SOB !Chimaera won't play!
Discussion
I had planned a lovely evening's spin, and my Chimaera won't start! (P-96 4.0HC)
A quick call to a friend suggested the starter motor, so I searched the topics and had a good read through the different strings. Other PH's experiences sound similar.
I have tried rocking the car in 2nd and 3rd gear, waiting for some magic sound to happen, but all I got was out of breath, and muscular arms. Each time I tried the ignition 2 or 3 times. The lights come on, fuel pump does its' thing, turn the key...I get the sound right before she(normally)roars into life, then....silence. I try again, then get a ratatatat sound, like a kids' machine gun!!
My purse is already shaking at the prospect of an expensive repair. The car is under warranty, so hopefully if it's major, it's covered. I have read the Bible, page 129/130. The headlamps shine brightly (no dimming), so I suspect it's not the battery !!?? I drove it last Tuesday, and there was no suggestion of any trouble. She ran as smoothly as she always does (did)!
Can anyone shed any possible light on this? Other than crawling under the car (not an option)???
A quick call to a friend suggested the starter motor, so I searched the topics and had a good read through the different strings. Other PH's experiences sound similar.
I have tried rocking the car in 2nd and 3rd gear, waiting for some magic sound to happen, but all I got was out of breath, and muscular arms. Each time I tried the ignition 2 or 3 times. The lights come on, fuel pump does its' thing, turn the key...I get the sound right before she(normally)roars into life, then....silence. I try again, then get a ratatatat sound, like a kids' machine gun!!
My purse is already shaking at the prospect of an expensive repair. The car is under warranty, so hopefully if it's major, it's covered. I have read the Bible, page 129/130. The headlamps shine brightly (no dimming), so I suspect it's not the battery !!?? I drove it last Tuesday, and there was no suggestion of any trouble. She ran as smoothly as she always does (did)!
Can anyone shed any possible light on this? Other than crawling under the car (not an option)???
Stay tuned...
UPDATE:
Sorry for not updating sooner. The sun gods of Spain beckoned, and I disappeared for a week
I took the suggestion of battery trouble and got the cables out. Rolled "Ruby" out of the garage today. Parked the Golf alongside. Began the process of getting at the Chimaera battery - what an ordeal! Would have been a great photo op...seeing only a pair of legs sticking out the passenger side
Finally, the cables stayed in place...some running from car to car.....turn the key...and VVVRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!! 
Waited 'til the Ascot traffic died down, then took her for a blat down the M4 this afternoon. I'm going to the Berks meet at 19:30. Hopefully, she'll start up again!
Thanks for all your suggestions and help
>> Edited by rivergirrl on Tuesday 18th June 18:13
Sorry for not updating sooner. The sun gods of Spain beckoned, and I disappeared for a week
I took the suggestion of battery trouble and got the cables out. Rolled "Ruby" out of the garage today. Parked the Golf alongside. Began the process of getting at the Chimaera battery - what an ordeal! Would have been a great photo op...seeing only a pair of legs sticking out the passenger side
Finally, the cables stayed in place...some running from car to car.....turn the key...and VVVRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!! Waited 'til the Ascot traffic died down, then took her for a blat down the M4 this afternoon. I'm going to the Berks meet at 19:30. Hopefully, she'll start up again!
Thanks for all your suggestions and help
>> Edited by rivergirrl on Tuesday 18th June 18:13
quote:
UPDATE:
Sorry for not updating sooner. The sun gods of Spain beckoned, and I disappeared for a week
I took the suggestion of battery trouble and got the cables out. Rolled "Ruby" out of the garage today. Parked the Golf alongside. Began the process of getting at the Chimaera battery - what an ordeal! Would have been a great photo op...seeing only a pair of legs sticking out the passenger side
Waited 'til the Ascot traffic died down, then took her for a blat down the M4 this afternoon. I'm going to the Berks meet at 19:30. Hopefully, she'll start up again!
Thanks for all your suggestions and help
>> Edited by rivergirrl on Tuesday 18th June 18:13
Did you run the car without touching the throttle, untill the fans cut in? this resets the ECU to the correct parameters.
quote:
Did you run the car without touching the throttle, untill the fans cut in? this resets the ECU to the correct parameters.
Kerniki, are you sure?
I thought a straightforward disconnect of the power to the ECU for a minute or so did a standard reset... How does the ECU know that the fans have kicked in anyway?
H
Think there are two things going on here which may be causing confusion.
First, if the ECU detects a persistent fault it provides a fault code saying what it thinks is wrong, and for some faults it goes into fallback mode. From the driver's point of view it runs like a dog, but at least you don't wreck the engine. If you power the ECU off for a couple of minutes this fault code is lost and the ECU goes back into 'normal' mode. If there's still a persistent fault it'll start sulking again soon, but in the mean time it may run better. I think that's what most people mean when they talk about an ECU reset.
The other thing going on is that the ECU has a small amount of adaptive fuelling. It's very fussy about when it does it, but once in a blue moon the ECU will deign to update the adaptive fuelling setting. I think it requires the coolant temp sensor to be in range, the right RPM for long enough, and probably some other stuff too. Apparently the conditions are quite strict and some engines never satisfy them and never adapt. As I understand it, this only affects cruising rather than flat out power so obviously it isn't very important!
Hope this makes sense!
Peter Humpries (and a green V8S)
First, if the ECU detects a persistent fault it provides a fault code saying what it thinks is wrong, and for some faults it goes into fallback mode. From the driver's point of view it runs like a dog, but at least you don't wreck the engine. If you power the ECU off for a couple of minutes this fault code is lost and the ECU goes back into 'normal' mode. If there's still a persistent fault it'll start sulking again soon, but in the mean time it may run better. I think that's what most people mean when they talk about an ECU reset.
The other thing going on is that the ECU has a small amount of adaptive fuelling. It's very fussy about when it does it, but once in a blue moon the ECU will deign to update the adaptive fuelling setting. I think it requires the coolant temp sensor to be in range, the right RPM for long enough, and probably some other stuff too. Apparently the conditions are quite strict and some engines never satisfy them and never adapt. As I understand it, this only affects cruising rather than flat out power so obviously it isn't very important!
Hope this makes sense!
Peter Humpries (and a green V8S)
Kerniki,
Yes, I did. I left her running in the drive for about 10-15 minutes, checking every few to see if the fans had come on (I had to run it outside the house, as I live in Ascot, and to have ventured out on the roads prior first race would have been lunacy
)
I went out to the Berks meet later this evening, and she turned over as though there had been no problem! I am driving with some TVR Berks members to Castle Combe this Sunday, so a good holler down the motorway and local roads should have her fired back to normal.
Yes, I did. I left her running in the drive for about 10-15 minutes, checking every few to see if the fans had come on (I had to run it outside the house, as I live in Ascot, and to have ventured out on the roads prior first race would have been lunacy
) I went out to the Berks meet later this evening, and she turned over as though there had been no problem! I am driving with some TVR Berks members to Castle Combe this Sunday, so a good holler down the motorway and local roads should have her fired back to normal.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff