Barn Find Chimera

[SwankBaton]

..... Well I say barn find.... Its time for my late fathers Chimera to come to its new "home" and join my Noble.
Its been stood for 3 or 4 years now (warm garage, good storage conditions) - it just hasn't been moved or turned over in a while.

I can only really do basic maintenance at its current location , much more space to work at mine - its a 20 minute drive.
I can probably drop the oil and flush the coolant.

I cant find a parts wiki - if there a good place for me to get some info on please share the link and I'll do some research?

I have a few simple Q's im hoping folks can help me with whilst I gain some knowledge.

Are there any dedicated jacking points or is it case of being sensible?
Where is the fuel pump fuse located ? (or other means to crank oil pressure without firing up)
Whats the current preferred Oil and how much does it take - Does the RV8 run a standard sump ?
The coolant cap was pretty much stuck on last time I checked - is this normal?

Thanks in advance,
Al

[TVRSJW]

Good luck with the recommissioning of the Chim !
No jacking points I know off I just use corners of the outriggers but get on axle stands straight away to be sure and safe

Fuel pump is on the N/S towards rear by wheel underneath car very easy to find

Oil will start a fifteen page thread lol...but anything from 20-50 to 10-40 5-50 (I use fully syn 5w-50 racing oil which has a good Zinc content and a good VI index rating of 182 so will keep viscosity in extreme temps so is stable)

And yes the blue cap is a buffer to get off I have to use a cloth to undo mine !

Feel free to ask away if you want more help there a great bunch on here and helped me many times !!!

[Colin RedGriff]

The fuel pump is switched via a relay controlled by the ECU. The ECU and starter motor are disabled by the immobiliser (

You can pull the fuel pump relay to stop the fuel pump running.

The relays and the fusebox are in the passenger footwell with the battery. Don't have a panic when you take out the board at the end. They all looked like that from the factory!

This is the loom with the ecu and fuel pump relay marked.



There's a parts list pinned to the top of the Griffith forum which apart from the bodywork shares a lot of components.
Also check out https://tvr-parts.com/

Most fo the engine is standard Rover V8 so Landrover and Rover V8 specialists are also a source for certain parts.

[Steve_D]

swankBaton said:

.....
Are there any dedicated jacking points or is it case of being sensible?

Do not jack on the outriggers. Unless the car has had outriggers replaced they will be very fragile. Jack somewhere on the inner chassis rails

swankBaton said:

Where is the fuel pump fuse located ? (or other means to crank oil pressure without firing up)

Just disconnect the positive side of the coil. However, if the engine is pre-serpentine (has a single V fan belt rather than multi V) Then cranking alone may not be sufficient to get oil pressure but is worth a try. Do this before you change the oil as having an empty oil filter will just make priming more difficult

swankBaton said:

What’s the current preferred Oil and how much does it take

A good quality ‘Classic 20-50 will do fine.

swankBaton said:

- Does the RV8 run a standard sump ?

Yes

swankBaton said:

The coolant cap was pretty much stuck on last time I checked - is this normal?

Which cap are you reffering too? There is a cap on the swirl pot high up on the engine nearside and the expansion tank at the offside inner wing.

[Colin RedGriff]

Another thought if it's been stood for a while the fuel may be stale and the rubber fuel hoses will need replacing both in the engine bay and at the rear from t fuel tank, pump and filter.

[Sir Paolo]

A good place to jack the front is at the chassis cross member immediately behind the tow hook.

You will need a low level jack and something to avoid damaging the chassis paint (I use a modified hockey puck).

[SwankBaton]

Thank you for the replies all, appreciate the time to reply to these kind of Q's

I forgot about the fuel , good shout.