Basic dumb starter questions

[pyoorkate]

So, I've not really had more than a fairly cursory look under the bonnet; but having struggled to get the car started when warm I'm thinking I'll get myself a haynes manual pretty sharpish. Until then can anyone help with some dumb starter questions?

All for a 1971 Viva HC SL 1256cc engine

- Can anyone tell me what Sparkplugs I need
- Do I have the faintest hope in hell of getting a distributor cap / rotor arm / points / air filter / oil fiter from my local Autofactors, or do I need to get 'em mail order (any suggestions for where if I do?)
- How hard is it to change the dashboard lights, currently I don't have, well, any working, actually (I guess that's an electrical question really...)
- What oil is recommended for the engine / gearbox / diff.

I'd normally wait until I was with-haynes-book-of-lies, but I will be using the car every day so... yeah, want to get it serviced fairly sharpish

[Sid]

- Can anyone tell me what Sparkplugs I need

NGK BP6ES (or BPR6ES) or Champion N9Y

- Do I have the faintest hope in hell of getting a distributor cap / rotor
arm / points / air filter / oil fiter from my local Autofactors, or do I
need to get 'em mail order (any suggestions for where if I do?)

Still a fair chance of getting all, or at least some, of those parts from a
decent motor factor if they've still got their old catalogues. Viva parts
are no longer listed in most supplier catalogues but they were until quite
recently, so stock still exists for common bits. Ebay sellers sometime have
new parts, and a google search will no doubt reveal other sources.
Club members can order parts from Adrian Miller's "Viva Spares".

- What oil is recommended for the engine / gearbox / diff.

Engine: any 20/50, gearbox EP80 (I think!), axle: EP90

Sid

[Clara]

Adrian (Viva Spares) is on holiday I think. If you can't wait you can always call www.speedyspares.co.uk

19-25 Old Shoreham Road, Portslade by Sea, East Sussex BN41 - 1SP, England

Mail Order/Fax: 44 (0) 1273 417889 - Shop: 44 (0) 1273 412764

They seem to have everything you could possibly want and they are usually very reasonably priced.

[Stu]

Ok,

• Spark plugs
  Originally they had AC Delco's; AC42XLS.
  Today, you'll probably be able to get hold of NGK equivalents the easiest (part no. BP6E)
  
  Enter BP6E in this Part Search, then hit "X-ref" to show different options for your engine. You can also buy direct from them!
  
• Other components
  It depends. I got hold of an oil filter, points, fan belt, HT leads, head gasket, etc. from a component specialist near me, you might be able to get dizzy caps/rotor arms/air filters as well. Somewhere general such as Halfords will not stock these old parts, no, but it's worth looking around.
  
• Dashboard lights
  If you mean the bulbs have blown for each of the panel indicators, you'll have to take out the instrument panel and replace them. I've never done it, but (according to the Haynes manual ) it looks pretty straightforward.
  
• Oils
  Engine; 20W/50 (You can usually buy this as 'classic car' engine oil)
  Gearbox; SAE 90 EP standard
  Diff; SAE 90 EP standard

Hope that helps,

[pyoorkate]

Thanks folks. I'll have a quick squiz round the local small car-parts-places; the oil I can pinch from my mog's supplies, which is handy

I feared that changing the bulbs might be like my old Mk1 golf - that appeared to have the entire car built around the dashboard... If it's not too complex then hopefully I should get to actually see the speedo at night, which'd be awfully handy

[psl]

Hi and welcome to the strange world of viva ownership.
Your lack of lights may just be the switch under the righthand side of the dash cushion (directly under the end of the speedo bit) Run your fingers along the bottom edge of the dash and you`ll feel a small black switch, just knock it the other way and hey presto lights. slightly less of a pain then getting the dash cushion out.
If not 6 little nuts retain the dash cushion in place. You`ll need to remove the steering wheel (though can be done with it in place) and the 2 little black covers either side of the under dash cushion to get at the nuts. Its fiddly, not hard to do though! Can send pix if need be.
Most auto shops will have what you need, try the older more established ones first, Halfords etc will just have young lads looking at you gone out, asking what a viva is

[pyoorkate]

Your lack of lights may just be the switch under the righthand side of the dash cushion (directly under the end of the speedo bit) Run your fingers along the bottom edge of the dash and you`ll feel a small black switch, just knock it the other way and hey presto lights. slightly less of a pain then getting the dash cushion out.

Thankyou! It was indeed that (doh!) - the switch seemed to be in the right place, but needed a bit of wiggling to make it work. I suspect I'll need to get some contact cleaner in there...

[lisbon_road]

Probably got a spare manual hidden here somewhere, let me know if you want one.

[psl]

wont need any contact cleaner, just evict the mice and tell them they cant come back, car in use.
As you are a dash pad removal virgin, you can simile to your self as you`ve just saved your self,F`ing and blinging for a few hours, thinking all this for a few bulbs

[pyoorkate]

Probably got a spare manual hidden here somewhere, let me know if you want one.

If you have, that'd be fantastic. Of course, I made sure I familiarised myself with all the controls before pulling off, and thus wasn't driving down the road going 'where in hell is the dip/main control'. No.

As you are a dash pad removal virgin, you can simile to your self as you`ve just saved your self,F`ing and blinging for a few hours, thinking all this for a few bulbs

See, I will probably, despite my promises to myself that this car is a working car while Rebecca (that's my minor) gets sorted, I can feel the urge to just do a bit of tidying here and there, and cleaning up this and that. And one of the things is the dash, which just somehow looks like it's suffered a bit.

Mind, I'm not likely to go through the trauma of fitting a while new one, but it somehow looks like it's sagged a bit - and looking at the photos of other people's cars, maybe it's not quite together right. Meh. I shall resist for a while though.