engine problem .
Discussion
need to sort out a few problems .the car does not run on all eight between 1200 to 1600 revs and clatters when on load then goes well after that .i only get 40 miles on £20 and thats taking my time .i can`t even get it through the mot as its running so rich . i feel like crying and its cost me a fortune up to yet , wish i had got a new engine . any one been i the same situation . ive checked the mot certificates and the car as only covered 40000 miles .the manifolds have been off twice ... just don`t know what to do .!
ive had the injectors cleaned , some type of sonic cleaner. ive had a new cam , lifters, rockers. carbon trumpets , fuel reg, the lot done , tried different oils from valvaline vr1 to 10/ 50 fully s .this is my hobby and after spending alot of money it should be better than this . i even went to see a tvr specialist and he said it was fine .im not looking for perfection . i have magnecor leads which are being removed and im replacing the rotor arm , dizzy cap and some leads from tvr shop . im in to my sencond box of andrex !
Personnaly I buy the diagnostic equipment needed in preference to paying someone else to do it, least you still have it in the future. The Gunson product range do some good stuff for the home mechanic.
For a basic engine checks you need compression tester, that will tell you mechanically the engines basically OK.
For tracing HT faults do an ebay search on: GCP7870G Peak KV Tester. These will give you a voltage reading for each HT lead, as with 8 finding a fault can be hard. You can also get plug caps with neon lights fitted to them, that show HT is there but not how high it is so is of limited use. Colour tunes are good for identifying a problem with an individual cylinder injector or mixture problem.
These three items will cost less than a couple of hours with a mechanic and are much better than guessing or simply throwing parts at it.
How did you get on with the fuel pressure in the end ? I have been testing mine, and at 34 PSI, the engine becomes lean under full load, and at 40 PSI, it starts to run rich. Mines spot on at 37 PSI.
As for the rattle, is the ignition timing correct ? Some of the pointers on the RV8 can be at the wrong point (These need to be checked at top dead center) so the timing get set incorrectly.
Mark
For a basic engine checks you need compression tester, that will tell you mechanically the engines basically OK.
For tracing HT faults do an ebay search on: GCP7870G Peak KV Tester. These will give you a voltage reading for each HT lead, as with 8 finding a fault can be hard. You can also get plug caps with neon lights fitted to them, that show HT is there but not how high it is so is of limited use. Colour tunes are good for identifying a problem with an individual cylinder injector or mixture problem.
These three items will cost less than a couple of hours with a mechanic and are much better than guessing or simply throwing parts at it.
How did you get on with the fuel pressure in the end ? I have been testing mine, and at 34 PSI, the engine becomes lean under full load, and at 40 PSI, it starts to run rich. Mines spot on at 37 PSI.
As for the rattle, is the ignition timing correct ? Some of the pointers on the RV8 can be at the wrong point (These need to be checked at top dead center) so the timing get set incorrectly.
Mark
Take it to Steve Howard. He used to fix the Friday specials under TVR warranty for the South of England. He is in Didcot and WILL fix it. His number is 07732863625. He does the cars for Top Gear, runs TVR race teams, services James May and Richard Hammond cars and bikes etc. Been using him for 6 years after trying 2 TVR "Dealers"(both idiots and useless)
If you can get your test meter out (as Im sure all you plumbers will have for those heating systems !), set it to 10 or less volts DC, and plug it into the back of the lambda probe connectors between the black and white wires. (The probes are in the manifold down tubes) Then start the engine. After about 30 seconds you should see a rising voltage that the starts to switch between about .3 and .7 volts at about 1/2 second intervals. Test both sides. If it is really running as rich as you think, it will stick up at between .7 volts and 1.2 volts. If it does stick that high at tickover, a fault code reader should show the fault, as the ECU should go into fault mode. If its OK at tickover, I would suggest you extend the test meter leads, so it can be read in the cabin by a passenger. Take the car for a ride, and it should carry on switching up to 3400 rpm or less than 3/4 throttle. Above this is should go to .7 volts and stay there. This simple test will verify the operation of the ECU, plus all sensors, fuel pressure, and to a limited amount the HT and plugs. Post the results and I can take it from there.
Mark
Mark
Sounds much more like the timing? My RV8 timing marks were way off and it does your head in if you believe they are right. My small block chevy has exactly the same symptoms if the timing is wrong.
If you feel confident in altering the timing yourself it will probably be a free fix. If not do as the others suggest and get a good mobile tuner to sort it for you.
If you feel confident in altering the timing yourself it will probably be a free fix. If not do as the others suggest and get a good mobile tuner to sort it for you.
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