Tamora : Doors not opening from outside

[Mr M]

Took the car in to M.O.T recently and it was fine going in , during the M.O.T this happens. They swear blind they didn't touch anything. This particular station seemed completely ill equiped to deal with a Tamora. Not only did I have negative comments about TVR electrics and sports cars in general, albeit in jest, but the guy that drove the car into the bay scraped the undertray on the way in due to the angle of entry, rather than going around the side. Choose your station wisely They also kept the car running on tickover for about 25 minutes which I didn't understand.

Anyway that aside I have unplugged the passenger footwell e.c.u in hope to reset as kindly suggested by Shep but no joy. Mirror buttons work when the doors are open but not when they are closed so perhaps a problem with the internal door lock button. Anyone know if it is easy to get to for checking or done it before ?

[shep1001]

Mr M said:

Took the car in to M.O.T recently and it was fine going in , during the M.O.T this happens. They swear blind they didn't touch anything. This particular station seemed completely ill equiped to deal with a Tamora. Not only did I have negative comments about TVR electrics and sports cars in general, albeit in jest, but the guy that drove the car into the bay scraped the undertray on the way in due to the angle of entry, rather than going around the side. Choose your station wisely They also kept the car running on tickover for about 25 minutes which I didn't understand.

Anyway that aside I have unplugged the passenger footwell e.c.u in hope to reset as kindly suggested by Shep but no joy. Mirror buttons work when the doors are open but not when they are closed so perhaps a problem with the internal door lock button. Anyone know if it is easy to get to for checking or done it before ?

You need to remove the radio to get access & the glovebox. The problems you describe are why I make a 100 mile round trip for my MOT and get it done via St8six who work closely with their local MOT station to better understand the TVR. Castle TVR used to have a similar set up but IIRC they are now doing MOT in-house.

Are your windows droping/rising the short distance when the door is opened/closed? do you get the RH/LH fault code on the dash if the door is open when the ignition is on. If not it could be a microswitch fault.

SHep

Edited by shep1001 on Sunday 13th March 17:42

[Targarama]

They leave the engine running on all cars to ensure the cat is completely heated through and thus gives the best emissions reading for you (so they're being kind there!).

Still, find another MOT place if this one didn't tickle your fancy, there are plenty out there who would love to look around a TVR.

[T66ORA]

Before removing the window/door locking switch try spraying a bit of WD into the door locking button and cycle it a few times. This worked on my passenger window which was stuck in the down position. I did eventually change it,however it is a sealed unit so i`m not sure you will be any better off.
To get at the passenger side switch,if that's the problem?
Open glove box and find the 2 small self tapers holding the "bowl" bit in place,
one at either end, carefully manoeuvre the "bowl" upwards and remove.
Shine a torch to your right and find the 3 small nuts holding the switch in place, they are in a triangular pattern the same shape as the switch.
Undo the the small multi plug and remove.
The stereo only needs to come out for the drivers side removal.
Take the opportunity to seal up some of the vent trunking while your at it, you will be surprised how much better the vents will work,(Subject to individual build quality of course )

[Mr M]

Shep,Tref,Tony - Cheers.

Basically everything else is fine apart from the problem described. I have tried WD40 on the button but like you say Tony, it's sealed so I think I'll go ahead with glove box removal and inspect it from that angle. I would normally have gone to the station that Matt at Sebring uses, but I just thought it would be a waste of time and money with M.O.T stations on the doorstep. It seems not. I shall book it in there for next year Thanks again chaps.

[Mr M]

Chaps - anyone suggest a place I can get a 7\32 open ended imperial spanner.The only one I can find is here

http://www.twinternational.com/acatalog/King_Dick_...

. They could have used metric - tried a 6mm but slightly too big. I can't get to the last nut to remove the left side internal door lock\window button control unit to inspect it, without removing the radio, which presumably I have to remove the surround to as well. Or can anyone recommend another adjustable tool I could do this with. Seems the internal door lock button is just not working and is stuck on lock out (since visit to M.O.T station )

Cheers.

Colin.

Edited by Mr M on Tuesday 15th March 22:30

[T66ORA]

Can`t remember what size my nuts were but they were nylocked!! why?
I have a very small, about 3" length, adjustable spanner which opens to around 8mil
got it out of a X-mas cracker of all things, that would be suitable if you can find something similar?

[Mr M]

Hi Tony - yeah I probably need some small pliers or an instrument as you described. It's going to be fiddly if I don't want to remove the radio housing. 'Ah. What's in the parts bin that we can use for the new Tamora.. oh we've got 5000 7/32" nuts.' ... on second thoughts

Edited by Mr M on Tuesday 15th March 22:38

[Mr M]

For the sake of the search engine. Solved this tonight. Eventually got the last screw off with some long nosed pliers. As thought, the internal door lock button had been pushed in too hard and stuck in that position (lock the doors), so the micro switch was fully depressed (like me!) and not clicking. I removed the circuit board from the surround to clean up the button, push it back out and gave the whole thing a general clean up. Will be putting it back in tomorrow. The guy in the M.O.T station was quite clearly lying when he said he didn't press anything. Can't prove whether he damaged it or not though.

[T66ORA]

Fingers crossed for you mate. I got a spare from Bell Hill £35 posted IIRC so not that expensive.

[Mr M]

Thanks Tony. I've tested it out of situ and all functioning ok.. doors open from exterior. Lights around the window buttons flash when it's pressed, so just need to place it back in the dash. I'll test it again before I do that though £35 is good to know if one ever does need replacing .