My first tvr, a 96 chim 500, uh oh bought a fixerupper!
Discussion
Hey all
Eventually took the plunge, did everything in the book wrong when buying a chim and now she is in my garage dripping fluid (pas i think, the assistance stopped yesterday) i have a missfire on one pot and 4 ports on the manifold were blowing before the gaskets were replaced. uh oh!! I havent had time to fully investigate the fluid leak so it could be oil. Im going to start saving my pennies now!
Anyways, when i picked her up she sounded worse than my grandads suffolk punch! but the chassis looked pretty gd, outriggers are ok, bodywork sound, spings and dampers seem healthy. The ht leads were a bit ropey so i replaced along with plugs, ( the ones i removed were wrong type!)extenders and coil. hey the engine was firing on 6 before that; 1 pot was resurected. When i removed the manifolds, one of the pre cats was wedged down the y piece half disintegrated, this was quickly removed! I removed the other healthy pre cat myself,not a pretty site, but its all out now. on pot 3's manifold outlet, the one that isnt firing, i noticed thick oily deposits that you can scrape off with a finger, the idle is certainly not smooth and with the exhaust now fitted with fresh gaskets the unit still sounds pretty bad and vibrates a bit, not blowing tho : )
Just thought id say hi anyway, will be around on the forum bit more often now so will keep the updates rolling in (slowly mind you) i know the info i have given is rather vague but if anybody has any suggestion as of a course of action i would be very grateful. Thanx
Rg
Eventually took the plunge, did everything in the book wrong when buying a chim and now she is in my garage dripping fluid (pas i think, the assistance stopped yesterday) i have a missfire on one pot and 4 ports on the manifold were blowing before the gaskets were replaced. uh oh!! I havent had time to fully investigate the fluid leak so it could be oil. Im going to start saving my pennies now!
Anyways, when i picked her up she sounded worse than my grandads suffolk punch! but the chassis looked pretty gd, outriggers are ok, bodywork sound, spings and dampers seem healthy. The ht leads were a bit ropey so i replaced along with plugs, ( the ones i removed were wrong type!)extenders and coil. hey the engine was firing on 6 before that; 1 pot was resurected. When i removed the manifolds, one of the pre cats was wedged down the y piece half disintegrated, this was quickly removed! I removed the other healthy pre cat myself,not a pretty site, but its all out now. on pot 3's manifold outlet, the one that isnt firing, i noticed thick oily deposits that you can scrape off with a finger, the idle is certainly not smooth and with the exhaust now fitted with fresh gaskets the unit still sounds pretty bad and vibrates a bit, not blowing tho : )
Just thought id say hi anyway, will be around on the forum bit more often now so will keep the updates rolling in (slowly mind you) i know the info i have given is rather vague but if anybody has any suggestion as of a course of action i would be very grateful. Thanx
Rg
Edited by richyg on Wednesday 21st March 07:44
Hi Rich!
Welcome to Pistonheads, i'm sure you will discover it to be a wonderous and enchanting place where answers to pretty much anything can be found!
To offer up one of my own, I had a power steering leak as well and it was just a jubilee clip which had given up its hold on the U-bend under the pump. 10p for a new clip and bottle of new fluid for good measure and its never dripped since. It seems that this is a common problem with all power steering models and some suggest putting 2 clips on to make sure the hose stays put!
Hope that helps a bit,
Nick
Welcome to Pistonheads, i'm sure you will discover it to be a wonderous and enchanting place where answers to pretty much anything can be found!
To offer up one of my own, I had a power steering leak as well and it was just a jubilee clip which had given up its hold on the U-bend under the pump. 10p for a new clip and bottle of new fluid for good measure and its never dripped since. It seems that this is a common problem with all power steering models and some suggest putting 2 clips on to make sure the hose stays put!
Hope that helps a bit,
Nick
thanks for the replys!
I have just borrowed a compression tester so will investigate further!will double check that the plug is sparking too!Thanks for the compassion btw Poorpeet. When i bought the car i did kinda anticipate a cam change at least and a full engine re-build at worst so am prepared. Jamie at castle race engines would most likely be the man for the job if it comes to this as i dont have the experience or knowledge to carry out this kind of work myself. I been so busy lately that i havent had time to check anything yet with regards to the pas leak either, anyways i wont drive the car on 7, so until the problems are resolved she's going to stay in the garage :c
Can anybody tell me how to upload a pic from my harddrive to show you?
Hmm, well it is a bit cheeky! what the heck, my 500 cost me the heavier end of 6k, so inevitably i knew i was going to have to spend a bit.
Hey, nice pic in your profile 5LV8!!
I have just borrowed a compression tester so will investigate further!will double check that the plug is sparking too!Thanks for the compassion btw Poorpeet. When i bought the car i did kinda anticipate a cam change at least and a full engine re-build at worst so am prepared. Jamie at castle race engines would most likely be the man for the job if it comes to this as i dont have the experience or knowledge to carry out this kind of work myself. I been so busy lately that i havent had time to check anything yet with regards to the pas leak either, anyways i wont drive the car on 7, so until the problems are resolved she's going to stay in the garage :c
Can anybody tell me how to upload a pic from my harddrive to show you?
Hmm, well it is a bit cheeky! what the heck, my 500 cost me the heavier end of 6k, so inevitably i knew i was going to have to spend a bit.
Hey, nice pic in your profile 5LV8!!
Edited by richyg on Thursday 22 March 23:18
Edited by richyg on Thursday 22 March 23:20
Edited by richyg on Thursday 22 March 23:23
richyg said:
Hmm, well it is a bit cheeky! what the heck, my 500 cost me the heavier end of 6k, so inevitably i knew i was going to have to spend a bit.
Hey, nice pic in your profile 5LV8!!
Thank you kind sir. I'll miss her - put her in the classifieds a couple of days ago. Got her first viewing at the weekend.
Cheers.
5LV8
richyg said:
Hey all
Eventually took the plunge, did everything in the book wrong when buying a chim and now she is in my garage dripping fluid (pas i think, the assistance stopped yesterday) i have a missfire on one pot and 4 ports on the manifold were blowing before the gaskets were replaced. uh oh!! I havent had time to fully investigate the fluid leak so it could be oil. Im going to start saving my pennies now!
Anyways, when i picked her up she sounded worse than my grandads suffolk punch! but the chassis looked pretty gd, outriggers are ok, bodywork sound, spings and dampers seem healthy. The ht leads were a bit ropey so i replaced along with plugs, ( the ones i removed were wrong type!)extenders and coil. hey the engine was firing on 6 before that; 1 pot was resurected. When i removed the manifolds, one of the pre cats was wedged down the y piece half disintegrated, this was quickly removed! I removed the other healthy pre cat myself,not a pretty site, but its all out now. on pot 3's manifold outlet, the one that isnt firing, i noticed thick oily deposits that you can scrape off with a finger, the idle is certainly not smooth and with the exhaust now fitted with fresh gaskets the unit still sounds pretty bad and vibrates a bit, not blowing tho : )
Just thought id say hi anyway, will be around on the forum bit more often now so will keep the updates rolling in (slowly mind you) i know the info i have given is rather vague but if anybody has any suggestion as of a course of action i would be very grateful. Thanx
Rg
Eventually took the plunge, did everything in the book wrong when buying a chim and now she is in my garage dripping fluid (pas i think, the assistance stopped yesterday) i have a missfire on one pot and 4 ports on the manifold were blowing before the gaskets were replaced. uh oh!! I havent had time to fully investigate the fluid leak so it could be oil. Im going to start saving my pennies now!
Anyways, when i picked her up she sounded worse than my grandads suffolk punch! but the chassis looked pretty gd, outriggers are ok, bodywork sound, spings and dampers seem healthy. The ht leads were a bit ropey so i replaced along with plugs, ( the ones i removed were wrong type!)extenders and coil. hey the engine was firing on 6 before that; 1 pot was resurected. When i removed the manifolds, one of the pre cats was wedged down the y piece half disintegrated, this was quickly removed! I removed the other healthy pre cat myself,not a pretty site, but its all out now. on pot 3's manifold outlet, the one that isnt firing, i noticed thick oily deposits that you can scrape off with a finger, the idle is certainly not smooth and with the exhaust now fitted with fresh gaskets the unit still sounds pretty bad and vibrates a bit, not blowing tho : )
Just thought id say hi anyway, will be around on the forum bit more often now so will keep the updates rolling in (slowly mind you) i know the info i have given is rather vague but if anybody has any suggestion as of a course of action i would be very grateful. Thanx
Rg
Edited by richyg on Wednesday 21st March 07:44
Hiya Rich,
Sounds like we're in a similar position! Bought mine from a "dealer" 6 days ago and decided it needed straight - thru pipes, straight away!
However, on returning to collect said beast the following points were noted:
URGENTLY needs the chassis preparing, painting and waxoyling.
URGENTLY needs rear fuel rails replacing as split.
Front and Back brake discs worn and corroded.
Sump gasket leaking.
Exhaust manifold gaskets leaking.
Rocker cover gaskets leaking.
Steering track rod end gaitors both split.
N/S Bonnet hinge broken and unsecure.
Power Steering leaking.
Dash Cracked.
Only one vent in Cabin blowing air.
Thermostat broken.
Temp sender broken.
INCORRECT rated tyres ( only V rated ).
Windscreen delaminating.
Other than the above its
ing concourse! Now I'm just awaiting quotes for these repairs from Fernies and Dulfords as none of these are covered by the warranty ( typical ).
Just wondering how I can "persuade" the aforementioned "dealer" to cover these costs or certainly contribute towards them
Most of those problems are all pretty common, and to some extent could be applied to most cars on here 
You can only talk nicely to dealer and ask what he thinks, its unfair for us to judge until you have a response from him. I guess his reaction will depend whether he is a TVR dealer / indie or just a trader?
Dave
You can only talk nicely to dealer and ask what he thinks, its unfair for us to judge until you have a response from him. I guess his reaction will depend whether he is a TVR dealer / indie or just a trader?
Dave
noobie said:
INCORRECT rated tyres ( only V rated ).
Hmmm, given that a fair proportion of the PH massive here are promoting Toyo T1-Rs, which are only available in V speed rating for the fronts, as the best thing since sliced bread I'm not sure if I'd lay into the dealer for that one. Particularly as this is an easy one to spot when viewing the car.
Mine came with V-rated Avon ZV3s at the front. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers...
Edited by 900T-R on Friday 23 March 13:04
that daddy said:
Podie said:
Noobie - that car doesn't sound like it was fit for sale... return it to the dealer 
What he said, back that straight away,sounds like a wallet leaker
Sounds like a pretty regular Chimaera to me. All depends on what he's paid for it and what was the deal between him and the dealer - 'as seen', 'as seen with new service/MOT', with x months guarantee, TVR Approved Used (FWIW
), etc. ? 900T-R said:
that daddy said:
Podie said:
Noobie - that car doesn't sound like it was fit for sale... return it to the dealer
What he said, back that straight away,sounds like a wallet leaker
Sounds like a pretty regular Chimaera to me. All depends on what he's paid for it and what was the deal between him and the dealer - 'as seen', 'as seen with new service/MOT', with x months guarantee, TVR Approved Used (FWIW
), etc. ? Really,no wonder i turned my back on so many
it would have to be cheap i grant you that.Podie said:
Noobie - that car doesn't sound like it was fit for sale... return it to the dealer
My daughter bought a used Golf GTI mark 4 recently...had it 2 weeks, in that time Head Gasket went, Air Bag Pre-Tensioners went, Leaked into driver footwell when raining etc...
We backed the car to the dealer under the 'Not Fit For Purpose' premise - he sorted another one immediately.
I have no doubt the backed car is now repaired and sold on but don't be the one caught with it. Do the same.
noobie said:
Just wondering how I can "persuade" the aforementioned "dealer" to cover these costs or certainly contribute towards them
How long have you had the vehicle? Have you informed the dealer of the problems? Have you given him a chance to repair them? Was the vehicle inspected?
Just in the process of getting some quotes for repairs at the moment from various Indies as recommended by PHers. Then I can approach the dealer once I have all the facts to hand.
Having noted the cracked dash, bodged mirror repair, new N/S wishbone needed and two front tyres ( worn SO2's on at the time of test-drive ) it was agreed that the car would be fully serviced, valeted, full tank of fuel and 12 month warranty.
Problems seemed to develop on 125 mile drive home i.e ticking from manifold ( gaskets ), temperature drop from 75 to 50 etc.
However, to miss cracked fuel rails and some of the other items during an MOT and FULL service is pretty poor as far as I'm concerned.
Appreciate that most of the items required are consumables ( and not covered by the warranty ), just didn't expect to have to fork out around £1000 or so within the first 6 days of ownership.
Bought from a dealer who advertises on here and was a offered a good trade in on my car. I also foolishly assumed that a dealer and warranty would be the "safety net" approach to TVR ownership. One born every minute I guess.
Having noted the cracked dash, bodged mirror repair, new N/S wishbone needed and two front tyres ( worn SO2's on at the time of test-drive ) it was agreed that the car would be fully serviced, valeted, full tank of fuel and 12 month warranty.
Problems seemed to develop on 125 mile drive home i.e ticking from manifold ( gaskets ), temperature drop from 75 to 50 etc.
However, to miss cracked fuel rails and some of the other items during an MOT and FULL service is pretty poor as far as I'm concerned.
Appreciate that most of the items required are consumables ( and not covered by the warranty ), just didn't expect to have to fork out around £1000 or so within the first 6 days of ownership.
Bought from a dealer who advertises on here and was a offered a good trade in on my car. I also foolishly assumed that a dealer and warranty would be the "safety net" approach to TVR ownership. One born every minute I guess.
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