Discussion
Afternoon guys,
I had a loss of power under 2,000 rpm and some slight misfiring so changed/cleaned the normal culprits (dizzy cap, leads, plugs, stepper etc.) and had a service but to no avail, also started hearing a slight taping sound which I thought might have been a lose manifold bolt. Then one evening the engine would barely start and spluttered home on what felt like 4 cylinders.
Managed to find a decent local mechanic (I have fallen out with local specialist) who found little to no oil in the rockers, and that the cam shaft had been warn down and needed replacing. The mechanic consulted tvrpower who suggested that an oil pump switch may have melted and that the whole engine needs to be taken apart and parts cleaned, not to mention new camshaft, rockers, head gasket etc. I spoke to Dom from TVR power myself who quoted a bill of approx £2- 2.5k! so no christmas pressies this year for the family!! Has anyone else had this experience? I love my chimaera but this expense has made me question whether it is worth keeping.
Thanks. G21
I had a loss of power under 2,000 rpm and some slight misfiring so changed/cleaned the normal culprits (dizzy cap, leads, plugs, stepper etc.) and had a service but to no avail, also started hearing a slight taping sound which I thought might have been a lose manifold bolt. Then one evening the engine would barely start and spluttered home on what felt like 4 cylinders.
Managed to find a decent local mechanic (I have fallen out with local specialist) who found little to no oil in the rockers, and that the cam shaft had been warn down and needed replacing. The mechanic consulted tvrpower who suggested that an oil pump switch may have melted and that the whole engine needs to be taken apart and parts cleaned, not to mention new camshaft, rockers, head gasket etc. I spoke to Dom from TVR power myself who quoted a bill of approx £2- 2.5k! so no christmas pressies this year for the family!! Has anyone else had this experience? I love my chimaera but this expense has made me question whether it is worth keeping.
Thanks. G21
Blimey, bad luck mate, sounds terrible.
But there are a few questions I'd ask.
I've never heard of an oil pressure switch "melting". Does he mean the pressure valve in the oil pump that controls the pressure or the oil pressure sensor that gives the pressure measurement?
If the oil pressure had dropped then I don't think stripping and "cleaning" the whole engine will help. If the parts (eg big end bearings, cam etc) are wrecked due to low oil / oil pressure then they need replacing not cleaning!
I think I'd give TVRpower a ring myself and I'd definitely get a 2nd opinion from a different garage with this level of expenditure. Some TVR independents will collect your car on a low loader and give you a quote probably.
Did you see the oil pressure drop on the gauge before the car failed?
Camshaft wear is a common problem on TVRs so it may be that this has happened over a period of time and your mechanic has seen the wear and attributed this to a catastrophic failure of the oil pump. This may not be the case and the fault could be cured by a camshaft replacement. Surely it's worth trying this with a new oil pump first before completely stripping the engine?!
If the engine has had it, it may be worth looking at refurbished engines instead of rebuilding. RPI V8 quite often do good deals on 'long' and 'short' engines.
Hope some of that helps.
Cheers,
Matt
But there are a few questions I'd ask.
I've never heard of an oil pressure switch "melting". Does he mean the pressure valve in the oil pump that controls the pressure or the oil pressure sensor that gives the pressure measurement?
If the oil pressure had dropped then I don't think stripping and "cleaning" the whole engine will help. If the parts (eg big end bearings, cam etc) are wrecked due to low oil / oil pressure then they need replacing not cleaning!
I think I'd give TVRpower a ring myself and I'd definitely get a 2nd opinion from a different garage with this level of expenditure. Some TVR independents will collect your car on a low loader and give you a quote probably.
Did you see the oil pressure drop on the gauge before the car failed?
Camshaft wear is a common problem on TVRs so it may be that this has happened over a period of time and your mechanic has seen the wear and attributed this to a catastrophic failure of the oil pump. This may not be the case and the fault could be cured by a camshaft replacement. Surely it's worth trying this with a new oil pump first before completely stripping the engine?!
If the engine has had it, it may be worth looking at refurbished engines instead of rebuilding. RPI V8 quite often do good deals on 'long' and 'short' engines.
Hope some of that helps.
Cheers,
Matt
Thanks for your reply Matt,
Unfortunately not too many 2nd opinions on this side of the water (jersey), but having spoken to Dom at TVRpower and my mechanic at length it appears to be the right thing to do.
As you suggested some parts do need replacement and (hopefully) these have been ordered. Just hoping it is cheaper than another engine.
Unfortunately not too many 2nd opinions on this side of the water (jersey), but having spoken to Dom at TVRpower and my mechanic at length it appears to be the right thing to do.
As you suggested some parts do need replacement and (hopefully) these have been ordered. Just hoping it is cheaper than another engine.
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