Right - catalogue of issues
Discussion
Dusted the Griff off over the last weekend of March and having had an MOT and some tinkering down by Austec.
The Griff over the last 11 years has been unbelieveably reliable. Never had any issues other than normal wear and tear.
However, that appears to have changed over night.
Leaks badly in rain when parked. Water almost pours in via the back, near side vent below the hood.
Alternator packed up (no issue there. After 12 years you can hardly complain).
Fuel guage packed in.
First two steps on wiper arm no longer working.
First 2 steps on heater fan no longer working, but now the whole game has packed in on that front.
Each bit on their own I can write off as old age but just wondering if the fact that all of this has gone at the same time could be linked in any way to one event.
Any ideas?
The Griff over the last 11 years has been unbelieveably reliable. Never had any issues other than normal wear and tear.
However, that appears to have changed over night.
Leaks badly in rain when parked. Water almost pours in via the back, near side vent below the hood.
Alternator packed up (no issue there. After 12 years you can hardly complain).
Fuel guage packed in.
First two steps on wiper arm no longer working.
First 2 steps on heater fan no longer working, but now the whole game has packed in on that front.
Each bit on their own I can write off as old age but just wondering if the fact that all of this has gone at the same time could be linked in any way to one event.
Any ideas?
Hi monkey,
I suspect you are spot on, rheostats often burn themselves out and I am assuming that this is what has happened.
It's just interesting that a host of very similar things have cropped up at the same time.
The only thing I have thought of is that with the car starting to leak for the first time ever that maybe the raised moisture content in the car over winter (even though there was a heater in the car) has precipitated some corrosion at the points for the switchgear in question.
That still doesn't explain the fuel guage but that worked when it was dropped off for the service and not when it was picked up so should get that sorted separately.
I suspect you are spot on, rheostats often burn themselves out and I am assuming that this is what has happened.
It's just interesting that a host of very similar things have cropped up at the same time.
The only thing I have thought of is that with the car starting to leak for the first time ever that maybe the raised moisture content in the car over winter (even though there was a heater in the car) has precipitated some corrosion at the points for the switchgear in question.
That still doesn't explain the fuel guage but that worked when it was dropped off for the service and not when it was picked up so should get that sorted separately.
Replaced alternator. The new one made a funny whirring noise and voltmeter was move alongside the rev counter. After about 5 miles it blew.
Went and got another and so far it is fine.
Fan belt dissintegrated at the weekend. Had a spare in boot. Fitted, all fine.
Car then over heats as about 2 hours later what must have been a bit of belt is wedged into on of the cooling fans causing the fuse to blow.
Annoying, tinny rattle is also now eminating from somewhere under the middle of the car. Suspect it is an object sitting by the pips on the metal under tray, or something has come through the engine and is languishing in the actual pipe.
Wipers, fuel guage, heater still not working.
Hood has started to leak during very heavy rain.
Car is not fun to use at present.
The 540 has started developing some issues as well and I'm going to chop that in. The whole purpose of that car is that it is bullet proof. Testing XKRs this weekend.
Generally unimpressed with cars at present. They seem fine until they go to a garage for a service and then all sorts of crap starts to go wrong.
Went and got another and so far it is fine.
Fan belt dissintegrated at the weekend. Had a spare in boot. Fitted, all fine.
Car then over heats as about 2 hours later what must have been a bit of belt is wedged into on of the cooling fans causing the fuse to blow.
Annoying, tinny rattle is also now eminating from somewhere under the middle of the car. Suspect it is an object sitting by the pips on the metal under tray, or something has come through the engine and is languishing in the actual pipe.
Wipers, fuel guage, heater still not working.
Hood has started to leak during very heavy rain.
Car is not fun to use at present.
The 540 has started developing some issues as well and I'm going to chop that in. The whole purpose of that car is that it is bullet proof. Testing XKRs this weekend.
Generally unimpressed with cars at present. They seem fine until they go to a garage for a service and then all sorts of crap starts to go wrong.
Horse_Apple said:
Wipers, fuel guage, heater still not working.
For your wipers, check the relay in the passenger footwell. Mine is blue and 2nd row down, 3rd from left. So your first thing would be to poke your head down in the passenger footwell and make sure all the relays are seated properly.
Alternatively, check the connector next to the bonnet gas spring on the passenger side. You can just about ease it apart to check the state of the terminals.
IPAddis said:
Hood has started to leak during very heavy rain.
Have you reproofed it? Needs doing regularly.
No, but I have given it a stern telling off.
It was next on the list. Give it a shampoo and then a spray. All I found in the garage last weekend was a can for Barbers. I had a feeling that I shouldn't use this
barreti said:
Wipers, fuel guage, heater still not working.
For your wipers, check the relay in the passenger footwell. Mine is blue and 2nd row down, 3rd from left. So your first thing would be to poke your head down in the passenger footwell and make sure all the relays are seated properly.
Alternatively, check the connector next to the bonnet gas spring on the passenger side. You can just about ease it apart to check the state of the terminals.
Thanks. Would that cover the fact that they work on the third setting but not the first 2?
I have had most of the same probs as you bar the wipers. 1st the alternator packed up then, so got a new one reconnected the battery, couldn't turn the alarm off with the blipper, got a new blipper, still no joy, checked alarm electrics out, corroded to hell and circuit board knackered on siren and alarm itself, got new alarm fitted, this caused more probs with fuel pump power feed, these were sorted with a tip from this site, now the fuel guage doesn't work, zero, zilch, I suspect there was a power feed via the old immobiliser, but God knows which one, if anyone has any ideas (Northern Paul?) I'd be very gratefull.
Many thanks.
Many thanks.
Manifolds started leaking last weekend, only weeks after having them dealt with at Austec.
Nasty tinny rattle from the pipes has developed as well. Sounds like the little undertray is loose but isn't. Discounted the theory of a stone or somesuch sitting on the tray by the pipes.
Disconnected the jammed cooling fan so as to stop the fuse from blowing and need to take it apart or just lob some money at the problem.
All in, I'm about ready to stick it back in the garage and leave it there.
Good thing I own a nice, big, safe, practical German car as well.
Nasty tinny rattle from the pipes has developed as well. Sounds like the little undertray is loose but isn't. Discounted the theory of a stone or somesuch sitting on the tray by the pipes.
Disconnected the jammed cooling fan so as to stop the fuse from blowing and need to take it apart or just lob some money at the problem.
All in, I'm about ready to stick it back in the garage and leave it there.
Good thing I own a nice, big, safe, practical German car as well.
Time for an update:
Went to TVR Centre in Barnet on Saturday and purchased a few items. As always a pleasure to deal with the chaps in the parts department.
New cooling fan fitted and working perfectly, so back onto two fans just as the weather turns cold again.
Roof re-sealed and no more leaks. Must kick myself for being a total idiot on that front. Took several months to work out where the water was coming from and it was only when I finally got caught in a thunderstorm two weeks ago that I saw the water pooring in through the side section.
New switchgear did not fix the wiper problem, but have realised that intermitant wiper setting and heater are on same fuse. This had blown but replacing it did not solve the problem. Obviously there is a short or some other issue elsewhere in the loom?
The hideous exhaust rattle was fixed for 48 hours by replacing all 6 central mounting bushes of which a couple had seen better days. The rattle is back but not as bad. This is related to when the exhaust was sleeved and there is bad resonance indicating that it has not been re-fitted 100% correctly.
Will have a go at tightening up the bolts now they have had a chance to bed in but suspect I will end up taking the whole lot off and re-mounting it.
Fuel guage still not working and the horn has given up the ghost (think I know how to fix that. The whell needs to come off and the brass ring needs adjusting outwards to make better connection).
Does anyone else have a fuse box which crackles every so often as something like a relay is arcing. Mine has allways done it but I've never been 100% happy about it
Any ideas on any of the above will be gratefully recieved and thanks already for all the pointers which have been a huge help.
Oh, and one last little issue: If you switch off the ignition for a moment when hot and restart the car has all the symptons of having a very flat battery.
It turns over slowly, getting slower and then dies. I have a booster in the boot and I wait five mins, connect it and fire the wagon up. The obvious thoughts are that the battery is on its last legs but all seems fine. So most mysterious.
>> Edited by Horse_Apple on Thursday 16th June 14:21
Went to TVR Centre in Barnet on Saturday and purchased a few items. As always a pleasure to deal with the chaps in the parts department.
New cooling fan fitted and working perfectly, so back onto two fans just as the weather turns cold again.
Roof re-sealed and no more leaks. Must kick myself for being a total idiot on that front. Took several months to work out where the water was coming from and it was only when I finally got caught in a thunderstorm two weeks ago that I saw the water pooring in through the side section.
New switchgear did not fix the wiper problem, but have realised that intermitant wiper setting and heater are on same fuse. This had blown but replacing it did not solve the problem. Obviously there is a short or some other issue elsewhere in the loom?
The hideous exhaust rattle was fixed for 48 hours by replacing all 6 central mounting bushes of which a couple had seen better days. The rattle is back but not as bad. This is related to when the exhaust was sleeved and there is bad resonance indicating that it has not been re-fitted 100% correctly.
Will have a go at tightening up the bolts now they have had a chance to bed in but suspect I will end up taking the whole lot off and re-mounting it.
Fuel guage still not working and the horn has given up the ghost (think I know how to fix that. The whell needs to come off and the brass ring needs adjusting outwards to make better connection).
Does anyone else have a fuse box which crackles every so often as something like a relay is arcing. Mine has allways done it but I've never been 100% happy about it
Any ideas on any of the above will be gratefully recieved and thanks already for all the pointers which have been a huge help.
Oh, and one last little issue: If you switch off the ignition for a moment when hot and restart the car has all the symptons of having a very flat battery.
It turns over slowly, getting slower and then dies. I have a booster in the boot and I wait five mins, connect it and fire the wagon up. The obvious thoughts are that the battery is on its last legs but all seems fine. So most mysterious.
>> Edited by Horse_Apple on Thursday 16th June 14:21
Horse Apple,
Glad to hear you are slowly getting your problemets sorted. I cannot help with most of your current list of woes until the last one associated with the starter motor.
There has been much discussion over the last few months concerning poor or non-existent hot starting. Fortunately I have not suffered from the problem but as I understand it, it is to do with available voltage at the starter, and as a rectification a relay can be fiited in the starter supply and located in the battery space in the N/S footwell to supply full battery voltage.
This relay can be obtained as a kit with all wires and instructions etc from modwise.com but I expect David Beer will pop in to explain it more precisely.
Cheers Paul
>> Edited by Dutchone on Thursday 16th June 16:12
>> Edited by Dutchone on Thursday 16th June 16:13
Glad to hear you are slowly getting your problemets sorted. I cannot help with most of your current list of woes until the last one associated with the starter motor.
There has been much discussion over the last few months concerning poor or non-existent hot starting. Fortunately I have not suffered from the problem but as I understand it, it is to do with available voltage at the starter, and as a rectification a relay can be fiited in the starter supply and located in the battery space in the N/S footwell to supply full battery voltage.
This relay can be obtained as a kit with all wires and instructions etc from modwise.com but I expect David Beer will pop in to explain it more precisely.
Cheers Paul
>> Edited by Dutchone on Thursday 16th June 16:12
>> Edited by Dutchone on Thursday 16th June 16:13
Horse_Apple said:
(think I know how to fix that. The whell needs to come off and the brass ring needs adjusting outwards to make better connection).
Actually it's the wheel
Can you adjust the brass ring? Would have saved me a whole load of grief!
I've had to solder a short length of tinned copper tube (cut off an electrical ring terminal) to lenghten the sprung pin which contacts the brass ring on the wheel boss.
Two worthwhile starter mods, the relay to cure the "no crank" and a short heavy lead from the battery neg to the engine block, to cure the slow crank. I poked mine through the same hole as the battery breather, but of course i had to over size it and seal afterwards. Aim for cable the size of jump leads.
Thanks Guys,
The hot start issue is a bugger. It is also linked to the fact that if it does start you will then stall on tick over for the next 15 minutes or so.
All of these issues have appeared since having the thing tuned. Should have left well alone to be honest.
So, sometimes it acts as if the battery is almost flat and requires a portable booster to get it going and other times it will start but then keep stalling.
Re the contact ring on the wheel I was going to see if it could be extracted, packed out and re-fitted. The other alternative is to add to the brass plug on the column as you have done. It's always been intermitant as it is not earthed properly and fouls up but is now clearly not making contact since I took everything off to get at the wiper switch!!!!!!!
Ran the car down to Exeter this weekend and it was a dream bar the niggles. The exhaust is back to rattling and there is clear resonance. A sure sign that it is not fitted properly. Had exactly the same on a Jaguar and it took Kwik Fit 3 attempts to do it properly to rid the horrible boom at a certain rev.
Decided that I will do all the work myself going forward. I do on the other cars and just got into a bad habit of paying for someone else to do the Griff. And no more faffing about either. It wasn't broke and I shouldn't have messed around.
Lesson learned and being undone.
Thanks again for all the input.
The hot start issue is a bugger. It is also linked to the fact that if it does start you will then stall on tick over for the next 15 minutes or so.
All of these issues have appeared since having the thing tuned. Should have left well alone to be honest.
So, sometimes it acts as if the battery is almost flat and requires a portable booster to get it going and other times it will start but then keep stalling.
Re the contact ring on the wheel I was going to see if it could be extracted, packed out and re-fitted. The other alternative is to add to the brass plug on the column as you have done. It's always been intermitant as it is not earthed properly and fouls up but is now clearly not making contact since I took everything off to get at the wiper switch!!!!!!!
Ran the car down to Exeter this weekend and it was a dream bar the niggles. The exhaust is back to rattling and there is clear resonance. A sure sign that it is not fitted properly. Had exactly the same on a Jaguar and it took Kwik Fit 3 attempts to do it properly to rid the horrible boom at a certain rev.
Decided that I will do all the work myself going forward. I do on the other cars and just got into a bad habit of paying for someone else to do the Griff. And no more faffing about either. It wasn't broke and I shouldn't have messed around.
Lesson learned and being undone.
Thanks again for all the input.
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