Problems

[YamR1,V64motion]

decided to take the Griff out tonight and stopped just short of it overheating, i pulled over before it did thank God, turned the engine off and the ignition on and noticed the fans wernt coming in, wait for it to cool down and then drive home, leave the engine running for a few minutes when i get home and the fans cut in fine, any sugestions as to what it might be?, i wouldnt have thought it would be a thermostat as it seems more a fault with the fans, can the fans not running alone cause it to get too hot? and how should i go about fixing it, also wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and what the cause was?, thanks in advance guys.

[greenv8s]

Sticking relay/loose fuse/intermittant wiring fault?

[dnb]

My cooling problem was caused by the radiator dropping apart through old age... So check carefully for leaks.

The fans aren't always wired up as shown in the bible and the manual. Mine were on separate fuses and separate relays. One was in the "proper" fan location, and the other was in the heated seats slot!! Worth checking.

I've not had any experience with the modwise fan kit, but most people seem to say it's worth having... I fixed my fans the expensive way - I have a trick aftermarket ECU that controls the fans based on the ECU temperature sensor (amongst other little tasks like controlling the engine).

[YamR1,V64motion]

Quinny said:

Yam, Your car is the same year as mine, and I ed about for 2 years trying to sort out the same issues as you. I lost count of the number of times I fitted new relays, otter switches a fuse box, numerouse other temporary fixes, non of which got to the root of the problem. I could not trust the cooling system one bit and it was all down to the fans not coming on. Do yourself a favour now. Spend about £100 and get the modwise 2 stage cooling kit. I fitted mine about 2 years ago and have NEVER had an issue since. My car runs at the right temp all the time even on the hottest days in traffic. Don't mess about just buy the kit. I wish I had when I first started having trouble.

thanks for the advice,will speak to david soon, have to pay him for a hot start kit on my card anyway so will get 1 ordered i think.

[Ballistic Banana]

Does it have a fan overide switch on at all do you know Giles? prehaps ask the previous owner. I put one on mine myself and know a few others have to on Chimps and the s also,its in the bibke.
If not a quick fix is bridge out the otter switch to leave the Fans on constant( thats only a quick fix mind)
Have a look in the engine bay in the dark with the engine running and wait for the fans to come on? you may see some sparking/shorting.
The connectors in the fan wires just out from the fans can get pretty corroded and fail so look there.
And dont jump when the fans come when doing this as they are pretty powerful and made me jump on more than one occasion even when waiting for them to come on.
Like Quinney says Davids kit is well worth the time and money to save alot of hassles.

Anymore hassles and I would start wondering if the Inspection before hand was worthwile??

BB

[barreti]

Hi YamR1andaloadofotherguff (you really are going to have to change that or put your real name in your PH profile)

If you need any help/advice when you get to installing the Mod-Wise kit feel free to give me a yell.
Email me and I will give you my contact details.
I installed this last summer so its still reasonably fresh in my mind, and a quick shufty under the bonnet will remind me of anything I've forgotten.
Can't recommend it enough, this kit is worth it for the peace of mind alone and I installed it before going to Le Mans last year which as anyone who went will testify to was a boiling hot time.
I've still got the fan short-out cable I found in my car when I bought it though. Never can be too careful eh.

Ian

[griffter]

What was your average speed?

The fans shouldn't need to be on much above 50, although lots of accelerating/braking on the right B road might cause things to get hot.
On the other hand, going slower and sitting in traffic, ram air through the radiator will probably not provide enough cooling, so you'd need the fans.
The fans are switched by the 'otter' switch in the swirl tank (rad outlet (or is it inlet?) on some cars). Check the connections here first. Next check the fans conenctions where they plug into the loom. These connectors are exposed to crap from the air flow into the radiator. After that it's chasing the rest of the loom, relays and fuses.
As a 'get you home' you can short the otter connections to bring the fans on.

[YamR1,V64motion]

thanks for the advice everyone, ive ordered the mod wise kit and i think im going to get a new fuse and otter switch just to be double careful.

[Steve_T]

The usual suspect would be corrosion of the contacts in the connectors to the fans. If you want any help, just drop me a mail.

Cheers,

Steve.

[bjwoods]

The cooling system of griffs SHOULD just work. ie no need for upgrades/2 stage fans, etc,etc,etc...

Mine is nearly 8 years old has sat in high temperatures, commuting traffic, never overheated...
( tella lie, fuse blown 3 weeks old, new fuse, never replaced since)

If your is overheating, best advice is to find the cause, and fix it, rather than to add something to mask the problem...

Have you just checked the appropriate fuses, sensor/switch not working, before investigating more expensive possibilities.

B

>> Edited by bjwoods on Friday 20th January 14:01

[Guillotine]

bad earth?
air locks
duff connection
duff relay
duff otter switch.

if it happens again, short the otter switch, see if they come on.

minor glitch easily fixed. take it to a good independant and get them to check it out and "fettle it" all these faults are old hat and easily sorted quite cheaply nowadays.

andy

[bjwoods]

Mine is a 98 car, perhaps improved, changed things a bit over the years as standard.

The Griff chim 'bible' has a pretty good section on the cooling system.

B

[YamR1,V64motion]

just to let you all know i fitted a new fuse today,there was a 30 amp fuse where the 40 amp should have been(as indicated by both the steve heath book and the owners manual, i fitted the new fuse and it seemed to cut in fine but i did notice the temperuture looked a little more than 92,perhaps 97 or so, ive got another otter switch which im going to fit tomorrow along with the hot start kit so perhaps this is the issue, i shorted out the connectors to the otter switch and both fans ran fine so i think the porblem has been very much narrowed down, that said im still going to use the mod wise kit even if this sorts the fans out fine just because it seems a very worthwhile investment to keep things cooler when the summer comes weather the car needs it or not.

[YamR1,V64motion]

Quinny said:

The modwise kit does away with the 40 amp fuse altogether. It's replaced with a 5 amp. But his kit then goes onto fuse each fan individually. The difference is the fuses ar part of the kit and are under the bonnet and therefore easy to get to. Not that I've ever had to, as neither fuse has ever blown

so the original 40 amp fuse in the fusebox is replaced by a 5 amp and all the controls for regulating the fans are under the bonnet? i have to say i really like the sound of this kit and cant wait to get one, how long do they take to fit?, im about to go and change the otter switch and fit the hot start kit, unfortunatly mine is the one that means going under the bonnet and jacking the car up, 1 thing im learning about TVRs already, thier almost as fiddly to work on as a bike but not quite!!!!!.

[gerjo]

how about putting in a 75 degrees stat while you're at it (or maybe it already has it)?

[richb]

Concur with comments about the Mod-Wise two stage cooling kit, it's great to have the fans come on at half speed just to stir the air under the bonnet a bit keeps the cockpit cooler as well which was nice at Le Mans last year in 40 deg plus heat. That said... do check the Otter Switch, I had one go intermittent last year, I was surprised because I would have thought it either worked or was bust but it definitely went intermittently dodgy! p.s. I've not bothered with the lower temp switch because of the mod-wise kit. Rich...

[SteveGRF]

Yam

have you checked the basics, is the rad getting hot at the bottom, if not it could be
a stuck closed thermostat, second check vent screw @ top of rad for air lock etc.

Steve

[YamR1,V64motion]

to let you know ive fixed the car now, changed the otter switch and the fans cut in at 90 and keep the car well below 95 and turn on and off as need be, ive also installed the hot start kit which has been working great too, so problems solved but im still going to get the 2 stage cooling kit as i think it will be ver handy come summer, hopefully thats arriving early next week so will fit then too, what did you use to make the mount for the kit?, and was it ok to just drill/screw into the fibreglass?.
have to say its been nice to drive the Griff without worrying about it starting again or overheating and all i can say is:

[pasco]

Yes but you have not yet told us your name Yam!!

Is it Yamris V Motion, said in a broad Welsh accent?

[YamR1,V64motion]

i apologize my name is giles, last time i checked i was english not welsh though.