T-22 hours till my new chim, please help !!!!!!

[no1bassmonkey]

Hey everyone, well im a matter of hours away from picking up my first Chimara, been a fan of TVR's for years and been saving the pennies and decided to jump in and get one. BUT heres the snag;
I had an RAC inspection done, everything came back really positive apart from one thing, the inspector said that there were quite large ammounts of oil under the engine and gearbox that might indicate a leak. Having spoken to the garage im getting it off they have assured me that this is usual for TVR's that its residue and not to be too worried down to the engine being mounted at a 5 degree angle slanting back. The thing is I AM. They have offered to let me have a look at the car on the ramps first thing in the morning before I shell out my money so I was just wondering if there were any pointers that anyone could offer????? I wouldnt say im a fool with cars, but TVR's seam a different breed and would rather have some words of wisdom from the people who know best, the owners

Any other comments and advice that you all have would be greatly apreciated.

Mica Blue L Reg Chim, 41,000.

thanks very much a very nearly super excited guy.

[poorpeet]

It may just be a leak from the oil pressure sender which is mounted on the oil filter housing. A small leak here blows back & covers every thing.
BUT. (a)It still needs to be fixed.
(b)The RAC guy will have seen lots of cars so I'd guess it's pretty bad if he felt the need to mention it.

[iandbeech]

Sump plug?

Are you buying from a TVR dealer/getting any warranty?

[shnozz]

well if its normal mine has never suffered it so mine is abnormal. and for sale

[no1bassmonkey]

It isnt from a TVR dealer its an independant, he seams a great guy but at the end of the day he is trying to sell me a car and just wants my money not to be my friend. I have spoken to an independat garage that are putting it through the MOT and they have said that its nothing to worry about just a build up over the years, the thing is I dont want to get it wrong and end up spending shitloads on having new gaskets fitted.

BTW. what you selling schnozz? spec?

[shnozz]

well, now that you mention it

www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/detail.asp?i=31739&s=1

[chris_chim]

I understand it is fairly common for the sump gasket to leak. Apparently TVR use a sealant rather than the usual gasket but it can have a standard (cork?) gasket put in. Mine was leaking a little oil but was changed at the last service and problem solved (very low cost as well in the scheme of things).
To be honest I don't find RAC type inspections any good for this type of car, I had one done on my first S3 but never again. I think a TVR specialist or knowledgable owner is a much better bet.

[Ribol]

I would certainly want to establish how much of a leak we are talking about, oil leaks can mean big bills.
I would go for a long test drive and park it somewhere clean and see what leaks when it is parked - before you hand over the money!

If you have any serious doubts, walk away.

Ivan

[Bojger]

I've recently bought a Chim after loving them for ages. I phoned up and spoke with about 20 people, inspected and test drove seven, then singled one out that I thought was mechanically and structurally excellent. I then paid a TVR expert to check it out (Rob Ingleby)who gave it an excellent report. I've had it four weeks and used it every day - it's a '93 car and so far has been perfect.

The message is - if in doubt (or even if not), get an expert to check it out.

Cheers

Mark

[no1bassmonkey]

thanks for all your responses, after much hunting around and chatting to loads of different people, looking and asessing the problem, and eventually speaking to Paul at TMS who has settled my mind, he has suggested as one of the responses that its more than likely that it is the seal that TVR use on the sump seal, its a gum like sealant rather than a gasket as is used with most manafacturers. It should be less than £100 to get it fixed.

Finally got a smile on my face and cant wait to start that beasty engine and smile everyday when i hear it,
thanks for all your help.

[Ribol]

Now that is a brave move, hope it all works out for you.

Ivan

[everitj]

If it's the Sump Gasket then it shouldn't leak when the car is parked up.. The oil level is below the gasket when the engine is stopped.. I have just done the gasket on mine as it was leaking over the bottom of the car when on the move.. Didn't look too good but kept the underside nice and protected...

[gf350]

chris_chim said:

I understand it is fairly common for the sump gasket to leak. Apparently TVR use a sealant rather than the usual gasket but it can have a standard (cork?) gasket put in. Mine was leaking a little oil but was changed at the last service and problem solved (very low cost as well in the scheme of things).

Same on mine, had it taken off cleaned and resealed for 1 hours labour. Aparently Land Rover didn't do a cork gasket on the larger engines either.


>> Edited by Big Al. on Saturday 20th November 12:57

[Jem]

everitj said:

If it's the Sump Gasket then it shouldn't leak when the car is parked up.. The oil level is below the gasket when the engine is stopped.. I have just done the gasket on mine as it was leaking over the bottom of the car when on the move.. Didn't look too good but kept the underside nice and protected...

same on mine, only leaked when moving...

easily sorted.

J

[anonymous-user]

Mine drops when parked up, or that's when I notice it.

I have had new gaskets on the rocker covers and sump.

I think mine is leaking from the crankshaft seals.
You have to be careful with this as it can ruin the clutch.

TVR quoted 5 hours labour to do this!!

[M@H]

I'm not convinced by "..usual for tvr's" Neither of my Chims had oil leaking. Why not ask the garage selling it to fix it before you purchase? If its a small job then they'll do it FOC to get the sale, and if its a big job then you don't really want the Bill for it do you and you can find something else. (queue Shnozz)

Cheers,
Matt

>> Edited by M@H on Tuesday 23 November 10:36