HELP! Info needed for MOT tomorrow.
Discussion
I have a 96 Griff 500 with the serpentine engine. It's booked for an MOT tomorrow morning at 0915.
I have just been checking it over for lights working etc when I discovered the windscreen washers did not work. No whirr from the motor, nothing. The first thing I looked for is the washer pump, which is attached to the side of the reservoir, which is in turn attached to the inner wing adjacent to the radiator on the off-side. It's pretty obvious that the pump isn't working because there is no electrical connection to it. Easy, just reconnect the wire, huh?
But no, there is no wire in sight anywhere near the washer bottle. ????
Now, just before I put the car away for the winter, it had a new radiator under warranty, fitted at a main TVR dealer. I have not used the car since then, nor tried the screen washer since before I took it in for the rad to be changed.
My fear is,is the cable and connector somehow trapped under the radiator?
So, good PHers, I need to know the following;
1) Is the pump on the side of the washer bottle the correct one, or is there another one tucked away in some totally inaccessible cranny (God forbid!)
2) If the pump on the side of the bottle is the correct one, what route does the cable follow to approach it?
Many thanks,
Paul.
>>> Edited by B16 RFF on Tuesday 6th April 21:02
I have just been checking it over for lights working etc when I discovered the windscreen washers did not work. No whirr from the motor, nothing. The first thing I looked for is the washer pump, which is attached to the side of the reservoir, which is in turn attached to the inner wing adjacent to the radiator on the off-side. It's pretty obvious that the pump isn't working because there is no electrical connection to it. Easy, just reconnect the wire, huh?
But no, there is no wire in sight anywhere near the washer bottle. ????
Now, just before I put the car away for the winter, it had a new radiator under warranty, fitted at a main TVR dealer. I have not used the car since then, nor tried the screen washer since before I took it in for the rad to be changed.
My fear is,is the cable and connector somehow trapped under the radiator?
So, good PHers, I need to know the following;
1) Is the pump on the side of the washer bottle the correct one, or is there another one tucked away in some totally inaccessible cranny (God forbid!)
2) If the pump on the side of the bottle is the correct one, what route does the cable follow to approach it?
Many thanks,
Paul.
>>> Edited by B16 RFF on Tuesday 6th April 21:02
I don't remember any tester squirting water over my windscreen during any MOTs. Is it in the MOT?
Edited to add: Even if it is, if you can stay with the tester and make friends (but don't crowd him) you could ask him nicely to fix it for a tenner rather than fail you.
>> Edited by simpo two on Tuesday 6th April 21:18
Edited to add: Even if it is, if you can stay with the tester and make friends (but don't crowd him) you could ask him nicely to fix it for a tenner rather than fail you.
>> Edited by simpo two on Tuesday 6th April 21:18
simpo two said:
I don't remember any tester squirting water over my windscreen during any MOTs. Is it in the MOT?
Edited to add: Even if it is, if you can stay with the tester and make friends (but don't crowd him) you could ask him nicely to fix it for a tenner rather than fail you.
>> Edited by simpo two on Tuesday 6th April 21:18
It most definiyely is in the MOT.
He won't be able to fix it if he can't find the cable, and I would rather fix it tonight!!
I just need a clue as to where the cable might be.
Anybody ????????? Time is running out.
Paul.
>> Edited by B16 RFF on Tuesday 6th April 22:05
yes it will be a failure, iyou have to remove the bottle to fit the rad and i have done it mu self when you disconect the wires they can somtimes drop back into the hole behind the washer bottle, a bent coat hanger or welding wire to fish them back out realy is all i can suggest, good luck.
You should be able to see the cable come through a grommet just below the bottle and to the side of the rad. The bottle should just lift out, leave the one way valve on the bottle side of the tube to prevent getting wet feet though some will still come back through the tube from the wiper’s (although maybe not in your case). Be careful not to let the tube disappear into the inner wing, I usually put a cable tie around the pipe to prevent this. When installing the rad this cable often gets trapped behind the bottom location spigot. If this has happened and the mounting foam around the body of the rad has been replaced then it will be difficult to retrieve the wires without draining and disconnecting the hoses.
Good luck,
Simon.
Good luck,
Simon.
simon.b said:
You should be able to see the cable come through a grommet just below the bottle and to the side of the rad. The bottle should just lift out, leave the one way valve on the bottle side of the tube to prevent getting wet feet though some will still come back through the tube from the wiper’s (although maybe not in your case). Be careful not to let the tube disappear into the inner wing, I usually put a cable tie around the pipe to prevent this. When installing the rad this cable often gets trapped behind the bottom location spigot. If this has happened and the mounting foam around the body of the rad has been replaced then it will be difficult to retrieve the wires without draining and disconnecting the hoses.
Good luck,
Simon.
Thanks, guys.
No luck though. The reservoir mounting bracket is screwed to the plate covering the purge canister. There is only one hole a cable could come through, and that is in this plate. I have removed the plate (4 self-tappers) and although there are wires behind it, with a multi-way connector, there is no free wire with blade-type connectors. This appears to be the space behind the headlamp, although the wires are much too thin to be headlamp wiring. I need to remove the headlight access panel to investigate further, but at that point I gave up for now. The MOT has been arranged thru the main dealer that changed the rad, so maybe I will just get them to sort it out.
The glass is cracked on both driving lamps, so maybe it will also fail on that.
My hopes of using the car over Easter are fading fast.
Well, for those that are interested, the cable was trapped under the new radiator. Fortunately, Waldonway were able to release it just by releasing one mounting nut and easing the radiator upwards.
The bad news is that it failed the MOT anyway on 3 points;
Front wheel bearing noisy.
Rear discs corroded on inner face(may clean up though).
And the one that really pees me off, the front upper wishbone bushes. Thanks a bunch (insert name of well known ex-main dealer near Midhurst), you passed it last year when I had already pointed them out to your salesman. But then again, you passed it with a badly leaking rear damper and driving lights pointing at the heavens, so perhaps I should not be too surprised.
PS The car has done barely 2k miles in the year I have owned it.
The bad news is that it failed the MOT anyway on 3 points;
Front wheel bearing noisy.
Rear discs corroded on inner face(may clean up though).
And the one that really pees me off, the front upper wishbone bushes. Thanks a bunch (insert name of well known ex-main dealer near Midhurst), you passed it last year when I had already pointed them out to your salesman. But then again, you passed it with a badly leaking rear damper and driving lights pointing at the heavens, so perhaps I should not be too surprised.
PS The car has done barely 2k miles in the year I have owned it.
RichB said:
Rear discs corroded on inner face(may clean up though).
Doesn't this suggest that the calipers are not gripping the disc properly? Surely the disc should have cleaned up just on the run to the dealers? Sure the piston is not seized? R...
I assume that all is functioning OK, as it did not fail the MOT in that area. I haven't actually looked at the discs yet, too busy wrestling with the front wishbones. I'm not too bothered, as replace or clean up, it's an easy job.
B16 RFF said:In which case the disc cannot be corroded can it?
Rear discs corroded on inner face(may clean up though).
Rich...RichB said:
Rear discs corroded on inner face(may clean up though).
Doesn't this suggest that the calipers are not gripping the disc properly? Surely the disc should have cleaned up just on the run to the dealers? Sure the piston is not seized? R...
I assume that all is functioning OK, as it did not fail the MOT in that area. I haven't actually looked at the discs yet, too busy wrestling with the front wishbones. I'm not too bothered, as replace or clean up, it's an easy job.
In which case the disc cannot be corroded can it?
I suppose it could mean that the disc has corroded and having now been cleaned up by the pads, is worn below minimum thickness. I also think you might be assuming too much in expecting a corroded disc to clean up near perfectly after driving a few miles. I'll take a look tomorrow and report back.
Paul.
Well, it gets worse.
Started to clean up the front o/side wishbone ready for fitting new bushes and painting, when I discovered it had rusted right through the bottom of the channel near the rear bush eye. So it now needs a new wishbone. Checked the n/side one straight away, but it seems OK.
The o/side front wheel bearing is indeed shot. Have managed to get the hub off the car, but it's going to be fun getting the hub nut undone. Luckily I inherited a 3/4" drive socket set from my father when he moved house last year.
In disconnecting the TRE ball joint and the upright lower balljoint, I damaged the rubber boots with my splitting tool. I have heard the lower joint is unobtainable (unless anyone knows differently) so have done a tempoary repair with silicon sealant and will put in an order to TVR. Hopefully the TRE will be easier to come by.
As for the rear discs, I have felt them through the spokes of the wheels, and they don't seem too bad !!!
Oh, and one last thing. To get it on the ramps for the MOT, they removed the splitter under the radiator.
They forgot to replace it, and didn't put it in the car. What are my chances of getting it back?
Started to clean up the front o/side wishbone ready for fitting new bushes and painting, when I discovered it had rusted right through the bottom of the channel near the rear bush eye.
So it now needs a new wishbone. Checked the n/side one straight away, but it seems OK. The o/side front wheel bearing is indeed shot. Have managed to get the hub off the car, but it's going to be fun getting the hub nut undone. Luckily I inherited a 3/4" drive socket set from my father when he moved house last year.
In disconnecting the TRE ball joint and the upright lower balljoint, I damaged the rubber boots with my splitting tool. I have heard the lower joint is unobtainable (unless anyone knows differently) so have done a tempoary repair with silicon sealant and will put in an order to TVR. Hopefully the TRE will be easier to come by.
As for the rear discs, I have felt them through the spokes of the wheels, and they don't seem too bad !!!
Oh, and one last thing. To get it on the ramps for the MOT, they removed the splitter under the radiator.
They forgot to replace it, and didn't put it in the car. What are my chances of getting it back?
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