Oh Bu***r, Don't trust tywraps.

[Goodwin]

There I was today driving into work as normal when I thought I had left the boot open - put hazards on (for the first time) and pulled over to stop. Boot was fine so turned of hazards and carried on driving. after a few miles more I got a brief hint of a funny hot smell but it went and I thought nothing of it - then a bit further and I noticed the left indicator repeater was on permanently (not flashing). I though perhaps it was the hazard switch sticking so gave it a few more prods - at which point the other repeater came on as well and stayed on. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour I turned around to head for home. Being the kind of chap that I am I decided to stop somewhere quiet to check what was happening outside of the car before venturing through a town I cross on the way home. Pulled over and stopped at which point it stalled - it's never done that. Lights are out so something a bit strange. I got back into the car, turned the key and nothing (no I dont have a 100Amp fuse - car is to old). After checking the battery area - all secure, clock working, phone charging from fag lighter I decide that it is AA time. Ah but the boot won't open where my phone is either on button or key fob. Standing at the side of the road when I notice a whisp of smoke come out of the bonnet vent. On opening the bonnet there were no flames (good) but the electrical harness that runs along the LH side of the car has come free where the tywraps have failed and was now nicely melting on the exhaust manifold and precat. Several bare copper wires so probably some blown fuses. (Pictures to follow). Car recovered home and into work with the backup car. I now have to decide whether I can repari the loom or if it is new loom time.

Has anyone else suffered a similar demise, and can they offer any advice? Cost at a garage for labour? Cost of Loom? etc.

The morals of my whinge and tail of woe :-)

1) Don't trust tywraps - the go brittle with heat and age. Worth checking and replacing them for the few pence they are.
2) Keep you mobile in the cabin not the boot.
3) If you do smell something it is worth stopping sooner rather than later - had I stopped at the first hint I may have alleviated much of the damage.
4) Just when you think it is running well....

Thanks in advance for any help.

[spend]

Goodwin said:

..the electrical harness that runs along the LH side of the car has come free where the tywraps have failed and was now nicely melting on the exhaust manifold and precat.

What harness is that???

I can only visualize the loom for the wiper at the rear and the engine loom across to the AFM (tie wrapped to the 90deg bend)? Any other parts of the loom to the front LHS of the car are run inside the inner wing AFIK.

[Goodwin]

I know it contains the indicators at least and certainly more (18 wires) - which I am trying to find out. On later cars it may well run in the LH wing but on mine (1994) it comes out through a grommet in the side of the wing a little forward of the wiper motor then runs with the intake ducting to the front of the car. It was only ever tywraped to the ducting. Perhaps there was a spate of similar problems which resulted in TVR moving it into the wing on later models. This is my second Chim and it didn't strike me as unusual when I looked a the car, but I am more than willing to be told I am wrong.
If you have any idea what should be in that loom I would be grateful if you could let me know.

Thanks

[spend]

Sorry but no it shouldn't... even as 'late' as 94.. I'd guess that someone at some stage has butchered your car because they didn't have the nous to re-pull the loom through the inner wing (hint you need to use the side repeater hole as a staging point).

That loom should all go into the inner wing at the top LHS of the dash and over the wheelarch on the outside of the inner wing all the way out to where the headlamp & airfilter housing are (early cars on the undertray floor). All Chims and Griffs have that loom arrangement, non would have left the factory with the front loom run in the engine bay.

[Goodwin]

Thanks for the correction. Only question I have is how is the loom secure in the wing to stop it moving and chaffing?

[spend]

I think the common approach is to tape it across the corner. Its pretty well secured by grommet and foam packer where it goes from the cabin and that is not very far to the top of the wheel arch where it is again secured.

I added extra wires to mine, but removed the all superfluous (mainly alarm) stuff, but pulled a strong vinyl outer over them. If only VWP had sold the memory mesh stuff and twist wrap to overcoat it (I do all looms in that these days - you can pull it off & put it back on super..). I did do mine years ago whilst the headlamp was in, but if doing it again I think I'd bite the bullet & remove the headlamp even if it meant a total refurb of that... with the wise after the event knowledge of seeing the access with the headlamp cut out (I cut out & glassed in the speed12 conversion myself at a later date).