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2000 450 Chimaera 43000 on the clock.
Bought it 9 months ago and until today has not missed a beat.
Today after about 20 miles on a run it started to miss probably on a couple of cylinders but since it had not happened before difficult to be accurate. Decided to accelerate and see what happened car accelerated and then cut out. Pulled off the road and lifted the bonnet to see if there was anything obvious, there wasn't. Put bonnet down and tried to start car it started easily and we decided to return home. Returned home no issues at all. Once home had another look under the bonnet nothing obvious and revved well with no missing. Decided to put car away in garage and analyse fault codes if any tomorrow. Started car and revs went to 2000 and stayed there.(Since car was hot expected idle to be under 1000) Put car in garage and noticed ignition warning light was on. ( It was a bright day today in Lincolnshire for a change and the ignition warning light would not have been very obvious.)
Any thoughts guys before I tackle it tomorrow?
Bought it 9 months ago and until today has not missed a beat.
Today after about 20 miles on a run it started to miss probably on a couple of cylinders but since it had not happened before difficult to be accurate. Decided to accelerate and see what happened car accelerated and then cut out. Pulled off the road and lifted the bonnet to see if there was anything obvious, there wasn't. Put bonnet down and tried to start car it started easily and we decided to return home. Returned home no issues at all. Once home had another look under the bonnet nothing obvious and revved well with no missing. Decided to put car away in garage and analyse fault codes if any tomorrow. Started car and revs went to 2000 and stayed there.(Since car was hot expected idle to be under 1000) Put car in garage and noticed ignition warning light was on. ( It was a bright day today in Lincolnshire for a change and the ignition warning light would not have been very obvious.)
Any thoughts guys before I tackle it tomorrow?
jeffwithaj said:
2000 450 Chimaera 43000 on the clock.
Bought it 9 months ago and until today has not missed a beat.
Today after about 20 miles on a run it started to miss probably on a couple of cylinders but since it had not happened before difficult to be accurate. Decided to accelerate and see what happened car accelerated and then cut out. Pulled off the road and lifted the bonnet to see if there was anything obvious, there wasn't. Put bonnet down and tried to start car it started easily and we decided to return home. Returned home no issues at all. Once home had another look under the bonnet nothing obvious and revved well with no missing. Decided to put car away in garage and analyse fault codes if any tomorrow. Started car and revs went to 2000 and stayed there.(Since car was hot expected idle to be under 1000) Put car in garage and noticed ignition warning light was on. ( It was a bright day today in Lincolnshire for a change and the ignition warning light would not have been very obvious.)
Any thoughts guys before I tackle it tomorrow?
Ignition warning light means (I think) that the alternator isn't charging the battery. Could be a number of things:Bought it 9 months ago and until today has not missed a beat.
Today after about 20 miles on a run it started to miss probably on a couple of cylinders but since it had not happened before difficult to be accurate. Decided to accelerate and see what happened car accelerated and then cut out. Pulled off the road and lifted the bonnet to see if there was anything obvious, there wasn't. Put bonnet down and tried to start car it started easily and we decided to return home. Returned home no issues at all. Once home had another look under the bonnet nothing obvious and revved well with no missing. Decided to put car away in garage and analyse fault codes if any tomorrow. Started car and revs went to 2000 and stayed there.(Since car was hot expected idle to be under 1000) Put car in garage and noticed ignition warning light was on. ( It was a bright day today in Lincolnshire for a change and the ignition warning light would not have been very obvious.)
Any thoughts guys before I tackle it tomorrow?
Poor earth on the battery
100 amp fuse gone
Battery not too well
Alternator fault
Where in Lincs are you? I have some 100 amp fuses somewhere!
It's classic 100amp fuse symptoms.
Lack of charge from the alternator, battery slowly dies.
As battery slowly dies, you lose the ability to generate enough spark to fire the mixture at higher rpms / loading, soon you are limping along, and before long it will die.
I have heard tales of the fuse partially breaking and only charging slowly, or sporadically.
From the fact that you managed to get it 20 miles to home, it's either something completely different, or by some miracle, you are getting just enough juice to keep it going.
But I wouldn't totally discount it without checking it.
I have had this happen with previous cars when something has gone wrong with the charge circuit, but the 100 amp fuse itself was a completely new one for me when it happened.
Lack of charge from the alternator, battery slowly dies.
As battery slowly dies, you lose the ability to generate enough spark to fire the mixture at higher rpms / loading, soon you are limping along, and before long it will die.
I have heard tales of the fuse partially breaking and only charging slowly, or sporadically.
From the fact that you managed to get it 20 miles to home, it's either something completely different, or by some miracle, you are getting just enough juice to keep it going.
But I wouldn't totally discount it without checking it.
I have had this happen with previous cars when something has gone wrong with the charge circuit, but the 100 amp fuse itself was a completely new one for me when it happened.
jeffwithaj said:
I'm in Lincoln Anthony. Yes the fuse will be checked as will the alternator. Can not understand why the misfire and high idle which developed are related to the alternator or fuse.
I am near Newark, but having just moved home couldn't be sure that i can find the blighters. I know I have five of them......somewhere!As Bill says, when the fuse goes at first you don't notice anything amiss. And the symptoms vary too.
I have had mine fail twice now in one year. I am talking about the fuse between battery and alternator, strapped to the underside of the car
First time the only thing I noticed was the speedo read low - 45mph in 5th at 3000 rpm?? Then I parked for about four hours, and on returning to the car found the battery almost flat and the alarm doing strange things. Bump started it, but it kept trying to stall on me at every junction, and after about 5 miles I was limited to 50mph in third.......and after two more miles it died, fortunately in a layby
Second time I noticed that starting the car at 7 am was a little sluggish, but thought nothing of it. Drove 20 miles, then took the car on a track day. Third time out on track I spun the car unexpectedly (not unexpectedly for me, but not where I though I ought to have spun). Tried to restart, flat battery. By the time I was towed back to the pits, I had worked out it was the 100 amp fuse, that it in effect the engine dying mid corner had locked up the rear axle and caused the spin. A friend got under the car and tested it with a borrowed multimeter - duff fuse.
Have ordered two 125amp midi fuses. Thanks for offer though. Will get car up on the hoist tomorrow and have a look. There were no signs the battery was sluggish it turns the engine over quickly. However it nearly always on a trickle charge when in the garage. Will post on here my findings tomorrow. I just hope it is the fuse!!
jeffwithaj said:
Yes it was the 100 amp fuse. Hairline crack difficult to see but it fell apart when I took it off. Replacement fuse not arrived yet so don't know if that will be the total solution. Thanks to you guys who pointed me towards the fuse.
Probably will be the solution - though it does beg the question - why did it go? Mine went twice - 9 months apart.I went 12 years without blowing one.
When it did blow, like I said above, I had never heard of the damned thing before.
My conclusion was; when the TVR dealer was regularly servicing the car, they changed it regularly.
Some old invoices confirmed that.
If you are using the original ones, and perhaps even if not; treat it as a service item.
When it did blow, like I said above, I had never heard of the damned thing before.
My conclusion was; when the TVR dealer was regularly servicing the car, they changed it regularly.
Some old invoices confirmed that.
If you are using the original ones, and perhaps even if not; treat it as a service item.
Just to conclude this thread. Replaced 100 amp fuse. No fault codes found. 50 mile trip today no problems. The only thing that concerns me is the system seems very sensitive to battery low volts. In no way was the battery flat and it happily turned the engine over and started.
Thanks to the guys who directed me towards the 100 amp fuse.
Thanks to the guys who directed me towards the 100 amp fuse.
Tonymg said:
Please Where abouts is the 100AMP Fuse guys? on the Chim? i'v got an 1995 4.Ltr
Jack up the car, driver's side front. Take wheel off (not essential, just easier). Insert axle stand for safety. Slide under on your back to the rear of the brake disk, until you can see the main chassis members running front to rear. Find where the lower rear arm of the front suspension meets the chassis. The fuse is there, in a black fuse holder with a flip cover, about two inches long by one inch wide, strapped to the underside of the chassis with cable ties. It may be wrapped in tape to protect it. There is a thick cable coming out of each end. The rear one goes to the battery, the front one to the alternator. Logical place to put it? Yes, if you are building the car up on a hoist. No, if you are the punter stuck at the side of the M25 at 3am in the pouring rain without a jack to hand. If they had put it just behind the alternator you could have changed it yourself with a small spanner and a torch.
From memory (not my strong suit) my fuse is attached to the engine mount or mount bracket in the area mentioned, this is a particularly stressed location to bolt a fine steel fuse which if bolted both ends will share some of the mechanical loading provided by the engine trying tear its self free from the mounts under acceleration and overrun. A good chance of fracturing the fuse in this situation and a fracture would give intermittent continuity so not always an obvious problem. I suppose it's important to ensure the fuse its self is attached so as to isolate it from any mechanical stresses.
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