Reusable service parts

[Nashy]

Guys - Some advice if you will?

My Chim400 is about to have a full 48k service (no it's not actually done 48k!). I'm thinking about cruising through France in it in August, and wondered what parts are replaced during a full service that might be usefull in an emergency while abroad (Serp belt is first to my mind).

Any ideas please?

[heliox]

I reckon a spare fan belt, distributor cap & arm and a can of tyre weld which saves you taking everything out of the boot to get the spare out,if your taking the spare that is.


heliox

[MikeyT]

Somebody had a link to pikeynet.com or there was a thread a while back with a list of what Pikey thought would be ideal to carry in a boot for every eventuality. Bloody great long list that fitted into a decent sportsbag and so hence took up bugger all room in the Chim's boot from memory

Seem to remember somebody unearthed it: trefor?

[trefor]

Not sure if it was me. Pikeynet is still alive - something like www.pikeynet.co.uk (you need to check this could be wrong).

If you do a search in the TVR section you should find several threads about what to take on a European trip. Personally, I take the following:

- Duct Tape
- Cable Ties
- AA Five Star Cover
- Mobile Phone
- Foot Pump
- Tyre weld x 2
- 10mm ring spanner (gets you into the dash)
- fuses, incl the high rating ones for the fans
- Fan override widget (made one from a bit of wire to bypass the otter switch if it packs up.
- Various 1/2 and 9/16 inch sockets and spanners. They fit most bolts on a TVR
- Spare drive belt
- Spare hoses (for cutting 'n shutting where necessary, although duct tape might help get you out of a breakdown situation).

You can buy oil en-route, cheaper than here too. If your car uses water then maybe a spare container for topup.

FWIW I've never needed to open the toolbox on any trip so far. My car uses a minimal amount of oil and no water - I check them anyway.

Trefor/.

[hut49]

Trefor
It's really good to see you ending on such a positive note after all the anguish on the Chim threads over the past week. Sure, I know that folks are more likely to post when they have a problem and are looking for advice. But I've just bought a Chimaera 450 (though haven't collected it yet), so I'm a newbie and have been doing all the things newbies do: joined the TVRCC, bought Steve's book and lurked on the PistonHead Gassing Station. On one hand the excitement of imminent ownership is building but all the Gassing I seem to have been reading about is flat batteries, rotting wishbones, broken diffs, lock-outs, and oil-burners, etc.....

So to read that you didn't need the toolkit before you drove out of your garage was the high point of my last few days reading! Thanks

Hutch

[craigalsop]

quote:
On one hand the excitement of imminent ownership is building but all the Gassing I seem to have been reading about is flat batteries, rotting wishbones, broken diffs, lock-outs, and oil-burners, etc.....

So to read that you didn't need the toolkit before you drove out of your garage was the high point of my last few days reading! Thanks

Hutch

Yeah don't get too wound up by the tales of woe - my Chimaera has been 100% reliable as well, although I have had a windscreen squirter tube fall off (I also have a toolbag I've never opened, apart from to get the polish & rags out )
There are lemons out there, but then that's true for any car make....

cheers,
Craig

[hut49]

Thanks Craig - I'm smiling again. So's my wife - it means she won't be out at the weekend digging an inspection pit!
Hutch

[ianwayne]

It may appear worse than than it is, only reading about problems on here. The duff relay / flat battery I encountered (recent thread) is the only problem I've had in over 3000 miles in a '95 Chimaera 500.
The only real expense was the 48k service
Every time I drive it though, it feels worth it!
IMHO, there's no other car available with such power & fun per £!

[trefor]

Regarding opening my toolbox - I said I never opened it on the trips - true. However, owning a Rover V8 engined TVR means you get lots of opportunity to tinker if you know what you're looking at. Since the last service 4000 miles ago in March I have replaced my radiator (srpung a leak), changed the HT leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm, cleaned the stepper motor out several times and tightened the exhaust manifold bolts once. Now, none of these things was too hard to do, nor would it be too expensive to get done at a dealer, but IMO you need to be prepared to fiddle now and then to save a few bob in repairs (I don't mean cutting corners!).

Regarding all these corroded wishbones - some of the older Chimaeras are getting to the point where they need replacing, esp. if the car has done a few miles/lives outside. This doesn't mean the car is scrap - the wishbones are easily replaceable and not that expensive. Mine is an N reg'd and only had surface corrosion - I cleaned and painted them,, I'll do this once a year now. I have seen cars out there with terrible looking wishbones too!

[q405mb]

Hi Hutch,

Bet you can't wait?!

I have had my '99 450 for a while and it has been perfectly reliable. Like trefor says, you may need to tinker here and there, but what it really boils down to is having an "empathy" for the car, listen and pay attention to her, notice changes in sound or feel and investigate soon.

Anyway, tinkering is a magic stress relief for me. Last weekend I fixed reverse light, windscreen washer gromet and leak as well as loose door opener, all little and simple maintenance jobs. (Now all I need is a garage to work in instead of the parking lot )

H

[Nashy]

Thanks guys. Your views are much appreciated.

HUT49 - Congratulations, you'll never look back! It's true, you do read tales of woe on these sites, but mine also has been 100% mechanically reliable in the 3+ years I've owned it. Only faults I've had have been with a faulty alarm (meta are rubbish - nothing to do with TVR except that they fitted them for a while), knackered battery when it was 5 years old (happens to all batteries at some point), and the wiper motor giving up. That may be more than your average Mondeo, but all were easily solved, didn't leave me stranded anywhere, and I still got home with a grin wide enough for my girlfriend to ask me who I'd been with. It's almost like being unfaithful - but without the guilt

[JonRB]

I carry
- Tyreweld
- Spare Oil
- Bottle of water
- Gaffa tape
- Spare fuses inc. high-rated fan fuses
- Screw-type electrical connection blocks in 15A and 30A
- 15A snap-fit automotive connectors
- 30A wire
- Electrical insulation tape
- Digital multi-meter
- 12V inspection lamp
- WD-40
- Electrical contact cleaner spray
- A couple of emergency fan over-ride wires (ie. paperclips)
- Selection of multi-tools
- Selection of cable-ties
- Selection of jubilee clips
- Selection of nuts & bolts

All in a small toolkit that fits snugly in the boot.

I'm missing
- A spare serpentine belt
- A pair of water-pump pliers to get at some of the bigger stuff like the the stepper motor
- Probably lots more.


The electrical stuff I carry sounds over the top, but I was stranded last year when the wires to the fans came loose, fell across the manifold and burned through.
At the time I had the RAC take the car to my local TVR dealer where it took them 12 days to sort it out. I'm now confident that given the above I could rewire the fans on the roadside and be on my way again.

Considering that a year ago I was a TVR & mechanical virgin who only knew how to put oil, petrol and water into a car, I think I've come a long way.

>> Edited by JonRB on Friday 19th July 11:47

[JonRB]

quote:there was a thread a while back with a list of what Pikey thought would be ideal to carry in a boot for every eventuality. Bloody great long list that fitted into a decent sportsbag and so hence took up bugger all room in the Chim's boot from memory

I've just scanned the archives and the thread in question is www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=10135

>> Edited by JonRB on Friday 19th July 12:06

[ATG]

Dumb question ... do you need to jack the weight off the tyre before you can use Tyreweld, or is it able to reinflate the tyre even with the weight of the car resting on it?

[hut49]

Not a dumb question - it's one that went through my mind too!! Looks like you just attach it and press. No jack required - see info (from a Singapore website but I guess its the same product) www.comfortautomotive.com.sg/products/accessories.htm

Hutch

[ATG]

thanks Hutch