Irksome problems
Discussion
Sorry for the long post but I have got three problems with my chimaera that are really bothering me and would be very gratefull for some feedback.
1) I am getting a leak into the drivers side footwell, I have read all the other articles on here about it and done most of the bits people have suggested about resealing the hoses etc but all to no avail - any body got any suugestions?
2) The car starts up okay but once you get about a minute down the road it starts to misfire. I Have standard NGK sparks in there which are only a month old. Is there anything that i can check before forking out for a garage to have a look at it - or should i be using other spark plugs?
3) The red battery warning light stays on whilst the car is running. The Battery is charging via the alternator (when i had it serviced last they checked this). Any ideas on other things it could be before i fork out on a new alternator?
Cheers,
Mark
1) I am getting a leak into the drivers side footwell, I have read all the other articles on here about it and done most of the bits people have suggested about resealing the hoses etc but all to no avail - any body got any suugestions?
2) The car starts up okay but once you get about a minute down the road it starts to misfire. I Have standard NGK sparks in there which are only a month old. Is there anything that i can check before forking out for a garage to have a look at it - or should i be using other spark plugs?
3) The red battery warning light stays on whilst the car is running. The Battery is charging via the alternator (when i had it serviced last they checked this). Any ideas on other things it could be before i fork out on a new alternator?
Cheers,
Mark
mark_hastings said:
Sorry for the long post but I have got three problems with my chimaera that are really bothering me and would be very gratefull for some feedback.
1) I am getting a leak into the drivers side footwell, I have read all the other articles on here about it and done most of the bits people have suggested about resealing the hoses etc but all to no avail - any body got any suugestions?
Check around the brake fluid resevoir, and around the circular patch that covers the clutch resevoir?
mark_hastings said:
2) The car starts up okay but once you get about a minute down the road it starts to misfire. I Have standard NGK sparks in there which are only a month old. Is there anything that i can check before forking out for a garage to have a look at it - or should i be using other spark plugs?
Does it get better again afterwards, once it warms up a bit? Does it only happen when cold, or hot, or all the time?
mark_hastings said:
3) The red battery warning light stays on whilst the car is running. The Battery is charging via the alternator (when i had it serviced last they checked this). Any ideas on other things it could be before i fork out on a new alternator?
Don't know on this one, sorry.
mark_hastings said:
Cheers,
Mark
Cheers,
TheHobbit.
Ok thanks, I will check them again. They do look ok but a bit more sealant can’t hurt. I did try using a hose pipe to check for leaks but couldn’t see any water dripping in, would you expect to see this if it was coming in via the brake fluid or clutch reservoir?
I went out for a quick drive and it all seemed ok again (it only started yesterday, I had been driving around and all was fine then it started to splutter, like it was only running on 4 cylinders) would it be worth getting performance spark plugs and/or new SP leads, or am I jumping the gun a bit?
Cheers again
Mark
I went out for a quick drive and it all seemed ok again (it only started yesterday, I had been driving around and all was fine then it started to splutter, like it was only running on 4 cylinders) would it be worth getting performance spark plugs and/or new SP leads, or am I jumping the gun a bit?
Cheers again
Mark
mark_hastings said:
Ok thanks, I will check them again. They do look ok but a bit more sealant can’t hurt. I did try using a hose pipe to check for leaks but couldn’t see any water dripping in, would you expect to see this if it was coming in via the brake fluid or clutch reservoir?
I've seen somewhere on here that a light dusting of talcum powder can be useful in tracing leaks, but have not tried it myself.
mark_hastings said:
I went out for a quick drive and it all seemed ok again (it only started yesterday, I had been driving around and all was fine then it started to splutter, like it was only running on 4 cylinders) would it be worth getting performance spark plugs and/or new SP leads, or am I jumping the gun a bit?
I personally wouldn't think leads would work and not work and work like that. I'd expect more of a degredation with revs? But I stand to be corrected and learn. Sounds more fundamental to me. Have you checked all the HT leads are on tight?
mark_hastings said:
Cheers again
Mark
Oh, and just noticed you're new to PH, so
and welcome. Your profile just says "UK". Roughly where abouts are you?
Cheers,
Karl
Water leaks - check windscreen wiper spindles, wiring & throttle cable through the bulkhead, roof and door seals.
Misfire, has it been serviced recently? If not, consider having it serviced. If it *has* been serviced, consider having it looked at again since a professional will do a better job than you or I at solving this sort of problem. If you really want to investigate it yourself first, think about checking the water temp sender and also look for ignition problems - plugs, leads, coil, distributor cap/rotor, that sort of thing.
The battery warning light tells you there is a voltage difference between the alternator output and the switched feed to the ignition. Normally this is because the alternator is not putting out a voltage. Even if the alternator itself is working OK, you can still get this problem if the fusible link has blown. If all this is OK you may have the opposite problem, of a voltage drop on the switched ignition circuit. This can be caused by a failing ignition switch or more likely contact resistance on the multi-plug between the switch and the rest of the loom. If you have a volt meter you can easily tell whether the alternator output is higher or lower than the switched ignition voltage and hence which of these two types of problem you have.
Misfire, has it been serviced recently? If not, consider having it serviced. If it *has* been serviced, consider having it looked at again since a professional will do a better job than you or I at solving this sort of problem. If you really want to investigate it yourself first, think about checking the water temp sender and also look for ignition problems - plugs, leads, coil, distributor cap/rotor, that sort of thing.
The battery warning light tells you there is a voltage difference between the alternator output and the switched feed to the ignition. Normally this is because the alternator is not putting out a voltage. Even if the alternator itself is working OK, you can still get this problem if the fusible link has blown. If all this is OK you may have the opposite problem, of a voltage drop on the switched ignition circuit. This can be caused by a failing ignition switch or more likely contact resistance on the multi-plug between the switch and the rest of the loom. If you have a volt meter you can easily tell whether the alternator output is higher or lower than the switched ignition voltage and hence which of these two types of problem you have.
I had a similar electrical problem to this last week. i start the car, all ok but battery light would stay on. i drive along all ok when suddenly it sort of misfires/loses power and just wouldn't go right. turned out to be the fuse mentioned before. apparently because they live under the car they are prone to corrosion and getting wet. changed the fuse and all was well again.
Mark you can get the book from www.tvrbooks.co.uk a must if you own a tvr
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