Cerbi 4.5 General Issues.
Discussion
Recently aquired a 1999 V Cerb 4.5 < 7.5 K miles full history etc.This being my first Cerbi having previously had a string of Griffs. Love the car to bits but my initial concerns after about 500 miles are:
1) Slower than my Griff 500 despite recent cam timing service being carried out (although this did improve matters). This defeating the initial object of choosing a 4.5.
2) Seems that in traffic the fans struggle to to keep the engine temperature down. This problem is compounded by the fact that the temperature gauge appears defective. I say this because at the higher temperature readings it either jumps around in 5-10 deg movements or, as often happens, wraps itself around the pressure gauge above!!! What is the cheaper option, a new gauge or an in-car diffibralator?
Any comments would be appreciated.
1) Slower than my Griff 500 despite recent cam timing service being carried out (although this did improve matters). This defeating the initial object of choosing a 4.5.
2) Seems that in traffic the fans struggle to to keep the engine temperature down. This problem is compounded by the fact that the temperature gauge appears defective. I say this because at the higher temperature readings it either jumps around in 5-10 deg movements or, as often happens, wraps itself around the pressure gauge above!!! What is the cheaper option, a new gauge or an in-car diffibralator?
Any comments would be appreciated.
Having owned a Chim500 I can confirm that there is not going to be much in it below 60 - 70mph. The Cerb could certainly 'seem' slower as it does not have as much tourque on tap as the RV8 engines......but if you wind it up it goes like the wind!
As for temps, I've seen 105 in traffic but apperently thats OK!
Hope this helps,
Rob
As for temps, I've seen 105 in traffic but apperently thats OK!
Hope this helps,
Rob
To get a Cerbie to fly... you have to rev it and not drive it like a Rover V8 OAP wagon. 
You don't get peak power until you have gone beyond what the Rover V8 revs to. You also have a long throw on the pedal which means you really need to push it until it stops. New driving technique is required to get the best out of them. Lots of gear changes to keep the revs above 4000 and the car will fly.
The Cerbies run hotter than the Rover V8 cars.
You don't get peak power until you have gone beyond what the Rover V8 revs to. You also have a long throw on the pedal which means you really need to push it until it stops. New driving technique is required to get the best out of them. Lots of gear changes to keep the revs above 4000 and the car will fly. The Cerbies run hotter than the Rover V8 cars.
rjben said:
Having owned a Chim500 I can confirm that there is not going to be much in it below 60 - 70mph. The Cerb could certainly 'seem' slower as it does not have as much tourque on tap as the RV8 engines......but if you wind it up it goes like the wind!
As for temps, I've seen 105 in traffic but apperently thats OK!
Hope this helps,
Rob
Thanks for the response. I must get the gauge replaced before I further investigate the potential cooling issue. The gauge appears to work resonably well up to running temperature and then jumps about between 95 and 110 plus making it imposible to asses whether there is a cooling issue. My comments about the gauge often wrapping itself around the oil gauge was not a joke. At standstill and with the fans running, I have yet to witness the fans cutting out indicating that that all is well. I usually end up chickening out and switching the engine off.
Certainly not my experience at all. I went from Griff 500 to Cerb 4.2 and the difference was like night and day. Even taking into account the different style of power deliveries.
Certainly something wrong if you're using the full rev range. My advice: get it sorted. Could be something really simple like throttle not opening fully, or blocked air filter, etc. etc.
Marc
sitememory.com
Certainly something wrong if you're using the full rev range. My advice: get it sorted. Could be something really simple like throttle not opening fully, or blocked air filter, etc. etc.
Marc
sitememory.com
shpub said:
To get a Cerbie to fly... you have to rev it and not drive it like a Rover V8 OAP wagon.
The Cerbies run hotter than the Rover V8 cars.
Thanks for the response. What is a reasonable but safe rev limmit under hard acceleration and should I await the Rev Bleeper before changing up? There appears to be different schools of thought on this matter.
The gauge is a capillory (sp?) type I believe and if there is air in the system this can cause the gauge to jump around.
The ECU uses a different sensor to get water temp which can be checked by a dealer with a laptop or someone at your local TVR meet may have said laptop and software. You can then see how far the guage is out.
Fans should cut in one at a time and they bring the temp down fairly quickly on mine, guessing as I haven't timed them I would say no more than 1 or 2 mins. This is just after the car has been started and warmed to temp, not a long blast on a hot day.
The ECU uses a different sensor to get water temp which can be checked by a dealer with a laptop or someone at your local TVR meet may have said laptop and software. You can then see how far the guage is out.
Fans should cut in one at a time and they bring the temp down fairly quickly on mine, guessing as I haven't timed them I would say no more than 1 or 2 mins. This is just after the car has been started and warmed to temp, not a long blast on a hot day.
dazbod said:I'm not sure of the numbers, but if I hit the bleeper I was usually too late to change gear. A perfect change was to snatch the next gear just before the bleep iirc.
Thanks for the response. What is a reasonable but safe rev limmit under hard acceleration and should I await the Rev Bleeper before changing up? There appears to be different schools of thought on this matter.
Oh happy days ...
Marc
sitememory.com
Change up as you see 7000 - peak power is unlikely to be beyond 7200, and I think the hard limiter cuts in at 7500. You should get a loup beep as this approaches anyhow.
I don't see how you can imagine it's slower than a griff though - agree with the comment about it being night & day (270ish bhp vs 350ish!)
danny
I don't see how you can imagine it's slower than a griff though - agree with the comment about it being night & day (270ish bhp vs 350ish!)
danny
I had a Griff, no comparison. When I drive my Cerb hard (on the Track) I change gear on or just before the 'bleep'. My 4.5 goes like the wind, but I must admit to chasing a Griff up to 130 on a recent driving day, so either my Cerb is slow or his Griff was fast!
Have it checked over by a reputable garage.
K1 CERB
Have it checked over by a reputable garage.
K1 CERB
I'm in the 'used to have a griff camp' and have to agree, the difference is quite astonishing, but then as steve says the power delivery is so different that you have to rev it a lot harder.
The other thing with a cerb is that because the chassis is more sorted than a griff it might feel slower even if you are in fact going quicker.
D
The other thing with a cerb is that because the chassis is more sorted than a griff it might feel slower even if you are in fact going quicker.
D
davidd said:
I'm in the 'used to have a griff camp' and have to agree, the difference is quite astonishing, but then as steve says the power delivery is so different that you have to rev it a lot harder.
The other thing with a cerb is that because the chassis is more sorted than a griff it might feel slower even if you are in fact going quicker.
D
Coming from a supercharged Elise the Cerb does sometimes 'feel' slower.....until you look down at the speedo
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