,can any one tell me what may have caused this. temp was 85 and oil presure was fine before it happened,also before i seen crack in the block i tried once to start it (dont know why) mil light was on and engine would not turn over at all.i know you need a res in bank to run these cars but as insurance company riped me off and the new car i bought was more expencive still i find myself skint and my car poorly,think i might be in the poo

This is the saddest story ever and almost unbelievable (I do believe you!).

Crushed for you dude, Cerb V8's are usually super reliable compared to the S6 engined TVR's.

I don't have the heart to say stick with it . If you do then I'm sure you'll love a well sorted Cerbera because they are great cars.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Duncan

[alinton]

Blimey you have had bad luck. Sorry to hear your tale.

Was it a private purchase or through a dealer? Hopefully you have some kind of warranty.

I hope you get it sorted - believe me when you get a good one they really are a pleasure to own!

Rgds

Andy.

[D.A.Z.]

where would i get a bottom end ?
how much would it be?
and whats the chances of that being the only problem,ie what caused it
thanks in advance sad daz
best go and check my lotto ticket now

[D.A.Z.]

bought it privatly unfortunatly mate

[DuncanM]

D.A.Z. said:

where would i get a bottom end ?
how much would it be?
and whats the chances of that being the only problem,ie what caused it
thanks in advance sad daz
best go and check my lotto ticket now

Sure it was the bottom end? Doesn't sound like it (head cracked).

If it's heads then you're in a better position than if it were bottom end.

You need to speak to one of the companies offering engine rebuilds but first it'd be a good idea to find out exactly what's wrong as you don't seem to have an idea ( not criticising as I wouldn't either!).

Good luck again and terribly sorry to hear of your problems .

Duncan

[D.A.Z.]

duncan no offence taken i dont have much idea but deffo bottom end,block cracked not only can you feel it you can see it,big crack with coolant coming out of it

Edited by D.A.Z. on Saturday 22 July 23:34

[longbow]

Bad luck mate, I think you just snapped your crank!! Quite common with early 4.2s, happened to mine with its previous owner. Explains the seized engine and the cracked block. In the current climate that will be very expensive to fix I think. I'd look at getting a complete engine from a breakers yard, 2 to 3k plus fitting.........

[D.A.Z.]

thanks for your input longbow, from what i have just seen on the post you made about all the work you have done on your car you certainly know your stuff, thanks again

Edited by D.A.Z. on Sunday 23 July 00:10

[longbow]

No problem mate, I really feel for you though, that is just really really bad luck. They are amazing cars but a huge liability for those of us who have to work for a living. Spare parts are becoming a limiting factor, even now I'm having to dig round all of the breakers yards for bits and bobs when I would happily pay high prices for new parts....... Keep us informed though on what you decide to do

[D.A.Z.]

i have lots of parts that still work you welcome to buy longbow lol,i think i will take a day or two to decide what i can do,looking through recipts guy i bought it from spent 15k in last 12 mths,did hope i might find somthing,oh well things can only get better

[mudstud]

I second that advise to get another engine from a breakers - you may spend a lot of money/time stripping existing engine only to find that the bits you need are unavailable/cost the earth. Then keep/sell off your old engine for parts.

[Haywood]

sorry to hear about that happening daz... i did wonder why you werent at shifnal services last night.... hope you get the cerbie sorted soon bud

[350matt]

TVR power may well bwe able to recover what remains of the engine, defintly give them a call

Matt

[D.A.Z.]

after a lot of thought i think longbow and mudstud are right its a new engine,as my only car i think sadly my tvr days may be over if i can get the money together to get it done properly then i will probably sell and cut my losses,however if any one thinks i would be better to sell it as it is let me know,
matt would you have a number or a link please
on a brighter note i live in a x council house and my o/h loves her garden,she has won a comp with it before now,anyway we were sat outside crying about my car and someone stoped and commented about the car,as i dont usualy park it there,they couldnt get over it,i am sure you have all had it before,normally its all about her garden and how hard shes worked etc,we sat there for about a hour 11-2 to daz bet they wouldnt have been as impressed if they new it wouldnt move,thanks daz

[Julian64]

Terrible story, and difficult to know what to say.

15K in one year sounds like a lot of money. Any chance some of that went on the engine, and its in some sort of warranty. I only mention it as 15K is an awful lot to spend on bodywork.

I've often wondered what I'd do with a major engine failure in my car if it every happened. I would suggest from your story that the crank is in big trouble and would be a labour of love rather than a viable financial proposition.

However as parts get more and more scarce with people willing to pay top dollar, you would probably do rather well breaking for parts.

[Duke Thrust]

Mate, realy sorry to hear of your terrible luck. But stick with it, it will be worth it, these cars are amazing.

If you're in the Cheltenham area let me know and I'll take you out for a spin and you'll remember why you love them so much.

[longbow]

I'm probably sticking my neck out a bit here, but if you decide to go down the breakers route for an engine I could pull the old one and drop in the new one if you are really stuck. Would only take a day or two and I have 2 weeks off work next month. Obviously you'd need to get everything over to me in Doncaster. If I can shift my car out within the next few weeks then it should be possible. As its all fresh in my mind and the tools are here it could help a bit with the costs to get you back on the road whether you decide to sell it on or not. All I would ask in return is for help with my 'head nut' and a few beers of course .......

[TooTall Paul]

longbow said:

I'm probably sticking my neck out a bit here, but if you decide to go down the breakers route for an engine I could pull the old one and drop in the new one if you are really stuck. Would only take a day or two and I have 2 weeks off work next month. Obviously you'd need to get everything over to me in Doncaster. If I can shift my car out within the next few weeks then it should be possible. As its all fresh in my mind and the tools are here it could help a bit with the costs to get you back on the road whether you decide to sell it on or not. All I would ask in return is for help with my 'head nut' and a few beers of course .......

Now thats an offer !!

[D.A.Z.]

julian 15k spent on cams, time chains,throttle pots etc,re trim interior,new stearing wheel,19" rims and tyers,lights coversion and complete re spray,just to mention some
longbow that is indeed a very generous offer and am very greatfull,see how i get on looking for a engine,as for the bolt you require you are more than welcome to it,also can you recomend any breakers to ring