Collected new car...few questions

Hello all.

Collected my car yesterday (no 436) from Summit Garage (John Newey) and I absolutely love it however on my long run home I came across a few problems.

Firstly the plastic chrome door opener surround thingy fell off on the passenger door as I went over a speed bump...is it possible to get a new one?

The electric mirror switch doesn't adjust the mirrors to the left, I can move them every other way just not left.

The battery light kept flickering. At first I thought it was my imagination as its very quick, less than a second before its on and off again. It does this all the time and John assured me its one of those things and everyones car does it and its nothing to worry about.

The throttle pedal is quite stiff to press, anyway of making it lighter?

Lastly the clutch...the pedal is stiff to press in and the biting point is quite low on the pedal. I did have this problem when I bought my CDTi although it was a lot stiffer but after 6,000 miles or so it stopped going into first and reverse gears, end result was a new slave cylinder and clutch which was a gearbox out job but I understand that on these its an engine out job. Am I likely to have a clutch problem or is a stiff pedal considered normal? It does make it uncomfortable to drive around town and when I got home I have to admit I was kinda glad to be in the diesel again as its now so smooth since it was repaired and a lot easier on my leg :)

Can't think of anything else at the moment, everything else seems to be fine, just hope the things above are nothing to worry about.

Thanks,

Kris.

hmmmm, well, not sure what bit you mean on the door, this sounds unusual. Would be same as standard ZT parts though I would think. Try Rimmer Bros on the web.

electric mirror - I have this problem Sometimes if I turn it back the other way fully then it will return the way I want it to. not sure if this is a TADTS. Again, std ZT / R75 I would think

flicking light - there is a glitch that flashesd a red light every so often, but I didnt think this was the battery light? check battery and alternator connections, otherwise I dont know about this one!

Throttle pedal - the cables can get stiff over time. they are not cheap - think the club shop or someone on the forum had a source or batch of them? check the return spring on the throttle body moves freely though to be sure of its the cable or not.

lastly clutch - they are quite stiff anyway. but if the biting point is really low, but there is a bit of free travel at the top, then there may be a hydraulic issue, air in there or something. Otherwise, its probably ok.

Hi Chris. Others will be able to tell you more about the manual box - I have an auto.

Firstly the flickering dash lights both oil and battery are normal, TADS - 'they all do that sir'

Throttle - run some oil down the cable. New ones turn up now and then on eBay, consensus is they wear possibly due to heat in the engine bay.

Chrome surround standard 75 item and an easy fix

Lastly the door mirrors sounds like a broken cable probably best to start at the link from the door to the pillar, might just be a loose connector into the back of the door switch as it affects both mirrors

Hi Kris - and welcome

Agree with 2V8's comments, though the flashing battery light is a common issue, you'll find the battery and oil light do it, it's an issue caused by a comms problem between the various ecu's - mine does it all the time, another member put it quite nicely as it's just the car's way of telling you its still alive

On the throttle cable we are looking a sourcing replacements as they are an item that seems to cause problems and is increasingly difficult to find new, we are in the early stages however.

Hi thanks for the quick reply. The door piece I mean is the plastic chrome circular surround on the inside and would be the same as any 75 ZT. The clips are broke and looks like it was just set in place.

Yes its definitely the battery light that flashes, girlfriend spotted it too. I'll get a mechanic to have a look at this.

I'll have a look and see if I can find the return spring or indeed the throttle body :lol: Its not that bad just stiffer than what I'm used to.

The clutch bites quite low and has a good bit of free travel at the top as well. What would be the best way to rule out a hydraulic problem?

Thanks again.

Further 2 replies since I posted my reply to 2V8s

Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the flickering light, haven't seen the oil one come on yet though.

Colin - Thats great that you are trying to source new parts, keep me updated on the throttle cables if you don't mind :)

On the door handle surround, both mine have broken like this and my cheap fix is a little hot melt glue on the inside of the chrome frame then push it back on. this is strong enough to hold it in place but you can still get it off in needed. Not too much glue though.

I can confirm battery light (other lights) flickering and this is normal.

Re the pedals, yes the throttle pedal can be stiff and the clutch heavy and low too, I think this might be normal?

When going for full throttle I really have to push the pedal hard, think they are just heavy?

ETA would like to see some pics of the car, I thought about the one you have when I got mine, but was put off by the black wheels, does it still have them?

The chrome surrounds break if some ham fisted person removes the door card incorrectly..
Fix for the flickering light is to buy a Supercharger as that runs the alternator in reverse :) , cheaper fix might be to replace the belt tensioner.

Throttle cables go dry and get gritty to operate also correct routing makes a big difference.

Clutch is very heavy, best way to check for anything unusual would be to compare to another car.
I did 200 Miles around some of Snowdonias finest roads yesterday, clutch and left leg got quite a workout ;)

as far as the door handle chrome is concerned. you can buy them only as a complete part ie with the handle, as the chrome bit is heat welded to the handle. so the glue option is the easiest option. as has been said already.

regarding the mirror motors. i did not know that cos my left one does not work well. ill have the back off to see if any cables have become detached. cheers.

I forget to mention 9 times out of 10 it is the mirror joystick so all the switch pack control needs is cleaning as dirt can get under the rubber membrane and the PCB

The design is near identical to any TV remote
dismantle it wash the membrane and clean the PCB contacts gently with a pencil rubber.

ok i'll look into that first. sounds likely suspect to me too.

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Originally Posted by re-tread

On the door handle surround, both mine have broken like this and my cheap fix is a little hot melt glue on the inside of the chrome frame then push it back on. this is strong enough to hold it in place but you can still get it off in needed. Not too much glue though.

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Nick up at Austin Garages has done this to two of mine after Uplands did the speaker upgrade.

:cool:

Thanks guys for all the replies, yous really have put my mind at ease about a few things.

I will attempt a glue repair for the chrome surround.

Coasting - Yes it still has the black wheels which I don't think look too bad. I plan to get them painted in a different colour though :)

Hi Kris214
I don't wish to alarm you but this is a potentially serious problem.
If it loosens up after a drop of oil and some regular use, then fine.
However please check that the inner wire is not frayed, perhaps with one or two strands broken.
If this is the case then re-new the cable
If the cable sticks with the throttle wide open you will find yourself in a lot of trouble
Happened to me in a Triumph 2.5 injection,quite a nippy car in it's day
I was driving from Scotland to Wales a distance of about 400 miles and I was only 20 miles from home when it happened.
I managed to stop the car and removed a couple of the plug leads so I could limp home, but it was not a nice experience
For years when driving an old MG I've carried around a bicycle brake cable from Halfords complete with solderless nipple
Anyway Kris please check
Regards Dave

How free should the throttle cable be? Mine has the very slightest sense of stiction, i.e. I can tell it's a cable rather than fly-by-wire, and it feels about the same as my MGB. Should I expect it to be smoother than that?

personally, I dont notice any issues with my throttle.

when I first got the car, it was a bit sticky in that especially at low revs you'd try to gently raise revs a little and you had to put a bit of pressure on and it would suddenly move a notch and over rev a little. So it was hard to be smooth.

I lubricated the pedal mechanism, throttle body mechanism and ran some 3-in-1 oil into the cable from the throttle body end (and held it up for a while so it would run down, whilst operating the pedal in and out). 2 years on and its still all good :D and it's had some use with 105k on the clock.

Have a look at this thread

https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc26...ead.php?t=5830

Mine is still OK nearly 2 years on.

I must admit mine took a bit of getting used to and seemed stciky compared to the TF throttle, but now I just don't notice it, either that, or it has improved with use :cool:

Yes mines a little sticky too. The 3 in 1 idea sounds like a plan.

I used teflon spray oil designed for cable lubing, found in cycle shops, not as sticky as oil and works a treat, as for chrome surround if you dont have glue gun
just put some double sided sticky tape on the outer flanges push hard job done :)

Oooh Ooooh I've got some of that for my bike already. Didn't even put 2 and2 together. Wally. Cheers geof

Thanks for all the replies guys. After a bit of use I have gotten used to the clutch and throttle, I think I noticed it more because my diesels pedals are really smooth but have to say now the pedals don't bother me at all.

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Originally Posted by kris214

Thanks for all the replies guys. After a bit of use I have gotten used to the clutch and throttle, I think I noticed it more because my diesels pedals are really smooth but have to say now the pedals don't bother me at all.

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It allways takes a while getting used to a new car.
Glad it all worked out!:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kris214

Thanks for all the replies guys. After a bit of use I have gotten used to the clutch and throttle, I think I noticed it more because my diesels pedals are really smooth but have to say now the pedals don't bother me at all.

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You will get used to tucking your left foot under the clutch pedal. ;)

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Originally Posted by AndyG

You will get used to tucking your left foot under the clutch pedal. ;)

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That's where I've always put it. You ever been in a non v8 75 or ZT? The foot rest is hopeless, my foot gets wedged in by the clutch pedal and can only get it out if I bring it out at an angle lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kris214

That's where I've always put it. You ever been in a non v8 75 or ZT? The foot rest is hopeless, my foot gets wedged in by the clutch pedal and can only get it out if I bring it out at an angle lol

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Damn you must have wide feet. It's fine in my Derv

Yeah there like big bananas :(

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Originally Posted by kris214

Yeah there like big bananas :(

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What.......YELLOW!

:~
:~
:~

Nich.

:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nich

What.......YELLOW!

:~
:~
:~

Nich.

:)

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:fight2 hahaha