This was not to last. The seal used on the sender unit was either a reused or wrong part and the pressurisation of the fuel tank caused it to blow, filling the boot with Messrs Tesco's Finest Unleaded. Added to this, the trim used in the Chimaera's boot is a man made material which is now showing signs of melt down where it has been soaked in fuel.
Another interesting noise we have experienced is a loud, sudden
thump from the rear of the car, usually after driving for an hour
or so (but not always). I assumed that this was a sudden expansion
of the fibreglass base of the boot caused by heat from the exhausts.
Our dealer reckoned it was the fuel tank pressurising and causing
the sides of the tank to pop out slightly. Another theory is that
water from condensation is getting trapped in a carbon filter
where the breather from the tank routes back to the front of the
car. If this filter is cleared the noise stops. The Griffith appears
to suffer from this too. Can anyone else shed any light on the
subject?
Chris Morgan & Judy Williams
Internet Mailing List Oct 96
As I put the Griff in the Garage last night after a blast through
the countryside, I heard a slight hissing coming from the boot.
Knowing that there were various poisonous snakes at large at the
moment I opened the boot with some trepidation, to find the petrol
cap was making the noise. I opened the cap, it sucked some air
in and stopped hissing. Is this normal? If it is not where is
the breather pipe?
David Donnan
Internet Mailing List Oct 96
I think the fuel piping layout in the Griff is the same as in
the Chimaera. I had the same problem some time ago. At the back
of the filler pipe runs a small hose. You can find that by carefully
removing some of the carpeting on top of the tank. This hose runs
down to a so called purge valve ( black round thing ). This valve
opens at a certain rpm to release some or all of the petrol vapour
into a carbon filled container in front of the car. This is to
meet emission regulations. So either the valve does not open or
the carbon tank is filled with water. Another possibility is that
some of the hosing is obstructed (a tight bend or something like
that). The result is that the fuel pressure is building up in
the tank with the hissing sound as a result.
Paul Schoenmakers
I have sorted out some electrical problems that the car had, but
one remains. There is no power going to the fuel pump. I have
assumed that the immobiliser is not causing this because I have
obtained a new transmitter unit and successfully set it up so
that the engine is willing to crank over and start if I apply
power directly to the pump. I considered that it could be something
as straightforward as a fuse, but I don't know which one. Can
anyone tell me the exact location of the fuse in the fuse box
(so I don't have to check every one) and offer other advice as
to what the cause could be.
Matthew Johanson
Internet Mailing List Jan 97
Don't know if you have similar laws over there, but in US we have
a rollover law that cuts power to the fuel pump to prevent fires
in case of a rollover. There is a reset device located somewhere
on the car, usually in the trunk, which must be reset to energize
the fuel pump after it has been shutoff by the rollover. Maybe
this is the problem? This is usually called out in the owners
manual over here, if you got one with the car?
Anon, Detroit
Internet Mailing List Jan 97
This is quite likely to be the cause, particularly if the car
has been involved in an accident. It mentions the fuel cut-off
device in the owners manual.
Steve Powell
Internet Mailing List Sep 97
Seems like my fuel pump packed up over the weekend. Went to start
the car, it turned over no problem, but wasn't firing. Tried
again and noticed that I couldn't hear the fuel pump when switching
on the ignition. I can't see any reference in the handbook to
any fuse which might have blown, causing the failure and because
of a CD multichanger installed above the tank, I couldn't get
to the tank to check the wiring and connections. Does anyone know
if there is something obvious and easily rectified which is causing
this failure or do I need to arrange transport to the workshop
to have this looked at?
The MIL light doesn't come on and I can't find the reset switch
anyway (it's not on the inside of the passenger side wing like
it says in the handbook, then again, a lot of things aren't like
it says in the handbook). I do have a suspiscion that it might
be related to the alarm (the alarm immobilises the fuel pump)
since I've had a couple of alarm control boxes in as many months
and am getting a sneaky feeling that they might not be that reliable!
Robert Pearson
Internet Mailing List Sep 97
The fuel pump is usually outside of the body strapped to the chassis
where it can remain relatively cool. It is worth checking that
the electrical connections are still OK. I believe that the unit
is *normally* fused through the ignition/ECU fuse. It is worth
checking all the fuses just in case. The fuel pump is controlled
from the ECU, judging from the V8S circuits I have. While you
are checking the connections, make sure that you are getting +12
volts from the car with the ignition etc on. If not, this does
point the finger elsewhere! The fuel pump is also inhibited by
the alarm and if this has been playing up, then I would be very
suspicious indeed. You could try using the alarm key to disable
the unit to see if that makes any difference. If not, it could
involve tracing through the wiring with a multimeter to find out
where the problem lies. The reset switch could be in the battery
space in the footwell as well.
Steve Heath
Internet Mailing List Sep 97
Robert, it could be the fuel pump relay switches and not the pump
itself, or it could even be that one of the leads has fallen
out of the ECU. The former happened to my Chimaera, the latter
to the Griff.
Andrew Derodra
Has anybody had any experiences with Griff500's pinking under acceleration? Mine has done about 2,700 miles, and uses super unleaded from the nearby Esso. Yet with a heavy right foot, it can start pinking at 3,500-4000 rpm. I've run out of road before I can see if it stops when I get to higher revs. And I've never gone past 5000rpm yet. The garage says this is fairly normal and can make a small adjustment.
Any clues out there?
Andrew Derodra
Intenet Mailing List Sep 97
I am having similar experiences with my Griff 500. In this part
of the world, the best grade fuel in Malaysia assures 96 RON,
and it pinks. However, the best we can get at home in Singapore
is 98 RON, and the engine runs beautifully. In my experience therefore,
the fuel grade makes a difference to how much ignition advance
is tuned in. The higher RON fuel used, the more advance, and hence
more power.
Kenny Heng