New Chimera Owner, some questions
Discussion
Hi,
I am the happy new owner of a chimera, (about 3 months now) i have had her serviced by leven Tech @ Basildon, and she runs like dream, However i have a couple of questions and maybe you guys can help:
1. the car is pulling a current from the battery when the ignition is off, an auto electrician have removed the curtesy light delay relay as this was the problem, however the windows operate even when the keys are not in the ignition, is this correct.
2. The odeometer has stopped at 49k on the speedo, the service history shows a new clock fitted at 10k, is this a common problem and where can i buy a new speedo (if it cant be fixed)
3. although she has been serviced recently she ticks over at about 1200 rpm is this right?
Apart from the above this is one great toy and i grin from ear to ear every time i get behind the wheel, i would recommend one of these to any one.
Steve
>> Edited by Stephenwillson@b on Saturday 26th November 18:07
I am the happy new owner of a chimera, (about 3 months now) i have had her serviced by leven Tech @ Basildon, and she runs like dream, However i have a couple of questions and maybe you guys can help:
1. the car is pulling a current from the battery when the ignition is off, an auto electrician have removed the curtesy light delay relay as this was the problem, however the windows operate even when the keys are not in the ignition, is this correct.
2. The odeometer has stopped at 49k on the speedo, the service history shows a new clock fitted at 10k, is this a common problem and where can i buy a new speedo (if it cant be fixed)
3. although she has been serviced recently she ticks over at about 1200 rpm is this right?
Apart from the above this is one great toy and i grin from ear to ear every time i get behind the wheel, i would recommend one of these to any one.
Steve
>> Edited by Stephenwillson@b on Saturday 26th November 18:07
Hello and welcome.
I can't answer any of your questions as i'm relatively new to the TVR ownership myself but someone will be along to do so shortly i'm sure although alot are away at BT&P today.
you might want to learn to spell the name of your car aswell it's C.H.I.M.A.E.R.A
Glyn.
>> Edited by Hood on Saturday 26th November 18:18
I can't answer any of your questions as i'm relatively new to the TVR ownership myself but someone will be along to do so shortly i'm sure although alot are away at BT&P today.
you might want to learn to spell the name of your car aswell it's C.H.I.M.A.E.R.A
Glyn.
>> Edited by Hood on Saturday 26th November 18:18
Stephenwillson@b said:Hi steve, and welcome to the fold.
Hi,
I am the happy new owner of a chimera, (about 3 months now) i have had her serviced by leven Tech @ Basildon, and she runs like dream, However i have a couple of questions and maybe you guys can help:
1. the car is pulling a current from the battery when the ignition is off, an auto electrician have removed the curtesy light delay relay as this was the problem, however the windows operate even when the keys are not in the ignition, is this correct.
2. The odeometer has stopped at 49k on the speedo, the service history shows a new clock fitted at 10k, is this a common problem and where can i buy a new speedo (if it cant be fixed)
3. although she has been serviced recently she ticks over at about 1200 rpm is this right?
Apart from the above this is one great toy and i grin from ear to ear every time i get behind the wheel, i would recommend one of these to any one.
Steve
>> Edited by Stephenwillson@b on Saturday 26th November 18:07
In answer to your questions...
1) IIRC, the courtesy light switch is used for the alarm - senses the door opening, so should be left connected. (just re-read your post - you don't actually say that the light is no longer operational, so maybe disconnecting the relay won't affect the alarm)
Second part to your question - yes, the windows will operate with the ignition off.
2) You might like to get your garage to check the speedo sensor is set up correctly - common problem, causes the speedo to stop working (not sure from your post whether the speedo is still working and just the odo is not)
3) Does sound a little fast - can't recall what mine runs at, but at a guess, around 800 - 1000 rpm.
I'm happy to be corrected on any of the above comments!
Paul
>> Edited by chim666 on Saturday 26th November 18:21
Steve,
The speedo/odometer sticking is pretty common.....generally happens when al the 9's come up.....I believe you can get them fixed (have a look in the bible)
The rpm sounds a little high, have a look and see if the stepper motor's clean, mine seems to do this sometimes as well...same as the odometer!
Dunno about the current drain, wouldn't have thought an energised coil on a relay would draw enough current to be noticable.
Neil
The speedo/odometer sticking is pretty common.....generally happens when al the 9's come up.....I believe you can get them fixed (have a look in the bible)
The rpm sounds a little high, have a look and see if the stepper motor's clean, mine seems to do this sometimes as well...same as the odometer!
Dunno about the current drain, wouldn't have thought an energised coil on a relay would draw enough current to be noticable.
Neil
225 said:
Hello!
I'm far from the most knowledgeable of people on PH but..
The windows shouldn't go do down with out the ignition on .
Whether they should or not is debateable, but they do and as a warning the cigarette lighter remains live as well. This means that you have to be careful as if you plug anything in, such as a camera detector and forget to unplug it your battery can run flat.
As far as the speedo is concerned mine stuck at 29999, but fortunately freed itself after only a couple of miles (I couldn't try constantly using the trip reset as this is broken
) I was told that if it didn't free up Smiths do repairs, but this can take a few weeks and it's obviously illegal to drive without a speedo.
Stephenwillson@b said:
1. the car is pulling a current from the battery when the ignition is off, an auto electrician have removed the curtesy light delay relay as this was the problem, however the windows operate even when the keys are not in the ignition, is this correct.
2. The odeometer has stopped at 49k on the speedo, the service history shows a new clock fitted at 10k, is this a common problem and where can i buy a new speedo (if it cant be fixed)
3. although she has been serviced recently she ticks over at about 1200 rpm is this right?
Hello, and welcome to the mad house!
1: the car will pull a current from the battery, the clock and alarm are both powered without the ignition being on. And the windows will operate without the ignition. They are wired to the main battery bus.
2: If it has stopped at 49999 or 48999 then this is a known problem with the speedo and should sort its self with time, if not you can get the speedo repaired for about £50.
3: If the car is cold then thats about right, if its hot then thats too high, unless your running your air con, power steering, headlights, blower fan, and radio at the same time! To solve it clean the stepper motor.
I would suggest getting yourself a copy of the bible, its about £30 and a god send when trying to figure out all the idiosyncrasies of the chim.
Hi Steve,
Congrats on buying a Chim. I'm sure you will be very happy with her if you keep on top of the little 'personality traits' that all TVR's have.
Ive had my 450 for about 6 months. All great so far.
I think the Speedo issues etc have been well covered.
With regards to the Idle speed, i would of thought Leven would have set that correctly as well as sorting the stepper motor out..
But as far as i am aware, if she is idling at 1200rpm without loads of electrical things on and not cold i would have a little re-check on the stepper.
The Steve Heath bible for the Chim/Griffith is very handy to have as it does address alot of the questions you have.
Also, this forum is pretty good as there is no substitue for experience!
Since all TVR's are hand made i always think you need to treat each car a little individually but on mine the Electric Windows work regardless.. But you do need your finger on the window switch of course
One thing i would say, if you dont use your car regularly the battery will go flat.
The alarm etc does drain the battery. It has been said on here it takes about 2 weeks on a good battery. But remember the weather is really cold and batteries tend to fail alot more in this cold weather.
Either use your car every day (or every few) Best bet i say!!
Or have a trickle charge like people do for their motorbikes.
Most of all enjoy it. I personally think overall, its one of the best, if not the best TVR ever made!
Cheers,
Nick
Congrats on buying a Chim. I'm sure you will be very happy with her if you keep on top of the little 'personality traits' that all TVR's have.
Ive had my 450 for about 6 months. All great so far.
I think the Speedo issues etc have been well covered.
With regards to the Idle speed, i would of thought Leven would have set that correctly as well as sorting the stepper motor out..
But as far as i am aware, if she is idling at 1200rpm without loads of electrical things on and not cold i would have a little re-check on the stepper.
The Steve Heath bible for the Chim/Griffith is very handy to have as it does address alot of the questions you have.
Also, this forum is pretty good as there is no substitue for experience!
Since all TVR's are hand made i always think you need to treat each car a little individually but on mine the Electric Windows work regardless.. But you do need your finger on the window switch of course
One thing i would say, if you dont use your car regularly the battery will go flat.
The alarm etc does drain the battery. It has been said on here it takes about 2 weeks on a good battery. But remember the weather is really cold and batteries tend to fail alot more in this cold weather.
Either use your car every day (or every few) Best bet i say!!
Or have a trickle charge like people do for their motorbikes.
Most of all enjoy it. I personally think overall, its one of the best, if not the best TVR ever made!
Cheers,
Nick
It is not unusual to see some current drain, however it does vary car to car.
Tickover at 1200 rpm with a warm engine, no load, is too high. We did set the tickover on service so something has changed. As a general comment is is usually one of the following:- stepper motor, air bleed adjustment or an induction air leak. The stepper motors do not usually get as dirty as people think so in our experience this is the least likly reason. We have spoken to the owner and this car is coming back in for a check and reset.
A speedo (or method of establishing speed) ia a MOT test requirement. It is also required at all times when the vehicle is being driven. A mile counter is not a legal requirement as it is a maintenance feature.
>> Edited by leventech on Monday 28th November 11:24
Tickover at 1200 rpm with a warm engine, no load, is too high. We did set the tickover on service so something has changed. As a general comment is is usually one of the following:- stepper motor, air bleed adjustment or an induction air leak. The stepper motors do not usually get as dirty as people think so in our experience this is the least likly reason. We have spoken to the owner and this car is coming back in for a check and reset.
A speedo (or method of establishing speed) ia a MOT test requirement. It is also required at all times when the vehicle is being driven. A mile counter is not a legal requirement as it is a maintenance feature.
>> Edited by leventech on Monday 28th November 11:24
Thanks guys for your help, Leven Tech have been very helpful and have contacted me today, i shall give her a good run this weekend, to see if the revs problem is when its just when she is cold.
Regarding the speedo, the speedo itself works fine, just the mileometer is stuck on 49k, a couple of you mention smiths, does anyone have any contact details?
Regarding "the Bible", i have put this on my list from the kids this Christmas.
Thanks
Steve
Regarding the speedo, the speedo itself works fine, just the mileometer is stuck on 49k, a couple of you mention smiths, does anyone have any contact details?
Regarding "the Bible", i have put this on my list from the kids this Christmas.
Thanks
Steve
I belive that www.speedycables.co.uk can fix the odometer stick. They have been mentioned a few times in the past.
1,200 rpm tickover - Too high, but you already know that. 800 to 1000 sounds about right.
Electric Windows still work with no keys in ignition - This happens on all TVRs that I have ever encountered.
For the odometer sticking issue, i.e. stuck on 49,999 and won't click round to 50,000. Have heard from people that reversing, going forwards, reversing again etc can sometimes do just enough to unstick it. Worth trying before you take your dashboard out.
Electric Windows still work with no keys in ignition - This happens on all TVRs that I have ever encountered.
For the odometer sticking issue, i.e. stuck on 49,999 and won't click round to 50,000. Have heard from people that reversing, going forwards, reversing again etc can sometimes do just enough to unstick it. Worth trying before you take your dashboard out.
2 Smokin Barrels said:
Hello!
I'm far from the most knowledgeable of people on PH but..
The windows shouldn't go do down with out the ignition on as far as I'm aware
Wrong! Tis as said above.
I'm with 2SB (not often you'll catch me saying that
) my '99 Chim windows work without ignition, but radio doesn't. Wonder if your '01 car is wired differently 225?Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff