Clutch master cylinder & cooling fan electrics
Discussion
Just so Jason doesn't feel left out I thought I'd tell you about a couple of niggles on my 350i.
The clutch fluid has been slowly disappearing over the last year or so, but over the last week it has started to drop rapidly. When I first got the car I fitted a new slave cylinder and resealed the master cylinder with an old seal kit I found in my tool box. The was a damp patch under the master cylinder so in a fit of energy tonight I removed the cylinder, took it down my local motor factors and bought a new kit (bores and piston look fine) and rebuilt it. The whole job took about an hour - a TVR job that went smoothly!!
The other problem I have been having is overheating fuse and relay for the cooling fans. My 350i has 2 fans and the fuse has melted a couple of times and I have been through 2 relays. They get too hot to touch if the fans are running for an extended period in hot weather. So last weekend I thought I would wire in a big old relay I had knocking around (it came out of a kidney machine - so should be top quality), bypass the fuse box, feed it directly from the battery with an inline fuse and do a proper job. It was double pole and looked 100 times more beafy than the crap usually found in a TVR. I wired up both poles, but it runs hot also!
Anyway I have decided the only solution will be to power each fan from the battery with seperate relays/feeds - a trip down the breakers for relays and fan connectors is on the off-ing. I plan to mount a relay near each fan motor, and should be able to wire them in without disturbing the wiring loom if I can find the correct connectors.
The clutch fluid has been slowly disappearing over the last year or so, but over the last week it has started to drop rapidly. When I first got the car I fitted a new slave cylinder and resealed the master cylinder with an old seal kit I found in my tool box. The was a damp patch under the master cylinder so in a fit of energy tonight I removed the cylinder, took it down my local motor factors and bought a new kit (bores and piston look fine) and rebuilt it. The whole job took about an hour - a TVR job that went smoothly!!
The other problem I have been having is overheating fuse and relay for the cooling fans. My 350i has 2 fans and the fuse has melted a couple of times and I have been through 2 relays. They get too hot to touch if the fans are running for an extended period in hot weather. So last weekend I thought I would wire in a big old relay I had knocking around (it came out of a kidney machine - so should be top quality), bypass the fuse box, feed it directly from the battery with an inline fuse and do a proper job. It was double pole and looked 100 times more beafy than the crap usually found in a TVR. I wired up both poles, but it runs hot also!
Anyway I have decided the only solution will be to power each fan from the battery with seperate relays/feeds - a trip down the breakers for relays and fan connectors is on the off-ing. I plan to mount a relay near each fan motor, and should be able to wire them in without disturbing the wiring loom if I can find the correct connectors.
Oh yeah, I did the master cylinder rebuild thing 
... lasted about 8 months before it sprang a leak again. The piston seemed almost to have been forced to travel in an arc inside the cyl bore and had worn it to a right odd shape, hence the seal could only follow some of the contour. Ended up needing a new master cyl.
Sounds about right for the fan wiring: a big cable to take the juice down to two relays adjacent to the fans is a good plan. I'd fit some arc suppression capacitors across the relay contacts to make them last longer (DC motors are a nice inductive load that relays don't like).
Ian
... lasted about 8 months before it sprang a leak again. The piston seemed almost to have been forced to travel in an arc inside the cyl bore and had worn it to a right odd shape, hence the seal could only follow some of the contour. Ended up needing a new master cyl. Sounds about right for the fan wiring: a big cable to take the juice down to two relays adjacent to the fans is a good plan. I'd fit some arc suppression capacitors across the relay contacts to make them last longer (DC motors are a nice inductive load that relays don't like).
Ian
Danny,
Have you thought about using a kenlowe adjustable temp sensor for the fans. I got mine from rimmer bros, The sensor bit goes into the top radiator hose and the switch has an adjustable knob to fine tune the temp the fans kick in at.
It doesn't use any relays as it switches the fans on directly. I've got twin spal fans on mine.
I've tested it and early indications are it works well. I've got a 3mm wire with a 30A fuse running straight from the battery.
You can also get an kenlowe overide switch kit which plugs straight into it.
Theres also get the advantage of taking the otter switch out of the loop.
Gareth.
Have you thought about using a kenlowe adjustable temp sensor for the fans. I got mine from rimmer bros, The sensor bit goes into the top radiator hose and the switch has an adjustable knob to fine tune the temp the fans kick in at.
It doesn't use any relays as it switches the fans on directly. I've got twin spal fans on mine.
I've tested it and early indications are it works well. I've got a 3mm wire with a 30A fuse running straight from the battery.
You can also get an kenlowe overide switch kit which plugs straight into it.
Theres also get the advantage of taking the otter switch out of the loop.
Gareth.
Gareth,
I know the set-up you mean, but I don't have cooling probs generally since upgrading the radiator to a 3 core one. I have already fitted an overide switch (just in-case). Also my idea will leave one fan running if something goes wrong (fuse or relay).
Having said that I will probably overheat tomorrow!
Cheers
Danny
I know the set-up you mean, but I don't have cooling probs generally since upgrading the radiator to a 3 core one. I have already fitted an overide switch (just in-case). Also my idea will leave one fan running if something goes wrong (fuse or relay).
Having said that I will probably overheat tomorrow!
Cheers
Danny
) danny hoffman said:
Cheers WG,
Do you go that way everyday - I haven't seen an S3 on my way back from the office?
Danny
I go round the NC a couple of times a week to night school - sometimes in the S - sometimes in the bird's Punto usually around 6 o'clock ish. I'm based in West London. I just really enjoyed seeing a proper fun car in the traffic - particularly as you instantly mentioned PH. Being round these parts, do you know, is there some sort of West London TVR owners club ?
See you on the NC !
WG
danny hoffman said:
Club meet on this thread
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=46417&f=13&h=0
Thanks Danny - too slow to get that this time - but I've got a note of the Yahoo group - so hope to make August maybe.
WG
white said:
Danny- having the same problem with my master cylinder. Is there a part no. for the seal kit beause the master is TVR specific.........
Not unless yours is different! It was used on Lotus Esprit and Lotus Cortina amongst others: rumour has it that it was also TR6. Check it has the casting number 64676310 on the side.
However, Lucas-Girling do a seal kit (Part No. SP2102). The slave cyl. kit is SP4190 - if the casting number is 74660035.
Ian
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