Cars of Crackers (contains a modern. Sorry.)

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I wonder if a picture frame hook might work...

[Crackers]

Faults Fixed: 1

Faults Found: also 1

Solihull Strikes Again

(alternative title: "Bugger.")

Oil pressure gauge, which is known to be pathetic on these, and was on its last legs a bit, seems to have finally given up the ghost. 

I'm confident we have good oil pressure as there's no ugly noises - engine is (exhaust excepted) silent as a fish (?) and smooth as silk. Oil pressure light (on a separate switch, so should* be independent of gauge)didn't come on at all, and goes out as soon as you bump the key when firing it up. 

Will investigate properly in the week when I have time. New gauge = £130 =>> bummer

Its new window sticker appears to have had an almost immediate effect! 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

I missed this pick up (life yada yadda). Glad you are enjoying it and sorted the choke issue,  tho the early type curved/hook cables are unobtanium pretty much. 

 

They are wonderful to drive,  as per Rover invented the souped up hot rod sports saloon market when they dropped the V8 in the P6.

I'd check the fb page about eh judder tho I will hazard mounts being a possibility.

 

Glad you are enjoying the wafting of it.

 

 

 

[Crackers]

Before any asks, yes, I did stop and check everything over! I didn't just keep driving it with a big fat ZERO on the gauge. 

[mitsisigma01]

Can a chinesium Ali express gauge not fit🤔

[Crackers]

1 minute ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Can a chinesium Ali express gauge not fit🤔

I did consider replacing the (rather unnecessary) oil temperature gauge in the centre console, with an oil pressure gauge, but I'd like to keep the one in the dash where it's more easily in sight. 

[Saabnut]

I *might* have a gauge and possibly even a choke cable in the spares car. Will have to have a look

[Crackers]

5 minutes ago, Saabnut said:

I *might* have a gauge and possibly even a choke cable in the spares car. Will have to have a look

Give us a buzz if you do have either! Would happily part with many beer tokens for them.

[Crackers]

On 3/22/2021 at 9:13 AM, MorrisItalSLX said:

Fitted with a Borg Warner 65 gearbox,

Currently trying to get my head around something at present. 

The auction listing from the early 2000s mentions this BW65 box as quoted above. 

To my knowledge, there was no such thing as as an automatic UK-market 3500S, because the "S" moniker denoted Synchromesh >> manual car. The chassis number also begins 481 which aligns to that of a UK, Manual, 3500S.

I initially assumed that the auction listing above was simply wrong, and that it has always been a manual. However I was looking through the stack of receipts earlier looking for something else, and noticed a quite old receipt for "BW65 INHIBITOR SWITCH" which caught my eye big time! 

So this leads me onto a few possible outcomes:

1) I have no idea what I've actually bought;

2) It's a real 3500S which had previously (for a reason I cannot possibly fathom) been converted to an Auto, then later back to manual;

3) The running gear from an Auto 3500 was swapped into this 3500S base unit when the restoration was carried out 20-odd years ago - I can't verify this through the original engine number as it has a different engine fitted and the V5 was altered to match;

4) Somebody had more than one P6 and has accidentally put the receipt in the wrong folder!

Doesn't really make a difference either way - I've got a manual V8 chassis number with a manual box - happy days - but still pretty confusing! 

 

In other news, priority 1 is to get the oil pressure gauge sorted, after which I'll be launching it into a local classic specialist for a proper inspection and to get some of the more 'involved' mechanical jobs done. 

[Talbot]

11 hours ago, Crackers said:

priority 1 is to get the oil pressure gauge sorted,

Is that because it's right in your line of sight and showing a big fat zero all the time?  Remember that most RV8 installations only had a pressure switch, so the gauge being inoperative isn't the end of the world.

Is it oil-to-the-gauge or an electronic sender and an electrical gauge?  If the latter, it could be simply a wiring issue.

[Skizzer]

On 4/3/2021 at 10:57 PM, Crackers said:

Will investigate properly in the week when I have time. New gauge = £130 =>> bummer

That sounds expensive.  If it does turn out to need a new gauge, will one of these fit?  £40 sounds more like it, even if not original: https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/search?adv=false&cid=0&mid=0&vid=0&q=oil pressure gauge&sid=false&isc=true&orderBy=0

Alternatively, Speedy Cables can almost certainly repair/recalibrate it for you.  I know a couple of people who used to work there, they have a very good rep: https://speedycables.com/

 

[Crackers]

27 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Is that because it's right in your line of sight and showing a big fat zero all the time?

Pretty much, yes. If it didn't have a gauge, I wouldn't even notice - but in my head, seeing the most important gauge at "0" even though I *know* it's misreading, still worries me.

28 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Is it oil-to-the-gauge or an electronic sender and an electrical gauge? 

Sender and leccy gauge on these - PO replaced the sender a few weeks before I bought it as he was having the same problem, so unless that's gone duff already, this points more to the gauge at fault I guess. Will put some time into diagnosing, when I have time.

14 minutes ago, Skizzer said:

will one of these fit?

Would probably fit in the centre console to replace the oil temperature gauge which I really don't need. However the stock gauge is one of these double-jobbies in the instrument cluster.

Got a couple of potential leads on cheaper ways of getting hold of that gauge, so hopefully the £140 job will be a last resort.

[Talbot]

Very quick and dirty check:  remove the lead from the pressure sender and short it to the block.  The gauge should now jump up to maximum.  If it doesn't, you've a wiring or a gauge issue.  If it does, then check the resistance of the pressure sender.  If it's open circuit with the engine running, you've found your problem.

If the vendor replaced the sender with a cheap pattern one, that will almost certainly be the issue.  After a few pressure and thermal cycles they can fail.  The dash gauges are usually much more robust.

[captain_70s]

Surprised its a sender on these, I knew a fella with a mk1 2000 that announced the failure of it's oil gauge by filling the driver's footwell with 20w50 at 60mph.

[davehedgehog31]

1 minute ago, captain_70s said:

Surprised its a sender on these, I knew a fella with a mk1 2000 that announced the failure of it's oil gauge by filling the driver's footwell with 20w50 at 60mph.

HERITAGE

[SiC]

2 hours ago, Crackers said:

Sender and leccy gauge on these - PO replaced the sender a few weeks before I bought it as he was having the same problem, so unless that's gone duff already, this points more to the gauge at fault I guess. Will put some time into diagnosing, when I have time.

I wouldn't dismiss broken new parts. Unfortunately the classic car spares market is awash with crap quality parts and it's very common to have something DOA or shortly after use. 

Is the temp and fuel gauge working properly still? The whole lot (usually) runs off a 10v regulator. Original Lucas affair is a mechanical unit that is actually pretty robust but at this age, they do fail. 

[Crackers]

44 minutes ago, SiC said:

Is the temp and fuel gauge working properly still?

Yup, all other gauges work properly (or, about as properly as you could expect from 50 year old BL instruments).

I've just ordered a new multimeter as I realised the posh one I usually dig out, is back at my parents' place, and doesn't belong to me anyway. That will hopefully come tomorrow so I can have a poke around the gauge and sender.

[PhilA]

Psh. RV8 will run on 2-3 psi of oil pressure without much trouble, so long as there's flow. By that time the light is on to let you know you might want to ease off the throttle a touch.

Hardy old lumps

[Saabnut]

Are these what you are looking for?

 

!

The choke cable still moves and the oil pressure gauge worked the last time it was used - but that was back in 1992!

The problem is I have no idea when I will get time to remove them! I have meetings all day tomorrow and Thursday and I am in Teeside Friday and that will decide how much time I have next week or two and after that I am due away for a month. You are welcome to come and remove them yourself - roadtrip!  

[Crackers]

27 minutes ago, Saabnut said:

Are these what you are looking for?

Absolutely spot on Nick! You definitely have a customer for the choke cable please. 

I need to investigate the pressure gauge issue when I get time (hopefully this weekend), to see if it's the gauge, sender or wiring that's given up - I'll let you know as soon as.

No rush on any of them though - as and when suits you. My choc-block choke works well enough for now. 

Roadtrip, you say?

Ermmmmm... I think I'll pass on this occasion! 😁

[Saabnut]

Wimp! If you spent 100% of your net pay for the year on fuel you would only have to borrow a significant sum for the trip!

[Talbot]

5 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Surprised its a sender on these, I knew a fella with a mk1 2000 that announced the failure of it's oil gauge by filling the driver's footwell with 20w50 at 60mph.

Indeed.  When I broke a Mk2 Grandad many years ago I was quite surprised to find the oil pressure gauge was fully mechanical, meaning there was a pressure feed of oil up to just quite close to my face.

.. With a finger-tight coupling on the back.  Oh good.

[Crackers]

4 minutes ago, Saabnut said:

Wimp! If you spent 100% of your net pay for the year on fuel you would only have to borrow a significant sum for the trip!

You think you're bloody joking too! 😂

[tooSavvy]

"...Unfortunately the classic car spares market is awash with crap quality parts and it's very common to have something DOA or shortly after use..."

My Ebay £3 AC wet oil pressure gauge will likely outlive the car!! *almost certainly the one it left a factory in.... ha ha

[Crackers]

A mate sent me this, from last week's chippy run.

She does sound tasty, even if say so myself.

 

[Three Speed]

Very nice!

I had a 3500S in the early 80s. Lovely car. Terrible notchy gear change. Luckily it would run all day in top gear.

I bought it thinking I could handle the fuel cost by not driving it far. Turned out that I loved driving it I took the long way everywhere so that didn’t work. Took 6 months to pay off the fuel bill. Still regret selling it.
Mine dripped oil from the rear main seal into the exhaust Y-piece.  The inside of the car would fil with smoke at traffic lights. This was a common problem caused by the oil pressure relief valve sticking shut and blowing the seal. The hydraulic tappets can fail due to the same cause.

There is no high pressure warning light but such a thing would have been quite useful in addition to the low pressure light.

[LightBulbFun]

16 hours ago, Crackers said:

A mate sent me this, from last week's chippy run.

She does sound tasty, even if say so myself.

 

very awesome!  

although I I will admit I was hoping at the end of the clip when you where behind the camera that you would drop it a couple gears and give it a boot full and shoot past  

[Crackers]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

very awesome!  

although I I will admit I was hoping at the end of the clip when you where behind the camera that you would drop it a couple gears and give it a boot full and shoot past  

She's not quite ready for being given "full beans" yet. The time will come, I assure you 

[Crackers]

Still haven't found where the drip of coolant is coming from. I've wound all the clamps up nice and tight so either I've missed one or there's a weepy hose. The leak isn't as bad as it looks, most of the damp on the floor is from yesterday's rain/snow/fire engine incident, but it does need sorting before it rots the valance. 

Not one to be beaten, I've fixed* the problem:

[busmansholiday]

There's an easy fix to stop that zero oil pressure reading annoying you. Move the needle up to the middle of the green section and glue it there.