CazzaVR

Ah, right. I would say nothing to worry about. That's the sort of thing I've had on my Rados in the past, with no adverse affect. On one of my previous valvers, it used to build up over a couple of months, and I'd just wipe around the top/inside of the expansion tank to get rid of it. You could also change the oil heat exchanger/cooler as there may be a chance a seal has gone. Not sure if you can just change the seals. Maybe change the coolant and give it a good flush by leaving a hose to run through it for a while. Expansion tank is cheap and dead easy to change if it's mucky. TBH, I'd be surprised if it was the head gasket. Anyone else?

No worries! Hope you get it sorted soon- keep us posted :wink:

Not sure, but the exact same symptoms happened to my first valver. The car would start fine, and be perfectly OK until warm (especially stuck in traffic), then the rev needle would start shooting all over the place. Never happened when cold. It's worth a 5 minute look. Also worth cleaning the ISV, which is a really easy job to do.

Can't see it, mate.

Strange! There are some gaps inside the boot where you can just about reach the blue clips with your fingers, although it's not easy.

Looks nice- welcome! ps- how are the Hendersons?

Find the ISV, which is located on the right hand side of the head. It will have a couple of air hoses and an electrical plug, and is cylindrical in shape. Check all the hoses carefully for splits and holes. Probably worth cleaning the ISV too. Disconnect it all (2 min job) and give it a really good soak in carb cleaner- make sure the electrical connection stays dry.

Eleanor, did you see my post on the last page? Worth checking (thoroughly!) :wink:

Enough already! Still hurting...

Need to change my rear calipers too, and this thread is totally putting me off! Trig, when you've sussed yours, fancy doing mine? :wink:

Pic would be good. I've had rusty orangy deposits with all 3 of my valvers, and they've been fine. Remember, these cars are old now, so it's likely that there is a bit of rusty residue inside the coolant system. If it seems to increase a lot, change the oil heat exchanger first, give the tank a good clean and see if it comes back at all. I just wipe it all off every few months.

Worth trying a good mirror switch to make sure it's not that. I had exactly the same problem with fuse 14 and bizarre window operation. All cured by a new mirror switch, after many hours looking for faulty wiring (me and a garage as well!).

Just a thought, and you've probably checked it out already, but have you checked all the air hoses? My first valver had identical symptoms to yours. It turned out that one of the air hoses to the ISV was split slightly (underneath, so you couldn't really see it). Got a new bit of hosing from Halfords for a couple of quid- problem solved. Worth checking :wink:

Sure it's oil? Sometimes you get a kind of rust/sludge residue from old radiators etc which build up in various places (including the expansion tank) in the cooling system.

In the last few days, I've changed the fan switch & coolant and the fuel filter.

Hi Laurence, Think you need the Goodridge MKII-MKIV conversion hose kit. You can get it direct from Goodridge for under £30. Planning on doing this myself for the rears. With regards to the car, afraid it hasn't been going all that well so far! :( Leaking rocker cover gasket (still leaking after being replaced :roll: ), knackered alarm, broken front engine mount, oil leak from the side of the head, all bushes need replacing, knackered rear caliper etc. That said, the suspension is soooo much better now on the Konis, and the car feels quite a bit quicker now with Vibratechnics front mount and KR cam. I will persevere and get it all sorted. How's the VR? Bet ya loving that noise :twisted:

K&N or Green. Green is more lightly oiled.

Think the best thing to do would be panel filter and cold air feed. Think JMR do a feed using brake ducting. On valvers, you can do a front feed from behind the grille through the snorkel hole. You can probably also remove any fins etc inside the box to improve flow.

Could also be a faulty mirror switch.

I'll be there, unless baby arrives first! Wanna see Ruby too, looks soooo good. Never really used to like red Cs, but Ruby's changed that!

Feel a bit of a numpty! :oops: Had another good check, and tested the earth and still nothing. Then noticed a small red/black wire near the fan/gearbox had come unplugged! Panic over! I hadn't noticed a) because I'm an idiot, and b) because the connection is under several other wires, so not very visible at all. Anyways, car fired up first time, so I took it for a little spin :twisted: Thanks to you all for offering some excellent advice- this thread should come in useful in the future.

I feel like such a novice! Anyone got any pics of the engine bay with the earth, coil etc labelled? Dunno where everything is :oops:

Think I've got one in my car toolkit. Never used, still in it's plastic wrapper. Looks like a pen with a bit of wire? How do I use it then? :oops:

Thanks for all your suggestions, guys. Appreciate it. Got a few things to try tonight then (before the footy of course!). Thought the battery was OK, as all the electrics are working fine, and it's one of those batteries with an indicator window, which says it's good (green). I will try charging it up later though, just in case. Steve, in your second suggestion with the jump lead, what will happen when I do this? Do I need to try and start the engine with the jump lead connected? Cheers

Right, hooked up a jump lead from the battery to the starter motor, and all I get is a little wirring/click from the left hand side, the same as with the key in the ignition. Think it's the fuel pump? Haven't tried jumping it yet. Will try tomorrow in the light!