eddymcclements
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| posted on 3/8/05 at 04:33 PM |
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SVA failed (looooong!)
Failed at the first attempt! Here's a summary of the inspection, with results where available:-
First test was to put the car on the ramp and check from underneath for cable runs and routing, brake and fuel pipe routes, security of fixings etc.
At this point the tester also measured the height of the crank pulley above ground level but the reason for this didn't become apparent until
later. The front wheels were on turntables and I was asked to turn the steering to full lock in each direction so that the tester could check for
fouling, brake line angles and so on.
The car was put on rollers and driven in top gear to test the speedo accuracy. I must say it was a bit scary standing next to the car when it was
doing an indicated 70mph, since I'd only driven it a few yards before the test. Fortunately the flywheel didn't come off and sever the
tester's feet and the propshaft didn't detach itself and remove his legs.
Speedometer accuracy
Actual Speedo
33 35
37 40
46 50
56 60
66 70
All speeds and readings were within the prescribed limits.
Next the car was placed on a flat floor and the virtual floor level determined so that the tester could decide what represented the underside of the
car. Next he produced the infamous hemispheres and tested the interior and exterior projections. This is where the bulk of the failure points
arose:-
edges of fuel and temp gauges (they're VDO from a 1995 Caterham and have flat edges)
cigarette lighter (no I don't smoke - I just wanted a convenient power point)
battery cut-off switch needs to be radiussed
bonnet catches need covers
lower spring mount on dampers need covering
seat belt buckles behind seat need covering
the silencer clamp bolt (it's a stainless Mikalor clamp) - if it was rotated round by about 5 degrees it would pass.
The upper seat belt mountings were then tested with a 450mm tall stand, a bit of string and a spirit level. They weren't high enough by about
30mm (although Willans instructions and the MSA regulations would say they're correctly fitted - you can decide for yourself who you think is
correct). The same rig was used to test whether the polycarbonate wind deflector was high enough to be classed as a windscreen (it would then need to
be laminated glass and have BSI kite marks). It passed with plenty of room to spare.
The tester then drove the car onto the brake rollers which also weighed the front and rear axle weights (298 kilos and 324 kilos). The crank pulley
height was required at this stage - apparently given this figure plus axle weights and allowing for two passengers plus baggage the Machine calculates
the effects of weight transfer under braking which would otherwise be impossible to test on a pair of rollers. The tester strapped a pressure
transducer to his foot and started the brake effectiveness tests. The front and rear brakes were tested as axle pairs and also individually, left and
right. The handbrake was similarly tested and the Machine crunched the numbers. Considering all braking components are new and haven't been
bedded in I was really pleased to see how close the left and right brakes were. Front/rear bias was already fixed with the bias bar which I'd
drilled and pinned so that it can't be adjusted. I haven't got a printout of the numbers, but it passed the requirements with a healthy
margin. Considering there's no servo and two master cylinders the pedal requires very little effort to produce strong braking. This test is
normally performed with engine running and repeated with the engine off (on cars with a servo) but of course I only needed one test.
The headlamp aim was checked (after we'd spent 5 minutes getting it right!) so it passed that one. I sat in the car and operated all the other
lights while the tester paced round and checked for correct illumination, angles of visibility etc. I'd used Caterham indicator pods at the
front, under the headlamp mounts and these passed the visibility checks OK.
Next came the emissions check - the car had been run for quite some time during the other tests so was already warmed up. I produced my letter showing
the engine dates from 1987 and the correct limits for that year were punched into the machine. The car idles cleanly at about 800rpm because of the
stock EFI so that made the test a lot easier. The numbers are:-
CO % VOL
Test limit Measured
3.5% 0.84%
HC ppm VOL
Test limit Measured
1200 146
So, not a smokey old heap from the scrapper after all! At this point I was really glad I'd spent all that time grafting the Toyota EFI back onto
my car. On the speedo test the car had pulled cleanly from 0-70 in top gear (yes, the tester set off in top gear on the rollers!) so driveability
seems good, too.
While the car was hooked up to the emissions machine the tester checked the accuracy of the tacho ready for the noise test. I'd given peak power
as 6,000rpm on the form - I know the 4AGE revs higher and peak power is probably 6,200 really, but I was worried about the noise from the RAW
engineering silencer. Needn't have bothered as it turns out:-
Noise test
Limit Measured
101dB 85dB
Next up the tester took the car for a short blast around their lorry test area to check for steering self-centreing (and whatever else they look for)
before lining up for the mirror test. Shortly before the SVA I'd ditched the cheap motorcycle mirrors and bought some (also cheap!) mirrors in a
style like the SPA Design touring car mirrors. They have a good glass area and are convex so visibility is just fine. The edges needed covering with
rubber trim to get past the sharp edges check and altough they have a blue tint I couldn't find anything in the SVA manual to rule this out. I
have since noticed that Audi A4s have blue tint mirrors so it must be OK.
He seemed to be satisfied with the vestigial self-centreing effect and never mentioned it, although I thought it would be marginal. With all-new
steering and suspension balljoints, and a new rack and pinion kit in the MkII rack it's still pretty stiff. Maybe he took this into account, who
knows.
Test over and a fairly short and easily remedied list of failures, probably only 2-3 hours total. Should be possible to get them fixed and the car
booked in again for next week. The DVLA phoned today to say that I can take the car down to them for the post-build inspection any time in the next
week and after that all I need is the V55/5 and the MAC from the SVA and I'll get a reg number. Cool.
Eddy
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Deckman001
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| posted on 3/8/05 at 05:51 PM |
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Well done ,, not long then ! 
Jason
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907
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| posted on 3/8/05 at 08:45 PM |
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A really helpfull post Eddy.
It's good to know how the test is conducted.
Sorry you didn't pass. Good luck for the retest.
ATB Paul G
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VinceGledhill
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| posted on 3/8/05 at 11:04 PM |
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Well done mate. Sounds like sailing. Wish I could say the same. I failed again, and again and again on the emissions. Twin webbers that I bought
second hand and were worn and hard to get through.
All worth it though. Got my new plates today... ;-) Sorted. I'm sure you won't be far behind me.
Regards
Vince Gledhill
Time Served Auto Electrician
Lucas Leeds 1979-1983
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DarrenW
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| posted on 4/8/05 at 08:44 AM |
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Fantastic post Eddy. many thanks for taking the trouble. Im a few months off but having read about your experiences it doesnt sound as daunting as im
expecting.
Did you get a pre SVA inspection done beforehand? Mac#1 offer this service but they are 110miles from me? expensive to trailer and a bit risky to
drive for the first time out.
i dont even like MOT's so might have to get some valium ready for SVA day!!! or pay someone else to do it - now where did i put Mac#1's
number............
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eddymcclements
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| posted on 8/8/05 at 10:45 AM |
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As a postscript to this I am happy to report that I presented the car for its re-test at 15:40 on Friday and by 16:00 I was leaving with a MAC in my
oily hands!
Remedies required were:-
wing piping cable-tied round lower spring mounts on front dampers
rubber edge trim on exhaust hole
rubber edge trim on upper harness shackles
raise upper harness mounts with long eye bolts and 35mm spacers
self adhesive neoprene foam strips round fuel and temp gauges
removed cut-off switch and bolted cables together
rotated exhaust clamp so that bolt points downwards
removed cigarette lighter and put blanking grommet in hole
covered bonnet catches with short lengths of heater hose with rubber discs glued over each end; slit down their length they clip into place with their
own springiness
Oddly enough, most of these items fell off as soon as I got home. All the other SVA compliant covers and trim will most likely stay in place because
they actually tidy up the look of the car. Upper balljoint and track rod end locknuts have both been covered using spare balljoint rubbers which fit
perfectly and look good. The black polypropylene nut covers fit in OK with the black GRP bodywork.
I'd already had the DVLA inspection so all they're waiting for is the MAC and a copy of my cover note and they can issue a reg number. I
can't wait - looks like I picked a good week to finish the car. Here's hoping that my next post on this forum is in the
"Driving" section!!
Eddy
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