Dash Warning Lights
Discussion
Had my chim '94M about two months now, and i have the bottom (red one)of the three warning lights glowing dimly when the engine gets hot........consulted the owners handbook supposed to be the oil pressure one ......... 
serious worry i thought! although the oil pressure gauge reads 30 psi.... but the pressure gauge also reads 20psi as soon as the ignition is turned on ?...... and the red light does not come on when the ignition is turned on before starting... all i get is the amber one in the middle come on and extinguish when started... the handbook says this is the alternator light.
So i am very confused with all this conflicting info,
However i got a bit of a bonus whilst under the car ...... found it was fitted with NITRONS........result!
First i thought buy a new pressure switch.... £4.50 from famous four, and after installing it same problem with the dash light...no red light when ignition turned on just the amber one. So i disconnected the lead to the switch and guess what, no amber light......... So is the handbook wrong the amber light is definitley the oil pressure warning light, or is this just a quirk of hand built cars?.
So my next problem is what is this red light i get, and why does it not come on when the ignition is turned on, like it should if it was the alternator light, and the top red warning light does not do anything at all.... hand book says its supposed to be something to do with the alarm. The bible does not say anything on this subject.
Can anybody shed any light.... no pun intended....on my lights.
serious worry i thought! although the oil pressure gauge reads 30 psi.... but the pressure gauge also reads 20psi as soon as the ignition is turned on ?...... and the red light does not come on when the ignition is turned on before starting... all i get is the amber one in the middle come on and extinguish when started... the handbook says this is the alternator light.So i am very confused with all this conflicting info,
However i got a bit of a bonus whilst under the car ...... found it was fitted with NITRONS........result!
First i thought buy a new pressure switch.... £4.50 from famous four, and after installing it same problem with the dash light...no red light when ignition turned on just the amber one. So i disconnected the lead to the switch and guess what, no amber light......... So is the handbook wrong the amber light is definitley the oil pressure warning light, or is this just a quirk of hand built cars?.
So my next problem is what is this red light i get, and why does it not come on when the ignition is turned on, like it should if it was the alternator light, and the top red warning light does not do anything at all.... hand book says its supposed to be something to do with the alarm. The bible does not say anything on this subject.
Can anybody shed any light.... no pun intended....on my lights.
Edited by robmarrs on Sunday 11th November 17:48
robmarrs said:
... and the red light does come on when the ignition is turned on before starting... all i get is the amber one in the middle come on and extinguish when started......no red light when ignition turned on just the amber one....what is this red light i get, and why does it not come on when the ignition is turned on, like it should if it was the alternator light...
I'm presuming your first statement is supposed to say 'and the red light does not come on....'?I expect it's the manual that's wrong and that you've now properly identified the warning lamps. This means the faint glowing red LED is the charge lamp.
Check the connections to the back of the alternator are clean and secure. If you have a multimeter or a voltmeter, check the battery voltage with the engine stopped and with it running. This will tell you if there is sufficient alternator output. Expect about 12V engine off, about 13.5V engine running. If this is all ok, have the alternator checked out by your local autoelectrician: there's likely a problem with the rectifier.
Re: oil pressure gauge showing 20 PSI with the engine stopped. There's the oil pressure switch that you've already replaced, but there's also an oil pressure sender that drives the gauge. I'd suspect either this or the gauge is faulty. Sender is more likely the culprit and it's cheapest and easiest to replace.
Yes i did mean not come ON.
I am aware of the sender unit powering the gauge, but here is the strange thing, my mate has a 93 chim, he has replaced the sender unit recently, but his gauge also reads 20psi when you turn the ignition on...... what does yours read?.... none of us probably look at it before we start the car up only when it is started and then mine reads 60psi.
i would be interested
Any comments on why the handbook is wrong?
I am aware of the sender unit powering the gauge, but here is the strange thing, my mate has a 93 chim, he has replaced the sender unit recently, but his gauge also reads 20psi when you turn the ignition on...... what does yours read?.... none of us probably look at it before we start the car up only when it is started and then mine reads 60psi.
i would be interested
Any comments on why the handbook is wrong?
Edited by robmarrs on Sunday 11th November 09:47
Mine has different gauges to yours, maybe that type all read 20 PSI at start-up? I can't imagine why they would though.
It depends on which oil mine has in but typically it will read 30 PSI cold idle, 10 PSI hot idle and up to 45 PSI at higher revs. But it always stays at the bottom of the scale with ignition on before starting.
It depends on which oil mine has in but typically it will read 30 PSI cold idle, 10 PSI hot idle and up to 45 PSI at higher revs. But it always stays at the bottom of the scale with ignition on before starting.
yep but we did it with a large mirror, just to make sure the chassis was g8, which it was, more than i can say for one late 500 chim i looked at.
I knew it had adjustable shocks, just not which brand, and i am a bit new to TVR ownership so had never heard of nitron or the cost, used to escorts you see bilsteins rule there
I knew it had adjustable shocks, just not which brand, and i am a bit new to TVR ownership so had never heard of nitron or the cost, used to escorts you see bilsteins rule there
Edited by robmarrs on Sunday 11th November 10:31
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