Finally took the plunge....
Discussion
I finally stopped talking about it and took the plunge with a 1996 4.2 
. My only fear is that I may not be able to drive it enough. I use public transport to get to and from work so would probably only be able to drive 2-3 times per week (any excuse to get in it) although at least one of these trips would be an hour or more. How long do I need to give the engine to warm up before driving properly if it has been stationary for at least a few days?
Also, has anyone above 3ft tall ever travelled any distance in the back seats??
Finally, living in West London, where would be my first port of call for servicing?
Cheers in advance and please excuse my ignorance if these questions have be asked before.
. My only fear is that I may not be able to drive it enough. I use public transport to get to and from work so would probably only be able to drive 2-3 times per week (any excuse to get in it) although at least one of these trips would be an hour or more. How long do I need to give the engine to warm up before driving properly if it has been stationary for at least a few days? Also, has anyone above 3ft tall ever travelled any distance in the back seats??
Finally, living in West London, where would be my first port of call for servicing?
Cheers in advance and please excuse my ignorance if these questions have be asked before.
wotcha .. good choice!
My 98 4.2 has been used daily for last 5 weeks as I couldnt be bothered to fix the mini and wanted an excuse to see if the cerb would be OK as a daily ride.
My problem is that my office is only 1.5miles from my house and thus the cerb doesnt even reach normal operating temp ... so each day I have to get in and drive and extra mile to warm it to normal before swtiching off.
I believe in the start it leave it a minute or so the gently drive off keeping revs under 3k until properly warm (probably about 10mins driving).. then all hell can break loose!- there is already threads on engine warm up pros and cons!
before that I was using it as you say 3 times a week
was regularily left 5 days before using a and never posed a problem.
My 8 year old is about 4.5ft tall and is ok in the back if passenger seat is forward a bit.
I use offords bit of a run for you but are good
topcats also get good reviews ... sure theres plenty more local do a search.
My 98 4.2 has been used daily for last 5 weeks as I couldnt be bothered to fix the mini and wanted an excuse to see if the cerb would be OK as a daily ride.
My problem is that my office is only 1.5miles from my house and thus the cerb doesnt even reach normal operating temp ... so each day I have to get in and drive and extra mile to warm it to normal before swtiching off.
I believe in the start it leave it a minute or so the gently drive off keeping revs under 3k until properly warm (probably about 10mins driving).. then all hell can break loose!- there is already threads on engine warm up pros and cons!
before that I was using it as you say 3 times a week
was regularily left 5 days before using a and never posed a problem.
My 8 year old is about 4.5ft tall and is ok in the back if passenger seat is forward a bit.
I use offords bit of a run for you but are good
topcats also get good reviews ... sure theres plenty more local do a search.
You could also try Andy at APM (Liphook, Tel: 07740723673) for servicing. He is well thought of by the Cerb owners in my region.
Regarding warming the car up properly, get to know the behaviour of the oil pressure gauge in your car. In the absence of an oil temp gauge, this is your best means to determine when the oil is warm (Veteran Cerb ownwers, does the oil pressure increase as the engine tolerences tighten up, or does it fall as the oil thins as it warms - I can't remember). With a loose engine such as that in the Cerb' it's very important to make sure everything is thoroughly warm before stretching the ole' legs a bit.
Cheers,
Steve.
>> Edited by Steve_T on Tuesday 28th December 15:18
Regarding warming the car up properly, get to know the behaviour of the oil pressure gauge in your car. In the absence of an oil temp gauge, this is your best means to determine when the oil is warm (Veteran Cerb ownwers, does the oil pressure increase as the engine tolerences tighten up, or does it fall as the oil thins as it warms - I can't remember). With a loose engine such as that in the Cerb' it's very important to make sure everything is thoroughly warm before stretching the ole' legs a bit.
Cheers,
Steve.
>> Edited by Steve_T on Tuesday 28th December 15:18
Thanks, I will be taking it very gingerly to begin with believe me. My brother is 6ft, but hopefully I will be able to squeeze him for short distances. In terms of servicing, the cerb I have bought currently has full main dealer service history, is this really worth maintaining in terms of sell-on value vs cost savings getting it done elsewhere?
With an older car I'd say servicing from a respected independent is just as valid as a main dealer stamp. I think of it this way - a small garage is unlikely to continue to exist if it offers poor service. Afterall, it's not like there would be huge cash reserves in the Bank to prop things up for longer than a few months.
Steve.
Steve.
Steve_T said:
(Veteran Cerb ownwers, does the oil pressure increase as the engine tolerences tighten up, or does it fall as the oil thins as it warms - I can't remember).
The oil pressure will start on cold idle at around 70-80psi and then drop over the next ten minutes or so down to usual running pressures. On mine, after ten minutes I have around 60psi at 3000rpm and just under 20psi at hot idle, that's your cue to open her up a bit
trooperiziz said:
Joospeed has a fix for oil pressure... I personally believe your pressure should not drop below 35...
I personally believe that 10psi per 1000rpm is the rule of thumb for an engine, below that and you're in trouble.
My engines 42,000 miles agrees with me
Its when you flick the throttle, that split second it takes to increase pressure again whilst the BIG revs rush through the block is when more damage is likely.... also the fact that quite a few cerbie oil gauges read incorrectly... so although its showing 10, it could be 30... etc etc....
Some_Techie said:
A techie once said 'if your oil pressure bounces around with the revs, thats bad news, oil pressure should slowly fall, and rise very quickly, rather than the other way round or slowly fall and rise or quikly fall and rise'... dont know if that counts when it comes to cerbies though...
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