YIPEE! New Chimp - few questions...

[notax]

Just bought another Chimp 2 years after divorce cost me the first one! Its a gorgeous 1998 4.0HC. Can you help with these questions...

1. Just collected car, very long drive - 200 miles on motorway. Temp ok, no steam, no leaks but when I turned off ignition there was a lot of gurgling coming from under the bonnet - any ideas?

2. Previous Chimp was a basic 400 and I ran it on regular unleaded no problem. Do I have to run an HC on super unleaded as it says on filler cap?

3. Seem to have forgotten the refuelling technique - got soaked in petrol and took ages to fill - any advice?

4. Car is missing cigarette lighter - do you know which car it comes from - I have a Leven cover for it so need to get right one.

5. Speedo back lights dimmer than other gauges so I guess a bulb has gone - anyone know what sort of bulbs I may need and how many?

Thanks! Hope to be spectating at TVR Speed Competition at Longcross on Sunday maybe see you there?

Chris

[vixpy1]

notax said:

Thanks! Hope to be spectating at TVR Speed Competition at Longcross on Sunday maybe see you there? Chris

Congrats on the car

Got any more details on the Longross event on Sunday, considering i work there it would be a shame not to pop down!

[notax]

I'm intending to find out the details tomorrow - they are available on the Speed Championship forum which I've joined but can't remember my password offhand... I'll post info when I can.

[shpub]

Speedo is dimmer than other dials because it only has a single bulb. TADTS...

[redleicester]

notax said:

Just bought another Chimp 2 years after divorce cost me the first one! Its a gorgeous 1998 4.0HC. Can you help with these questions... 1. Just collected car, very long drive - 200 miles on motorway. Temp ok, no steam, no leaks but when I turned off ignition there was a lot of gurgling coming from under the bonnet - any ideas? 2. Previous Chimp was a basic 400 and I ran it on regular unleaded no problem. Do I have to run an HC on super unleaded as it says on filler cap? 3. Seem to have forgotten the refuelling technique - got soaked in petrol and took ages to fill - any advice? 4. Car is missing cigarette lighter - do you know which car it comes from - I have a Leven cover for it so need to get right one. 5. Speedo back lights dimmer than other gauges so I guess a bulb has gone - anyone know what sort of bulbs I may need and how many? Thanks! Hope to be spectating at TVR Speed Competition at Longcross on Sunday maybe see you there? Chris

Just remember myself having recently returned to the fold.... hopefully someone will be along soon to fill in the blanks.

1. - Radiator probably, just toasty, may be worth checking for coolant leaks if a lot of air has got into the system.

2. Moot point, some argue you should, others it doesn't matter. Frankly, try a tank or two of each and see what happens - some engines are happier with 98, others quite content with 95, so find out which yours is. Interestingly my old 98 400 was quite happy with 95, but my new 98 450 insists on 98, but is likewise content with 95. My old Cerbera on the other hand threw its toys out of the pram with anything but Esso Super or Optimax, and cried all the way home if I dared use Ultimate.... suck it and see.

3. Fill very, very, very slowly, and when it hits the first click of the pump complaining it's full, stop!

4. Errrr..... dunno.

5. TADTS (They all do that Sir!) TVR's cunning plan, idea, concept etc, bloody annoying but I've yet to see a car with equal back lighting on the dials - apparently they want you to concentrate on the engine RPM, not your licence!

Hope that helps a bit, enjoy your new toy, sounds like you've earned it!

[tvrbob]

1. Just collected car, very long drive - 200 miles on motorway. Temp ok, no steam, no leaks but when I turned off ignition there was a lot of gurgling coming from under the bonnet - any ideas?

Yes you have air in the cooling water. You need to prime this, do so from the swirl pot not the expansion tank. The air will find its way to the top of the cooling system, i.e. the top hose and swirl pot

2. Previous Chimp was a basic 400 and I ran it on regular unleaded no problem. Do I have to run an HC on super unleaded as it says on filler cap?

Yes all TVR's of this age run on super unleaded. I didn't know the HC option was still available in 1998

3. Seem to have forgotten the refuelling technique - got soaked in petrol and took ages to fill - any advice?

Turn the trigger to face the off side rear lights

4. Car is missing cigarette lighter - do you know which car it comes from - I have a Leven cover for it so need to get right one.

I don't know

5. Speedo back lights dimmer than other gauges so I guess a bulb has gone - anyone know what sort of bulbs I may need and how many?

The speedos are dimmer because they only have one lamp whereas the tacho has two. There are fixes for this such as fitting a higher wattage lamp. 'They all do this, it's a TVR thing'

[notax]

Thanks for your help! TVR Bob can you explain how I 'prime' the system? Do I just take the cap off the swirl pot and run the car for a bit? Chris

[fizzer]

Hi Chris,
Glad you like the car...look after her...I'm missing her already!!

In terms of the petrol - she ran fine on 95, better on 98 and seems to love the Tescos 99......

Cheers Adam

[notax]

Hi Adam

Good luck with the Tamora hunt - be very interested to see which one you go for! Chris

[zippee]

notax said:

Just bought another Chimp 2 years after divorce cost me the first one! Its a gorgeous 1998 4.0HC. Can you help with these questions... 1. Just collected car, very long drive - 200 miles on motorway. Temp ok, no steam, no leaks but when I turned off ignition there was a lot of gurgling coming from under the bonnet - any ideas?

Possibly an air lock in the cooling system sorting itself out after a long journey - check coolant level in the header tank.

notax said:

2. Previous Chimp was a basic 400 and I ran it on regular unleaded no problem. Do I have to run an HC on super unleaded as it says on filler cap??

Run it on whatever it runs best on. Some owners have no problems on regular unleaded, others swear by super.

notax said:

3. Seem to have forgotten the refuelling technique - got soaked in petrol and took ages to fill - any advice??

You need to put the filler in and wiggle it around a bit until the nozzle drops into the hole abother couple of inches.

notax said:

4. Car is missing cigarette lighter - do you know which car it comes from - I have a Leven cover for it so need to get right one.?

Not being a smoker I can't help on this but a breakers like Bell Hill should have one.

notax said:

5. Speedo back lights dimmer than other gauges so I guess a bulb has gone - anyone know what sort of bulbs I may need and how many?

The speedo only has one bulb as opposed to the 2 in the rev counter.

[tvrbob]

zippee said:

Possibly an air lock in the cooling system sorting itself out after a long journey - check coolant level in the header tank.

Common misconception there is no header tank on the Chimaera. There is an expansion tank which serves two functions, firstly is provides space for expansion and contraction during the heat cycle and the cap acts as a pressure relief to prevent over pressure of the cooling system. This tank can be used to top up but it can't be used to remove air that is within the cooling loop. This must be done by opening the swirl pot and filling from there. Fill the swirl pot, put the lid back on and squeeze the top hose. Repeat until all air has gone. You'll be able to hear when its air free by the sound that the top hose makes when it's being squeezed. If the level in the expansion tank is allowed to fall to the bottom then air will be drawn into the system. This air will never find its way back to the expansion tank because the tank is too low down and expansion tank circulation is very poor.

>> Edited by tvrbob on Thursday 20th April 12:56

[jason1788]

I believe the fag lighter is GM mid-90's issue like much of the cabin electrics. Try a cavalier.

[paulathome]

I agree with TVRBOB, but do this when the engine is stone cold and with the heater on full hot.
Fill the swirl tank right to the top so there is no air gap when you screw the daft cap/bolt thingy back on.
Dont for get to fill with water and antifreeze mix.
I found on my 98 chim, that the pillock that had it before me had let it get a bit low and it made similar
noises.
It took about three days of topping up in the morning before starting the car, before all the air was removed from the system.
My header tank usually only has about an inch of coolant in the bottom when cold, anymore and it spits it out.
Cheers,
Paul.

[softtop]

[quote=tvrbob]. Previous Chimp was a basic 400 and I ran it on regular unleaded no problem. Do I have to run an HC on super unleaded as it says on filler cap?

Yes all TVR's of this age run on super unleaded. I didn't know the HC option was still available in 1998
/quote]

The HC does not stand for High Compression , it stands for something else so if that helps avoid confusion then great.!!

>> Edited by softtop on Thursday 20th April 19:03

[Rum Runner]

There are quite a few 98 4.0 Hc cars even though a lot of info says otherwise .I came across a few on my search.I am told it really stands for High Lift Cam

>> Edited by Rum Runner on Thursday 20th April 20:38